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Wide-Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) for a Navy drone, deliberately hitting an airplane with a drone, drone delivery service in Alabama, quadcopter disrupts MLB game, UAS pilot program for Virginia, the first drone to make a commercial delivery goes to the Smithsonian, and a drone finds a missing whale.
UAV News
With this new sensor, Blackjack drones can monitor an entire city at once
The Boeing Insitu R1-21A Blackjack is a Navy and Marine Corps small tactical unmanned air system (STUAS) that can provide ISR coverage day or night. The Blackjack now has a new wide-area motion imagery (WAMI) sensor from Logos Technologies that can simultaneously monitor 5 square miles.
What happens when a drone hits a plane?
A series of collisions were staged between an Antonov AN-2 biplane and some DJI Phantoms. These were recorded in slow-motion video which documents the resulting damage to the Antonov and the destruction of the Phantoms.
Video: First drone vs Plane crash in slow motion
The future of doorstep delivery being tested in Mobile; Drones could soon deliver orders in minutes
Deuce Drone is testing drone delivery in Mobile, Alabama. They’ve partnered with the Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant and Rouses food market, hoping to get food to deliveries in 10-15 minutes from order. Deuce Drone says they “will design and build your company’s drone delivery system, leveraging your existing infrastructure. Last-mile delivery is key. Drones are the solution.”
Drone interrupts Twins-Pirates game; irritates Jose Berrios on mound
A drone appeared over center field during a major league baseball game in Minneapolis. The Twins were ahead of the Pirates by three runs when the quadcopter was spotted. Umpires cleared the field while some of the pitchers tried to hit the drone. After about 5 minutes, the drone disappeared and the game resumed.
Virginia to Launch Unmanned Aerial Systems Flight Information Exchange
The Virginia Department of Aviation (DOAV) and the Center for Innovative Technology (CIT) have launched the Virginia Flight Information Exchange pilot program. VA-FIX is a platform for state and local governments to share UAS advisory information with stakeholders, including UAS Service Suppliers (USS), UAS operators, and the public. It is being called the first state-sponsored authoritative Supplemental Data Service Provider (SDSP) to exist in the FAA’s UAS Traffic Management (UTM). For more information on the Virginia Flight Information Exchange, visit the Virginia Department of Aviation website.
This Drone Made the First Home Delivery in the United States
The first commercial drone delivery to a home in the United States was made on October 19, 2019. Wing’s drone A1229 delivered a purple vest ordered by an 81-year-old retiree in Virginia. Now A1229 has a new home, at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum. Roger Connor, curator of vertical flight for the National Air and Space Museum said, “Ten years ago I had no rational reason to expect drone technology to have advanced to where it is now, and Wing is really the next phase of that. Not only is Wing’s aircraft actually making residential deliveries, but they’re figuring out how the technology fits in with the local economy and society.”
Drone Rescue of Beluga Whale in the Arctic Sea
Last July, an endangered white whale was spotted swimming up a river in Norway from the sea. Whales are easily trapped in a river like this with sandbanks and changing river depth. A wildlife rescue operation was initiated, but the whale was lost from sight. The Norwegian People’s AID Midt-Troms Search & Rescue Unit was contacted to help locate the whale, which they did in 10 minutes using Atlas Dynamics drone technology.
We look back at the first 100 episodes, and ahead to the next 100. We also talk with Curator Roger Connor from the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum.
