Tag Archives: safety

UAV230 Ehang Autonomous Aerial Vehicle

Ehang flies their autonomous aerial vehicle with human passengers, reaction to a close encounter with an airliner, drone safety measures at the Olympics, drone video awards, drone package delivery by Airbus, and thoughts on cargo drones.

Ehang 184 autonomous aerial vehicle.

Ehang 184 autonomous aerial vehicle. Image courtesy Ehang.

UAV News

Flying car? Watch as this drone flies around with passengers inside

The Ehang 184 autonomous aircraft is rated for a 220-pound payload, a cruising altitude of 500 meters, and a top speed of 80 mph.

CEO takes ride in passenger drone to demonstrate that it’s safe

Ehang has conducted over 1000 flight tests, including some with human passengers. Other flight tests include a 300-meter climb test with a 507-pound payload, a 9.3 mile distance test, and tests in high winds. Video shows two variants: a single-seater with eight pairs of rotors on four arms, and a two-seater with sixteen pairs of rotors on eight arms.

EHANG 184 AAV Manned Flight Tests

FAA Investigating Video of Drone Flying Dangerously Close to Airliner

Video originally posted on a Facebook group shows a drone flying close to a Frontier Airlines Airbus A320 on final approach to McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas. The poster says he is a Las Vegas high school student and the video is real, but he didn’t shoot it. The FAA confirmed to Flying that it is taking the video very seriously,

UAS Stakeholders to FAA: Use Full Authority to Apprehend and Prosecute Reckless Las Vegas UAS Operator

A number of UAS stakeholders sent a letter [PDF] to the FAA to encourage it “to use its full authority to investigate, identify and apprehend an operator who recently flew a UAS over an airliner making its final approach at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport.”

DJI institutes no-fly zones around sports arenas as the Olympics open in South Korea

DJI is implementing temporary no-fly zones around sports arenas at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea. Aviation authorities recommended the size of the zones.

Drone-catching drones to bolster security at Winter Olympics

Despite precautions, officials are concerned about rogue drones and have taken additional steps. A special drone-detection radar developed by the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology will be used. There are reports of signal-jamming guns and “drone-catching drones” with nets may be deployed.

2017 Drone Video Awards Winners

The 2017 AirVūz Drone Video Awards winners have been announced:

Airbus Helicopters’ Skyways UAV takes flight into future of parcel delivery

The Skyways UAV completed its first flight demonstration at the National University of Singapore. The drone was launched from the Airbus dedicated maintenance center. It flew to the roof of a specially designed parcel station and used a robotic arm to load a package. It then returned to the maintenance center. Airbus Helicopters’ Executive Vice President of Engineering and Chief Technical Officer, Alain Flourens said, “Safe and reliable urban air delivery is a reality not too distant into the future, and Airbus is certainly excited to be a forerunner in this endeavour.”

Singapore Air Show: Drone tech is ready, but are we?

Air Cargo World noted the Airbus achievement, but comments that “Drones with last-mile delivery capabilities… require a dense population to justify the typically steep costs from research to deployment.” Additionally, Air Cargo World stated that regulatory hurdles exist in densely populated areas, and residents might be hostile to unmanned vehicles.

Also at the Singapore Air Show, ST Aerospace showed the concept for an unmanned freighter piloted by an artificially intelligent computer. ST Aero was optimistic that an unmanned freighter could be possible in the next five years. The technology is available now, they say, but public sentiment is not there yet.

UAV Video of the Week

Beaver Dam Collapse Update 2018

This video documents a Beaver Dam collapse and rebuild on private property in Northern Minnesota. The dam was an engineering marvel as it was double-decked, holding back over nine feet of water.

Mentioned

CNY Drones

Organizing an upstate New York open team drone competition.

 

UAV228 Aurora Flight Sciences Orion

Aurora Flight Sciences and PrecisionHawk receive additional funding, some first responders gain permission for BVLOS and night flights, the FCC imposes a civil penalty for communications violations, China is developing a heavy cargo drone, and KFC offers a build-a-drone promotion.

Orion Unmanned Aircraft System from Aurora Flight Sciences

Orion Unmanned Aircraft System. Photo courtesy Aurora Flight Sciences.

UAV News

Boeing’s New Drone Subsidiary Purchase Is Already Paying Off

The U.S. Air Force awarded Aurora Flight Sciences a $48 million contract to fund continued development of its Orion Unmanned Aircraft System. This MALE Orion is a twin-engine, fixed wing, heavy fuel propulsion aircraft with “over three times the endurance and range of current ISR platforms.”

PrecisionHawk Secures $75 Million to Foster Global Adoption of Commercial Drone Technology

PrecisionHawk Inc. announced a $75 million round of funding from a group of venture and strategic investors. This new funding brings the total funding to more than $100 million.

Danbury, Conn., Firefighters Green-Lit to Fly New UAV at Night

The FAA has issued a waiver to the Danbury Fire Department to conduct flights at night. Without the waiver, such night flights would be prohibited. The Department operates a DJI Matrice 210 and received training through Fire Tech and Safety of New England Inc.

Ontario Paramedics Now Fly BVLOS

Renfrew County paramedics initially had Transport Canada’s permission to fly drones within line of sight. But they wanted BVLOS and conducted a six-day demonstration in Spring 2017 with Transport Canada, RCMP, Ontario Provincial Police, and InDro Robotics. They then received permission to fly UAVs at night within a four-nautical-mile search area.

Renfrew paramedics use their drone to scan rugged crash sites, locate people lost in the woods, and determine whether snowmobilers fell through ice or made it safely to shore. They have the ability to deliver an automatic external defibrillator, a personal flotation device, and deliver a rope out to a person on the ice.

Frequency Check: Is Your UAS FCC Compliant?

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regulates interstate communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable. Recently, the FCC imposed a civil penalty of $180,000 against “high-end” FPV supplier Lumenier Holdco LLC. That company provided products operating on frequency bands reserved for federal aviation navigation and communication. Also, some of the Lumenier UAS used unauthorized transmitters exceeding the authorized one-watt power limit for model aircraft. In the consent decree [PDF], Lumenier admitted liability.

China’s new drone company is building a UAV with a 20-ton payload

Tengoen Technology is developing several drones, including an eight-engine drone with a 137 feet wingspan that can carry a 20-ton payload up to 4,660 miles. The carbon-fiber, double-bodied drone is targeted for a 2020 first flight.

KFC’s New Chicken Wings Come With Drone Parts

Under a new KFC India limited-time promotion, “Smoky Grilled Wings” orders come with drone parts that can be assembled into a Bluetooth-enabled KFO (Kentucky Flying Object). The drone can be controlled with a smartphone. Watch the promotional video.

 

UAV168 Unmanned Aircraft Safety with Dr. Todd Curtis

Aviation safety analyst Dr. Todd Curtis discusses unmanned aircraft safety.

Guest

Dr. Todd Curtis

Dr. Todd Curtis

Dr. Todd Curtis is an aviation safety analyst, author, and publisher. He founded AirSafe.com in 1996 to provide the public with useful information about airline safety, fear of flying, plane crashes, TSA security, and other issues of concern to the traveling public.

Todd was an airline safety engineer at Boeing, and he’s a frequent on-air aviation expert on CNN, CBS, NBC, ABC, MSNBC, Fox News, CBC, BBC, Discovery Channel, NPR, and many other major news media outlets around the world. Follow him on Twitter at @airsafe.

Unmanned Aircraft Safety

We talk with Todd about the safety parallels between manned aviation and unmanned aviation, what unmanned can learn from manned, and how unmanned aviation impacts safety for manned aviation. Also, Todd tells us about the new safety challenges that unmanned aviation creates.

News

Drone startup funding crashes

Funding for drone companies in the third quarter of 2016 was 48% below the second quarter, and down 59% from the third quarter of 2015. Granted, startup funding, in general, is down 39% over the 2015 quarter 3 level, but funding is down even more.

Self-driving truck makes first shipment: 50,000 cans of beer

The first commercial shipment by self-driving vehicle took place on October 20 when Budweiser teamed up with autonomous vehicle company Ottomotors for a 120-mile tractor-trailer trip along a Colorado highway.

Amazon Looks to add Alexa Intelligence Technology to UAS

Amazon sees a future where its patented Alexa intelligence is added to very small drones, for missions like finding lost children, locating your car in a parking lot, and acting as a personal security guard.

Sweden bans cameras on drones

The Supreme Administrative Court of Sweden ruled that cameras mounted to drones are “surveillance cameras,” and thus require an expensive and difficult to obtain permit.

Israel Refuses To Sign US Regulation Of Drone Exports Document

Israel says it will not sign the US document on the regulation of drone exports. They say it could damage Israeli exports.

Hero Uncle Terrorizes Public With Drone-Mounted Angel of Death

With Halloween upon us in the U.S., it’s time again for spooky costumes, and that includes scary flying drones.

The Baywatch Inspired Drone

The Amphibious Joint Lifeguard UAV is a surveillance drone concept that is also a floatation device. First, the drone flies to the victim, then drops onto the water. The victim grabs the drone, which then powers the victim to shore.

 

 

 

 

 

UAV109 Who has the Right to Write Drone Laws?

Dr. Ella Atkins in the Autonomous Aerospace Systems (A2SYS) Lab

We talk with Dr. Ella Atkins about UAS privacy regulations, regulatory and legislative jurisdiction over the airspace, developing a drone safety culture, and UAS air traffic management challenges.

Guest

Dr. Ella Atkins is an Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan, where she is director of the Autonomous Aerospace Systems (A2SYS) Lab.

Dr. Ella AtkinsElla received her BS and MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and her MS and PhD in Computer Science and Engineering from the University of Michigan.

Her research focuses on task and motion planning, guidance, and control to support increasingly autonomous systems, with a focus on small UAS and aviation safety applications.  She has an extensive history of successful collaboration with NASA.

Ella has authored over 150 journal and conference publications and has served long-term as an associate editor of the AIAA Journal of Aerospace Information Systems (JAIS). She has served on numerous review boards and panels, including the 2013 NRC committee to develop a research agenda for autonomy in civil aviation, the NRC Aeronautics Roundtable, NRC NASA Aviation Safety program review board, and Decadal Survey of Aeronautics (Panel E).

Ella is past-chair of the AIAA Intelligent Systems Technical Committee, AIAA Associate Fellow, IEEE senior member, small public airport owner/operator (Shamrock Field, Brooklyn, MI), and a private pilot. She serves on the National Academy’s Aeronautics and Space Engineering Board (ASEB) (2011-2017) and was a member of the IDA Defense Science Studies Group (2012-2013).  She currently serves on the steering committee and as Graduate Program Chair to the new University of Michigan Robotics Program.

The Flying Robots video features Professor Ella Atkins describing the unusual unmanned aircraft that are being built at the University of Michigan Aerospace Department.

UAS Privacy Regulations

Should we create privacy rules specifically for UAS, rather than dealing with privacy more broadly? Privacy is already covered under existing ground-based laws, and new technology doesn’t necessarily imply a requirement for new laws.

Peeping drones: UAV caught creeping on Vancouver sunbather

A woman sunbathing topless on her private balcony says a quadcopter tried to take pictures of her.

Regulatory and Legislative Jurisdiction over the Airspace

Who controls what airspace: the federal regulatory agency or State or local communities? The FAA has claimed purview over all the airspace, but the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Causby stated that landowners own and control the “immediate reaches of the enveloping atmosphere” just above their properties. More discussion is needed about the low-altitude airspace and the ability of local communities to create their own standards based on their local situation.

Current Unmanned Aircraft State Law Landscape

In 2015, 45 states considered 156 bills that were related to drones. In total, 26 states have enacted drone laws, and six more states adopted resolutions.

Austin, TX Requires PPL For UAV Flying

Austin, Texas now requires a private pilot certificate to fly a UAV. However, one can fly if they have a document indicating permission from the property owner.

Developing a Drone Safety Culture

The lack of common-sense rules at any government level is resulting in anarchy.  Manufacturers claim they can “stay out of legal trouble” by marketing to hobbyists who are unregulated and who don’t know where to fly.

Some solutions:

  • Achieving a drone safety culture requires that manufacturers, commercial operators, and regular citizens learn responsible behaviors. “Know Before You Fly” will gradually catch on once we make it through a generation that grows up with drones.
  • Creating “drone parks” in urban areas would give people a place to freely fly.  Right now hobbyists really don’t have guidelines of where to go (apart from rural AMA fields which were typically designed for fixed-wing model aircraft) so they fly wherever they like.
  • Focus separately on “safety” and “privacy,” otherwise the solutions may not make sense. For example, it may be safe to fly over a large open field, but the landowner may not want to be filmed at low altitude.  Or, everyone might want great aerial views of a public concert in the park, but such flights are very risky until we are really confident the drones won’t have problems and crash into the crowds.

Pilots Who Fly Drones Into Wildfires Are Idiots. Punish Them

Kentucky Man Faces up to 10 Years in Prison for Shooting Drone Trespasser

License Plates for Drones Could Make Rogue Operators Accountable

University of California, Berkeley researchers have developed LightCense, a low altitude identification system for drones. The hope is that it would make drone operators more accountable.

Air Traffic Management

Recent proposals for management of unmanned commercial traffic involve altitude layering. But those do not contemplate the immediate reaches above the landowners, or what may be on the ground below.

This presents challenges, such as dealing with commercial drone entries into immediate reaches (landowner-controlled) airspace, and integrating drones into airspace clearly needed for manned flight operations. It may be appropriate to reconsider the 500 foot altitude line of demarcation, and also to add an “immediate reaches” layer.

A “drone highway in the sky” would not necessarily follow a ground-based road network. The real question is whether a low-altitude “highway in the sky” would be designated and “taken with compensation” like our ground-based roads, or whether the “sky” will be “taken without compensation.”

Compounding the difficulties in resolving these issues is the problem that people are very polarized – they either “love” or “hate” drones. A more informed public view would almost certainly be more moderate and reasonable.

Do We Really Want Amazon’s Drones to Swarm Our Skies?

University of Michigan

The University of Michigan offers opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students: student team competitions, undergraduate or graduate research projects, and course projects.

Design and use of UAS can be found in the engineering, aerospace, robotics, and computer science departments. Others such as civil engineering, architecture, biology, and journalism do not design UAS or their software, but they have begun to use UAS to support their research and education activities.

UAV105 Guns on Drones

Weaponized quadcopterA weaponized quadcopter, shooting down drones, legislation that would permit disabling drones, and nine ways to not be an idiot.

Guest

Max Trescott joins the conversation. Max is a GA pilot, a certified flight instructor, aviation author, a glass cockpit expert, and a budding drone pilot.

News

Handgun-firing drone appears legal in video, but FAA, police probe further

Father Says ‘Flying Gun’ Drone Video Broke No Laws

About that handgun-firing drone

Viral Video Of Gun-Firing Drone Renews Interest In Legal Restrictions

An 18-year old Connecticut student mounted a handgun on a drone and made a video of the gun firing. Law enforcement isn’t yet sure how to treat the incident, which apparently took place on family property, saying that no Connecticut state laws were violated.

The FAA may not have any regulations that prohibit conducting this activity on private property away from others. It may come down to state law governing the handling and discharge of firearms.

The Connecticut state Senate recently passed a bill banning weaponized drones, but the legislative session ended without action by the House of Representatives. The bill may now get priority when the next legislative session starts in February.

Shooting Down Drone Costs California Man $850 Penalty, One Angry Neighbor

A man visiting his parents in California was flying his hexacopter when a neighbor’s son shot the UAV out of the sky. According to Ars Technica, he thought it was a CIA surveillance vehicle. The owner of the UAV wanted compensation for the damage, and a small claims court judge ruled in the owner’s favor. But the operator has now produced a record of the UAV’s flight pattern. The drone didn’t cross the property line and wasn’t hovering as claimed.

Hold fire! Shooting your neighbor’s drone could be a felony

The FAA considers drones to be aircraft, and shooting down an aircraft has stiff penalties.

Hillview man arrested for shooting down drone; cites right to privacy

UPDATE: Drone owner disputes shooter’s story; produces video he claims shows flight path

Police in Kentucky responded to a report of a firearm discharge, and to find a man who shot down a neighbor’s drone which he says was hovering over his property and invading his privacy. The man was jailed and charged with wanton endangerment and criminal mischief for shooting down the drone. Both parties are considering legal action against the other. The shooter faces a September court hearing for the criminal charges brought against him.

California Lawmakers Want to Let Emergency Responders Disable Drones

In response to recent incidents where small drones hampered firefighting efforts, state  lawmakers introduced a bill in the California Senate that would give emergency workers the ability to disable drones without fear of charges.

UAV Pilots: Rule #1 — Don’t be an Idiot.

The author presents nine guidelines for safe UAV operation explained in simple terms that explain the logic behind each:

  1. Do not fly anywhere around fires or closed airspaces
  2. Do not fly near the President or his house
  3. Do not fly past where you cannot see your UAV
  4. Do not fly over 400 feet
  5. Do not fly near an airport
  6. Do not fly near nuclear facilities, power stations & other important places
  7. Do not fly over people or their property without their permission
  8. Do not fly if you are drunk or high
  9. Do not fly in bad weather

Videos of the Week

Drones at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

A tour of the many drone activities at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015. The new Aviation Gateway Park featured an 80-by-80-by-30-foot drone cage for all attendees to experience flying a drone or take part in an obstacle course.

Aerial Ireland: Fastnet Rock

Fastnet Rock is a small islet in the Atlantic Ocean and the most southerly point of Ireland. It lies 13 kilometres from the Irish mainland. Due to its location, Fastnet was known as “Ireland’s Teardrop,” because it was the last part of Ireland that 19th century Irish emigrants saw as they sailed to North America. Via listener Tom.

Mentioned

Aviation Careers Podcast Episode 87, Drones and Your Aviation Career

Google, NASA work together to design drone air-traffic-control system

Local police first in Pa. licensed to deploy drone

UAV074 Did you get a Drone for Christmas?

Know Before You Fly

No sUAS NPRM, “Know Before You Fly” safety campaign, it may be OK to say “drone” now, UAS America Fund proposes rules, drone privacy legislation, ICAO looks at integrating RPAS into the air space, an embarrassing UAS test center first flight, and the MQ-8C Fire Scout takes flight.

News

No Firm Date For UAV Rules As FAA, Industry Launch Safety Campaign

At 2014 year-end, we don’t have an sUAS NPRM from the FAA, but we do have many new quadcopter owners after the holiday gift-giving season.

The Know Before You Fly education campaign was founded by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA), and the Small UAV Coalition in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration to educate prospective users about the safe and responsible operation of unmanned aircraft systems.

Booming Holiday Drone Sales Creates Unknown Safety Risk

Darrell Slaughter, Director of Business Development at the Phoenix, Arizona based Unmanned Vehicle University says “The drone industry cannot afford any mishaps at any time, especially at this stage in the industry’s life cycle. People must realize that many of the UAVs being given as gifts this year are not toys.  Many are capable of causing serious injury and damage to property. People will get hurt if these potentially dangerous devices are operated in an unsafe manner.”

Drone Defender Drops D-word Denial

Back in the day, you could get chastised for describing a UAV as a “drone.” But the press and the public have co-opted the term, and it may be time to embrace the “D-word.”

Industry Proposes A ‘Micro Drone’ Rule As Regulatory Deadline Looms

UAS America Fund proposal The UAS America Fund has filed a petition with the FAA proposing regulations for very small UAS for non-recreational purposes. This incremental regulatory approach is based on a risk analysis of FAA data, and addresses aircraft under 3 pounds and flown under 400 feet at least 5 miles from an airport.

The graphic from the UAS America Fund shows different regulatory and certification requirements for different categories of UAS missions.

West Virginia Senator proposes UAS Privacy Act

Senator John D. Rockefeller IV from West Virginia has proposed a law that would require the Federal Trade Commission to set up privacy websites for all commercial UAV operators where privacy policies are posted, including:

  • Information about the circumstances under which the UAS would be operated
  • The specific purposes for the images
  • Data and other identifying information that would be collected
  • Measures to be taken to anonymize and aggregate the information
  • Contact information

Private companies would be prohibited from conducting surveillance on individuals without their explicit prior consent.

ICAO Conducts UAS Fact-Finding Mission

At the invitation of the FAA, representatives from ICAO (the International Civil Aviation Organization) visited the U.S. on a fact-finding mission. They wanted to look at how the U.S. is integrating manned aircraft and Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). ICAO has a technical body called the RPAS Panel made up of almost 100 international state and industry experts.

1st Nevada drone crashes seconds into FAA test flight

The hand-launched “Magpie” was to be the first UAV officially flown from the Nevada test site, and the press were there to capture the event. The Governor even made a speech. The moment came, Magpie was tossed into the air, and then immediately fell to the ground. The problem was attributed to an electrical controller issue.

U.S. Navy helicopter drone’s first flight

The U.S. Navy successfully flew the MQ-8C Fire Scout system for the first time off the USS Jason Dunham. This was from a moving ship at sea.

Video of the Week

Team BlackSheep XMas Special

Published on Dec 23, 2012, this video was taken by Team Black Sheep from a flight near Paris while attending LeWeb 2012. Is this a safe flight?

Mentioned

Surge in drones as Christmas gifts will show need for greater regulation: peak body

 

UAV012 We Want Drone Safety Rules

Piaggio

 

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.