Article
Risk Assessment for UAS Logistic Delivery under
UAS Traffic Management Environment
Pei-Chi Shao
Department of Aviation & Maritime Transportation Management, Chang Jung Christian University,
Tainan 711301, Taiwan; pcshao@mail.cjcu.edu.tw
Received: 25 August 2020; Accepted: 19 September 2020; Published: 25 September 2020
Abstract:
Resulting from a mature accomplishment of the unmanned aircraft system (UAS), it is
feasible to be adopted into logistic delivery services. the supporting technologies should be identified
and examined, accompanying with the risk assessment. This paper surveys the risk assessment
studies for UAVs. the expected level of safety (ELS) analysis is a key factor to safety concerns. By
introducing the UTM infrastructure, the UAS implementation can be monitored. From the NASA
technical capability level (TCL), UAV in beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights would need
certain verifications. Two UAS logistic delivery case studies are tested to assert the UAS services.
To examine the ELS to ground risk and air risk, the case studies result in acceptable data to support
the UAS logistic delivery with adequate path planning in the remote and suburban areas in Taiwan.
Keywords: UAS safety; risk assessment; expected level of safety (ELS); UAV logistic delivery
1. Introduction
The advances of micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) have led the unmanned aircraft system
(UAS) into rapid growth since 2012. the vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) multi-rotor unmanned
aerial vehicle (UAV) has made very successful progress in characteristics of simple structure, easy
operation, and good performance to suit for wide applications. Thus, UAVs can easily be used to
work with dirty, dangerous, and dull (3D) jobs with higher operational efficiency and personnel safety.
VTOL UAVs have also successfully grasped consumer markets, and have replaced many conventional
systems into new visions.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) document 328 for unmanned aircraft
systems (UASs) gives the definition of UAS as “An aircraft and its associated elements which are operated
with no pilot on-board.” VTOL UAVs use brushless (BL) motors, electronic speed controllers (ESC),
Li polymer (LiPo) battery, GPS navigation, and inertia navigation microcontroller to build on fiber
materials with a required payload through the radio link to a ground controller to fly. This creates
a friendly UAS operation environment [1,2].
The UAV flight operation and management in Taiwan is legislated by the Ministry of Transportation
and Communications (MOTC), to approve the legal use of UAVs in non-integrated airspace (NIA)
by the “Civil Aviation Act”. This was legislated on 3 April 2018 [
3
] and is effective on 31 March
2020. This UAV law regulates UAS operations and is enforced into surveillance and management
to assure the UAS flight safety. Research and development on the UAS traffic management (UTM)
with appropriate UAS business models and applications are booming. Several UAS services and
business models are established for journalist/news broadcasting air photography, traffic surveillance,
agriculture insecticide spray, mountainside slide inspection, bridge inspection, and logistic delivery, etc.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advisory circular (AC) no. 107-2 states that
the operational limitations for small UAV (sUAV) are to fly less than a ground speed of 160 km/h and
lower than 400 feet above ground level (AGL) [
4
]. AC 107-2 by FAA allows all the applications of sUAV
Aerospace 2020, 7, 140; doi:10.3390/aerospace7100140 www.mdpi.com/journal/aerospace
