Currently there are many applications for UAV's in the civilian side of the world. For the most part, they are used for flying around and capturing photography or video. Whether it be aerial pictures of a house for sale for a real estate agency, or someone wanting to capture a unique angle for a home made movie or sporting event. There are other uses, like drone racing leagues, where courses are set up and contestants fly their drones through the course as fast as they can. As of now there are minimal regulations on drone operations. As of August 29th, 2016, the FAA's most updated rulings went into effect for drone operations within certain airspace. It is designed to slowly step the traffic requests into busier airspace. All drones that are between 0.55lbs and 55lbs must now be registered with the FAA before outdoor flight can occur. Drone operations must take place under FAA Part 107 regulations. If you cannot comply with the FAA Part 107 regulations of operation, you may apply for a waiver to conduct your drone flight anyways.
"If your proposed operation doesn’t quite comply with Part 107 regulations, you’ll need to apply for a waiver of some restrictions. You’ll have to prove the proposed flight will be conducted safely under a waiver." (FAA, 2016)
I do believe that eventually we will see UAVs will be integrated into the National Airspace System, but only certain size drones or drones with certain capabilities. I would expect them to be regulated similarly to how large scale RC aircraft and large scale rocketeering is regulated. I would hope that the very small drones that you can find at Target and that obviously pose no threat to anybody would remain relatively unregulated. I would expect the regulations to step in when drones reach certain weight, power, altitude, and payload capabilities. I would expect color and shape of drones to be indicative of their purposes. Larger drones or drones that have the capability to pick up and move objects (Amazon, anyone?) would have to be registered within the NAS and set on specific routes and altitudes. But if Tommy wants to throw his drone in his pocket and have some fun in the backyard, I don't expect that would cause any issues.
UAVs have done wonders for the military in the last decade (and more). Effective use of UAVs allow us to remove boots from the ground and gather intelligence from the air. Military drones fly above the action, usually relatively quietly, and can provide real time pictures for use in surveillance and target acquisition. Some of the weaponized drones can even lock on and eliminate a target, without ever having a pilot or squad on the ground in any danger. Military drones can also stay in the air for a very long time, then rotate out when needed. They have the power to provide a watching eye over ground troops at all times of the day.
"Drones are used in situations where manned flight is considered too risky or difficult. They provide troops with a 24-hour "eye in the sky", seven days a week. Each aircraft can stay aloft for up to 17 hours at a time, loitering over an area and sending back real-time imagery of activities on the ground." (BBC, 2012)
Military drone strikes have been incredibly efficient over the years. While some stories leak out about failed missions or incorrect targets, for the most part, military drones offer a very feared attack and surveillance strategy that keeps the fewest amount of US lives in harms way.
Like any emerging industry, there are always new and budding jobs within the UAV industry. One current job exists in the Government sector in Arizona as an Air Vehicle Operator:
"The AVO is responsible for coordinating ground and flight operations including mission planning, execution, and debriefing; safe operation of the aircraft; aircrew resource management; and customer coordination. A professional demeanor, strong work ethic, and eagerness to expand a growing platform is required. The selected individual will be comfortable working with an experimental program, able to voice recommendations for manual updates, and flexible enough to adapt to sudden changes in mission tasking."
Job listing available at: http://www.indeed.com/cmp/AUV-Flight-Services/jobs/Unmanned-Aerial-System-1444062f757e747b?sjdu=QwrRXKrqZ3CNX5W-O9jEveR_AIaKfI8iSRXcPFtWcv0TXfaZPrK74b73rBGDknKJ8OMviyl66480IdNY-toMtNWR60FZkPh_UnjxDzoXBxevFM7lv656wKe-SmARmliZiEgtd59lgZPAe4z_t6CX6Q
Resources
FAA - The FAA's New Drone Rules Are Effective Today. (2016, August 29). Retrieved December 10, 2016, from http://www.faa.gov/news/updates/?newsId=86305
BBC - News, B. (2012, January 31). Drones: What are they and how do they work? Retrieved December 10, 2016, from http://www.bbc.com/news/world-south-asia-10713898
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