Collegiate Pilots' Willingness to Pilot an Aircraft in UAS Integrated Airspace

Abstract

The integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System represents a significant transformation in aviation, highlighting the importance of understanding stakeholder acceptance. Collegiate pilots, as the next generation of aviators, represent an important population for examining attitudes toward UAS integration. This study investigated collegiate pilots’ willingness to operate aircraft in airspace shared with UAS, focusing on the effects of UAS operation type (remotely piloted vs. fully autonomous) and FAA pilot rating. A 2 × 5 mixed factorial design was employed, with UAS operation type as the within-subjects factor and FAA pilot rating as the between-subjects factor. Fifty-two collegiate pilots recruited from an FAA Part 141-certificated flight school evaluated two hypothetical airspace scenarios and completed the validated Willingness to Pilot Scale following each scenario. Results of the mixed factorial ANOVA indicated no statistically significant main effect of UAS operation type or FAA pilot rating and no significant interaction between the two factors on willingness to pilot an aircraft.

The results indicate that for this cohort of aviators, the human-in-the-loop element of UAS control is not a primary factor influencing their willingness to share the airspace. This finding suggests that collegiate pilots may base their acceptance more on the overall safety case and regulatory framework for UAS integration rather than the specific control paradigm. The study concludes that aviation training programs should prioritize educating student pilots on UAS capabilities, limitations, and standard procedures, regardless of how the unmanned vehicle is controlled, to prepare them for the inevitable reality of integrated airspace operations.

These findings suggest that collegiate pilots’ perceptions of UAS integration are not strongly influenced by their pilot certification level or whether UAS are remotely or autonomously controlled. The results highlight the importance of developing training strategies that normalize UAS integration and prepare pilots for operational complexities regardless of certification stage.