FAA team in Egg Harbor Township is figuring out how unmanned drones can coexist with commercial aircraft

Imagine an aircraft without a pilot flying alongside a commercial airliner that’s carting passengers to their summer vacation destinations. Instead, the pilot of the aircraft is stationed in a separate location and controls the aircraft remotely.

Unmanned aircraft systems, or UAS as they are commonly called within the Federal Aviation Administration, have been primarily used in overseas combat, particularly in Iraq and Afghanistan. They can weigh between 6 ounces and 38,000 pounds.

Domestically, however, dozens of other applications have been discussed.

Some people envision these systems one day delivering mail to back porches. Others say unmanned systems could act as a border patrol or could be used for crop dusting and environmental science observations.

A team at the FAA’s William J. Hughes Technical Center in Egg Harbor Township is charged with figuring out how these unmanned systems can one day coexist in the same airspace as commercial jetliners and other aircraft.  The potential size of the industry is massive. Experts project that $90 billion will be invested in unmanned aircraft during the next 10 years.