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Airbus pushes forward with a new Urban Air Mobility unit, law enforcement embraces drones, another Amazon drone delivery patent, and FAA UAS news.
Urban Air Mobility. Courtesy Airbus.
UAV News
Airbus Steps Up Push for Flying Taxis, On-Demand Helicopters
Airbus SE is creating an Urban Air Mobility (UAM) division based in Munich. The division will consolidate all UAM activities except current air vehicle projects. Eduardo Dominguez Puerta becomes head of Urban Air Mobility. Previously, Puerta was CEO of the Airbus A3 innovation center in Silicon Valley. In Autonomous Skies: Airbus is working towards a world of self-piloted air travel, the company says, “The future of transport lies in the skies. By developing a range of cutting-edge autonomous technologies, Airbus is working towards a world of self-piloting urban air mobility vehicles, cargo drones and more autonomous commercial aircraft. The vision: a safer, more efficient and eco-friendly global transport network.”
Wisconsin, Texas, California states with most law enforcement agencies with drones
The Bard College Center for the Study of the Drone estimates that “at least 910 state and local police, sheriff, fire, and emergency services agencies in the U.S. have acquired drones.” Texas, California, and Wisconsin have the most agencies with drones. In Public Safety Drones: An Update, Bard says they “estimate that the number of public safety agencies with drones has increased by approximately 82 percent in the last year alone. All told, there are now more than twice as many agencies that own drones as there are agencies that own manned aircraft in the U.S.”
Amazon patent covers how to signal a delivery drone (and how it signals back)
Amazon was issued Patent 9,984,579, Unmanned aerial vehicle approach notification for methods by which a delivery drone and the customer could communicate. Patent abstract:
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) may provide an approach notification to enable people to understand and interpret actions by the UAV, such as an intention to land or deposit a package at a particular location. The UAV may communicate a specific intention of the UAV and/or communicate a request to a person. The UAV may monitor the person or data signals for a response from the person, such as movement of the person that indicates a response. The UAV may be equipped with hardware and/or software configured to provide notifications and/or exchange information with a person at or near a destination. The UAV may include lights, a speaker, and possibly a projector to enable the UAV to project information and/or text on a surface. The UAV may control a moveable mechanism to “point” toward the person, at an object, or in another direction.
Webinar Series – How to Apply for an Operational Waiver
The FAA will host a summer webinar series to help drone operators maximize their chance of success when applying for an operational waiver. The eight free, live webinars start June 5, 2018, and will be conducted every two weeks. The series will address the waiver application process and cover the most requested Part 107 waivers, under the Small UAS Rule: daylight operation, operation over people, operating limitations (altitude), and visual line of sight aircraft operation. Registration is on a first come, first served basis, and caps at 1,000 attendees.
Note: As of June 1, the June 5 webinar registration is currently full, but you can sign up for the waitlist.
The FAA Will Require Recertification for Commercial Drone Pilots | InterDrone
The Remote Pilot Airman Certificates under Part 107 for commercial drone pilots are good for 24 months. This update (Remote Pilot – Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Airman Certification Standards (FAA-S-ACS-10A) [PDF] describes the process for recurrent testing.
UAV Video of the Week
Hawaii volcano: Drone video shows emergency services evacuate home as lava approaches
See USGS.gov for more. Specifically, Kīlauea Volcano Erupts for current information and more videos and still photographs.
Mentioned
Unmanned Systems Industry Survey (USIS)
This Embry-Riddle Worldwide survey looks at the future challenges for and expectations of the workforce in unmanned systems. Embry-Riddle Worldwide wants to learn about current market developments and challenges, identified gaps, and upcoming needs for graduates and employees in this field.
Sound Idea: Acoustic Technology Lets Small Planes “Listen” for Nearby Aircraft
A device mounted on the exterior of small aircraft that listens “for characteristic sounds that indicate the presence of other fliers. Called an acoustic vector sensor (AVS), the system uses nanoscale materials to alert pilots to other aircraft within about 10 kilometers…” For more, see the paper, Acoustic Detection of a Fixed-Wing UAV [PDF].
uAvioniX and the potential for ADS-B for sUAS from Southern Helicam
Forum on Air & Space Law from the American Bar Association, June 5, 2018, in Washington, D.C.