Two Worlds Of A Drone Pilot

In this image provided by the U.S. Air Force, Capt. Richard Koll, left, and Airman 1st Class Mike Eulo perform function checks after launching an MQ-1 Predator unmanned aerial drone Aug. 7, 2007, at Balad Air Base, Iraq. Captain Koll, the pilot, and Airman Eulo, the sensor operator, will handle the Predator in a radius of approximately 25 miles around the base before handing it off to personnel stationed in the United States to continue its mission. Scrambling to meet commanders' insatiable demands for unmanned aircraft, the Air Force is launched two new training programs Wednesday Oct. 22, 2008, including an experimental one that would churn out up to 1,100 desperately needed pilots to fly the drones over Iraq and Afghanistan. As many as 700 Air Force personnel have expressed some interest in the test program, which will create a new brand of pilot for the drones, which are flown by remote control from a base in Nevada. Photo AP

From Military.com:

CREECH AIR FORCE BASE, Nev. – The daily work duties are arduous, involving close tracking of insurgents, patiently watching them dart in and out of shelters and, if the opportunity presents itself, occasionally raining missiles down on their heads.

But at the end of each day, the Air Force crews who control the Predator and Reaper drones circling high above the battlefields in Afghanistan and Iraq stand up from their Naugahyde chairs, emerge from their cramped trailers on this remote Nevada air base and climb into their cars for the drive home, arriving in time to tuck their kids into bed.

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My Comment: It is clear that UAVs and other robotic systems geared for war have introduced new psychological and emotional stresses on the servicemen and women who operate them. The focus now is on UAVs, but soon there will be unmanned systems that operate on water and on the ground. What will be the stress and and psychological impact for the operators of these systems .... I guess with time we will find out the answers, but for now everyone is breaking new ground on how this aspect of war is going to be fought in the future..