Published Author on Unmanned Aircraft Systems, including the following popular titles:

1) Civil and Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Missions and Systems, AIAA, Estimated 420 pages, Projected publication date: May 2016. Dedicated exclusively to the use of civilian UAS, sometimes called “domestic drones.”, this book is intended to appeal to a broad range of readers, including drone enthusiasts, entrepreneurs and investors, system developers, concerned citizens and policy makers.  I highlight several hundred civil and commercial missions and mission variations while presenting UAS system technologies for each mission area. Featured missions include Surveying, Mapping, and Aerial Photography; Infrastructure; Agriculture; Forest, Wetlands, and Ecology; Law Enforcement and Public Safety; Emergency Response; Logistics and Transport; Mining and Energy; Scientific Research; Communications; Journalism and Cinematography; Wildlife Management; Hobbies, Art, and Recreation; and Education and Research.  The book’s “Special Topics” chapter tackles several critical issues facing the commercial UAS industry, such as airspace integration, privacy and safety.

2) Unmanned Aircraft Systems Innovation at the Naval Research Laboratory, Co-Authored with Richard Foch, AIAA Library of Flight, 480 pages, 2014.

This book recounts the previously untold story of unmanned aircraft research and development at NRL’s Vehicle Research Section.  A comprehensive history of lessons-learned, the book features more than 100 unmanned aircraft covering various missions, levels of autonomy, configurations, propulsion systems, structural materials, and more.  Written from engineering and aircraft design perspectives, this text is nonetheless accessible to the nontechnical aviation enthusiast.  It honors the accomplishments of the tireless and gifted teams who made these aircraft and their technologies possible. 

Personal Note: Rick passed away in 2014, shortly before publication of the book.  This book is a tribute to his remarkable career.  Rick is probably history’s most prolific UAS designer and developer.  I will miss my friend and great mentor.

3) Designing Unmanned Aircraft Systems: A Comprehensive Approach,Second Edition, AIAA Education Series, 805 pages, 2014.​

Whether for classroom use or self-study, Designing Unmanned Aircraft Systems is the most authoritative and comprehensive single-volume reference available on UAS design.  It investigates all elements of the design process, including architectural options and design drivers across diverse system classes.  It provides a comprehensive understanding of the end-to-end unmanned aircraft system and a deeper appreciation for the multidisciplinary nature of UAS design.  New to the second edition are the chapters “Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL), Airships, and Unconventional Vehicles” and “Special Topics in Unmanned Aviation.”  The special topics chapter discusses export and arms control, airspace integration, and societal issues that are increasingly part of public discourse. 

According to Jonathan Pulham, who reviewed this book in the Royal Aeronautical Society’s July 2015 Aeronautical Journal, “Indeed such an all-inclusive book would make a very worthy addition to the bookshelf of anybody whose technical profession even touches upon the UAS domain.”

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