Crowded Skies

Drone research provides value to aviation students

By Grace Brandt '13

In 2018, Gatwick Airport in London, England shut down for 33 hours after reports of drone sightings close to the runway. More than 140,000 passengers were affected as 1,000 flights were either delayed, diverted or cancelled—and across the world in Indiana, Cheng Wang was deeply intrigued. Studying aeronautics, aviation and aerospace science and technology at Purdue University, Wang was inspired to study the fledgling world of drones.  

Wang, now the chair of the Aviation Department at Minnesota State University, Mankato, has spent the intervening years researching small unmanned aerial systems—or drones, as most people know them. Her research explores the uses but also potential challenges that drones might pose, especially from an aviation safety standpoint.

“I noticed unmanned system sightings could be a potential problem in the aviation community,” Wang said. “That’s how I decided to start studying this topic, with my background in aviation [and focus on] the safety issues with those sightings and the impact on operations.”

Wang said drone sightings have risen sharply during the past decade. She utilizes data from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), though she acknowledges the non-mandatory nature of reports means there could be more sightings that are not recorded. 

On the flip side, people sometimes report objects in the sky that aren’t drones at all, including birds or manned aircraft. However, she’s usually able to sift through mistaken reports based on the details included.

Wang uses her findings in her own classes so that aviation students at MSU are better prepared for a rapidly changing sky when they graduate.  

“You need to pay attention to those things,” she said. “When two hard items collide with each other at 100 miles per hour, this is a huge impact on the aircraft. Whether it’s a four-person aircraft or a jet airliner, [the collision] can still affect it.” 

Wang said that statistically, only a small percentage of pilots need to take evasive maneuvers to avoid collisions—and, thankfully, there haven’t been reports of fatal collisions between aircraft and drones yet.

Besides Wang’s own research, she has mentored aviation students who are also interested in drones and their effect on aviation. One particularly interesting research project was a student study that compared drone sightings to laser strikes that can also plague pilots, since both are considered hazards to operations.

“I’m really glad that I can help students learn about research and help them do research in an area they have a passion for,” Wang said. “This will be also a step for them before they want to go to graduate school or more advanced research in the future.”

Wang said she has no doubt that everyone will be affected by drones in the future.

“It’s going to be millions of aircraft in the sky compared to what we have now. It’ll be a totally different world in the air down the road.”