Monthly Archives: January 2019

273 Drone Sightings at the Airport, or Maybe Not

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Flights at another major airport were halted due to drone reports, but some experts question the accuracy of the reports. Also, Boeing and Airbus advance their urban air mobility projects, multispectral camera-equipped drones and crop health, a drone that launches and lands like a bird, Facebook and it’s drone project, U-Space for harmonized UTM, and a bladeless drone.

UAV News

Newark Airport Traffic Is Briefly Halted After Drone Is Spotted

Newark drones: Flights suspended at major US travel hub after multiple sightings of unmanned aircraft

Did a pair of drones interfere with flights at Newark Airport, or was it something else?

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport were suspended for a time due to drone activity in the area. One pilot told air traffic controllers that a drone passed within 30 feet of his plane. Were the sightings really drones? Some experts are dubious.

‪DJI Urges Caution In Evaluating Reports Of Drone Incidents

DJI says they are “monitoring recent reports of drones flying in close proximity to various airports, and has offered assistance to investigators and airports where these sightings have occurred. To date, none of these reports have been confirmed, and there is no proof that any of these alleged incidents occurred. Despite the lack of evidence, new sightings have been reported at more airports, raising the prospect that new reports are being spurred by publicity from past incidents.”

UAV-based Remote Sensing Can Help Avocado Growers by Detecting Asymptomatic Pathogen

University of Florida scientists published research that says multispectral cameras can detect laurel wilt on avocado trees. An otherwise “time-consuming, labor-intensive and costly” traditional process could be replaced with an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Delivery Drones Use Bird-Inspired Legs to Jump Into the Air

Passerine Aircraft Corporation has a fixed-wing drone that can take off (and land) using a pair of legs. It’s VTOL without the rotors. The drone also utilizes a “blown wing’ to generate more lift than would otherwise be the case.

The Passerine Aircraft Corporation Sparrow — A computer rendering of Sparrow. Courtesy *Passerine Aircraft Corporation* .

Videos: Sparrow Jumper — March 2018 Showcase and Early onboard flight footage from the Sparrow test flights.

Facebook hasn’t given up on the idea of building an internet drone

According to the German publication, NetzPolitik in Facebook and Airbus hold secretive drone tests in the Australian bush, Facebook is proceeding with a drone program in conjunction with Airbus. NetzPolitik published a document [PDF] they say supports the claim. The document is dated March 14, 2018, and was obtained from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) under the Australian Freedom of Information Act.

Concept of Operations for safe European drone traffic: registration for workshop now open

CORUS (Concept of Operations European UTM Systems) has a concept for a European system for drone management called U-Space. Aviation stakeholders are being brought together to develop a concept of operations for U-Space in a workshop 2-5 April 2019 in Italy. Click for more information.

Boeing Autonomous Passenger Air Vehicle Completes First Flight

The first flight of the Boeing NeXT passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype has taken place. Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences designed and developed the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Boeing NeXt leads the company’s urban air mobility efforts for on-demand autonomous air transportation.

Boeing NeXT passenger air vehicle prototype. Courtesy Boeing.

Besides the PAV, the Boeing NeXt portfolio includes an unmanned fully electric cargo air vehicle (CAV) designed to transport up to 500 pounds (226.80 kilograms) and other urban, regional and global mobility platforms.

Airbus’s Flying Taxi Is Poised for Takeoff Within Weeks

The prototype flying taxi is called CityAirbus. The four-seat model for urban environments is undergoing tests at the Airbus helicopter plant in Germany. Initial flights are planned to be unmanned, with an entry into service for the autonomous vehicle planned as early as 2023.

Video of the Week

Bladeless Drone: First Flight

272 FAA Draft NPRM for Night Flying and Flights over People

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The FAA has released a draft of the NPRM that proposes rules for night flying and flights over people. Also, three UAS UTM Pilot Program projects awarded, drones survey Africa and identify illegal activity in India, Japan will issue underwater drone guidelines, and NASA contemplates a quadcopter for Titan.

UAV News

New FAA proposal would let drones fly over people and at night without a waiver

Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao released a draft NPRM [PDF] that removes waiver requirements for flying after dark and flying over people. It expands the activities permitted under Part 107.

Night flying for small UAS would be allowed without a waiver or exemption. Drone operators would be required to “complete knowledge testing or training, including new subject matter areas related to operating at night.” The sUAS would have “an anti-collision light illuminated and visible for at least 3 statute miles.”

Flights over people would be allowed without a waiver or exemption under certain conditions. The FAA proposes three categories of permissible operations over people based on the risk of injury they present.

The NPRM is to be published in the federal register soon, followed by a 60-day open comment period.

State of Nevada Unmanned Aircraft System Test Site Selected for Milestone DOT / FAA UAS Traffic Management Pilot Program

The FAA-designated State of Nevada UAS Test Site was awarded a project under the UAS UTM Pilot Program. The Smart Silver State project will focus on urban drone operations using advanced airspace, drone, and sensor technology. The Nevada UAS Test Site proposal included over 20 partners and the project will be demonstrated in the City of Reno with additional testing in other areas.

Drones for good: UAVs help survey poorly mapped areas of Africa

Many areas in rural Africa are poorly mapped and having GPS doesn’t help disaster relief agencies and local authorities. Now people in Tanzania are volunteering to survey unmapped areas with drones. In Zanzibar, a mapping initiative was started in 2016 to survey about 900 square miles with senseFly eBee drones taking high-resolution images.

Government keen on drones with night-vision to track illegal sand mining

Eight months ago the Indian government started a UAV surveillance project targeting illegal riverbed sand mining. Forty-six UAV missions were flown with a 48 percent success rate. Now the Geology & Mining Department is looking at fixed-wing drones with infrared for night surveillance.

Japan to set rules for drones

The Japanese government plans to issue guidelines for underwater drones by fiscal 2020. This is a response to increased private sector use for missions such as inspecting offshore wind power plants and underwater pipelines. Expected guidelines include collision avoidance mechanisms and collection of drones after their batteries are depleted.

NASA May Decide This Year to Land a Drone on Saturn’s Moon Titan

The proposed Dragonfly mission to explore Saturn’s moon Titan is one of the options NASA is considering. Titan has a thick atmosphere (four times as dense as Earth) which allows for a flying vehicle instead of a rover. The quadcopter would fly to multiple sites to conduct experiments, recharging its flight batteries via nuclear power. The project is led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.

Artist's impression of Dragonfly at work on Titan's surface. — Artist’s impression of Dragonfly at work on Titan’s surface. Dragonfly’s focused instrument payload would help scientists answer key questions about prebiotic chemistry and astrobiology, meteorology, geophysics and geomorphology. Image credit: Johns Hopkins APL.

Mentioned

From Rupprecht Law: Drone Sprayers: Uses, Laws & Regulations, Tips to Save Money

271 Fuel Cell Drone

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A fuel cell drone flies for over an hour, new drone laws for Canada and the UK, another airport incursion, terrorists and UAVs, the world’s smallest and lightest weather station, and using drones to insert sensors in the soil.

UAV News

First ever hour-long flight for hydrogen multi-rotor UAV with 5kg payload

Project RACHEL is an attempt to develop a hydrogen fuel cell powered multi-rotor UAV with a flight target of 60 minutes carrying a 5kg payload. Project RACHEL is supported by Innovate UK, and led by venture engineering company Productiv on behalf of UK UAV filming specialists BATCAM. The fuel cells come from Intelligent Energy which is commissioning specialist hydrogen fuel systems supplier NanoSUN to develop a portable refueling solution.

Further information about the project and video of the flight test can be found at The Hydrogen Drone.

Transport secretary to introduce new drone laws within months

Secretary of state for transport, Chris Grayling MP, has told the House of Commons that new drone laws will be introduced in the coming months, likely May 2019. The new rules increase airport exclusion zones to 5km (now 1km), and give police the right to interfere with the movement of drones and inspect devices to ensure safety features had not been tampered with. In November, owners of drones weighing between 250g and 20kg must register and take an online drone pilot competency test.

Heathrow airport: Drone sighting halts departures

A drone was reportedly sighted at Heathrow Airport. As a “precautionary measure,” flights were halted for about an hour. A BBC cameraman was driving on the M25 past Heathrow airport when he saw what he believes was a drone.

ISIS ‘has capability to launch DRONE bomb attacks in UK’

The MI5 intelligence agency fears drone attacks against civilian and military targets. Reportedly, they have documents showing terrorist plans. MI5 believes they are from ISIS, and worries that up to a dozen weaponized drones could be used.

Minister Garneau unveils Canada’s new drone safety regulations

Transport Canada has new rules for remotely piloted aircraft systems that apply to drones between 250 grams and 25 kg, operated within the drone pilot’s visual-line-of-sight, and flown for recreation, commercially, or for research. The rules include drone registration, an exam and pilots certificate, a minimum age, flight below 122 m (400 feet) AGL, and a requirement to stay away from air traffic. Flying outside the rules requires a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC). For more information, see the government Drone Safety website.

TriSonica Mini Wind and Weather Sensor Suited for Use on Drones

Specialized meteorological instrument design firm Anemoment LLC has announced the availability of the TriSonica Mini Wind and Weather Sensor that cen be integrated with drones.

They call the 50 gram device “the world’s smallest and lightest 3D ultrasonic anemometer.” It can measure wind speed, direction and temperature, magnetic heading, relative humidity, air pressure, and dew point wind.

How to Dig a Hole With Two Drones and a Parachute

The NIMBUS Lab at the University of Nebraska has developed a two-drone system that can fly to a designated location, land, drill a hole and deploy a sensor, then fly away. The UAS can deploy sensors in locations that are otherwise difficult to reach. The sensor is inserted into the soil using an auger attached to the drone. The UAS identifies the proper target location, breaks the ground surface, removes the soil, and places the sensor.

Video: Unmanned Aerial Auger for Underground Sensor Installation

Video: Parachute and Digging UAS

270 Our Predictions for 2019

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Recent drone news and a few predictions for the unmanned aircraft industry in 2019.

UAV News

NYC police to use camera drones for security at Times Square NYE party

What’s the best anti-drone technology? Rain, it turns out. The New York Police Department had planned to utilize drones with cameras for the Times Square New Year’s Eve party, but inclement weather prevented their use.

Drones likely to be regulated by state, city governments in 2019

With Gatwick and the Aeromexico 737 incident, safety is on people’s minds. State and local governments are likely to continue to legislate drone rules that address safety and privacy.

Gatwick Cops: Some of Those Drones Could’ve Been Ours

The Sussex Police department’s chief constable says some of drone sightings might have been police surveillance drones. However, 92 of the 115 reported sightings have been confirmed.

Gatwick drones: Army withdrawn from airport

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the “military capability” has been withdrawn from Gatwick. That capability is believed to include the Israeli-developed Drone Dome system. Also, Gatwick said it had spent £5m to prevent future attacks.

‘Just look at Gatwick’: Drone regulations welcomed, but WA Senator calls for ‘deeper’ focus

A bipartisan Senate inquiry into drone safety regulations reported out in July 2018, but the Australian federal government didn’t respond. Until now.

Severn Bridge shuts after man scales tower to fly a drone

On Dec 31, 2018, the M48 motorway crossing the Severn River between England and Wales was closed for a time until the drone operator came off the tower. He was arrested and is out on bail.

Camera drones to hunt killer sharks in new patrols on Australian beaches

A fleet of drones will monitor 50 beaches along a 1,300-mile coastline for sharks. The drones will use “SharkSpotter” software developed by the University of Technology Sydney. From the Press Release:

In a collaboration with industry partner The Ripper Group, SharkSpotter is a world-first software system that allows for faster reaction times to potential shark threats. Westpac Little Ripper has a suite of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVS, drones) created to react quickly and efficiently to situations at sea where lives are at risk. The drones are loaded with the SharkSpotter AI application which can efficiently distinguish and identify sharks in real-time using image processing techniques, state-of-the-art sensors and software.

Video: Little Ripper Lifesaver Drones Spot Sharks Electronically

https://youtu.be/HItdecoGK3A

See SharkAttackData.com for worldwide shark attack data.

Predictions for 2019

David and Max offer a few industry predictions for 2019.

Mentioned

The Lego Sky Police Drone Chase.

Counter UAS Conference 2019

The UAV Digest is pleased to be a media partner for Counter UAS Conference 2019 aimed at the defense industry and to be held April 16-88, 2019 at the Hilton London Kensington, 179-199 Holland Park Ave London W11 4UL, United Kingdom.

Counter UAS 2019 addresses the key questions being asked by joint forces about the nature of the growing UAS threat and the appropriate tactics, techniques, technologies, and procedures to counter it.

The UAS industry has grown considerably in recent years and our ability to counter these new threats is becoming more strained. These rapidly developing systems are becoming harder to identify and track, as well as being capable of carrying larger payloads. Their potential is devastating and the consequences of inaction are growing larger.

The third annual C-UAS Conference provides a platform for military and industry to discuss the current developments in C-UAS capabilities, emerging technologies, and the latest case studies to give a real-world context to the conceptual and theoretical discussions. The proliferation of inexpensive commercial UAS democratises capabilities previously held by militaries and enhances asymmetric threats.

Attend this conference to:

Gain understanding of what the future C-UAS operating environment will look like and how to prepare your forces for it.
Align your current plans for C-UAS capabilities with the latest solutions and recommendations from leading experts.
Make the correct decisions in this rapidly changing space in order to equip your force by examining new concepts and approaches to emerging technologies.
Acquire the knowledge of how to better protect your forces be they static, on the move, at home or abroad.
Implement cost-effective solutions to defend against the increasing number of UAS threats by learning how to use the latest C-UAS technologies effectively.

Speakers:

Lieutenant General Thomas Sharpy, Deputy Chief of Staff Capability Development, Allied Command Transformation, NATO.
Dr. Juanita Christensen, Director, US Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Centre, US Army.
Brigadier General Brian Gibson, Commandant, Air Defence Artillery School, US Army.
Colonel Giles Malec, Commander Joint-GBAD, British Army.
Colonel Cornelius Kliesing, Head of Capability, Situation, Analysis and Development Branch, German Army HQ.
Colonel Claudio Icardi, Chief of Concept Development, Centre for Defence Innovation, Italian Armed Forces.
Full speakers list can be found on the event website.