Tag Archives: firefighting

414 Operations Over People

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Operations Over People approval for AgEagle, transitioning to UAV-dominated air forces, women drone pilots in Ukraine, an autonomous Black Hawk helicopter, a drone facilitates a robbery, a BVLOS corridor in upstate New York, an autonomous firefighting helicopter, 500 drones celebrate a game anniversary, and how to increase lithium battery lifespan.

UAV News

AgEagle’s eBee X Series Drones Are the First and Only UAVs to be Approved by the FAA for Operations Over People (OOP) in the United States

AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. announced that the eBee X series of UAS comply with Category 3 of the Operations Over People rules for sUAS. These are the first and only drones on the market to comply with the rules published in March 2021. eBee drone operators will no longer need an FAA waiver for OOP or Operations Over Moving Vehicles. Testing was conducted by the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (“MAAP”). The family of eBee fixed-wing UAS includes the eBee X, eBee GEO, and eBee TAC.

The eBee is currently approved for use by the U.S. Department Of Defense under the Blue sUAS 2.0 program, for BVLOS operations in Brazil, and Operations Over People and BVLOS operations in Canada. It is also the first drone to receive European Union Aviation Safety Agency (“EASA”) C2 certification and a Design Verification essential for these operations from EASA.

Transitioning from Human Pilots to Drones

This opinion piece argues that manned military aircraft have issues and unmanned aircraft, or drones, can address some of them. This is not to say that manned combat aircraft should be abandoned. Rather, supplementing manned with unmanned should be the focus and the military should plan to “transition toward UAV-dominated air forces.”

A new school in Kyiv is training women to pilot drones

The Female Pilots of Ukraine school opened recently to teach Ukrainian women to operate drones. Most Ukrainian drone pilots are men and this school focuses on training women – civilians and military student pilots.

Black Hawk Flies Missions Without Pilots

Pilot-less Black Hawk flies logistics and rescue missions

In a demonstration to the U.S. Army, Sikorsky and DARPA showed how an autonomous Black Hawk helicopter could perform internal and external cargo resupply missions, as well as a rescue operation. The demonstration shows that in the future, optionally piloted utility helicopters could fly complex missions safely.

How a DJI Mini drone enabled a $147,000 ATM robbery

The incident took place in broad daylight in France with security footage showing a drone flying into the air vent. The drone subsequently pushed a button that opened a door allowing the thieves to enter.

Governor Hochul Announces Major Progress Toward Boosting New York’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Industry

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the New York Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site (NUAIR) received approval from the FAA to fly uncrewed aircraft systems BVLOS across the 50-mile airspace of New York’s Drone Corridor. NUAIR can fly civilian drones from Syracuse International Airport to Griffiss International Airport in Rome without the need for visual observers.

The Governor also announced that New York will be providing NUAIR with an additional $21 million in funding to cultivate the UAS industry hub along the corridor in Central New York.

Also, NUAIR has entered into an agreement with Quebec-based VPorts to develop an international Advanced Air Mobility Corridor between Syracuse International Airport and Quebec, Canada.

Video: New York UAS Corridor – Flying 50-Miles Beyond Visual Line of Sight

Rain Industries announces autonomous firefighting helicopter

Rain Industries says, “Every Wildfire Starts Small” and “The Rain System contains ignitions within 10 minutes to prevent catastrophic wildfires.” Rain announced their next-generation MK2 autonomous firefighting demonstrator aircraft, an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) that carries about 30 gallons of payload.

Tweets by rainindustries

Backlash after 500 drones light up New York City sky to celebrate Candy Crush

A swarm of 500 drones performed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Candy Crush game. Not everyone was happy.

Video: 500 Drones Take Over NYC Skies, Twitterverse Outraged “Shoot them down”

Chinese scientists’ new gel filling could triple lifespan of lithium batteries for EVs, drones

Beijing University of Chemical Technology researchers say a new technology could triple the lifespan of lithium batteries and decrease the risk of battery fires. They do this by replacing the liquid battery electrolytes with gel-polymer electrolytes.

UAV Video of the Week

Video: 10 Fastest Military Drones And Unmanned Vehicles In The World

385 Hunting with Drones

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Hunting with drones and the fair chase concept, autonomous agile flight, thermal mapping to reduce building heat loss, Trick or Treat, the delivery drone hold-up, UAS over wildfires, and a LAANC update.

UAV News

Outdoors in Maine: Drones in the woods, and the ethical debate over whether they belong

The law in Maine says hunters cannot use drones to locate game. According to Title 12 Section 11216 Hunting with aid of aircraft, “A person on the ground or airborne may not use an aircraft to aid or assist in hunting bear, deer or moose.” Section 10001(1) defines an aircraft as “a machine or device designed for flight.” In 2014, Colorado became the first state to outlaw the use of drones for scouting, hunting, and taking wildlife. The concept of “fair chase,” a registered trademark of the Boone and Crockett Club, comes into play.

Watch these autonomous drones zip through the woods

Rapid autonomous flight in complex and changing environments is difficult, but researchers at the University of Zurich in conjunction with Intel Labs are tackling this problem. Using simulations, they are training drones to imitate expert human pilots for autonomous agile flight.

Video: Learning High-Speed Flight in the Wild (Science Robotics, 2021)

Project webpage: Learning High-Speed Flight in the Wild

Warren, MN, uses drones, thermal sensors to map its heat-leaking homes

The Minnesota town of Warren is using a drone to help residents cut their energy costs. Warren is a Climate Smart Municipalities Partnership member where cities in Minnesota and Germany link up for sustainability and climate initiatives. They used a thermal sensor-equipped drone to produce a municipal map showing structural insulating inefficiencies and losses of heat. Pilots and drones came from Northland Community College.

Drones have fun at Halloween 2021

This is a compilation of drone Halloween videos and photos, including a drone light show in Dallas produced by Sky Elements Drone Shows, flying witch drones, trick or treating robots, and an Australian youngster dressed up as a Wing delivery drone.

Amazon Drone Delivery Was Supposed to Start By 2018. Here’s What Happened Instead

In 2013, Amazon announced an experimental drone delivery service. Now it’s 2021, almost 2022. Where are the Amazon delivery drones? Amazon Prime Air is still committed to delivering packages by drones, and they say, “We are pioneering new ground and it will continue to take time to create the right technology and infrastructure to safely deliver packages to customers.” In the U.S., drone delivery is paced by the FAA as it develops the regulatory framework.

Hybrid rotor/fixed wing drone was used extensively over Schneider Springs Fire

In August and September 2021, the Schneider Springs Fire in Washington burned more than 107,000 acres. An L3 Latitude Engineering FVR-90 unmanned aircraft was used to monitor the fire. The eVTOL uses four electrically-powered rotors to take off, and then transitions to horizontal flight driven by a rear-mounted gasoline-powered propeller. It can fly for up to 12 hours and fly at an altitude of 10,000 to 12,000 feet. Visual video cameras and heat-sensing infrared sensors monitor and map fires, with images transmitted to the ground in real-time.

Video: UAS Type 1 Drone Used on the Schneider Springs Fire

Unmanned aircraft on wildfires — what have we learned?

Incident Management Teams used other drones on the Schneider Springs Fire. A Type 3 UAS was used at night for Plastic Sphere Dispenser (PSD) burning operations. This drone could access areas of the fire that were inaccessible to other aircraft and provided better intel and risk management. A number of challenges remain.

LAANC Update: Refined Airspace Grids & Night Drone Authorizations

The latest generation of FAA’s Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) introduces authorization requests for nighttime drone flights in controlled airspace, as well as refined airspace grids. Skyward customers can request automated and near real-time access to controlled airspace for any time of day, as well as request higher altitude LAANC authorizations in portions of controlled airspace. Skyward is one of seven FAA-approved LAANC UAS Service Suppliers.

This next generation of LAANC is available on the Skyward web platform as well as the Skyward InFlight mobile app for iOS and Android. Users can request airspace access and view authorization documents in the office or the field.

343 Optionally Piloted

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Optionally piloted firefighting helicopters, was it a jetpack or a manikin on a drone, the Amazon Prime Air exemption with conditions, Japan Airlines interest in drones, UAS RF spectrum news, and using a drone to deliver a spare part to a drilling platform.

UAV News

Taking the Fight to the Night

Fighting wildfires is dangerous at night and typically aerial firefighting is suspended. However, optionally piloted aircraft could be a solution. Kaman Corp. is converting its conventionally piloted K-MAX heavy-lift helicopter to be optionally piloted. Lockheed Martin’s Sikorsky Aviation company is developing the Matrix aerial firefighting helicopter solution that is intended to make just about any helicopter or fixed-wing aircraft optionally piloted.

Mystery jetpack man flying by commercial pilots at LAX may have been a manikin on a drone

Pilots on two airplanes on final approach into Los Angeles International Airport reported seeing someone with a jetpack at 3,000 feet. Was it a jetpack, or was it a manikin strapped to a large electric drone?

Amazon Prime Air drones secure FAA exemption

The FAA has approved exemption 18602 for the Amazon Prime Air MK27 unmanned aircraft to operate in cargo delivery operations without an airworthiness certificate. The approval allows Amazon to continue operations and development without certification, but with a number of limitations.

Amazon drones can’t make city deliveries. The company must first solve lawn mowers falling from the sky

The MK27 drones weigh 88 pounds, about the weight of a standard lawn mower. Some people have safety concerns since the Amazon flight manuals the company shares with the FAA are proprietary. We don’t know how Amazon is planning to mitigate risks.

Japan Airlines backed by Tokyo government to study drones

Japan Airlines (JAL) and four other companies will undertake a study to explore the logistics of a drone delivery service by 2022. The drones would deliver pharmaceuticals to hospitals, food to offices and apartments, and provide drone security patrols. Drone project testing is planned for Tokyo Bay and stations around the Metropolitan area. Besides JAL, the other companies are KDDI (the telecommunications operator), East Japan Railways, Weathernews, and Terra Drone Corporation.

FCC Study supports using 5 GHZ band for Drone Operations

In the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, Congress asked the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau to submit a report on spectrum allocation for unmanned aircraft. The FCC has submitted that report, which recommends proceeding with rulemaking to enable the use of the 5030-5091 MHz band.

Equinor Performs world’s first offshore logistics operation via Drone

Nordic Unmanned flew a drone carrying a 3D-printed part to the Troll A platform in the North Sea. The part was for the lifeboat system on the platform is operated by Equinor ASA, a Norwegian state-owned multinational energy company. The 80 kilometre flight took about one hour at an altitude of about 5000 feet. The drone was a Camcopter S-100 model, manufactured by Schiebel.

UAV Video of the Week

Mentioned

Commercial UAV Expo Americas, virtual event, September 15-17, 2020.

Commercial UAV Expo Europe, virtual event, December 1-3, 2020.

284 Lithium Metal Batteries

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New lithium metal batteries offer the prospect of greater capacity. Also, Parrot’s Anafi Thermal drone, a quadcopter over the Boston Red Sox, drones for sugarcane agriculture, the role of drones during the Notre Dame fire, parts delivery by drone for manufacturing, and indigenous people use drones to assert territory rights.

UAV News

Lithium-Ion Batteries Aren’t Good Enough for Electric Flight. But Maybe Lithium-Metal Is.

Cuberg says, “The Future of Batteries Is Here” and they have developed a lithium metal battery they say offers real advantages over Lithium-ion batteries. The California-based startup is backed by Boeing, venture capitalists, and the U.S. Department of Energy. A proprietary non-flammable electrolyte allows for higher energy density materials.

‪The Parrot Anafi Thermal drone captures heat signatures on a lightweight body

The Anafi Thermal drone from Parrot includes a FLIR thermal sensor in addition to the 4K HDR camera. Both are on the same gimbal and can capture heat images on still photos and video. The thermal image can be merged with the video image.

Video: GearBrain: Parrot Anafi Thermal drone for professionals

FAA probes drone sighting over baseball game at Boston’s Fenway Park

A drone looking like a DJI Phantom flew over a major league baseball game in Boston. DJI said, “Whoever flew this drone over the stadium apparently overrode our geofencing system and deliberately violated the FAA temporary flight restriction in place over the game.” The incident was reported to the Boston Police Department for investigation.

Boston CBS affiliate WBZ has footage: Drone Flies Over Fenway Park During Red Sox Game.

Police identify juvenile who flew drone at Fenway Park during Red Sox game

A joint investigation by the Boston Police, Massachusets State Police, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, and the FAA led to the identification of an unnamed juvenile responsible for the drone flight.

Using Drones for Sugarcane Agriculture

The Brazilian National Institute for Space Research–Remote Sensing Division is studying sugarcane yield reduction caused by invasive weeds such as Bermuda grass. UAVs with sensors can be used to monitor weeds, but sugarcane and Bermuda grass are spectrally similar. The research team described how texture features could overcome this limitation.

How French firefighters used drones to tackle the Notre Dame blaze

In combating the fire at Notre Dame de Paris, firefighters borrowed DJI drones from the culture and interior ministries. A Mavic Pro and a Matrice M210 with thermal cameras helped track the spread of the fire and provide information on how to best position fire hoses.

‪Aeroplane seat manufacturer deploys drones to keep production line moving

Collins Aerospace is using drones to transport parts from a storage center to the production line in order to increase efficiency and productivity.

Collins Aerospace unveils plans to redefine the future of electric flight with “The Grid,” the most advanced electric power systems lab in the industry

The Grid will be a 25,000-square-foot advanced electric power systems lab in Rockford, Illinois. Collins Aerospace intends to design and test systems like high-power generators for the next generation of more electric aircraft, including commercial, military, business aviation, UAV, and urban air mobility platforms. The Grid will support a hybrid-electric flight demonstrator project. Collins Aerospace expects the lab to be complete and fully operational by 2021.

How Drones and GPS Are Helping Indigenous People in Ecuador Save the Amazon

Indigenous people in Ecuador have been using technology to map their territory in the Amazon rainforest. “…marginalized communities around the world have begun to use new technologies to create their own maps and thereby demonstrate their deep local knowledge of their territories, which can help in their fight for land rights. The Cofan used a drone, hidden cameras, and GPS devices to track illegal activity by miners.

UAV Conference

Defence IQ’s Countering Drones Conference 2019 will be held July 9-11, 2019 at the Hilton London Olympia to discuss the key issues surrounding threat, risk, resilience, technology and incident response. Participants will get an understanding of what future drone threats look like and how to prepare for them, how to respond effectively to drone disruptions, how to protect your organization more cost-effectively, influencing future policy and demonstrating thought leadership by contributing to discussions with key industry experts.

281 Fixed-Wing Drone Swarm

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FAA approves a fixed-wing drone swarm, firefighting drones under development, young girls trained to fly drones, costs of Gatwick incursions, mimicking a bat, and drones blamed for airliner problems.

UAV News

OSU receives first FAA authorization to fly unmanned aircraft in groups

Oklahoma State University received FAA approval to fly drone swarms in the national airspace. Up to twenty drones can be operated by one pilot with visual observers. The Unmanned Systems Research Institute at OSU has been conducting research on this for four years using fixed-wing aircraft.

UAE aims to develop next generation of drones to fight fires and cope with fog

Researchers at Khalifa University in Abu Dhabi want to make drones lighter, stronger and weather-resistant. Motivated by some fatal fires in high-rise buildings in London and the UAE, they have created a “sandwich” structure with a central layer of low density, 3D-printed material (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene/carbon or “ABS”) that is inexpensive, easily printed, and lightweight. Outside layers of the sandwich are a carbon-fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP).

Future Female Pilots Train with Drones and the Royal Flying Doctor Service

The Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) is helping school girls become drone pilots, with the help of She Maps, an Australian STEM specialist that organizes drone workshops.

Gatwick Airport Christmas chaos totals £459,000 in police costs

The price for last December’s drone activity at Gatwick Airport cost Sussex Police £419,000.
It cost the Surrey Police £40,000. More than 100 drone sightings were reported over three days and over 140,000 passengers experienced flights disruptions, but the drone (or drones) were never found.

Video Shows a Drone With Talons That Hangs Upside Down Like a Bat

Often science (or engineering) imitates nature. If bats can easily land almost anywhere, why can’t drones? A researcher at Yale University has added three long gripper fingers to a quadcopter that can “perch” and “rest” on ledges, poles, and scaffoldings.

FAA Turned Over More Safety Work to Boeing Under Pressure to Regulate Drones

Writing in The Daily Beast, Clive Irving says the FAA is delegating aircraft certification work to manufacturers because the agency is “trying to keep up with the rapidly growing drone industry.”

Mentioned

Airplane Geeks 545, Boeing 737 MAX, Someone’s Got Some ‘Splaining to Do.
PaxEx Podcast 65, Max Flight and Mary Kirby on why no-MAX flight.

267 Drones and the Public Safety Sector

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Drone programs for the public safety sector, post-emergency reforestation from DroneSeed, package delivery from Wing and Amazon, a new Airbus high altitude pseudo-satellite flight base, and a proposed BVLOS infrastructure for North Dakota.

UAV News

Send in the drones: NYPD launches its new ‘unmanned aircraft’ system

The NYPD Technical Assistance and Response Unit has acquired 14 drones to be used during emergencies such as rescue missions, inaccessible crime scenes, and hostage situations. They stressed that the drones will be unarmed, they won’t carry out routine patrols, and they won’t spy on potential suspects, but the Legal Aid Society and the New York Civil Liberties Union have concerns.

Detailing the Success of the L.A. Fire Department’s Drone Program

The LAFD created their drone program to provide Incident Commanders with better situational awareness. They spent two years of planning how the drones would be valuable and how they were going to operate the program. Their theme was transparency and communication within the department and with the public.

Swarms of drones can now plant trees in areas devastated by fires

The recent wildfires in California’s were devastating with loss of life, loss of property, and loss of forests. The forests need to be restored and DroneSeed is planning to assist with their system that creates a 3D terrain map with lidar, uses a multispectral camera for soil and vegetation data, and then determines the best location to plant a tree. DroneSeed “seed vessels” include a nutrient puck with a seed in the middle and capsaicin on the outside to help keep animals from eating them. DroneSeed has FAA approval for multi-craft, over-55-pounds UAVs that can work in swarms of up to five crafts to cover larger areas.

Los Angeles Area UAS Disaster Conference to Explore Evolving Role of Drones in Public Safety, Emergency Management, and Wildfire Fighting

Two UAS Drones Disaster Conferences are planned for 2019: Los Angeles March 8-9 at the Columbia Memorial Space Center, and Miami April 11-12 at Florida International University. These will discuss and showcase the role of UAS in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from major incidents and disasters. The conferences will feature presentations, workshops, and live flight demonstrations.

Google’s drone delivery spin-off ‘Wing’ aims to be operational in 2019

Google’s Wing delivery drones head to Europe

Wing is the drone delivery company owned by Google’s parent Alphabet. A flight test program in Helsinki, Finland is to start in the spring and they plan to become operational by the end of 2019. Customers will order through an app, packages can weigh up to 1.5kg (3.3lbs), and delivery will be free during the trial period. Wing will use their own UTM system.

Amazon delays on five-year drone delivery promise

Meanwhile, Amazon will miss its 2013 prediction that delivery drones would be operating in five years. Amazon remains committed, but says they are staying away from fixed timelines.

Airbus opens flight base in Australia for Zephyr UAS operations

Airbus Defence and Space announced the opening of the world’s first High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) flight base serving as the launch site for the Zephyr UAV in Wyndham, Western Australia. Airbus Press Release: Airbus celebrates opening of the world’s first Zephyr Solar High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite operating site.

Burgum announces $30 million UAS infrastructure proposal to support statewide beyond visual line of sight operations

The governor of North Dakota announced a proposal to build out infrastructure for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft systems across North Dakota. The $30 million investment would establish a statewide BVLOS network for UAS command and control, and surveillance equipment for safe integration of manned and unmanned aircraft.

265 AUVSI’s Trusted Operator Program

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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 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.

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:

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.
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.
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.
Create internal controls to improve consistency in standard template responses used to correspond with applicants regarding requests for information.
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).
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.
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).
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

UAV194 Drones for Public Safety Agencies

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The CEO of SkyFire Consulting explains the use of drones by public safety agencies, such as law enforcement, firefighting, and first responders.

Matt Sloane, CEO of SkyFire Consulting

Matt Sloane is the CEO of SkyFire Consulting, a consulting company focused on the use of drones by public safety agencies. Started by four public safety professionals and a commercial pilot, SkyFire delivers professional level training, FAA consulting, and equipment sales and consultation. This provides departments with a one-stop-shop for starting drone programs.

Matt describes how and why public safety agencies, like law enforcement and firefighting, are using drones. We talk about regulatory requirements, the drones and sensors being employed, as well as privacy and rights issues. Matt also offers some good advice for drone owners who want to assist public safety agencies.

SkyFire offers training for agencies that want to include drones in their arsenal of tools, and Matt describes what they offer. We also note that the SkyFire Public Safety UAV Symposium will be held June 21-23, 2017, at the Hilton Fort Collins, in Fort Collins, Colorado. That event will bring together experts in drones, thermal imaging, public safety UAV operations, lawmakers, and public safety professionals to provide training on the latest information.

Matt is an FAA-certified manned aircraft pilot as well as an accomplished drone pilot. He also serves on the National Fire Protection Association’s committee on UAVs, which is working to establish the first real UAV guidelines for the fire service.

You can find SkyFire Consulting on the web at SkyFireConsulting.com, on Twitter at @SkyfireDrones, and on their Facebook page.

UAV157 Government and Private Sector Initiatives for UAS Integration

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Initiatives announced by the U.S. Government and private sector that advance the integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems into the National Airspace System. Also, a 2.5 ounce ADS-B solution, drones that obstruct fighting wildfires, and drones that help fight wildfires.

The pingBuddy WiFi ADS-B receiver

White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Workshop on Drones and the Future of Aviation

White House Announces New UAS Commitments Made Across the Board

At the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Workshop on Drones and the Future of Aviation, many steps were announced that advance the integration of UAS into the National Airspace System:

The National Science Foundation will receive $35 million to research how UAS can be deployed for applications like infrastructure inspections, disaster response, agricultural, and studying severe storms

The U.S. Department of the Interior will use UAS in search-and-rescue operations and to augment manned aircraft operations.

UAS industry associations committed to implement educational programs that address privacy best practices.

The FAA will charter an Unmanned Aircraft Safety Team (UAST) similar to the existing Commercial Aviation Safety Team. Government and industry stakeholders will “analyze safety data and develop non-regulatory interventions to mitigate potential causes of accidents involving unmanned aircraft.” See FAA Announces Drone Advisory Committee.

By winter 2017, the FAA will propose rules for operating sUAS over people, and ask for public comment.

NASA will conduct research on detect-and-avoid and command-and-control technologies that lead to standards.

NASA and the FAA will launch a data exchange working group under the UAS Traffic Management (UTM) research team to develop common a data format for sharing information between UAS operators and UTM users.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will begin collecting gravity measurements with RPVs that improve surface elevation measurements over the United States. NOAA will also investigate how to add UAS observing capabilities to the NOAA fleet of ships.

The Department of the Interior (DOI) will share near-real-time fire location information with the public by July 2017. By December 2017, the DOI will augment manned aircraft missions by developing payloads that can be flown by UAS. By October 2018, the DOI will develop and maintain a training program for the use of UAS in Search and Rescue (SAR).

The U.S. Postal Service Office of Inspector General will publish new findings and analysis of public opinion on drone deliveries.

In the private sector:

Zipline International will demonstrate using UAVs to deliver medical supplies in hard-to-reach areas.

Flirtey will focus on humanitarian applications for drone delivery technology.

The Commercial Drone Alliance will lead an effort to educate the American public on the integration of UAS into the National Airspace System.

Sinclair Broadcast Group, the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), and the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), will develop and broadcast drone safety public service announcements.

Alphabet’s Project Wing will conduct an operational research study of delivery drones at an FAA UAS Test Site. See Alphabet will begin testing its delivery drones inside the US at test centers. They will also “develop and deploy an open-interface, airspace management solution for safe low-altitude small UAS (sUAS) operations using existing low cost, scalable communication and information technologies.”

The Drone Racing League (DRL) will release best practices for the drone racing industry, including event guidelines, organization, and safety measures

PrecisionHawk is announcing its Phase I Pathfinder results demonstrating the safety of extended visual line of sight (EVLOS) operations for drones in rural areas.

The Women of Commercial Drones organization and the Commercial Drone Alliance announced their collaboration to advance women’s participation in the UAS industry.

DJI is supporting 4-H’s National Youth Science Day in October 2016. This year’s theme is “Drone Discovery,” to inspire kids and young adults to explore science, technology and engineering in more depth.

DroneBase and Drones & Good are forming a partnership to provide transitioning military Veterans with training programs and apprenticeships to start a career in the commercial drone industry.

Details of the Workshop initiatives can be found in: FACT SHEET: New Commitments to Accelerate the Safe Integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

News

uAvionix ADS-B Solution Weighs 2.5 Ounces

uAvionix showed its micro ADS-B products at AirVenture and created quite a stir among the experimental and light sport aircraft crowd. The “Ping Chip” micro-circuitry was designed and built by uAvionix for the mass UAV market. The 12-gram pingBuddy is a low-cost receiver with built-in Wi-Fi and ADS-B dual link in.

DJI and uAvionix Collaborate on ADS-B Collision Avoidance Developer Kit

Darren Liccardo, the VP of Engineering for DJI says, “DJI developers will now be able to process ADS-B data and close the loop all within an embedded computer onboard the vehicle.” With a Ping ADS-B receiver, a drone could sense surrounding aircraft and take action if necessary, to avoid a collision. The DJI Onboard Software Development Kit (SDK) allows access to the flight control system of the drone, so developers could create custom applications for collision avoidance rules that are applicable to the specific mission.

Drones That Launch Flaming Balls Are Being Tested To Help Fight Wildfires

Wildfires can sometimes be stopped through controlled burns, which seek to eliminate the fuel for the fire. This can be dangerous and expensive, and now the University of Nebraska is conducting tests where a sUAS is used to deliver flammable balls that initiate a controlled burn.

Drones Are Interfering with Range 12 Firefighting Efforts, Crews Say

“Range 12” refers to a wildfire in southeastern Washington State, where drones continue to interfere with firefighting efforts. Bureau of Land Management spokesman Randall Rishe says, “I have been on the ground with a tool in my hands, where you have a fire coming right at you. You need that helicopter making that drop right in front of you to help it slow down so you can dig that line. And there’s a drone. That helicopter has to leave, and it’s like your saving grace, you watch fly away.”

Video of the Week

Olympic 2016 – Rio de Janeiro

In honor of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games here’s a video showing all the venues.

UAV103 Matternet Tests Autonomous Package Delivery

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Package delivery by autonomous drone, drone company management changes, making interfering with firefighters illegal, drone service on demand, North Dakota innovation hub, drone photography contest results, USAF addresses pilot shortage, and accidents increase in Netherlands.

News

Swiss Postal Service, Air Cargo Carrier Begin Drone Testing

Freight carrier Swiss WorldCargo announced on July 7 that testing had begun using the Matternet ONE drone for small package delivery. The quadcopter operates autonomously and can carry one kilogram up to 10 kilometers on a single battery charge. Matternet says the drone uses “secure routes that adapt to weather, terrain and airspace [and] allow Matternet ONE to fly autonomously beyond line of sight, without the need for a human pilot.” The cloud-based routing system … ”guides the Matternet ONE along a secure route at low altitude – between 50-100 meters above ground – adjusting for inclement weather, avoiding tall buildings, mountains and restricted airspace.”

Chinese Manufacturer DJI Hires Prominent ‘Drone Lawyer’

Brendan Schulman, who defended Pirker against the FAA, has left law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel where he was head of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems practice. Now Schulman is Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs at drone maker DJI.

Other movements in the industry include:

Amazon hired former Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) counsel Ben Gielow in September as its senior manager of public policy.

Amazon appointed Sean Cassidy, a former Alaska Airlines pilot and first vice president of the Air Line Pilots Association, as director of partner relationships in March.

Last August, Google hired David Vos, a technology entrepreneur and former Rockwell Collins senior director, to lead its Project Wing effort to deliver packages.

In April, Francis “Chip” Sheller, the former Aerospace Industries Association vice president of communications and research, became vice president of communications and public affairs for Aurora Flight Sciences.

Former deputy director of the FAA’s flight standards service, John McGraw, acted as a consultant to video production companies applying for an FAA sUAS exemption.

After drone diverts fire-fighting planes, lawmakers want fines and jail time

California representative Paul Cook (R-Apple Valley) introduced H.R. 3025 to the House of Representatives, which would make it a criminal offense to interfere with firefighting efforts on federal land.

Fly4Me gets FAA approval, launches ‘Uber for drones’

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Fly4Me received a Section 333 exemption to “conduct community training workshops, research and development, and aerial inspections of buildings and land within the United States.” Now the company wants to establish a marketplace where customers book flights and pilots bid on projects. Customers are able to interact with the pilot during the flight and stream FPV. A beta version of the platform was released June 17, 2015.

Is the Silicon Valley of Drones in North Dakota?

North Dakota wants to be an innovation hub for drones. Grand Sky Development Park is set to open this summer at Grand Forks Air Force Base as a UAS Business and Aviation Park. The facility features 1.2 million square feet of hangar and office space, and a runway for drones. The state invested $5 million in infrastructure and $7.5 million more in grants for runway improvements.

The 2015 Drone Aerial Photography Contest

Dronestagram announced the winners of its second annual photo competition. The contest was judged by National Geographic and Dronestagram CEO and founder Eric Dupin. Nine photographs are depicted from the more than 5,000 entries submitted. Contest sponsors included National Geographic, Kodak, Parrot, Go Pro, Hexo+, Picanova, Hobbico, and Adobe.

AF rolls out details to improve RPA mission

The U.S Air Force has a plan to address the RPA pilot shortage that includes a Critical Skills Retention Bonus for RPA pilots, assignment of about 80 Undergraduate pilot training graduates to RPA squadrons beginning in August, and spending more than $100 million to buy six next-generation ground control stations, training simulators, and contract instructors.

UAS Accidents Rise in Netherlands

According to the Dutch Transport Ministry, inspectors received reports of 8 small unmanned aircraft accidents in 2012, 15 in 2013, and 27 in 2014. Most of the incidents were reported by manned aircraft and professional drone users and eleven of the 2014 incidents involved a crash landing close to people or buildings. New rules governing the use of drones come into effect later this year.

Video of the Week

Feeding Corn in Iowa

A Hagie machine applies liquid fertilizer to miles of corn with Y-Drops. Filmed with an DJI Inspire-1.

Mentioned

Our Real Red Selves

This book contains the work of three authors, including Harry Giles’ Drone, which explores modern warfare and office life. Harry tells us that there will be a performance of the poetry in August at the Edinburgh Festival this year at Summerhall.