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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.

The First 100 Episodes

The UAV Digest was started as a spinoff of the Airplane Geeks podcast, with Episode #1 published on August 16, 2013. David and Max wanted to explore the exploding unmanned aircraft industry and communicate the positive uses for “drones.”

Early conversation topics included the desire of many to begin commercial operations in areas such as real estate, precision agriculture, search and rescue, disasters and humanitarian relief, package delivery, and many more.

The slow regulatory process in the U.S. came up over and over, but so did examples of unsafe use of UAVs by operators who didn’t know any better.

We did see the FAA step up with the launch of the UAS test centers, an exemption process, and finally the proposed regulations in the form of the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM).

The Next 100 Episodes

David and Max then mention some of the topics that we’ll likely be talking about in the future. These include the next steps in the rulemaking process, creating awareness about safe operation, advancements in technology such as sense and avoid, and exciting applications for unmanned aircraft.

Guest

Roger Connor is curator for Vertical Flight at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum. We spoke with Roger at the Innovations in Flight Family Day and Outdoor Aviation Display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Virginia. He tells us about some new additions to the unmanned aircraft collection, and those that were turned down. Roger also gives us a peek at some of the future acquisitions, including an Insitu ScanEagle and the Draganflyer X6 that was the first police UAV in the U.S.

Video of the Week

A drone just hit my plane this morning

This video purports to show a multicopter striking an airliner and breaking off a winglet. In his post Drone Hits Airliner, visual effects man Bruce Branit admits it was a stunt. Drone Strike on Snopes confirms.

Mentioned

Hobby Drone Prevents Firefighting Aircraft From Flying Over California Wildfire

Thanks

Special thanks to @dronemama for doing the show notes and WordPress maintenance. Thanks also to our great sponsors, GoEngineer and UAV Propulsion Tech. We also appreciate the support we get from those of you who have become patrons of The UAV Digest.