How best to avoid a collision or incident with a UAV today? “Pay attention to the NOTAMs,” advises Kurt Barnhard, Ph.D., director of Kansas State University’s College of Technology and Aviation. “We are required to notify the pilot community 48 hours before we operate,” Barnhard said, referring to the test and training flights KSU students are conducting with smaller surveillance UAVs near the Salina campus.

While some may think a pilot-less business jet is a preposterous concept, Gulfstream Aerospace thought theirs was a viable proposition.

The major drawback in mixing UAVs with conventional aircraft today is the former’s questionable ability to see and avoid conflicting traffic, unionized air traffic controllers maintain.