Reece Clothier

RMIT University | RMIT · School of Aerospace, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

There can be significant uncertainty as to the safety of novel or complex aviation systems, such as Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). Current aviation safety assessment and compliance processes do not adequately account for uncertainty. The aim of this research is to support more objective, transparent, systematic and consistent regulatory...

The backdrop to the rapidly expanding use of drones is described, including development of drone technology, followed by an overview of current civilian use, focusing on use in and around the urban environment. The inhibitors to further use are considered including technological and societal aspects. The operation and control issues are reviewed in...

The introduction of new and novel airspace users with limited operational data and high uncertainty into the aviation sector has necessitated the need to develop a uniform set of regulations tailored to each of their operations. National Aviation Authorities (NAAs) have recommended the adoption of a risk-based approach to the development of these r...

Autonomy is essential to delivering on our ongoing pursuit for a safer, more efficient, and more environmentally sustainable aviation industry. Autonomy is also key to enabling emerging aviation sectors, including unmanned aircraft systems and urban air mobility concepts. Whilst we have a growing understanding of the importance and benefits of auto...

Whilst there remain many challenges in the design and implementation of higher levels of autonomy in aviation systems, it is posited here that the greatest challenge lies in the development of the methodology, processes, and tools needed to provide adequate assurance in the safety of their operational use. A potential solution could lie in the expl...

System Safety Regulations (SSR) are a central component to the airworthiness certification of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). There is significant debate on the setting of appropriate SSR for UAS. Putting this debate aside, the challenge lies in how to apply the system safety process to UAS, which lack the data and operational heritage of conventi...

Parachute Systems (PS) can be readily used by small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) for risk mitigation and aircraft recovery. To date there has been limited research into the fundamental dynamics of parachutes at low Reynolds numbers, with existing studies focusing on larger parachutes. An understanding of the dynamics is needed to establish sound...

This presentation introduces some of the factors in the modelling and assessment of the risks associated with UAS operations in non-segregated airspace. Lessons learned from the application of a barrier bow tie modelling approach are presented.

There is much effort being directed towards the development of safety regulations for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). National airworthiness authorities have advocated the adoption of a risk-based approach, whereby regulations are driven by the outcomes of a systematic process to assess and manage identified safety risks. Subsequently, models char...

This presentation focuses on the innovation and opportunity arising from the UAS industry. The objective of this talk was to change the focus of discussion from the challenges and negatives (i.e., the view of UAS as the aviation disruptor) to that of opportunities for broader aviation sector (i.e., to the view of UAS as the catalyst for innovation)...

Regulations for remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) should have a strong foundation in, and traceability to, the management of the safety risks. This paper describes a new approach for modelling the risks associated with RPAS operations near populous areas to support the development of regulations and safety cases. A review found that existing...

Increasingly, operations with unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) are occurring in populous regions. Commercial entities propose increasingly frequent, very low-level flights of a diverse range of small craft (particularly quadrotors) in urban environments. There is a significant body of research addressing safety, security, and privacy issues for UAS...

This paper presents a new approach to showing compliance to system safety requirements for aviation systems. The aim is to improve the objectivity, transparency, and rationality of compliance findings in those cases where there is uncertainty in the assessments of the system. A Bayesian approach is adopted that facilitates a more comprehensive trea...

This paper describes an approach to create a Risk Informed Safety Case (RISC) towards facilitating safe, cost-effective operations with small unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS). The core constituents of a RISC are i) barrier models of safety, which underpin the development of a comprehensive collection of safety measures so as to be commensurate with...

The utility of micro air vehicles (MAVs) has expanded significantly in the last decade, and there are now numerous commercial systems available at relatively low cost. This expansion has arisen mainly due to the miniaturisation of flight control systems and advances in energy storage and propulsion technologies. Several emerging applications involv...

There is much debate over the development of suitable system safety requirements for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). A particular point of contention is the approach for determining the allowable average probability per flight hour of failure conditions. For UAS, there is limited knowledge and data to inform the assessment of the average probabili...

A short review of current counter-drone technologies

This presentation provides an overview of the Australian UAS industry.

This work describes the testing involved in generating an acoustic signature profile of a small multi-rotor unmanned aircraft system. A typical multi-rotor unmanned aircraft system, with a weight of approximately 2.1 kg, was used for sound pressure level measurements. This study established a relationship between distance, altitude and sound pressu...

This paper discusses the impact of passenger weight changes attributed to obese/overweight passengers on aviation fuel used, greenhouse emissions and fuel cost. The scope of this study is circumscribed to domestic air travel in Australia for the period between 1990 and 2014. It is estimated that the industry has used 561 kilo-tonnes of fuel between...

This paper explores the application of the Apollonius sphere (AS) as a mathematical basis for generating aircraft collision avoidance advisories. The AS (as an extension of the Apollonius circle) defines the locus of all potential collision points for an aircraft collision pair. Collision advisory information in the form of non-allowed steering dir...

Micro-air vehicles (MAVs) are envisaged to spend a large portion of their mission within urban environments, which in general are rich in large obstacles (both natural and man-made). These obstacles can be a hindrance to MAV flight, but also have the potential to generate orographic updrafts when wind impinges on them. In theory, MAVs can exploit t...

Strategies for forward-sensing turbulence ahead of an aircraft are introduced, which enable more timely opposing control inputs than for traditional inertial sensing. Typically traditional systems measure the effect of a velocity perturbation on an aircraft and thus can only provide a delayed response when countering the effect. The early acquisiti...

This conference presentation explores the requirements, challenges, and existing research into the operationalisation of very low level airspace for manned and unmanned aircraft.

This paper explores a method by which an unpowered, fixed-wing micro air vehicle (MAV) may autonomously gain height by utilising orographic updrafts in urban environments. These updrafts are created when wind impinges on both man-made and natural obstacles, and are often highly turbulent and very localised. Thus in contrast to most previous autonom...

MAVs are increasingly being used in complex terrains, such as cities, despite challenges from the highly turbulent flow fields. We investigate the flow around a nominally cuboid building of height 40m both computationally and experimentally in a 1/100th scale wind-tunnel test. A relatively new computational technique, Improved Delayed Detached Eddy...

Routine access to non-segregated airspace is a key enabler for the civilian Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) industry. Approvals for UAS operations in this airspace are contingent on the provision of a safety case, which details how the risk of a Mid-Air Collision (MAC) accident will be managed to an acceptable level. There is no accepted framework f...

Demand for commercial aviation continues to grow. In light of this trend, substantial research is being undertaken into the development of new technologies and procedures to ensure the continued safety, efficiency, quality of service, and sustainability of the aviation industry. However, most of these efforts are focused on the air vehicle or relat...

The current focus of aviation regulatory authorities, industry, and academia are on the safety, airspace integration, and privacy issues associated with the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). One issue that has received far less attention is security. Security in conventionally piloted aviation is assured through a wide range of controls, whic...

One of the primary hazards associated with the operation of Unmanned Aircraft (UA) is the controlled or uncontrolled impact of the UA with terrain or objects on the terrain (e.g., people or structures). National Aviation Authorities (NAAs) have the responsibility of ensuring that the risks associated with this hazard are managed to an acceptable le...

MAVs are increasingly being used in complex terrains, such as cities, despite challenges from the highly turbulent flow fields. We investigate the flow around a nominally cuboid building of height 40m both computationally and experimentally in a 1/100th scale wind-tunnel test. A relatively new computational technique, Improved Delayed Detached Eddy...

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to design a compact, light and relatively inexpensive navigation and guidance system capable of providing the required navigation performance (RNP) in all phases of flight of small unmanned aircrafts (UA), with a special focus on precision approach and landing. Design/methodology/approach – Two multi-sensor a...

This paper examines the possibility of using a Multi-Rotor Unmanned Aircraft System (MUAS) for atmospheric flow measurements around a tall building. This novel sensing approach is proposed, whereby we attempt to determine the oncoming flow velocity magnitude and direction from measurements of the power required by each of the MUAS rotors. Extensive...

There are significant challenges associated with the flight control of fixed-wing micro air vehicles (MAVs) operating in complex environments. The scale of MAVs makes them particularly sensitive to atmospheric disturbances thus limiting their ability to sustain controlled flight. Bio-inspired, phase-advanced sensors have been identified as promisin...

The fielded capability of a remotely piloted aircraft system is not what is written in a manufacturer's spec-sheet. This presentation provides a very high level overview of the intersection of technical, social, and regulatory factors that ultimately determine the capability of remotely piloted aircraft systems. The area of application is in fire a...

Fixed-wing Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) experience attitude control difficulties as they operate in highly turbulent environments. Previous research has identified pressure-based control as a potential approach for augmenting the performance of, or replacing, autopilots reliant on inertial sensors. However, implementation requires an in-depth under...

This conference presentation discusses the development of template safety cases for UAS operations over populous areas and in non-segregated airspace. Based on the Barrier Bow Tie model, the template provides a simple means for the development and communication of complex safety cases. It focusses discussion on those practical measures that can be...

This paper presents some of the challenges associated with development of an airworthiness regulatory framework for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). The risk paradigm and a simple model describing the regulatory trade-space are developed. The model is used to explain fundamental differences between the regulation of manned and unmanned aircraft. Ge...

This paper presents a path planning approach for Micro Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) in urban environments. We show that it is feasible to extend the endurance and range of an MAV by exploiting the orographic lifts from buildings in windy conditions. A sampling based rapidly-exploring random tree algorithm is implemented to generate feasible paths between...

Wild bird management at airports and sporting venues is a significant issue. Numerous methods for managing birds are used. Falconry has proven the most effective solution but it is not without its limitations; predatory birds are temperamental, can be difficult to manage, and are unable to be flown at night. The aim of this research is to develop a...

This presentation summarises the state of the Australian civil UAS industry, describes the complex interplay of issues that will shape the industry, and explores particular threats and opportunities.

Unmanned aircraft, or drones, are a rapidly emerging sector of the aviation industry. There has been limited substantive research, however, into the public perception and acceptance of drones. This article presents the results from two surveys of the Australian public designed to investigate (1) whether the public perceive drones to be riskier than...

licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/). Selection and peer-review under responsibility Abstract International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) serve to harmonize the safety regulation of civil aviation around the world. ICAO SARPs are only applicable to countries signatory to the 1944 Chicago Convention and only to ci...

This paper presents the results from a preliminary study of the remote pilot workload in the manual control of Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) in turbulence. Motion was constrained to the roll axis, and repeatable turbulence conditions were provided using a wind tunnel. Subjective and performance-based measurements of workload are reported across the pop...

The Melbourne Metropolitan Fire Brigade are exploring the fitment of Hazardous Materials sensors to a quadrotor Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). The aim of this paper is determine whether the flow structures surrounding the quadrotor would be sufficient to support measurements made by the sensor. Flow visualisation techniques (Schilieren) and point...

This paper presents a novel framework, based on traditional system safety modelling approaches, for the representation and comparison of airworthiness aviation frameworks. A disparate array of military airworthiness frameworks have emerged due to a lack of standardisation and the absence of a recognised organisation needed for the harmonisation of...

Fixed-wing Micro-Aerial Vehicles (MAVs) need effective sensors that can rapidly detect turbulence induced motion perturbations. Current MAV attitude control systems rely on inertial sensors. These systems can be described as reactive; detecting the disturbance only after the aircraft has responded to the disturbing phenomena. In this part of the pa...

A method for deriving the parameters of a six-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) aircraft dynamics model by adopting reverse engineering techniques is presented. The novelty of the paper is the adaption of the 6-DoF Aircraft Dynamics Model (ADM) as a virtual sensor integrated in a low-cost navigation and guidance system designed for small Unmanned Aircraft...

One of the key challenges of designing low-cost Unmanned Aircraft (UA) is to ensure acceptable and certifiable reliability factors for the adopted Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) components since their reliability is often not quantified. In this paper the experimental results obtained for quantifying the reliability of mini UA servomotors (by reco...

The safety risk management process describes the systematic application of management policies, procedures and practices to the activities of communicating, consulting, establishing the context, and assessing, evaluating, treating, monitoring and reviewing risk. This process is undertaken to provide assurances that the risks associated with the ope...

There are significant challenges in the control of fixed-wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) in high turbulence environments. Birds can sustain stable flight in such environments by obtaining flow information through mechanoreceptors embedded in their wings. Inspired by nature’s flyers, an investigation into replicating the function of mechanoreceptors...

Challenges associated with flight control of agile fixed-wing Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs) operating in complex environments is significantly different to any larger scale vehicle. The micro-scale of MAVs can make them particularly sensitive to atmospheric disturbances thus limiting their operation. As described in Part 1, current conventional reactiv...

Practical considerations in the design of an obstacle detection, mapping and path planning system for small unmanned aircraft systems. International Journal of Unmanned Systems Engineering. 2(3): x-x. This paper discusses some of the practical engineering considerations relevant to the development and implementation of Obstacle Detection, Mapping a...

A framework supporting the systematic development of safety cases for Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) operations in a broad range of civil and commercial applications is presented. The case study application is the use of UAS for disaster response. In those States where regulations do not preclude UAS operations altogether, approvals for UAS operati...

This paper describes a method for deriving six-degree-of-freedom (6-DoF) aircraft dynamics parameters adopting reverse engineering techniques from three dimensional (3D) laser scanner measurements. In particular, the mass and aerodynamic properties of the JAVELIN Unmanned Aircraft (UA) are determined using accurate measurements from the 3D scanner...

Recently, Unmanned Aerial Systems (UASs) have been implemented by the Melbourne Fire Brigade (MFB) in Australia. UASs are being utilised as a means to improve situational awareness in fire fighting operations. The goal of this work is to investigate if these systems can have their role extended to include hazardous material detection and monitoring...

This webinar was conducted in conjunction with the Australian Road Research Board. The presentation provides an introduction to unmanned systems and explores some of the opportunities for Australian Road Agencies. Online recording can be found here: http://snack.to/tvul7l0i

The Air and Space Interoperability Council (ASIC) has adopted the European Defence Agency (EDA) process for interregulatory military airworthiness authority recognition. However, there are gaps in the application of this process to nations outside of the European Union. This paper proposes a model that can effectively map diverse technical airworth...

This keynote presentation provides an introduction to the unmanned aircraft systems (drone) industry in Australia and outlines some of the general challenges facing the sector.

This presentation provides a brief introduction to unmanned aircraft systems and explores the contemporary issues that face the industry including: regulation, privacy, risk perception/risk acceptance, and insurance.

The small scale and portability of fixed-wing Micro Aerial Vehicles lend them to many unique applications, however their utility is often limited by ineffective attitude control in turbulent environments. The performance of attitude control systems themselves are affected by a variety of factors. Assessment of this system’s performance needs to be...