Tag Archives: General Atomics

325 Drawing with Drones

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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.

300 It’s Called a Drone

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The Commercial Drone Alliance wants to see regulations for large drones, sUAS are vulnerable to impacts, using AI-enabled drones to identify specific individuals (human and otherwise), drones donated to universities for precision ag, and BVLOS for the UAS Integration Pilot Program.

UAV News

DON’T SAY ‘DRONES,’ Beg Drone Makers

This is the first story we covered, from Episode #1.

Commercial Drone Alliance calls for focus on large UAS in letter to new FAA administrator

The Commercial Drone Alliance sent a letter to the new U.S. chief technology officer and to the new FAA Administrator. The letter notes that the FAA has mostly focused on sUAS and the Alliance wants to see regulators look at large UAS. Lisa Ellman, executive director of the Commercial Drone Alliance and partner at Hogan Lovells, said: “The Commercial Drone Alliance looks forward to working with newly sworn-in FAA Administrator Stephen Dickson and recently confirmed U.S. CTO Michael Kratsios to develop common sense and business-friendly regulations for large UAS.”

Lessons for drone defense from a tennis ball

XKCD cartoonist Randall Munroe asked Serena Williams to try and take out a DJI Mavic Pro 2 with a tennis ball. She did. On her third serve, Serena nailed the quadcopter. Consumer drones are not very hardened against impact.

Little Ripper deploys croc-spotting AI drones

In Episode 287 we talked about Little Ripper drones being used in New South Wales and Queensland to spot sharks. Now the same drone technology is being used to spot crocodiles in Queensland.

Drones that recognize you? Amazon has a patent for that.

This article describes two patents granted to Amazon.com: One includes launching unmanned aircraft from freight cars and the other utilizes one or more drones to locate the delivery customer.

In other package delivery news:

Video: Bell Autonomous Pod Transport 70 Achieves First Autonomous Flight

AeroVironment Donates 87 Quantix Drones and AV DSS Ecosystems to 35 U.S. University Agriculture Departments to Advance Drones in Farming

The AeroVironment 2019 Quantix and AV DSS University Collaboration Project seeks to advance academic research, applications, and crop production practices through the use of UAS and advanced data analytics.

Video: The Next Generation of Quantix & AV DSS

https://youtu.be/_Qpxhokc2Ok

Drones on the farm: Using facial recognition to keep cows healthy

An automated drone system that can monitor the health of cattle in the pasture is being developed by a team of professors and student researchers in the UK. Testing is being conducted with 3DR Solo drones modified with a Raspberry Pi. The autonomous drones could identify each animal, determine its location, and measure health information like weight, size, facial features, and physical activity.

FAA OKs Airbus Aerial UAS Operations in North Dakota

The FAA authorized Airbus Aerial to operate UAS at the Grand Forks, North Dakota, test site under the UAS Integration Pilot Program. Airbus Aerial will use a SenseFly eBee drone to survey power distribution lines, BVLOS. Press release: Airbus Aerial Receives Waiver for Urban BVLOS UAS Flight Operations Over Populated Areas in North Dakota.

GA-ASI Receives FAA No-Chase COA for Unmanned Flights in North Dakota

The FAA also granted General Atomics Aeronautical Systems a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) for BVLOS. They will use a Ground-based Sense and Avoid (GBSAA) system that incorporates the Grand Forks Air Force Base Air Surveillance Radar (ASR) and the L3Harris Technologies VueStation and RangeVue systems. These meet the “see and avoid” requirements over large airspace.

Videos of the Week

Video of man fishing while dangling from drone under investigation by CASA

The man posted a video on social media showing him fishing, drinking beer, and even catching a fish. Now the Civil Aviation Safety Authority is investigating.

Your new best travel buddy is this autonomous suitcase that’s always by your side

“Self-driving technology allows the Ovis Suitcase to follow alongside its owner, while computer vision tech lets it see and avoid obstacles.” Ovis is equipped with GPS location tracker, smart alarm, embedded weight sensor, TSA-approved digital lock and removable airline-compliant LiPo battery that doubles as a charging station.

Video: Introducing Ovis by FowardX, the World’s First Vision-Powered Side-Follow Suitcase

278 Animal Identification with Drones

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Drones that locate wildlife and select sick livestock, the FAA looks to Kittyhawk to redesign the B4UFLY app, an expanded role for LANNC, principles for autonomous vehicles in the city, a tourist is jailed for misusing a drone, and speculation about stealthy drones.

UAV News

Koala-spotting drones proves a flying success

The Queensland University of Technology (QUT) published a study in the nature journal Scientific Reports describing drones that use infrared imaging to locate koala’s, even under the eucalyptus trees. An algorithm differentiates the koalas from other animals and the system is more efficient and less invasive than traditional techniques.

Kittyhawk to redesign FAA app for drone pilots

In February 2019, the FAA entered into a partnership with Kittyhawk to redesign the B4UFly app. The FAA says Kittyhawk will redevelop B4UFLY “to improve the user experience so that recreational drone operators know where they can and cannot fly.” The current B4UFLY App will continue to be available to the public until the new App is deployed. Last fall, Kittyhawk joined the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) program. Kittyhawk investors include Boeing’s HorizonX Ventures and insurance company Travelers.

Hobbyist drone pilots will soon be required to use LAANC to fly in controlled airspace

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 establishes new conditions for recreational use of drones and repealed the Special Rule for Model Aircraft. On October 12, 2018, the FAA published a news item saying they were “evaluating the impacts” of the rule change. (FAA Reauthorization Bill Establishes New Conditions for Recreational Use of Drones.) Previously, hobbyists flying in controlled airspace had to notify the ATC tower. The new language says, “In Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport, the operator obtains prior authorization from the Administrator or designee before operating and complies with all airspace restrictions and prohibitions.”

Pittsburgh Mayor announces ‘Pittsburgh Principles’ for autonomous vehicles

Pittsburgh Mayor William Peduto issued an executive order known as the “Pittsburgh Principles.” The order outlines city objectives and expectations for the safe testing of autonomous vehicles in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. It also assigns responsibilities for the development of transparent and constructive reporting guidelines. The Department of Mobility and Infrastructure (DOMI) becomes the principal point of contact.

Myanmar Court Sentences Frenchman to Jail for Flying Drone

A French tourist was convicted under the Illegal Export-Import Act for flying a drone close to the parliament complex, and for bringing the drone into the country. Under the Illegal Export-Import Act, he could have been sentenced to a maximum penalty of three years’ imprisonment. The court sentenced him to one month in prison with hard labor minus time served, so he may be released after a week.

‪Drones Expected to Reduce Antibiotics in Livestock

The Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center is looking at drones to help identify sick or injured livestock. They are studying the use of thermal imaging sensors to look for hot spots on the animals. Instead of injecting the whole herd with antibiotics, only livestock that need an injection can receive the antibiotic.

Pocket Force Of Stealthy Avenger Drones May Have Made Returning F-117s To Service Unnecessary

There have been recent rumors that some F-117A Nighthawk stealth combat jets have been used for operations in the Middle East. The Drive says, “there is a strong possibility that the United States did deploy another aircraft, a variant of the General Atomics Avenger drone, carrying the base designation Q-11, to meet a similar requirement for a stealthy, but armed platform that could strike high value and mobile targets in contested areas.”

UAV251 General Atomics MQ-9B Flies Across the Atlantic

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A General Atomics remotely piloted drone flew across the Atlantic, military drone documents found on the dark web, Google’s delivery drone project moves forward, and recreational drone registration reaffirmed.

The General Atomics Aeronautical Systems MQ-9B SkyGuardian.

The MQ-9B SkyGuardian remotely piloted aircraft. Courtesy General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc.

UAV News

First ever trans-Atlantic drone flight lands in UK

The civilian-registered and remotely piloted General Atomics MQ-9B SkyGuardian flew 3,760 nautical miles from the Grand Sky park at the Grand Forks Air Force in North Dakota to the Royal Air Force (RAF) Fairford in Gloucestershire, UK  in 24 hours and two minutes. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. (GA-ASI) says, “MQ-9B is the next generation of GA-ASI’s multi-mission Predator® B fleet. GA-ASI named its baseline MQ-9B aircraft SkyGuardian, and the maritime surveillance variant SeaGuardian. MQ-9B is a “type-certifiable” version of the MQ-9 Predator B product line. It’s [an]… RPA that can meet the stringent airworthiness type-certification requirements of various military and civil authorities, including the UK Military Airworthiness Authority (MAA) and the U.S. FAA… Type-certification, together with an extensively tested collision avoidance system, will allow unrestricted operations in all classes of civil airspace.”

AOPA Drone Social tickets almost gone

A few free seats remain available for the AOPA Drone Social during EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, on July 27, 2018. Food and beverages will be provided, and a 20-minute presentation by event sponsor PrecisionHawk will be followed by time to network and socialize. Register now.

US Reaper drone data leaked on dark web, researchers say

Someone hacked into an Air Force captain’s computer and accessed documents. They included a private list of airmen working with General Atomics MQ-9A Reaper drones as well as maintenance and course material. The threat intelligence firm Recorded Future posted in their blog post, Military Reaper Drone Documents Leaked on the Dark Web, “On June 1, 2018, while monitoring criminal actor activities on the deep and dark web, Recorded Future’s Insikt Group identified an attempted sale of what we believe to be highly sensitive U.S. Air Force documents. Specifically, an English-speaking hacker claimed to have access to export-controlled documents pertaining to the MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Insikt analysts engaged the hacker and confirmed the validity of the compromised documents. Insikt Group identified the name and country of residence of an actor associated with a group we believe to be responsible. This analysis is available to our customers via Insikt’s blog. We continue to assist law enforcement in their investigation.”

Google’s Parent Births New Businesses: Balloons and Drones

Two projects operated within the research lab of Google’s parent company Alphabet have now been moved out of the research lab and into their own Alphabet business units. “Wing” is the delivery drone project using fixed-wing VTOL drones that have made test deliveries in Australia. “Loon” is the high altitude balloon project that provides internet connectivity for rural or disaster areas.

FAA Says Avoid Drone Registration Schemes

The FAA warns against entities that offer to help drone owners and operators file an application for a registration number. Some attempt to mimic the look of the FAA’s website with similar graphic design and even the FAA logo. You can easily register yourself for $5 at the FAA Drone Zone. These registrations apply to those flying for recreational, commercial, governmental, or other purposes under Part 107. Also to those flying model aircraft under Section 336, the special rule for model aircraft.

Drone Regulations in U.S. Withstand a Hobbyist’s Legal Challenge

Back in episode 195, we reported that the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit struck down the FAA’s drone registration requirement for recreational UAV operators. John A. Taylor argued that the FAA requirement violated the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act passed by Congress. Since then, Congress passed a law allowing registration of hobbyist drones. Taylor requested that FAA rules be invalidated arguing that all hobbyists, not just those exempted by Congress, should be exempt from the law. But the appellate court said, “Because the rule is within the agency’s statutory authority and is neither arbitrary nor capricious, the petition for review is denied.”

UAV Video of the Week

Travis AFB 4th of July ft. Intel® Shooting Star Drone Light Show

Mentioned

LAANC Turned Off at 6 Airports

 

 

UAV232 Should FAA Regulate Recreational Drones?

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A call for regulation of recreational drones, the accuracy of wildlife counts, a flying display device, the MQ-1 Predator retirement, using drones for automated inspection, and a Phantom may have caused a helicopter to go down.

ALPA, A4A, and NATCA call for regulation of recreational drones.

Should recreational drones be regulated the same as commercial drones?

UAV News

Airline Groups Call on US Congress to Regulate Drones

Three groups want Congress to modify Section 336 of the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act that restricts the FAA from applying any rules or regulations to the operation of recreational drones or unmanned aircraft systems used as a hobby. The Air Line Pilots Association, International (ALPA), Airlines for America (A4A), and the National Air Traffic Controllers Association (NATCA) sent a letter [PDF] to Congress stating, in part:

“We strongly urge you to remove legislative restrictions that have been placed on the FAA that limit its safety oversight of UAS. The likelihood that a drone will collide with an airline aircraft is increasing. By providing the FAA with the full authority to regulate all UAS operations, the safety of passenger and cargo flights will be protected.”

Should recreational drones be regulated as commercial drones are? Send your thoughts to us at feedback@theUAVdigest.com.

Why Drones Are Counting Thousands of Decoy Ducks

How accurate are counts of wildlife, and can drones do a better job than people? Researchers at the University of Adelaide’s Environment Institute and School of Biological Sciences wanted to find out. They conducted an experiment and found “Overall, the drone’s counts were much more precise than the ground counts.”

Samsung Just Patented Display Drones Controlled by Your Eyes, Face and Hand Gestures

The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted Flying Display Device, U.S. Patent 9,891,885 to Samsung. It would consist of a quadcopter with a camera, a display, GPS, a “WiFi-based positioning system,” and voice-recognition. It’s a flying screen that reacts to you and presents information on the screen.

Air Force announces official retirement date for iconic MQ-1 Predator drone

On March 9, 2018, the Air Force will retire the General Atomics MQ-1 Predator and instead use MQ-9 Reapers for combat missions.

V-Cube Robotics Begins Offering SOLAR CHECK, a Solar Power Plant Inspection Package Service

V-cube Robotics will begin offering a solar power plant inspection package called Solar Check. Drones fly autonomously over a predetermined flight path and inspect the solar panels with infrared thermography cameras. The images are uploaded to the cloud and analyzed for discrepancies. Inspection time is drastically reduced and inspection accuracy is higher.

Report: Helicopter crash on Daniel Island may have been caused by drone

A Robinson R22 helicopter on a training flight in South Carolina, encountered a DJI Phantom, and crashed after attempting to take evasive action. The FAA is investigating.

UAV Video of the Week

Watch a Drone Crash Into Apple’s New Headquarters

A drone crashed into Apple Park. The pilot got in touch with another drone operator for help in finding it. The crash and the subsequent search were recorded.

Drone Crash at Apple Park Caught on Camera

Mentioned

A Message From APSA Regarding The New CAPS/COA Process

 

UAV225 DARPA Gremlins

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DARPA Gremlins advance reusable drone technology, North Carolina plans UAS workshops for public safety agencies, Seaglider underwater drones set to explore Antarctic ice shelves, fuel cell propulsion systems will be integrated into the ScanEagle, and medical package delivery drones are successful in Africa.

DARPA Gremlins launched from a C-130.

DARPA Gremlins launched from a C-130. DARPA image.

UAV News

Air Force Could Test “Flying Aircraft Carriers” as Early as Next Year

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Gremlins program envisions small, reusable drones that can be launched from a C-130 inflight to surveil or attack targets as much as 300 miles away. The Gremlins then return to their flying airbase and are flown back to home base where there are prepared for their next mission.

In Phase 2, DARPA will review Gremlin prototypes from Dynetics and General Atomics. In Phase 3 DARPA will select one of the two prototypes for a “full-scale technology demonstration system” that will be test-flown in 2019.

North Carolina government plans drone workshops for 2018

The North Carolina Department of Transportation is planning free UAS/Drone workshops for public safety agencies. The purpose of the workshops is to educate agencies on the safe and beneficial uses of drones, provide updates on the latest federal and state regulations, and provide best practices for safe operations and data management. The Operating Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in North Carolina web page contains a downloadable 47-page safety guide [PDF] and an online knowledge test.

Drones Are Diving Under Antarctic Ice to Map Unseen Portions of Our World

The University of Washington in Seattle is planning to use seven underwater robots to explore an Antarctic ice shelf. Three Seaglider self-propelled drones “swim” by adjusting their buoyancy and using mechanic “wings.” The Seaglider Fabrication Center, a division of the School of Oceanography in the College of the Environment, provides Deepgliders™, Seagliders™, operator training, and glider refurbishment. Under a license agreement with Kongsberg Underwater Technologies, Inc. (KUTI), the University can only produce Seagliders for customers inside the University of Washington.

Earth Under Water is a 45 minute National Geographic program that looks at the worldwide rise in sea levels.

Drone Operator Sues Blackhawk Pilot for Destroying Drone over Staten Island

Maybe. The Aviation Acorn treads a bit into the realm of The Onion.

Ballard, Insitu partner on UAS fuel cell propulsion system

Ballard Power Systems is working with Insitu to develop a next-generation fuel cell propulsion system for the ScanEagle UAS. The 1.3-kilowatt system for small unmanned fixed-wing and vertical-take-off-and-landing (VTOL) drones will be integrated into the ScanEagle platform.

‘Uber for blood’: how Rwandan delivery robots are saving lives

As an update to our report in Episode 146 about medical package delivery in Rwanda, we see that the Rwandan health ministry has delivered more than 5,500 units of blood over the past year using Zipline drones. Delivery times to remote regions of Rwanda have been cut from four hours to an average of half an hour. Now Zipline plans to launch what it claims is the world’s largest drone delivery network, working with the government of Tanzania.

UAV Video of the Week

Zipline

This video shows how medical package deliveries with Zipline drones save lives in Rwanda.

https://youtu.be/6wBeXIgD4sY

 

 

 

UAV171 UAS Flights Over Unsheltered People

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Rulemaking for sUAS flights over people moves forward, fuel cell-powered UAVs, a drone detection system, a Predator for humanitarian relief, drones flying in formation, and autonomous aircraft collaboration.

H3 Dynamics Hywing

Hywing long endurance fixed-wing UAV demonstrator, courtesy H3 Dynamics

News

Big News: Proposed Small UAS Rule for Flights Over People at White House for Review

Hogan Lovells reports that the FAA sent to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) the proposed rulemaking for the operation of sUAS over unsheltered people not directly participating in the operation. OIRA reviews draft regulations before they are implemented and any member of the public can request a meeting with the agency to discuss the proposed rule.

UAV Update: Fuel cells, Droneboxes and hostile drones

This article is a round-up of a number of newsworthy drone stories, including:

Singapore energy storage company H3 Dynamics has applied fuel cell technology to its Hywings UAV and claims up to 10 hours flight endurance. The company also created Dronebox that can be used as a remote base station for drones. Dronebox can recharge drone using solar panels, and offers the possibility for stationing drones for autonomous missions, like crop surveys.

Elbit Systems in Israel announced ReDrone which detects, tracks, and takes out drones. The system can determine the direction of the drone and the operator, operates over 360 degrees and provides real-time situational awareness of multiple drones.

General Atomics is offering the Angel One for humanitarian relief missions. Based on the Predator-C Avenger UAV, it can carry up to 8,500 pounds of Humanitarian Daily Ration packets (HDRs) for 3,400 people

AeroVironment is looking to the commercial market with its Quantix vertical takeoff and landing quadrotor drone. Controlled with an Android tablet, data can subsequently be processed within the AeroVironment Decision Support System (AV DSS). Availability is expected by spring 2017.

Drexel University Student Charged After Drone Flies Over Center City Protesters

A drone was observed flying over 300 protesters marching in Philadelphia. Police and news helicopters followed the drone which led them to a man operating the drone from a rooftop. A SWAT team took a 20-year-old man into custody inside the building. He could face various charges,  including recklessly endangering another person and risking a catastrophe.

Disney’s Latest Attraction? 300 Drones Flying in Formation

The “Starbright Holidays” in Orlando will feature 300 Intel Shooting Star quadcopters with LED lights. Each weighs a little over half a pound and is constructed of soft materials such as plastics and foam. The drones are assigned light show roles only after each has been queried by the system to assess details like battery level and GPS signal. Then each gets its assignment and an operator deploys them all with the push of a button.

Human-Machine Teams: Lockheed Martin UAS and Optionally-Piloted Helicopters Validate Firefighting and Search-and-Rescue Capabilities

Lockheed Martin conducted a demonstration of firefighting and search-and-rescue capability using four autonomous vehicles. The optionally-piloted Kaman K-MAX, the Sikorsky Autonomy Research Aircraft (SARA), the Indago quadrotor, and a Desert Hawk 3.1 fixed wing UAS worked collaboratively. Indago located hot spots, sent that information to an operator who directed the K-MAX to autonomously retrieve water from a pond and drop it on the fire. Then, the Desert Hawk located the missing person, and the K-MAX and SARA completed the search and rescue mission.

Video of the Week

Lockheed Martin Autonomous Aircraft Conduct Firefighting, Rescue Mission

 

UAV115 FAA Misses UAS Integration Date

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Firefighting drone by FliteTest

Industry reacts to FAA missing the UAS integration deadline, lasers on drones, UAS testing at Wallops Island, a million drones for the holidays, and interviews from UAS Industry Days 2015.

News

Drones Armed With High-Energy Lasers May Arrive In 2017

Predator and Reaper manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is looking at mounting a 150-kilowatt solid-state laser onto its Avenger drone, also known as the Predator-C. This could be ready in 2017.

NASA Wallops looks to bump up drone traffic

NASA and the state of Virginia are working together on a plan to build a 3,000 foot runway for drones on Wallops Island. This UAS test range is envisioned to support commercial, government, and academic users.

FAA Fears That 1 Million Drones Could Be Sold This Holiday Season

According to Aviation Week, the FAA’s Rich Swayze says the Agency expects as many as one million UAVs to be sold during this year’s holiday season. That’s a lot of opportunity for misuse of unmanned aircraft.

AUVSI and 28 Organizations Mark Missed FAA Deadline for UAS Integration

The congressionally mandated deadline for the FAA to integrate UAS into the National Airspace System was Sept. 30, 2015. The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and 28 others sent a letter [PDF] to the FAA, stating in part:

“While the FAA has hit some milestones in the integration process, it has yet to finalize small UAS rules, let alone facilitate the full integration of UAS that Congress contemplated in 2012. The increasing number of businesses applying for Section 333 exemptions demonstrates the pent-up demand for commercial UAS operations and the immediate need for a regulatory framework.”

“In the absence of regulations, American businesses and innovators are left sitting on the sidelines or operating under a restrictive exemption process.”

“On behalf of businesses across a wide range of industry sectors in the United States, we urge the FAA to use all available means to finalize the small UAS rules immediately without any further delays and move ahead with the next regulatory steps on the path for integrating all UAS into the NAS. Once this happens, we will have an established framework for UAS operations that will do away with the case-by-case system of approvals, reducing the barriers to commercial UAS operations. And importantly, having more trained commercial operators will create a culture of safety that helps deter careless and reckless behavior.”

Interviews from UAS Industry Days

We recorded a number of interviews at the NUAIR Alliance UAS Test Site, including these two about testing done at Griffiss International Airport in Rome, New York:

Thomas Washington

Manager of Flight Test Operations, Aurora Flight Sciences. The Centaur (DA 42) optionally piloted aircraft was tested previously at Griffiss for their unmanned flight test campaign.

John Reade

A computer scientist at Quanterion working with AFRL (Air Force Research Laboratory) and two Desert Hawk III UAVs from Lockheed Martin doing collision avoidance testing in the “triangle” at Griffiss. Quanterion has also developed simulation software that evaluates the interactions of manned and unmanned aircraft in shared airspace.

Videos of the Week

Fire Fighting Drone | Flite Test

The Firecopter is a custom-made Y-6 multi-rotor equipped with a fire extinguisher for fighting fires from the air. From Flite Test.

Esperance whale encounter captures hearts across Australia

Beautiful footage of amazing marine mammals, but before you try this, review Approaching whales and dolphins in NSW and the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Amendment (Marine Mammals) Regulation 2006.

Approaching whales and dolphins in NSW

UAV113 Think First, Launch Second

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Think Before You LaunchLockheed Martin adds drone flight plans to pilot briefings, the AMA takes a closer look at FAA drone sightings data, Canadian farmers don’t want onerous regulations, California legislators want more drone laws, InterDrone product announcements, and the Reaper gets a long-range update package.

Think Before You Launch

Think Before You Launch (TBYL) is an awareness campaign that seeks to educate both manned and unmanned aircraft operators about the hazards in the low-altitude environment. This alliance of UAS and aviation stakeholders wants to improve aviation safety and educate users about the safe and responsible operation and integration of UAS. See the TBYL Infographic [PDF].

News

Graphical drone briefing developed

Lockheed Martin adds unmanned flight plans to the weather information, NOTAMs, TAFs, and METARs already in the Next Generation Briefings online flight planning tool.

Drone hobbyists find flaws in “close call” reports to FAA from other aircraft

AMA Responds to the FAA’s Drone Sighting Report

The Academy of Model Aeronautics took a closer look at the reports of 764 close-call incidents with drones reported by the FAA in August (Pilot Reports of Close Calls With Drones Soar in 2015).

According to the AMA report New AMA Analysis: FAA Data Reveals Complex Picture of U.S. Drone Activity [PDF], the FAA data (FAA Releases Pilot UAS Reports) shows that only 27 incidents were called “near misses” by the pilots and evasive action was taken 10 times.

Some altitudes reported by pilots were too high for a UAV (19,000 – 51,000 feet) and the data included sightings of public agencies and commercial operators, as well as military flights.

The AMA says:

  • Some sightings appear to involve people flying responsibly and within the FAA’s current recreational guidelines.
  • Many things in the air – from balloons and birds to model rockets and mini blimps – are mistaken for, or reported as, drone sightings even when they are not.
  • A number of sightings have occurred over or around stadium events, wildfires, power plants and other critical infrastructure. These raise different concerns from pilot sightings.
  • In almost 20 percent (142) of the reports, local law enforcement either wasn’t notified or it was unknown whether local law enforcement was notified.

KAP doesn’t want new UAV regs to unnecessarily ground farmers

Keystone Agricultural Producers of Manitoba (KAP) president Dan Mazier views drones as tools for farmers, and recognizes the need for regulations, but he doesn’t want them to be onerous. Mazier says, “KAP would like dialogue before they (Transport Canada) make regulations. If they are going to put a certain regulation in, at least consult farm groups or farmers and ask how they can work with it.”

Transport Canada says it will amend regulatory requirements for UAVs in 2016 and proposes to create UAV classifications, establish aircraft marking and registration requirements, address personnel licensing and training and create flight rules.

Bill on drones heads to Gov. Jerry Brown’s desk

Senate Bill 168 has passed the California legislature and was sent to Governor Jerry Brown for consideration. This legislation seeks to address problems seen when drones interfere with emergency responders like firefighters. It would increase the fines for drone operators who interfere with emergency responders, and it would grant immunity to emergency responders who damage or destroy unmanned aircraft during emergency operations.

Other legislation in the pipeline at the Federal level introduced by California Legislators::

  • S. 1608, the Consumer Drone Safety Act, requires safety features on consumer drones and strengthens FAA regulations that regulate drone operation.

Reaper ER Extends RPA Missions to +33 Hours

A Reaper’s maximum endurance can grow from 27 hours to 33-35 hours by installing two wing-mounted fuel tanks as a field-retrofittable package. Other modifications to accommodate the higher gross weight include an alcohol/water injection system, a four-bladed propeller, and a stronger landing gear system. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. says the Reaper ER has been operationally fielded by the U.S. Air Force.

TWiT Live Specials #254: InterDrone Conference 2015

In this 48 minute video, Fr. Robert Ballecer SJ from the Know How maker video podcast, shows us product announcements from the InterDrone 2015 conference.

Video of the Week

Blarney Castle in County Cook

Professor Vanderhoof found this stunning video from Tourism Ireland.

Mentioned

Man fined after flying drones over Premier League stadiums

A man was fined £1,800 and banned from buying or using a drone for two years for flying over sporting events and London landmarks.

UAV059 Sense and Avoid

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 34:10 — 19.7MB)

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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.”