Tag Archives: Piaggio

286 Professional-Grade UAS

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Professional-grade UAS components, a fuel cell system for UAVs, drone flying in national parks, the Choctaw Nation UAS Integration Pilot Program, new life for Piaggio Hammerhead, and the Northrop Grumman Firebird surveillance aircraft.

UAV News

UAV industry purging hobbyist-grade components from supply chain

Fifteen years ago, practically all the drone components came from the hobby business. Commercial and even military applications used R/C hobby parts and software. Back then, costs were low, but supply capacity was limited and the quality was sometimes poor. But that was all that was available. Now we’re seeing professional-grade UAV’s with professional-grade components as aviation industry standards are working into the commercial drone industry.

Ballard launches hydrogen fuel cell for UAV

At the AUVSI Xponential Annual Conference and Expo 2019 in Chicago, Ballard Unmanned Systems launched the FCair fuel cell product line. It includes a hydrogen fuel cell power system, hydrogen storage vessels and pressure regulators, refueling solutions, and hydrogen gas supply.

Crowded park, crowded skies? Yellowstone looks to curtail illegal drone use

Drones are banned in the park, but that’s frequently ignored. A few drone operators have been caught and fined after their videos were posted online. The park posts signs at the entrances and provides information on their website and in the newspaper that all visitors receive.

Have a feral pig problem? There’s a drone for that.

Farmers in Oklahoma have had crops decimated by feral pigs. The total economic damage could be as much as $2.5 billion annually. Oklahoma’s Choctaw Nation is one of the 10 sites under the UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) and they are testing solutions. For example, drones could be used to rebait automated traps to catch feral pigs. Complications include an underdeveloped infrastructure where not all areas have broadband.

OSU UAS team presents to White House officials

At the Choctaw Nation Emerging Aviation Technology Conference in Durant on April 18, 2019, the Oklahoma State University’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems team conducted flight demonstrations. Attending the demonstrations was the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Deputy Director. The OSU UAS program is in the College of Engineering, Architecture and Technology and it gives students experience with hands-on analysis, design, construction and flight testing of UAS platforms.

Italy to buy drones to keep company alive, but the Air Force doesn’t want them

The Italian government said it will buy four Piaggio Aerospace drones. The Italian Air Force doesn’t want the P.1HH HammerHead, but the Defence Ministry said it serves the operational needs of the Italian armed forces, protects the strategic value of Piaggio, and strengthens Italy’s partner role in the EuroMALE drone program.ind an “industrial partner.”

Northrop Grumman aims to outsource much of Firebird production

Northrop Grumman believes their Firebird surveillance aircraft has a large international market opportunity. Since other countries often want local manufacturing content, Northrop Grumman designed the Firebird with that in mind. The Firebird is available in manned, autonomous and optionally piloted configurations.

Videos of the Week

Absolutely Insane Drone Footage of a Tornado

5D/Wing fly as smooth as a quad??

266 A Modular Drone Taxi

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Audi and Airbus demonstrate a drone taxi, Piaggio Aerospace goes into receivership, drones map the Great Wall of China, drone recovery by parachute, industry concerns about the pace of drone regulations.

UAV News

Audi and Airbus’ Idea of the Future is Modular Drone Taxis

Watch Audi, Italdesign and Airbus design and test an autonomous flying taxi

Audi, Airbus, and Italdesign showed a 1:4 scale model of a drone taxi concept during Drone Week in Amsterdam. The drone picks up the cab of an autonomous vehicle and delivers it to its destination. The “Pop.Up Next” is modular and includes a road module, a cabin module, and a flight module. Audi is testing in South America with Airbus subsidiary Voom.

The president of Italdesign said, “Flying taxis are on the way. We at Audi are convinced of that. More and more people are moving to cities. And more and more people will be mobile thanks to automation. In the future, senior citizens, children, and people without a driver’s license will want to use convenient robot taxis. If we succeed in making a smart allocation of traffic between roads and airspace, people and cities can benefit in equal measure.”

Video: AUDI Flying Car prototype – Flying cars are on the way!

Piaggio Aerospace seek receivership

Piaggio Aerospace has asked to be put in receivership. Is this the end of the P1.HH Hammerhead, or will the Italian government step in? The Italian Air Force was to be the launch customer for three systems.

China’s Great Wall is ‘crumbling,’ and drones are being used to save it

Chinese authorities are using drones to map and measure sections of the wall. As much as 30% of the walls are crumbling and in danger of being lost. BBC reports that data collected by the drones are already being used to build support structures.

Why It’s So Incredibly Hard to Attach a Parachute to a Drone

If one motor of a multicopter fails, a drone goes unstable. Try to launch a parachute and it might get shredded by the other rotors. Indemnis has a solution called Nexus. A tube is inflated at 30 psi in 30 milliseconds with the end away from the rotors. The parachute ejects from that tube with a launch velocity of 90 mph. The company hopes this will facilitate allowing flights over people.

Drone Rules Likely Still Years Away, Dragging on Industry’s Growth

FAA regulations for BVLOS, flights over people, night flying, etc. are taking a long time. Some trade-association leaders think it will be 2022 before this is worked out. Brian Wynne, president and chief executive of AUVSI says, “I’m not happy about it.” George Mathew, chairman and chief executive of Kespry says, “There has been a process of kicking the can down the road.” Meanwhile, an FAA spokesman says, “We have to get this right the first time. We are moving as quickly as possible to address the complex issues.”

Mentioned

Interlocking Brick System MicroQuad

The Festo SmartBird, inspired by the herring gull.

An unbelievable image proves the shape of the B-2 stealth bomber was suggested by Mother Nature

UAV233 Drone Legislation Priorities for 2018

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Drone legislation priorities for 2018, UAVs and university research, Piaggio’s latest P.1HH HammerHead, unmanned vehicles from Turkey, the drones made by DJI, drone applications in Maine, and hydrogen fuel cells for drones.

UAV News

Commercial Drone Alliance: Legislative Priorities for 2018

Founded in 2016, the Commercial Drone Alliance is an independent non-profit organization led by members of the commercial drone industry. They “…advocate for the commercial use of drones by reducing barriers… creating value for commercial enterprise end users to facilitate adoption of drone technology… [and] educate on the benefits of drone technology for various end user communities.”

The Alliance has eight drone legislation priorities [PDF] they feel the U.S. Congress should support in the FAA Reauthorization bill or other relevant legislation:

1. 1. Eliminate (or at the very least amend) the Section 336 hobbyist loophole, which endangers the safety and security of the airspace and slows innovation.
  2. Require the FAA to require remote identification for all drones over 250 grams, including hobbyist drones.
  3. Direct the FAA to swiftly implement a rule authorizing low-risk operations over people.
  4. Direct the FAA to allow safe operations beyond visual line of sight in a timely way.
  5. Direct the FAA to streamline and improve the operation waiver process.
  6. Direct the FAA to implement a “Trusted Operator” program that establishes streamlined permitting and operational procedures for authorized commercial UAS operations.
  7. State the sense of Congress supporting the industry-driven Unmanned Aircraft Traffic Management (UTM) System and its timely implementation.
  8. Ensure that UAS programs, and relevant agency offices, are adequately funded and staffed to accomplish these priorities and support existing programs in a timely way.

Additionally, the Alliance wants Congress to pass appropriately-tailored UAS threat mitigation legislation as part of an FAA/DOD/DHS reauthorization, and design certain tax incentives.

UAV-ersity Research: The Soaring Rise of UAV’s and University Research

Researchers have found that UAVs represent a new tool for professional data collection applications. Plus, university-level unmanned aerial vehicle programs are widely available. Mike Hogan, Microdrones’ Sales Director for the Americas, recommends that a basic needs analysis is performed to understand what the researcher’s goal is, what data they are trying to collect, and how they are going to apply it.

P.1HH HammerHead Unmanned Aerial System to enter in service with UAE armed forces

Piaggio Aerospace P.1HH HammerHead

Piaggio Aerospace showed its latest P.1HH HammerHead at the International Unmanned Systems Exhibition in Abu Dhabi. The HammerHead is derived from the P.180 Avanti II commercial aircraft, and is designed for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. The UAV can be fitted with communications intelligence (COMINT), electronics intelligence (ELINT) and signals intelligence (SIGINT). According to the Defense Industry Daily website, Piaggio has eight orders to be delivered to the UAE from 2018, is an expression of interest from the Italian military.

Turkey May Try to Build an Unmanned Tank

Turkey has been building unmanned aircraft for some time, but now Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan says, “We will carry it a step further [after domestically produced unmanned aerial vehicles] . . . We should reach the ability to produce unmanned tanks as well. We will do it.”

All 39 DJI drones ever made!

According to We Talk UAV, DJI has made 39 different drones since the company started in 2006, and they have a video illustrating the different models of the Wind series, Flame Wheel series, Phantoms, Mavics, Inspires, the Spark, Agras series, Matrice series, and the Spreading Wing series.

DJI has made 39 drones already!!

Drones that reconstruct accidents, monitor crops could put 800 Mainers to work

Drone use by first responders and others is increasing across the country. The State of Maine provides some good examples of the value they can add, including the creation of new jobs.

HES Energy Systems Announces Smallest and Lightest Hydrogen Fuel Cell For Drone Applications

Hydrogen fuel cells offer the prospect of longer flight times, with a Wh/kg energy density 2 to 5 times higher than lithium batteries Singapore-based HES Energy Systems announced they now manufacture the world’s smallest and lightest hydrogen fuel cell for drones. With previous applications for the defense industry, HES is now deploying their technology for commercial applications. Their Aeropack Series is intended for drone manufacturers to integrate into their products. The Aerostak series is available for more advanced applications.

UAV Video of the Week

Drone vs Piper Cub, via Dave Homewood on the Flight – Audio & Video Facebook page.

Mentioned

David will be attending the 3rd annual FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Symposium at the Baltimore Convention Center March 6th and March 7th, 2018. The event is cosponsored by the FAA and the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). He hopes to see you there!

UAV202 Piaggio HammerHead Testing Resumes

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A year after the crash of the prototype, testing of the Piaggio HammerHead UAS is underway again. We also look at drones and field biology, security, and swarming technology.

The P.1HH HammerHead UAS, courtesy Piaggio Aerospace.

UAV News

Piaggio Aerospace Resumes Test Flights of Hammerhead UAV

In May 2016, the prototype Piaggio Aerospace P.1HH HammerHead UAV crashed off the coast of Sicily. Reportedly, there were flight control system integration problems. Testing has now resumed and eight systems are to be delivered to the United Arab Emirates. The MALE (Medium Altitude, Long Endurance) Hammerhead is derived from the Piaggio P.180 Avanti II business aviation aircraft, a twin turboprop pusher aircraft.

Drones hunt down rare plants in Hawaii by going where people can’t

GIS specialist Ben Nyberg is the lead drone pilot for the National Tropical Botanical Garden. While flying a drone at a 1,000-acre preserve in Hawaii, he discovered a very rare plant on a steep, inaccessible cliff. Less than 25 of these plants were thought to exist. With the drone, they discovered about 10 more of these plants, as well as several other critically endangered plants.

Homeland Security concerned about commercial drones being used for ‘nefarious purposes’

According to a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson, “DHS does consider commercial drones configured or modified to employ explosives or weapons a concern. This is due to low-cost, ease of access, and the quick-pace of this evolving technology to adapt beneficial Unmanned System equipment for nefarious purposes.” The US Army has published a 13-page document, Counter – Unmanned Aircraft System Strategy Extract [PDF].

USAF calls for drone defences after F-22 overflight

Drones are being spotted around military aircraft in the U.S. and the Air Combat Command has no authority to deal with them. It’s a civil authority that has to be granted first before it can be executed by military forces.

DJI Is Locking Down Its Drones Against a Growing Army of DIY Hackers

People have found ways to get around DJI’s flight restrictions and they’ve published the exploits online. DJI updated their software to break the hacks, but that just leads to another round in the battle.

Micro Systems Develops New Drone Swarming Technology

Kratos Defense and Security Solutions subsidiary Micro Systems announced its WOLF-PAK swarming technology. There is no centralized control system and the swarm of autonomous vehicles follows a leader vehicle. Vehicles recognize and locate each other and keep a predefined distance apart.

WOLF-PAK demonstration video:

Walmart commissioning Griffiss for drone delivery research

Walmart has reportedly been working with one of the UAS test sites to develop drone-based package delivery. But now the retailer is additionally engaging the UAS test site in upstate New York.

Mentioned

The DronesGlobal Slack Team is a members-only Slack team “for commercial drone operators, manufacturers, buyers, suppliers and experts from around the world.” There is a one-time fee of $49 and applications are subject to approval.

Your AOPA membership will get you 20% off the Drone World Expo conference or a free Expo pass. To be held October 3-4, 2017, at the San Jose Convention Center in the Capital of Silicon Valley.

Can I fly there? Is a drone safety app from CASA. It reflects the standard operating conditions for those flying their drone commercially (under the excluded category of commercial operations) and is a valuable educational and situational awareness tool for both commercial and recreational drone flyers.

XKCD provides another good drone comic.

FlytBase Inc. is a Silicon Valley startup creating developer tools for intelligent and connected commercial drones. They say their FlytBase Cloud platform helps developers connect drones with cloud-based business applications over a real-time secure link. It provides access to real-time drone control, telemetry and payload data.

FlytBase Cloud: Internet of Drones Platform

UAV012 We Want Drone Safety Rules

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This Episode:

Drone safety rules, an affordable Piaggio MALE UAV, a drone incursion that turns out to be birds, the Taranis UAS makes it’s first flight, VTOL UAVs, the Aussie CASA threatens fines, the impact of UAVs on the NextGen ATC system, and looking at drones to deliver cargo in Africa.

The News:

No Seat Belts Required: Drone Hobbyists Talk Safety

Hobbies grow up and then the hard questions come up. Like when do you start to make rules? The FAA is working on regulations but at the local levels, authorities don’t know what to do.

Piaggio touts Avanti-based UAV as European MALE solution

Italian airframer Piaggio believes there is a market for an affordable medium-altitude, long-endurance (MALE) unmanned air vehicle. They have displayed a mock-up of their Hammerhead intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft based on the Piaggio P180 Avanti II twin-pusher business aircraft.

What IAF thought were Pakistani drones turned out to be migratory birds

India and Pakistan do not enjoy the best relationship, and airspace incursions are treated seriously. So when India detected the approach of unmanned aircraft, they scrambled the Air Force, which found nothing. A mystery. It turns out that with a strong tailwind, migratory birds can fly at high speeds.

BAE Taranis Makes First Test Flight in Australia

BAE Systems had a successful maiden flight of their stealthy Taranis unmanned combat air vehicle (UCAV) technology demonstrator.

Hybrid VTOL UAVs – Back to the Future

The Aerovel Flexrotor is the first autonomous launch and recovery of an unmanned aircraft from an unmanned boat. The Flexrotor takes off vertically, then transitions from rotor-borne to wing-borne flight.

The Aerie design harkens back to the 1944 Focke-Wulf Triebflügel (thrust-wing) where the wings spun like a rotor for vertical flight then transitioned to a propellor for horizontal flight.

CASA warns bushfire drone operators of potential fines

The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority says two remotely piloted drone flights over wildfires in Lithgow and the Blue Mountains put firefighters at risk, and looks to have breached the Civic Aviation Safety Regulations, which state that remotely piloted aircraft must be kept 30 metres from people unless otherwise approved.

UAS Tidal Wave to Hit Future ATC Systems

At the Aviation Week NextGen conference, one panel looked at Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in light of the DOT report Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Service Demand, 2015-2035 [PDF], prepared for the U.S. Air Force. The report projects large numbers of UAS’s in the airspace, but this was not contemplated when NextGen was originally envisioned.

Can Cargo Drones Bring E-Commerce To Africa?

Countries that lag technologically sometimes leapfrog other more advanced economies. Perhaps the African continent has the opportunity to leapfrog the rest of the world and utilize drones to as a transportation method for goods. The Swiss École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is launching what they are calling the Flying Donkey Challenge, where teams create unmanned cargo aircraft to fly around Mount Kenya.