Tag Archives: drone racing

383 Heavy-Lift UAS

A heavy-lift UAS from BAE Systems, NOAA collects data from drones, drones cover motorsports events, bad weather affects delivery drones, Drone Racing League scores a sponsorship deal, Leonardo and Northrop Grumman working together, smuggling contraband, Volocopter eyes the U.S., building better batteries, Drone Safety Awareness Week, and the attack of the magpie.

UAV News

BAE Systems to build T-650 cargo quadrocopter with 300kg capacity

BAE Systems and Malloy Aeronautics want to develop an all-electric heavy-lift UAS targeted to missions for military, security, and civilian customers. The T-650 Heavy-Lift Electric UAS concept vehicle would accommodate payloads of over 300 kg with a range of 30 km on one charge of its batteries. The aircraft could fly autonomously or by remote control at a top speed of 140 km/h.

T-650 Heavy-Lift Electric UAS
T-650 Heavy-Lift UAS, courtesy BAE Systems.

NOAA Data Storage Needs May Grow as Drones Become Smarter

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration captures data with tube-launched fixed-wing drones, vertical-launch hexacopters, and even NASA’s Global Hawk aircraft. For many applications, the data is collected on-board, onto an SD card. But the amount of data is increasing as a result of AI-directed data collection and higher resolution sensors. Capt. Phil Hall, director of the NOAA Uncrewed Systems Operations Center in the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations:

The amount of data and data services is just the absolute key to all these uncrewed systems, whether they are marine systems or aviation systems. “Data archiving, data analysis, cloud storage networking — all those areas are priorities for NOAA.

Capt. Phil Hall

Video: Drones Aid NOAA Scientists with Hurricane Tracking and Animal Monitoring

The Best Way To Watch Rallycross Is From A Drone

Video coverage of a recent World Rallycross event in France was partly provided by a drone. The drone closely followed the action, just above the racers.

Video: FPV Drone Vs Rallycross Racing

Drones Fly Into Weather Data Deserts. Can They Be Stopped?

University of Calgary researchers recently published a paper that examined the impact weather had on flying commercial drones. The authors looked at historical data – temperature, wind, rain. The conclusion: weather restricts the average hours a drone can fly during the day.

Drone Racing League lands $100 million deal with crypto platform Algorand

The sponsorship deal with Boston-based Algorand is worth $100 million over five years, according to those with knowledge of the agreement. Algorand gets title rights to the League. DRL starts its sixth season on Sept. 29, 2021.

Leonardo and Northrop Grumman join forces on future rotorcraft UAS opportunities

Leonardo and Northrop Grumman plan to collaborate on VTOL air vehicle design, system architectures, payload optimization, and integration within next-generation battlespace architectures.

Man Sentenced To 3.5+ Years In Prison In Scheme Using Drones To Smuggle Contraband Into Federal Prison at Fort Dix

A New Jersey man was sentenced for conspiring to use drones to smuggle cell phones,  tobacco, and other items into a federal correctional facility. The former inmate participated in multiple deliveries of contraband by drone.

Volocopter shares plan to bring eVTOL urban air mobility to US starting with Los Angeles

Volocopter announced a partnership with Urban Movement Labs (UML) to bring UAM solutions to the Los Angeles area. If successful, this would introduce Volocopter eVTOLs to the US market. Volocopter CCO Christian Bauer:

Our partnership with Urban Movement Labs is a great entryway into the US with our innovative UAM services. By leading the conversation about urban air mobility with broad stakeholders in Los Angeles, Volocopter can strategically identify and address how our services can benefit cities in the country. More importantly, we are also gaining real insights into living transportation ecosystems in the US to build the best complimentary service to other modes of transportation for our future passengers.

Christian Bauer

Volocopter plans to launch its UAM services in the next 2-3 years, pending certification from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). Certification from the FAA would be necessary for Volocopter to bring its eVTOL services to the US.

Batteries of the future set to be cheaper and better — just by adding sugar

Lithium-Ion batteries are made from toxic chemicals that are increasingly difficult to obtain. On the other hand, Lithium-Sulfur batteries are made with cheaper, safer, and easier-to-obtain materials that can store two to five times more energy per kilogram than lithium-ion batteries. 

National Drone Safety Awareness Week: We’re All In

National Drone Safety Awareness Week was hosted by the FAA Safety Team (FAAST). Short daily videos were published during the week featuring important safety topics. This was a collaboration between DRONELIFE, P3Tech Consulting, and a volunteer FAAST member and co-founder of Influential Drones.

Find the videos in the article and on the DRONELIFE  TV YouTube channel.

UAV Video of the Week

FPV drone video films sudden, determined magpie attack

“Everything in Australia wants to kill you, even birds!”

379 T-Mobile 5G Drone

T-Mobile’s low latency 5G drone, high-speed UAVs that crash less often, a solar-powered UAV, first responder drone of choice, patrolling the beach with drones, and marketing real estate with drone videos.

UAV News 

T-Mobile’s 5G off to the drone races

T-Mobile is partnering with the Drone Racing League (DRL) on a 5G drone with HD video. T-Mobile claims the drone is one of the world’s first racing drones to be equipped with an embedded 5G module that can live stream video straight to the internet. The module is made by Quectel.

Video from the Drone Racing League: Making of the Magenta 5G Drone

System trains drones to fly around obstacles at high speeds

Fast drones tend to crash because drone aerodynamics are difficult to predict at high speeds. Now MIT aerospace engineers are developing an algorithm that helps drones find the fastest route around obstacles without crashing. Drones trained with the new algorithm were found to fly through an obstacle course up to 20 percent faster than a drone trained on conventional planning algorithms. The results are published in the International Journal of Robotics Research as Multi-fidelity black-box optimization for time-optimal quadrotor maneuvers.

US Navy spends millions to develop a solar-powered UAV

The US Navy has awarded a $5 million contract to US-Spanish aerospace company Skydweller Aero to construct a solar energy-powered long-endurance UAV that could stay aloft for between 30 and 90 days. The aircraft flew in December 2020.

Video: Skydweller Aero Autonomous Software Flight Test – April 2021

As with consumer pilots, DJI drones dominate emergency responder fleets

A survey by the Airborne International Response Team (AIRT) and its Droneresponders affiliate found that DJI drones make up over 90% of the fleets flown by US first responder organizations. That compares with DJI’s 70-80% share of the commercial drone market. The AIRT + DRONERESPONDERS 2021 Public Safety UAS Survey was conducted in July 2021. Autel Robotics drones were the second most popular make, followed by Skydio, Parrot, and FLIR.

Brunswick County beaches have no lifeguards. Is technology the answer?

In March 2021, the Oak Island (North Carolina) Administrative department created the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Services division. The division provides aerial photography and video for Town departments. Current services provided include infrastructure inspections, project monitoring, pre and post-storm inspection, marketing materials, sand dune regulation enforcement, and beach safety observation.

Realtors shift to mini-drones to showcase properties to homebuyers in increasingly hot housing market

With contactless selling growing in importance during the COVID pandemic, companies that provide video services with drones are being created. Cain Costin and his wife Sarah formed Virtual Drone Tours that produce exterior and interior videos of properties using FPV drones. The videos on the Cain Costin YouTube channel show what’s possible.

Mentioned

The Volocopter at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
The Volocopter at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Photo by Max Flight.

358 Insitu Lawsuit

Boeing settles the Insitu lawsuit; Intel neuromorphic chips in drones; betting on drone races; connected drone delivery from Verizon, UPS, and Skyward; and new drones from Cadillac, Sony, and Autel Robotics.

UAV News

Boeing to pay $25 Million to settle Insitu Lawsuit

In a federal whistle-blower lawsuit, Insitu was accused of fraudulently overcharging the U.S. government. Surveillance drones were sold to the government and billed as new, but Insitu provided used drones. This was on no-bid military contracts that were signed between 2009 and 2017. The Department of Justice accused Insitu of “knowingly submitting materially false cost and pricing data” for contracts to supply surveillance drones to both the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) and the Navy. Insitu said in a statement that “our disclosures to the government at the time satisfied all requirements.” The company does not admit any wrongdoing.

Intel envisions drones with biological brains and eyes

Intel is installing neuromorphic chips into drones. The “Loihi” chip has 2 billion transistors which simulate 130,000 neurons and 130 million synapses. Intel is initially applying neuromorphic technology to drone cameras. The hope is that Loihi will allow cameras to function more like natural eyes, responding almost instantly to visual change.

DraftKings announces it will now allow betting on drone races in some states

Sports betting company DraftKings has teamed up with the Drone Racing League (DRL). Betting on the races will be allowed for residents of Colorado, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Tennessee, and West Virginia. Regulatory approval is pending for other states.

News from CES 2021

The Cadillac personal drone is the Cadillac of personal drones

The Cadillac-branded single-seat eVTOL is a concept study featuring a 90-kilowatt hour electric motor powering four rotors.

Sony offers first glimpse of its Airpeak drone that can carry an Alpha camera on an adjustable gimbal and capture footage and images from the air

Sony Airpeak.

The Sony Airpeak quadcopter was designed to carry the Sony Alpha mirrorless camera system. Two landing gear extensions retract upwards during flight. Price and availability were not announced.

Airpeak will support the creativity of video creators to the fullest extent possible, aiming to contribute to the further development of the entertainment industry as well as to improved efficiency and savings in various industries.

Sony statement.

Verizon, UPS, and Skyward announce connected drone delivery at CES 2021

The collaboration between Skyward, A Verizon company, and UPS Flight Forward™ plans to deliver retail products with drones connected to Verizon 4G LTE. 5G testing and integration will also be conducted. Deliveries of retail products via connected drones will start at The Villages in Florida.

Video: Building the New Smart City | CES 2021 | Verizon

Verizon at CES 2021

Autel Robotics releases the new Dragonfish VTOL and EVO 2 RTK series at CES

Autel Robotics released two new drones at CES. The Dragonfish VTOL has autonomous capability, a maximum flight time of 120 minutes, an 18.6-mile video transmission range, and a deployment time of under four minutes. The EVO 2 RTK series drones use Real-Time Kinematic technology to improve the accuracy of GNSS data, allowing sub-inch accuracy.

Videos of the Week

Drone Captures Stunning Scenes After Snowstorm Hits Central Idaho

Breathtaking aerial video of Washington’s snowy mountains

325 Drawing with Drones

Photographs drawn with a drone, a General Atomics SkyGuardian demonstration flight, an electric flying car racing series, a proposal for a drone emoji, 5G drones and networks, using drones while on quarantine, and autonomous resupply for the military.

UAV News

Drawing With Drones Over the Salt Flats of Bolivia

Professional photographer Reubin Wu is using LED-equipped drones to make amazing photographs at the salt flats in Bolivia. For some images, Wu uses light from the drone to illuminate the subject. For others, he “draws” shapes in a time exposure. He calls them aeroglyphs.

GA-ASI Flies SkyGuardian in So Cal NAS as Part of NASA Demonstration

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) flew its SkyGuardian remotely piloted aircraft as part of a joint flight demonstration with NASA. GA-ASI and NASA have worked together since 2014 to demonstrate the safety of flying large UAS in the National Airspace System. This is under NASA’s Systems Integration and Operationalization (SIO) activity.

General Atomics SkyGuardian
SkyGuardian, courtesy General Atomics.

It’s Happening: Airspeeder Flying Car Company Gets Cash Infusion

Airspeeder calls itself the world’s first electric flying car racing series. Under the proposed series, each team would get an Airspeeder chassis or two, engines, and spares. Teams would be free to develop speeder parts to gain a competitive advantage. The hope is that the series will advance the technology and the regulatory standards needed to make flying cars viable commercially.

Where Is The Drone Emoji?

DroneUp submitted a proposal to the Unicode Consortium for a drone emoji. Consider signing the petition: Add a Drone Emoji to the Unicode Consortium.

Early 5G drones face slow upload speeds and frequent 4G handovers

Austrian researchers say early 5G drones and networks might not be ready. They can’t maintain consistent 5G connections, which limits their data transfer rates. Max says, “Don’t hold your breath.”

23 Ways People Stay Connected Using Drones While in Quarantine

Drones are being used to cope with pandemic quarantines, and to counter the virus. Here’s a list.

FAA investigating mystery drone telling New Yorkers to socially distance

The FAA is investigating whether a drone filmed telling New Yorkers to socially distance was violating aviation regulations. Using a loudspeaker, the drone proclaims, “This is the Anti-COVID-19 volunteer drone task force. Please maintain a social distance of at least six feet. Again, please maintain social distancing.”

Autonomous Resupply for Military is Flying Into Reality [PDF]

Near Earth Autonomy has developed unmanned aerial contingency management systems as part of a Joint Capabilities Technology (JCTD) Unmanned Logistics Systems Aerial (ULS-A) Demonstration. Near Earth’s technology offers obstacle avoidance for safe flight and landing enabling reliable cargo delivery in dynamic environments. 

Mentioned

Chris Anderson, The Drone Trainer, is offering free drone courses during April 2020 to help battle quarantine boredom. There is a real estate drone course and a drone mapping course that are regularly $199 each, but free this month. Learn more at thedronetrainer.com/covid.

322 Drones and Coronavirus

Unmanned aircraft and the Coronavirus (COVID-19), a new Drone Racing League Academy to teach STEM, EHang looks to Europe with their autonomous aerial vehicle, a radar cross-section database for malicious drone identification, and a flying car that looks like a car.

UAV News

Spanish police are using drones to scold citizens who go outside

Many countries are combating the coronavirus by asking (or telling) people to self-quarantine and practice social distancing. But not everyone is doing that. Police in Spain are responding using drones fitted with speakers to admonish people who aren’t doing their part.

Disinfecting Drones to Fight COVID-19? No Thanks, Says Defense Department

China has been using quadcopters to spray disinfectant and some companies in the U.S. have proposed the same. However, the U.S. Defense Department says they have no plans to do this. Same for the National Guard, the U.S. Special Operations Command, and DARPA (the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). But Droneresponders is exploring “all use case options in response to COVID19.”

Drone Racing League launches DRL Academy

The Drone Racing League launched the DRL Academy, a STEM program for school kids with the main focus on drones. DRL partnered with the National Geospatial Technology Center of Excellence, West Valley College, Eduscape, and New Jersey City University. If you are interested in the DRL Academy, you can email them at STEM@DRL.io.

EHang Gets Operational Flight Permit from CAA Norway

The EHang 216 two-seat autonomous aerial vehicle has received an operational flight permit from the Civil Aviation Authority of Norway (CAA). Flights for testing and certification are planned with a local customer.

EHang, city government of Seville partner to launch first UAM pilot program in Spain

EHang has an agreement with the city of Seville, Spain to develop passenger transportation, air logistics, and command and control platforms in the city. Seville is a member of the UAM Initiative Cities Community which was launched by the EU’s European Innovation Partnership on Smart Cities and Communities project.

Team scans drones of different shapes and sizes to counter terrorist attack risk

Researchers are building a database of drone radar cross-sections (RCS) that could help identify malicious UAVs. Commercial and custom-built drones are being measured. The research was published in IEEE Access. The measurement data is available to the public.

Ascent Makes UAM Plans With eVTOL Group Urban Aeronautics

The Metro Skyways subsidiary of Urban Aeronautics is developing a six-seat hydrogen-powered eVTOL called CityHawk. Their Singapore partner is Ascent and they are seeking to develop urban air mobility services in Asia.

307 UAV Battery Technology

Airbus funds new UAV battery technology and flys a rotary-wing UAV, an upcoming UAS Traffic Management workshop, a hydrogen-powered UAV for the Navy, a heavy-payload long-range drone, drones for all budgets, drone racing at Daytona, and how mosquitoes might help drones make less noise.

UAV News

Airbus’s VSR700 Rotary-wing UAV Takes Flight

Airbus Helicopters has flown their VSR700 prototype at a drone test center in France. It’s a rotary-wing, multi-mission Naval UAS (RWUAS) that was tethered on 30-meter cables and fitted with stabilizing outriggers. A year ago, Airbus flew an optionally piloted demonstrator for the VSR700 that was based on an existing light helicopter. This new prototype is redesigned with a payload bay replacing the flight deck.

Airbus Funds Next-Gen UAV Battery Technology

Airbus Defence and Space is providing financing to battery technology company Amprius. That company manufactures high energy density lithium-ion batteries based on silicon nanowire anode technology. Amprius says their batteries provide up to 50% more power than standard lithium-ion batteries. The Airbus funding is expected to help Amprius develop a higher volume production capacity as well as even higher energy density cells.

FAA and NASA Drone Industry Workshop

The FAA and NASA will jointly host an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) Pilot Program (UPP) Phase 2 Industry Workshop. The half-day workshop is scheduled for December 9, 2019, at NASA’s Ames Conference Center in Mountain View, California. Registration is free but attendance will be limited to the first 150 to register, with a limit of two attendees per organization. For additional background, see: FAA/NASA UAS Traffic Management Pilot Program (UPP) [PDF]

Navy Accepts First-of-its-kind HYCOPTER Hydrogen Powered UAS

The six-rotor HYCOPTER from H3 Dynamics is the first hydrogen fuel cell-powered rotary-wing UAS for the US Navy. The Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California took delivery of their HYCOPTER on October 25, 2019. With a takeoff weight of about 35 pounds and a blade tip-to-blade tip diameter of 7 feet, the UAS can carry a five-pound payload in an open bay for about 2 ½ hours. The HYCOPTER uses an ultralight PEM fuel cell and compressed hydrogen gas. Austin, Texas-based HES Energy Systems is a subsidiary of H3 Dynamics and describes the HYCOPTER on its website as “Designed and manufactured in the USA.”

UAVita Showcases a Heavy-Payload, Long-Range UAV Drone

The UAVita Discovery is a medium-sized, fixed-wing UAV that can carry heavy payloads over a long range. Originally used for crop dusting and precision ag, it’s now being used for other long-range missions such as search and rescue, highway monitoring, and powerline inspections.

Video: UAvita Systems Showcases Their Heavy-payload Drone at Commercial UAV Expo 2019

Seasoned Pilot or Aviation Amateur, Here Are 5 Drones for All Budgets

Consider the DROCON Bugs 3, Syma X5C, Parrot Mambo Drone FPV Kit, DJI Spark, or even the DJI Inspire 2.

Drone racing takes a whirl in Daytona Stadium

Over 1,000 drone racers tried to qualify for the 5th annual RaceDayQuads 2019 MultiGP Drone Racing Championship in Daytona Stadium. The sports class saw 125 racers qualify, while 85 qualified for the pro-competition. MultiGP is a global, professional, drone racing league with hundreds of international chapters and over 27,000 registered drone racers.

Sounds of mosquito mating rituals could lead to quieter drones

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University discovered that mosquitoes can focus the buzz they make in the direction of potential mates. A paper published in Bioinspiration and Biomimetics says, “…understanding the strategies and adaptations employed by insects such as mosquitoes to control their aeroacoustic noise could eventually provide insights into the development of quiet drones and other bioinspired micro-aerial vehicles.”

265 AUVSI’s Trusted Operator Program

AUVSI creates the Trusted Operator Program (TOP) for professional certification, Aurora Flight Sciences builts the Odysseus HALE aircraft, fast food delivery service generates some complaints, the DRL announces the Alpha Pilot Challenge for autonomous drone racers, the Office of Aviation Services wants information about using drones to fight wildfires, and the Office of the Inspector General conducted an audit of the FAA’s UAS waiver process.

UAV News

Unmanned systems: New AUVSI Trusted UAS Operator Program

AUVSI Trusted Operator ProgramAUVSI worked with industry experts to create the Trusted Operator Program™ (TOP) for professional certification. AUVSI says the program was created “to raise the trust and acceptance of the use of unmanned aircraft around the world. TOP is a professional unmanned systems community initiative aimed at supporting industry accepted remote pilot standards and protocols, which will result in the safe and sustainable advancement of the industry.”

The program features three certification levels where each corresponds to the level of safety precautions required. Level one covers relatively low-risk operations for flights under Part 107. Level two is for companies that conduct flights near expensive infrastructure requiring an FAA waiver. Level three addresses flights in “safety critical” environments, such as near chemical, oil, gas, nuclear or mining facilities, even if they are offshore and no waiver is required.

TOP training providers:

TOP Certification bodies:

TOP uses a set of safety protocols and includes aviation regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration, Civil Aviation Safety Authorities, Directorates General of Civil Aviation and others.

Aurora Builds Stratospheric Solar Aircraft With Boeing’s Backing

ODYSSEUS: Global Reach, Airborne for Months, Powered by the Sun

Aurora Flight Sciences built the 243-foot span Odysseus, a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) aircraft. Odysseus uses lithium-polymer batteries and Alta Devices thin-film gallium-arsenide solar cells. Flight testing is scheduled to begin in 2019 in Puerto Rico. The first aircraft is battery-powered and the second and third aircraft will be solar-powered.

The Odysseus High Altitude Long Endurance drone. Courtesy Aurora Flight Sciences.

The Odysseus High Altitude Long Endurance drone. Courtesy Aurora Flight Sciences.

Odysseus uses thin-walled carbon-fiber tubes bonded together into box-section trusses for the wing spar and fuselages, and truss ribs for the wing and tails.

Food delivery drones are annoying residents in Australia because…of course!

Launched by Wing, an initiative from Alphabet X, Google’s parent company, the trial fast food delivery service in Canberra, Australia is generating some complaints. Some residents find the drones noisy, they scare away local birds, and they are perceived as an invasion of privacy.

The Next ESport Craze: Autonomous Drone Racing

The Drone Racing League has announced the Alpha Pilot Challenge for autonomous drone racers. Using the same courses that human drone pilots use, the series is intended to accelerate the pace of innovation. Eventually, the autonomous drone racers will be pitted against human pilots.

OAS Requests Information for Heavy-Lift UAS During Wildfires

The Office of Aviation Services (OAS) wants information about using drones to carry water and fire retardant and conduct heavy-lift cargo delivery during wildfires and emergency situations. See the solicitation: Heavy-lift Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to conduct cargo delivery during wildfires.

OIG Audits FAA on Drone Waivers, Calls for Eight Actions

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit of the FAA’s unmanned aircraft system waiver process between May 2017 and September 2018. In a summary of its findings, the OIG says the FAA has “established processes for reviewing and granting waivers but has experienced difficulties obtaining sufficient information, managing the volume of requests and communicating with applicants, particularly in explaining reasons for denying requests.”

“As a result, FAA’s Flight Standards office has disapproved 73 percent of operational waiver requests (e.g., over people and beyond line of sight), and a significant backlog of waiver requests to operate in airspace with manned aircraft exists,” the audit summary explains.

On the FAA’s “risk-based oversight system,” OIG says, “While FAA has developed guidance for planning annual inspections, few UAS operators have received inspections to verify their compliance with regulations and the terms of their waivers.  Moreover, the agency’s ability to perform meaningful risk-based surveillance is hindered by limited access to detailed UAS operator, FAA inspection, and risk data. As a result, FAA does not have assurance of operators’ compliance with regulations, is not well-positioned to develop an oversight strategy, and is missing opportunities to gather information that will help shape rulemaking and policies.”

The audit offers eight recommendations for the FAA:

  1. Assess the workforce tasked with reviewing waiver and authorization requests to determine if Air Traffic Organization (ATO) staffing is adequate, and take appropriate action as needed.
  2. Assess the performance of the ATO’s non-automated airspace waiver request process to determine if volume and timeliness goals would improve the process, and if so, implement these goals.
  3. Implement performance metrics for the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) to evaluate its effect on application processing volume and timeliness, and take appropriate action as needed.
  4. Create internal controls to improve consistency in standard template responses used to correspond with applicants regarding requests for information.
  5. Update National Flight Standards Work Program Guidelines to require field offices to perform inspections on a sample of commercial drone operators in their area for a two-year period (designed to increase available inspection data for creating a risk profile of UAS).
  6. Develop a baseline risk assessment profile of small commercial drone operators to inform inspector surveillance planning decisions, as well as procedures to periodically update this profile.
  7. Issue guidance to field offices on how to obtain FAA information on waiver- and/or authorization-holding UAS operators (designed to help inform their inspection planning).
  8. Provide clarifying guidance to UAS operators regarding the small UAS rule’s provision relating to operations over people.

Mentioned

‘Lambulance’ drones used to check animal health in lambing season

 

UAV237 MQ-25 Stingray

Lockheed Martin’s MQ-25 Stingray concept, UTM testing, nuclear power plant inspection, pizza delivery by drone, another near-miss, Canadian drone regulations, and a new drone racing idea.

Lockheed Martin MQ-25 Stingray concept

MQ-25 Stingray concept. Courtesy Lockheed Martin.

UAV News

Skunk Works Reveals Stealthy UAV Demonstrator

The Lockheed Martin Skunk Works is celebrating their 75th anniversary and they were a major sponsor at the LA County Airshow in California. Lockheed put the X-44A small UAV on static display for the public for the first time. The X-44A first flew in 2001 to test the flying-wing design.

Lockheed’s MQ-25 Tanker Drone Looks Impressive, But It’s Still Just A Paper Plane

Lockheed has unveiled its MQ-25 Stingray concept for a carrier-based unmanned tanker. Other designs were considered, but the flying-wing design had a number of advantages, including aerodynamic efficiency, greater fuel load, lower parts count and reduced footprint on carrier decks with the wingtips folded up. Later this year, the Navy will select one of the three proposed designs and award a contract for four prototype aircraft.

NASA completes the third phase of UAS airspace testing

The week-long test was conducted by the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIASand NASA UTM partners, focusing on airspace management technologies for integrating UAS into the national airspace. The UTM development program is progressing through four “Technology Capability Levels,” this being the third.

Small US Built drones searching damaged Fukushima Nuclear Plant

Tests are being conducted for drones to be used for inspection and damage assessment at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan. In 2011, that facility experienced nuclear meltdowns, explosions, and the release of radioactive material following the tsunami. A team from Southwest Research Institute (SwRI) and the University of Pennsylvania GRASP Laboratory plan to use UAS technology to fly into the containment vessels. SwRI Press Release: SwRI-led team to develop drones for use in Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.

Exploring Nuclear Power Plants with an Autonomous UAS

HBO Used Pizza-Delivery Drones to Promote the New Season of Silicon Valley

In a promotion for the Silicon Valley television comedy series on HBO, fans could order a free pizza with a certain Tweet. In Los Angeles and San Francisco, Drone Dudes would deliver the pizzas up to a maximum of twenty in each city.

UAV regs changing – for the better

Transport Canada looks to streamline and standardize the rules for drone use. At the Unmanned Systems Canada Conference in Toronto last November, Transport Canada presented draft changes to regulations governing UAVs. Another round of draft changes are expected by the summer of 2018.

Yet another drone narrowly misses a plane – how do we fix this?

Pilots of an Air New Zealand Boeing 777-200 reported that a drone came within five meters of their airplane. Flights at the airport shut down for 30 min.

Air NZ calls for tighter regulation on UAVs after near-miss

ANZ chief operations integrity and standards officer David Morgan says, “It’s clear the time has now come for tougher deterrents for reckless drone use around airports to safeguard travellers, including imposing prison terms in the case of life-threatening incidents.”

‘Exploded’ windscreen: TV journo blames drone for plane crash

Also in New Zealand, a man says a drone hit his small plane while flying over the Western Bay. The windscreen exploded and he was forced to make a crash landing.

You’ve Never Seen a Drone Race Like This Before: Pro Aerial League’s Full Contact Championship

Recently, the Pro Aerial League held its season championship event. (The Generals won.) Watching were more than 800 live spectators and more than 45,000 online. But drone racing is difficult for spectators and Pro Aerial League has an idea where team members rotate roles over four 20 minute quarters of nonstop racing in a small 200′ by 85′ course.

AgEagle Aerial Systems Closes Merger with EnerJex; To Initiate Trading on NYSE as UAVS

AgEagle Aerial Systems, Inc. announced that it has closed its merger transaction with EnerJex Resources, Inc. under which AgEagle becomes a wholly-owned subsidiary of EnerJex Resources. EnerJex will be renamed AgEagle Aerial Systems and is now traded on the NYSE under the ticker symbol UAVS.

UAV Video of the Week

Top 10 Waterfalls of Iceland (DJI Phantom 2 and GoPro HERO3+)

 

UAV221 sUAS Collisions with Manned Aircraft

A study examines sUAS collisions with manned aircraft, Amazon patents a self-disintegrating drone, Mercedes completes 100 package deliveries by drone, a race that pitted an autonomous drone against a piloted drone, and marine mammals are disturbed by drones.

Delivery drone above a Mercedes Benz Vito van. Courtesy Daimler AG.

Delivery drone above a Mercedes-Benz Vito van. Courtesy Daimler AG.

UAV News

Researchers Release Report on Drone Airborne Collisions

A research team from ASSURE {Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence} released a report that looks at sUAS collisions with manned aircraft. Congress directed the FAA in 2014 to establish a UAS Center of Excellence and the FAA selected ASSURE, led by Mississippi State University, in May 2015.

The ASSURE UAS Airborne Collision Severity Evaluation Final Report concludes that drones that collide with large manned aircraft can cause more structural damage than birds of the same weight for a given impact speed. The FAA says they will use the research results to help develop operational and collision risk mitigation requirements for drones.

ASSURE used computer modeling and physical validation testing it its research. The team looked at a 2.7 pound quadcopter, a 4 pound quadcopter, a 4 pound fixed-wing drone, and an 8 pound fixed-wing drone, all striking a single-aisle commercial transport jet and a business jet.

They examined impacts to the wing leading edge, the windshield, and the vertical and horizontal stabilizers. The windshields generally sustained the least damage and the horizontal stabilizers suffered the most serious damage.

The researchers concluded that unmanned aircraft system manufacturers should adopt “detect and avoid” or “geo-fencing” capabilities to reduce the probability of collisions with other aircraft.

The ASSURE team provided an A3 Airborne Collision Presentation, and the report in four volumes:

FAA sUAS COE Task A3 UAS Airborne Collision Hazard Severity Evaluation [PDF]

An FAA press conference presentation explaining why it is necessary to determine the potential severity of sUAS mid-air collisions with aircraft in order to define an Equivalent Level of Safety to manned aviation.

Volume I: UAS Airborne Collision Severity Evaluation: Summary of Structural Evaluation [PDF]

A summary of the entire structural portion of the study that includes a high-level explanation of the project’s scope, technical approach, evaluation and conclusions of the severity of small unmanned aircraft impacts with a commercial transport jet and business jet. This summary report also provides conclusions on the influence of velocity and mass on impact damage, a comparison to bird strikes and concludes with recommendations going forward.

Volume II: UAS Airborne Collision Severity Evaluation: Quadcopter [PDF]

A detailed report the project’s scope and the selection and definition of both the “projectile” Unmanned Aircraft and the “target” commercial transport and business jets. This Volume centers on the quadcopter UAS and its unique characteristics.

Volume III: UAS Airborne Collision Severity Evaluation: Fixed-Wing UAS [PDF]

A similarly detailed report centering on the fixed-wing UAS and its unique characteristics.

Volume IV: UAS Airborne Collision Severity Evaluation: Engine Ingestion [PDF]

An evaluation of the severity of a small UAS collision with propulsion systems. This report helps us to start to understand the effects of parameters of aircraft speed, impact location, fan speed and unmanned aircraft orientation on impact severity to a unique FAA fan-blade-out model.

Amazon delivery drone could self-disintegrate for safety if it falls from sky

Amazon has been granted a patent for Directed fragmentation for unmanned airborne vehicles: “In one embodiment, the UAV includes various components, such one or more motors, batteries, sensors, a housing, casing or shell, and a payload for delivery. Additionally, the UAV includes a flight controller and a fragmentation controller. The flight controller determines a flight path and controls a flight operation of the UAV. During the flight operation, the fragmentation controller develops a fragmentation sequence for one or more of the components based on the flight path, the flight conditions, and terrain topology information, among other factors. The fragmentation controller can also detect a disruption in the flight operation of the UAV and, in response, direct fragmentation of one or more of the components apart from the UAV. In that way, a controlled, directed fragmentation of the UAV can be accomplished upon any disruption to the flight operation of the UAV.”

Mercedes Plans More Drone Deliveries After 100 Perfect Flights

In a 3-week pilot project by Mercedes-Benz Vans, US drone systems developer Matternet, and Swiss online marketplace siroop, 100 package delivery flights were successfully completed in Zurich. Customers placed orders for items like ground coffee and cellphones. The drones flew as far as 17 kilometers (11 miles) to four fixed points in the city where they landed on roofs of special Mercedes-Benz Vito vans. The vans then delivered the packages.

NASA-Built Drone Races FlyingBear, Loses

Professional drone racing pilot Ken “FlyingBear” Loo flew against a NASA autonomous drone. The NASA drone flew more cautiously, smoothly, and consistently over the course. Loo’s speeds were higher, and he executed more complex maneuvers, but mental fatigue became a factor. In the end, his times were quicker.

As Ocean Drones Proliferate Marine Wildlife are getting a bit annoyed

Drones are violating the Marine Mammal Protection Act of 1992 which makes it illegal to disturb marine mammals, regardless of whether you are in the water, in a boat, or in the air. Marine biologist Alicia Amerson started the AliMoSphere initiative to develop best practices studying marine wildlife with drones.

UAV Video of the Week

Flying Robot international Film Festival

The FRiFF calls itself “the world’s premiere international competitive short film festival focused on drone culture and aerial cinema created from the perspective of drones.”

The 2017 edition of the Festival took place November 16, 2017, at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco. Twenty-five short drone films from a dozen countries were selected for inclusion and nominated for awards in each of seven categories. Watch the winning drone films.

Mentioned

The Drone Racing League (DRL) and MultiGP Drone Racing Announce Simulator Partnership Surrounding the 2018 Swatch DRL Tryouts

 

UAV207 Drone Racing with the Pro Aerial League

A new drone racing league takes shape, an unmanned aircraft vehicle traffic management system is planned for Kansas, Northrop Grumman’s MQ-25 drone tanker testbed was spotted, a Phantom landed on an aircraft carrier, DJI responds to issues over data transmission, and drones assist in a rescue mission.

The RIOT 250R for the PAL drone racing league.

The RIOT 250R Pro racing drone. Courtesy Thrust-UAV.

UAV News

Professional drone racers start new league with six teams and big inaugural event in Everett arena

The Pro Aerial League (PAL) is a new drone racing organization that will feature indoor spectator events with six teams, each with six pilots. Pilots will race RIOT 250R Pro racing drones from Thrust-UAV through multiple types of challenges in order to determine the best team in terms of speed, skill, and strategy. The inaugural event is August 19, 2017, at the Xfinity Arena in Everett, Washington.

Riot 250R Pro by Thrust UAV Commercial

AirMap Takes Flight with Kansas

AirMap announced a partnership with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to deploy the AirMap platform across the state. Their goal is “to open more airspace for drone operations, support Kansas’ growing community of drone operators, and ensure that the skies are safer for all.” The AirMap platform will be available to Kansas airports, state colleges and universities, and government agencies.

AirMap is one of the 12 companies assembled by the FAA for LAANC, the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, providing automated notification for flight in U.S. controlled airspace. A list of the initial 50 airports is available in Coming This Fall: Automated Airspace Authorization at U.S. Airports.

Northrop Grumman MQ-25 Drone Tanker Testbed Emerges At Plant 42 In California

Development contracts were previously awarded to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics, and Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray drone. The MQ-25 Stingray is a carrier-launched tanker designed to extend the combat range of carrier aircraft. Aviation Week is now showing a low-quality photograph of what it says is Northrop Grumman’s modified X-47B flying test bed as part of its MQ-25 bid.

A drone landed on Britain’s biggest warship and nobody cared

A “Black Isle Images” photographer landed a DJI Phantom on the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier. The landing was unintentional and the Phantom landed itself after sensing high winds. The photographer presented himself to the armed guards, but “no one seemed too concerned.” He also gave the authorities his phone number, but nobody called.

DJI Develops Option For Pilots To Fly Without Internet Data Transfer

DJI announced on August 14, 2017, that it is “developing a new local data mode that stops internet traffic to and from its flight control apps, in order to provide enhanced data privacy assurances for sensitive government and enterprise customers.” In local data mode, DJI apps will stop sending or receiving any data over the internet. That includes relevant local maps and geofencing data, the latest software updates, correct radio frequency and power requirements, and newly-issued flight restrictions.

First drone-assisted rescue in Southside a high-flying success

A logger on the Dan River in Virginia was pinned down by a tree. As the Danville Life Saving Crew traveled to the location, they created a plan that included using their drones. Just last month, they had received training to become certified drone operators, and on arrival at the scene, the drones were deployed to assist in making the operation safer. Danville Life Saving Crew assistant director Bryan Fox said, “We were able to navigate the boats around some circumstances in the water, some debris, rock formations, that [the rescuers] didn’t see from the boat as they were trying to navigate.”

UAV Video of the Week

On Sunday, July 2, 2017, a drone was spotted on the approach path to Gatwick Airport. This is the disruption it caused.

Gatwick drone incident – 2 July