Monthly Archives: September 2014

UAV061 Regs, Regs, and More FAA Regs

Tim’s DJI Phantom 2

Production companies get sUAS exemptions, FAA wants N-numbers for drones, new chip offers possibility of smarter UAS controllers, Google wants to test Internet service, and DHL will provide package delivery.

Guest

Guest Tim Trott has a broadcast production background, but today at Tim Trott Productions, he creates video for a range of services, including real estate tours, industrial videos, training DVD’s, commercials, web and conference/trade show videos, and industrial productions.

Southern Helicam is the video production company owned and operated by Tim Trott Productions, with offices in central and northwest Florida.

See Video Does it Better for Tim’s take on online video marketing, and the accompanying YouTube page. Also Tim’s posts that we talked about: Section 333: The Crack In The Wall… and Here Come The Section 333 Exemption Petitions which invites readers to answer some timely and relevant questions about licensing. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimTrott.

News

FAA Approves Exemption Allowing Drones to Fly on Movie Sets

The FAA gave permission for six production companies to use sUAS for filming movies and television commercials.

Under the exemptions, the aircraft must be flown under 400 feet, in line of sight, on closed sets, and with a certified pilot.

Google Wants Internet Broadcasting Drones, Plans To Run Tests In New Mexico

Google purchased electric UAV maker Titan Aerospace earlier this year, as part of their “Internet in the sky” strategy.

Now Google has filed an application with the U.S. FCC to test their technology at a site south of Santa Fe, New Mexico. The application mentions the Titan acquisition, but what they want to test is redacted.

DHL testing drone for delivering parcels to island off coast of Germany

Trials are set to begin of “parcelcopter” deliveries to the island of Juist, 12 km off the north coast of Germany.

The German transport ministry and air traffic control authority have given DHL permission to test the drone for 15 – 30 minute flights through a restricted flight area.

Intel and 3D Robotics Working to Make Smarter Drones

Earlier this year, Intel announced the $50 Edison computer on a chip. It runs Linux, has 1GB of ram, a 500Mhz dual core processor, with Bluetooth, and WiFi.

Reportedly, 3D Robotics is looking to bring Edison to their existing Pixhawk autopilot system.

FAA Issues Requirement for All UAS to Show Aircraft Registration Number

The FAA has decided that commercial UAS (those operating under a COA) must carry registration numbers, just like manned aircraft.

These “N-numbers” must be “registered and marked prior to COA application,” according to an email sent by the FAA to the industry.

Addendum: Tim notes that all you need to get an N number is $20. See the FAA Forming an N-Number page.

FAA warning: Keep your drones grounded during UN summit

This week the United Nations Climate Summit was held at the organization’s headquarters in New York.

As with other kinds of events, the FAA issued a TFR (Temporary Flight Restriction) over parts of New Jersey and New York.

That’s not unusual. But what was unusual was that for the first time, the FAA made it a point to specifically mention that the TFR also applied to drone operators.

 3D Pocketcopter – the flying camera

3DPocketcopter This small, tubular-shaped copter features two counter-rotating rotors, a downward-facing camera for stills or video, and control by smartphone via WiFi.

 

 

The Indiegogo project is closed, after raising €113,927 of a €15,000 goal.

Dutch Boy Turns Dead Pet Rat Into Flying Tri-Copter

When Ratjetoe the pet rat died, he was stuffed. Now he lives on as a tri-copter.

@DroneMama says, “OK, that’s gross.”

Video of the Week

SPARKED: A Live Interaction Between Humans and Quadcopters

Cirque du Soleil has developed a short film featuring 10 quadcopters in a flying dance performance. SPARKED: Behind the Technology gives you a peek at how the video was produced.

UAV060 Searching for the Missing

MLB Super BatFAA grants an emergency COA, Reno is not just for manned aircraft anymore, Chinese inflatable UAVs, more UAS regulations, and more bad behavior with drones.

News

Drones Get Waiver to Search for Missing Texas Woman Christina Morris

The FAA granted an Emergency COA to the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of Gaithersburg, MD in order to utilize an Unmanned Aircraft System in the search for a woman missing in Texas.

Under the Emergency COA, NIST was able to operate an unmanned aircraft through contractor Texas EquuSearch, a non-profit organization that assists with locating missing individuals.

The FAA issues COAs “on an emergency basis when: 1) a situation exists in which there is distress or urgency and there is an extreme possibility of a loss of life; 2) the proponent has determined that manned flight operations cannot be conducted efficiently; and 3) the proposed UAS is operating under a current approved COA for a different purpose or location.”

Texas EquuSearch used the NIST’s catapult-launched MLB Super Bat, but did not locate the woman. The search was subsequently suspended until more leads could be developed.

Reno air races draw new kind of aircraft: drones

This year’s National Championship Air Races in Reno included the Small UAS Challenge, designed to test speed, agility, and strength. Contestants navigated an obstacle course, and participated in a time trial and a dead lift. A “Drone Zone” gave event attendees an opportunity to learn more about unmanned aerial vehicles and systems.

Tianjin expo reveals Chinese UAV innovations, aspiration and Now that’s an AIRplane! Homemade inflatable drone reaches speeds of 120mph

The Chinese are actively seeking to develop their aviation industry, and that includes unmanned vehicles. At the Tianjin International UAV and Model Aircraft Technology Exhibition, a family of UAVs were shown that featured inflatable bodies. The  SF-1, SF-2 and SF-3 have wingspans of 2.5 m, 3 m and 4.3 m respectively, and a useful load of 25 kg. They can be inflated with either air, helium, or hydrogen.

This development reminds David of the experimental Goodyear Inflatoplane, produced in the 1950’s and ‘60’s.

Europe Outlines Action Plan For UAV Policymaking

Matthew Baldwin, the director of aviation and international transport affairs with the European Commission (EC) had some comments from the UAS 2014 conference held in London:

  • The task of creating a regulatory framework that promotes UAS but addresses safety and privacy concerns.
  • The current European framework is fragmented, and that’s a competitive disadvantage.
  • Thresholds based on UAV weight are inconsistent, absurd, and arbitrary.

Baldwin said, “We believe that EASA [the European Aviation Safety Agency] is best placed to develop rules, and we envisage an EC proposal early next year to cover safety, liability and insurance, security privacy and so on.”

This Dunkable Drone Will Suck Up Whale Snot for Science

Whales have blowhorns that are lined with mucus and researchers want to collect that mucus to determine the health of the whale. Obviously, whale mucus is not easy to collect. The Olin College of Engineering has tackled this problem by developing and testing a drone they call Snot Bot. They want the FAA to give them permission to use it on real whales.

Pilot spots drone flying near Nashville airport runway

On approach to Nashville International Airport, the pilot of an American Eagle flight spotted a hovering drone. ATC notified the police air unit and the FAA is investigating.

Drones snooping into homes

Residents in this town are complaining about drones snooping around. One woman says her son had friends over for a pool party, and suddenly a drone was hovering overhead.  Neighbors also report seeing a drone after dark with flashing red and green lights.

Videos of the Week

Keep an eye on battery life

Max Trescott sends in this close call where the pilot saves his DJI Phantom before it sinks into the water.

DJI Phantom and GoPro 3 Black go for a swim

Note:  This video contains some profanity

In this video passed to us by Neal, a Phantom is not so lucky. But the GoPro keeps recording underwater!

Feedback

Tethered UAS

Since the FAA excludes tethered aircraft from its unmanned aircraft policy, listener Eric wondered if a tethered UAS is likewise excluded. So he asked them, “does the FAA have any guidelines in regards to tethered aircraft?”  The FAA’s response:

“The short answer is no.  We had looked at tethered UAS a couple years ago or so.  The story is we thought they could be considered like a kite or moored balloon covered under 14 CFR Part 101.  There was an internal discussion and our lawyers weighed in and deemed them aircraft, tethered or not.  Tethering is merely a very good safety mitigation.  Since they are aircraft, they must comply with all civil 14 CFR rules in place.  That means the civil UAS must be certified by the FAA as airworthy.  Currently the industry & FAA standards to make that determination are not yet fixed.  This along with many other integration problems yet to be solved makes the current civil use of UAS extremely limited.  Governmental uses enjoy a bit more freedom to use UAS since each governmental entity self-certifies its aircraft.”

“An operator could petition the FAA for an exemption under 14 CFR Part 11.  Tethering would help in proving to the FAA the operator can meet an equivalent level of safety to the NAS [National Airspace System].”

LiPo Battery Safety Tips

Luke Harris sends along some good advice for LiPo batteries:

  • When charging, never leave your battery unattended.  NEVER!  This is the stage where if a fault is present the battery can could possibly catch fire.
  • Never charge a battery indoors.  Ideally charge on the concrete outside and keep the battery in a LiPo safety bag while charging.
  • Always use a balance charger and ensure you select the correct setting on your charger that matches the battery.  Avoid ‘fast charging’.  The most common model of charger in Australia is the ‘swallow charger’.
  • Know your batteries, purchase a battery checker than can read the total capacity of the battery as well as individual cells.  When you land your model, aim to have a total charge remaining of 40%.    Never fly until the battery is empty, this will lead to problems when trying to charge.
  • If you charge a battery it is safe to store them in your LiPo safety bag if the weather is not ideal for flying, for around one month.  If you plan to store your batteries for a long period of time, discharge them to 30-40%.
  • Any sign of puffing batteries, dispose of them immediately.  They are not expensive to replace and not worth risking a fire.  Dispose by dropping the battery into a bucket of salt water.

UAV059 Sense and Avoid

NASA Predator B Unmanned Science and Research Aircraft SystemSense and Avoid by NASA and General Atomics, South African rules by 2015, Amazon’s drone page, package delivery by Flirtey and Google, and cease and desist letters from the FAA.

Guest

Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., (USMC-Ret.), the NASA Administrator since July, 2009.

In this clip from a longer interview recorded for the Airplane Geeks podcast, Charlie talks about NASA’s activity to develop autonomous flight technologies with the UAS test sites, focusing on sense and avoid. NASA is looking at low altitude sUAS air traffic control, and they are finalizing an agreement with Google on sense and avoid technology for package delivery systems. NASA wants to help the FAA get out ahead of the developing market.

News

General Atomics Readies for ‘Detect and Avoid’ Demo

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is developing aircraft detect-and-avoid (DAA) systems for unmanned aircraft. First, they’ll conduct software regression and hardware functional testing on their Predator B at the company’s flight operations facility in Palmdale, California.

Then, they’ll move the system to the NASA Predator B Unmanned Science and Research Aircraft System named “Ikhana,” a Native American Choctaw word meaning intelligent, conscious, or aware. Five weeks of collision avoidance trials will be performed where the Predator will be flown against “intruder” aircraft.

CAA on track to introduce UAV regulations by March 2015

The South African Civil Aviation Authority says it will finalize UAV regulations by March, 2015.

The CAA says until then, UAV operation in civil airspace is illegal and operators could be subject to a fine or up to ten years in prison, or both. Flying on private land or in restricted airspace is also illegal.

However, the director and chairman of the Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of South Africa (CUAASA) says you cannot be fined by the CAA because there are no laws in place.

Guess Which Giant Retailer Has Officially Opened Up a “Drone Store”

Amazon.com has officially opened a “Drone Store” featuring the DJI Phantom and the Parrot Drone. Coming soon is the TechJect Dragonfly, a “Wi-Fi enabled robotic insect.”

Mike Fortin, the CEO of CineDrones thinks selling hobby-grade equipment without emphasizing education or safety is irresponsible. But Amazon’s Drone Store web page has a “Fly Responsibly” link that takes you to more “links for informational purposes only:”

Drone Startup Flirtey Partners with The University of Nevada, Reno To Push UAV Delivery Forward

In October 2013, Flirtey started drone delivery tests in Australia. They now have more than a hundred successful test deliveries of textbooks, with its partner Zookal, a company that sells textbooks online.

Now Flirtey has teamed up with UAS research center University of Nevada, Reno. The University gets equity in the company, and Flirtey gets collaboration with the University’s R&D labs for design, manufacture, and research. Flirtey also gets access to the University’s graduate students and indoor flight-testing facilities.

Flirtey is going commercial in New Zealand, which is launching Airshare as a UAV hub where commercial operators can log flight information.

2 Arrested for Flying Drones Near Brooklyn Bridge, US Open: NYPD

The first individual arrested was allegedly flying over the Brooklyn Bridge. He was reported to police by transit workers. The man was visiting from Russia.

The second arrest was for an overflight of the National Tennis Center, hosting the U.S. Open.  The operator, a filmmaker, reportedly stated that he thought he was flying in an “appropriate park space.” The National Tennis Center is a private facility adjacent to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which is a public space.

Undeclared drone batteries sparked plane fire at Melbourne airport

We’ve seen stories about how certain kinds of Lithium-Ion batteries get hot and cause fires on airplanes. Here, a passenger’s hard plastic case in the hold contained Lithium-ion polymer batteries intended to power a remote control drone. Just prior to takeoff, the captain of the Fiji Airways plane detected the smoke from the cargo hold and called a mayday.

FAA Scans the Internet For Drone Users; Sends Cease and Desist Letters

In January, Governmentattic.org made a Freedom of Information Act request to the FAA for “copies of any letters, e-mails, or other written or electronic communications requesting or demanding individuals and organizations cease and desist, stop operating, or stop advertising unmanned aerial vehicles.”

The FAA responded with records of 17 “warning letters and e-mails [PDF] sent out by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regional offices to individuals…” Most of the cease and desist letters went to aerial video companies, but two universities were asked to stop operations associated with drone journalism studies.

The FAA communications list 3 ways under which UAVs can be operated:

  1. Certificate of Authorization (COA)
  2. Experimental Certification
  3. Recreational hobbyists

None allow commercial operation for aerial photography for hire.

Video of the Week

Gawk at Richard Branson’s tropical hideaway via aerial drone

You can’t afford to vacation at this private island, but Sir Richard is pleased to present this aerial tour.

Feedback

Paul Braun of TATTS writes to tell us that, “the Taking Autism To The Sky project (TATTS) was notified by Timothy Reuter of the Washington DC Drone User Group the other day that we are a finalist for the Social Drone Innovation Award.” Watch their Drone Social Innovation Award Submittal video and give them a “like.”

UAV058 Making and Breaking UAV Laws

Cyber Technology Cyber QuadFAA sued over drone restrictions, UAV arrests and confiscations, privacy legislation in California, UCLASS delay, NASA developing ATC for drones, Disney seeks UAS patents.

News

Lawsuits Assert Broad Economic and Scientific Impact of FAA’s Drone Restrictions

Three lawsuits have been filed by attorney Brenden Schulman (@dronelaws) over the FAA’s Interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. These were filed on behalf of:

1. The Academy of Model Aeronautics and its 170,000 members

The “no commercial operation” prohibition means no model aircraft public demonstrations or model aircraft training when some payment is involved, as well as competition prizes, and product reviews conducted by employees.

2. Several commercial drone interests, including: Peter Sachs and the Drone Pilots Association, the UAS America Fund (founded to finance the commercial drone industry), Skypan International, an aerial photography firm, and FPV Manuals (sells equipment for model aircraft).

No services can be offered with model aircraft that have even an incidental business purpose, and Peter Sachs cannot assist the volunteer fire department.

3. The Council on Governmental Relations, an association of US research universities.

Model aircraft for scientific research have long been used without any FAA restrictions. The FAA’s interpretation “poses a grave threat to science, research, education, and technological innovation across the United States.”

Customs seizes $80k worth of unauthorised drones

Australian UAV manufacturer Cyber Technology is being prosecuted for failure to obtain a permit to export drones. The list of “Defence and Strategic Goods” controlled by Australian law includes UAVs that can be controlled outside line of sight.

College student arrested for flying drone over football game

A University of Texas student allegedly flew a drone over a school football game. University police identified the student and seized the drone. In a statement to a local TV station, University Police said, “Our top priority is the safety our students, employees, fans and visitors.”

FAA allows recreational drone demonstrations for first time ever at an air show & it’s in Cleveland

This year’s Cleveland Air Show included demonstrations of fixed-wing and multicopter drones for the attendees. It represented a great opportunity to provide the general public with more awareness of what “drones” are all about.

CA State Senate Approves Law Limiting Drone Use by Police

To address privacy concerns, the State Senate in California has passed legislation that requires police to obtain surveillance warrants in order to use drones, unless exigent circumstances exist.

This seems to be at odds with the 1989 case, Florida v. Riley, where the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that citizens do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy from the air because airplanes and helicopters fly over private property all the time.

U.S. Navy delays start of bidding for unmanned carrier-based drone

The U.S. Navy had planned to release this month a final request for proposals for the Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance Strike (UCLASS) contract. Now they say they’ll wait until the Pentagon conducts a broad review of intelligence and surveillance programs this fall.

NASA is building an air traffic control system for drones

NASA is working with to create technologies for controlling air traffic control for drones operating at low altitudes, around 400 to 500 feet off the ground.

Disney Sees Drone-Operated Entertainment

Disney has filed three patent applications to use unmanned aerial systems at its theme parks. The patents envision using multiple UASs to support lightweight materials that can be used as projection screens, creating “flixels” or floating pixels, and animating Disney characters in the night sky.

Videos of the Week

Napa Earthquake 2014 Quadcopter Test Video from Doug.

DJI Drone Video: The Arrival of the USCG Eagle in Gloucester Ma from Rick.

Angry ram takes down drone from @DroneMama.

Mentioned

PrecisionHawk