Tag Archives: DJI

427 Drone Safety Day 2023 393827

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Drone Safety Day is April 29, a drone that changes shape, jump-starting your car with a drone, Florida bans DJI from government agencies, decision-making for small UAVs, drones that work together without colliding, adding VTOL to a fixed-wing drone, agave farmers saving water, land a drone in Red Square.

Drone Safety Day banner.

UAV News

Drone Safety Day

Drone Safety Day is Saturday, April 29, 2023. The annual campaign is dedicated to educating the drone community on the importance of flying safely. You can download the 2023 Drone Safety Day Playbook  and 2023 Drone Safety Day Flyer. You can also visit the Drone@Home page to find ideas to participate at home. Register your event. 

Crazy shapeshifting drone inspired by dragons forces itself around objects

University of Tokyo graduate students created drone prototypes that can rearrange into different structural shapes midair. The drones have individual segments with multi-axis gimbal systems. Each segment has its own propulsion unit, that can thrust in any direction. The drones can change their configuration to hold or move objects. They’ve also developed the SPIDAR quadruped robot that has joints in each leg and can fly.

Could Drones Come Jump Start Your Car When You’re Stranded? Ford’s New Patent

This patent contemplates drones that assist motorists stranded with a dead battery. The Ford vehicle would transmit a “dead battery” signal and its location then a drone would fly to the vehicle, open the hood, connect to the battery, and jump-start the vehicle.

Despite police outcry, DeSantis administration bans Chinese drones

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is forbidding government agencies from using drones manufactured by DJI. Only drones made by a small number of “approved manufacturers” can be purchased. Agencies have until January 1, 2023, to stop using drones not on the list. Many departments have already grounded their fleets. They told lawmakers that the Florida-approved drones are far more expensive and much less capable.

Sen. Tom Wright, R-New Smyrna Beach said, I’m not going to let one officer risk his life or her life because somebody thinks that these things talk to China. I cannot imagine what China would really want to see when we pull over a DUI, when we stop a speeding car, when we arrest somebody for an outstanding warrant.”

Making the skies safer with smarter drones

University of Notre Dame computer scientists and engineers are developing an automated decision-making system for small drones under a $5.3 million 3-year NASA grant. Notre Dame will enhance NASA’s current drone traffic management system and develop decision-making software that permits or denies flight requests by evaluating a drone’s safety track record, equipment readiness, operator preparedness, and maintenance procedures.

MIT researchers create algorithm to stop drones from colliding midair

The Robust MADER system lets drones work together without collisions. Each drone calculates its own trajectory and checks with nearby drones to be sure it won’t collide with any of them. The system is an asynchronous, decentralized, multiagent trajectory planner. By broadcasting both the newly optimized trajectory and the committed trajectory, and by performing a delay check step, RMADER is able to guarantee safety even with communication delays. The new system has been validated through simulation and hardware flight experiments. A 100% success rate of collision-free trajectory generation was achieved.

FLARES system gives non-VTOL drones a VTOL boost

The Flying Launch and Recovery System (or FLARES) turns a fixed-wing drone into a VTOL. The FLARES aircraft is a multicopter drone with four propeller arms. A mechanism on the underside clasps onto the body of a fixed-wing drone. The pair then rise vertically. At altitude, FLARES releases the fixed-wing drone. FLARES is manufactured by Hood Tech and was primarily designed for use on ship decks.

Boeing’s Insitu subsidiary offers a package that includes its Integrator fixed-wing drone and Hood’s FLARES system. Integrator flight time is reportedly up to 16 hours with a maximum payload of 40 lb (18 kg). Insitu says that payload capacity would be lower if Integrator had its own integrated VTOL system.

Video: Integrator VTOL joins Insitu’s best-in-class products & technology

Diageo Drones Improve Efficiency of Tequila Farming in Mexico

Tequila producer Diageo started using drones in 2022 to identify agave plants that need pesticides, fertilizer, and water. The 2022 pilot developed the flying skills of the agave planters and introduced more efficient farming practices with environmental benefits.

The drones work in pairs: One identifies plants that need attention and collects agave growth data while the other dispenses a water, fertilizer, and pesticide mix. Water use is dropping by two-thirds.

Video: Society 2030 | Introducing drones to drive efficient tequila farming | Diageo

Ukraine launches competition to land a drone on Red Square during Russian military parade

May 9, 2023, marks Victory Day in Russia and parades celebrate the Soviet victory in World War II. To help “celebrate,” a competition with a cash prize was launched for landing a UAV in Red Square that day. A bank co-founder who is also the developer of the Dovbush drone said, “I am officially awarding a prize to a Ukrainian UAV manufacturer, whose aircraft, with the help of the military, of course, will fly and land on Red Square in Moscow on May 9”. The prize fund is currently £440,000 and there is an open invitation for those who would like to contribute to the fund.

425 Drone Delivery Network

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Alphabet’s Wing subsidiary wants a drone delivery network, the Japanese Self-Defense Forces consider using drones to intercept aircraft, DJI is reportedly dropping AeroScope, U.S. Senators want an assessment of DJI security risks, cardboard drones from Australia are going to Ukraine, the USAF has plans for 1,000 loyal wingmen drones, Zipline’s next-generation aircraft, and Russian Su-27 fighter jets intercept a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper.

UAV News

Google company unveils drone delivery-network ambition

Alphabet’s Wing subsidiary is delivering up to 1,000 packages a day in Australia, but to scale up to millions of deliveries daily, Wing says it needs to develop a network service. The Wing Delivery Network would enable the management of large numbers of drones. This would consist of three hardware elements:

  • The delivery drones.
  • Pads where drones take off, land, and recharge their batteries.
  • Autoloaders that allow companies to leave packages for collection.

Delivery drones would travel from pad to pad (or node to node) rather than use fixed routes that return to a “home base” after each delivery.

Video: The Wing Drone Delivery Network

Japan weighs using drones to chase away foreign aircraft

Chinese military flights in the East China Sea have increased and scrambling jets is expensive for Japan. So the Japanese Self-Defense Forces (JDSF) are thinking about using drones instead, either the Turkish Bayraktar TB2 or the MQ-9 Reaper. It’s estimated that scrambling manned jets costs 40 times more than sending drones. The JSDF will first train its forces to use drones to identify foreign warships. If that proves successful, drones would be used to identify fast-approaching aircraft.  Then if the threat is significant, the JSDF would send manned aircraft.

DJI quietly discontinues its drone-detecting AeroScope system

According to The Verge, the DJI AeroScope product page displays a pop-up that reads: “The Aeroscope is no longer in production. For the latest in DJI technology, please view our product recommendations below.” AeroScope is a drone detection platform that identifies UAV communication links and gathers information in real time like flight status, paths, and other information.

Senators Request Cyber Safety Analysis of Chinese-Owned DJI Drones

A bipartisan group of U.S. Senators is asking the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to conduct an investigation and evaluate potential risks associated with DJI drones. In its letter, the Senators say, “Identification of this relationship between DJI and the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] suggests a range of risks to U.S. operators of the technology, including that sensitive information or data could wind up in PLA hands.”

Paper Planes? Ukraine Gets Flat-Packed Cardboard Drones From Australia

SYPAQ announced it is shipping its Corvo drones to Ukraine. The drones come in flatpack form and the bodies are made of waxed cardboard. The autonomous Corvo PPDS has been shown to be simple to construct using only a glue gun, knife, pen, tape, and perhaps rubber bands. Only one tool is needed to attach the propeller. Corvo Autonomous Systems provides a family of autonomous systems for both military and commercial applications.

Corvo drone prototype in launch position.
Corvo drone prototype.

US Air Force eyes fleet of 1,000 drone wingmen as planning accelerates

The USAF has big plans for loyal wingmen drones – perhaps 1,000 of them. The Air Force plans to ask Congress for funding for the collaborative combat aircraft (CCA) program in the fiscal 2024 budget, as well as the Next Generation Air Dominance (NGAD) program. The Air Force estimates two CCAs for each of 200 NGAD platforms, and two CCAs for each of 300 F-35s.

Zipline unveils P2 delivery drones that dock and recharge autonomously

Zipline is showing their next-generation aircraft, called the Platform 2 or P2 Zip with an eight-pound payload and a ten-mile radius. It can land a package on a space as small as a table or doorstep. The original P1 Zip has a greater range but requires more space for takeoff, landing, and package delivery. The P2 has both lift and cruise propellers for quiet operation and better maneuverability. It can dock at a charging station and power up autonomously. Zipline says they’ve flown more than 38 million miles with its autonomous delivery drones.

Video shows moment Russian fighter jet hits US drone over Black Sea

Two Russian Su-27 Flanker fighter jets intercepted a U.S. MQ-9 Reaper, dumped fuel on the drone, and struck and damaged the MQ-9s propeller.

422 Global Drone Market

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A global drone market report, aircraft control with artificial intelligence, a slow start to Amazon drone deliveries, drones disrupt flight operations at Dublin Airport, a testing service for microgravity research.

UAV News

Chinese drone maker DJI is dominating the market – despite being blacklisted by the U.S.

A report by Drone Industry Insights says: the global drone market was $30.6 billion in 2022 and it is expected to grow to $55.8 billion by 2026. DJI holds 70% market share. Global Drone Market Report 2022-2030 says that drone services will remain the biggest segment, but hardware will grow the fastest. Energy is the Industry with the highest adoption of drones. Cargo, courier services, intralogistics, and warehousing have the highest CAGR. Mapping and surveying is the top drone application, followed by inspection as well as photography and filming.

AI Just Flew an F-16 for 17 Hours. This Could Change Everything.

The  Lockheed Martin VISTA X-62A training aircraft flew for more than 17 hours with artificial intelligence software,  marking the first time AI operated a tactical aircraft. The VISTA is based on the F-16. Software allows it to mimic the performance characteristics of other aircraft.

Amazon’s delivery drones served fewer than 10 houses in their first month

Amazon’s drones have reportedly delivered to fewer houses than there are words in this headline

Amazon has been making deliveries by drone in Lockeford, California, and College Station, Texas. But not many. According to The Information, as few as seven houses had received Amazon packages by drone – two in California and five in Texas. The report says the FAA has safety concerns since Amazon’s drone weighs around 80 pounds (and carries a five-pound payload) and they fly over roads and people. FAA said Amazon must ask for permission on a case-by-case basis and Amazon employees had to act as spotters.

However, Amazon successfully argued last November that the new MK27-2 drone is safer and more autonomous and didn’t need as many humans or safeguards. See: Amazon Prime Air revised limitations 2023 (Corrected Copy) [PDF], a 64-page letter from FAA to Amazon Prime Air informing Amazon that FAA has partially granted their Nov 2022 petition to amend the Exemption (No. 18601).

Drones disrupt flight operations at Dublin Airport for second day running

Confirmed drone sightings caused six incoming flights to be diverted, three to Belfast Airport and three to Shannon Airport. Operations were suspended for 38 minutes on runway 28R for departures and 44 minutes on Runway 28L for arrivals.

Watch a drone drop a microgravity capsule in 1st-of-its-kind experiment (video)

Gravitilab provides testing services for microgravity research. They offer seven proprietary, reusable launch vehicles. One is “the world’s first commercial UAV microgravity testing platform.” The LOUIS UAV system and drop pod flew to an altitude of 2,000 feet and then released the drop pod carrying scientific experiments. The pod payload experienced over five seconds of weightlessness. Gravitilab says they “deliver up to 180 seconds of microgravity with a significant cost saving per kilo per second and short campaign lead times.” They offer “dedicated and rideshare launch capabilities, and the option to transport launch services to customers.”

Gravitilab drone and pod in flight.
(Image credit: Gravitilab)

UAV Video of the Week

DRONE | Animated short film about drones, AI, and live-streaming on YouTube

A 15-minute animated film about a malfunction at a CIA press event that causes a Predator drone installed with an ethical AI personality to go rogue as it attempts to understand its purpose in the world.

418 Weather Prediction with Drones

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Using drones for weather prediction, tracking warehouse inventory with an autonomous drone, an FCC NPRM for the UAS communications spectrum, Walmart delivery drone statistics, underwater drones to detect ocean carbon, hardening the electric grid from aerial attacks, and cargo delivery to moving ships.

UAV News

Drones Make Weather Prediction Easier at the Poles

Researchers are using DJI Mavic 2 drones to measure Arctic wind speeds. The only modification required was the addition of an inexpensive, lightweight thermal anemometer. The Japanese National Institute of Polar Research is flying drones from a research vessel.

Video: Using small drones to measure wind speeds in the polar regions

Drones take the night shift for improved inventory tracking

The Vimaan StorTRACK Air autonomous warehouse drone can automate inventory control functions. It scans warehouse racks, delivers accurate inventory status to the warehouse management system, and doesn’t just read barcode labels – it includes optical character recognition and captures the entire contents of warehouse racks.

Video: Cycle Counting Autonomous Warehouse Drones track inventory accuracy and warehouse utilization

https://youtu.be/_7k8pAcfYZ0

U.S. FCC proposes additional spectrum for drone communications

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed new spectrum rules for unmanned aircraft systems. This is necessary to accommodate the increasing number of drones, which require wireless communication. The NPRM addresses the 5030-5091 MHz band, which was previously allocated to support terrestrial control links for UAS without adopting service rules. This proposal is the first step to developing those service rules for UAS operations.

Ref: FCC Starts Rulemaking on Licensed Spectrum for Unmanned Aircraft Use

Walmart Drone Delivery by the Numbers

Thirty-six Walmart stores in the U.S. have drone delivery hubs operated by DroneUp, Flytrex, and Zipline. 6,000+ drone deliveries were completed in 2022. The top five customer favorites delivered by drone were cookies, ice cream, lemons, rotisserie chicken, energy drinks, and paper towels. Drone delivery is operating in seven states: VA, NC, FL, AR, TX, UT, AZ.

Meet the scientists and their underwater drones tackling the ‘weirdly complicated’ world of ocean carbon

The underwater drone, or “glider,” nicknamed Migaloo is 1.5 meters long and measures CO2 and pH ocean parameters to understand global carbon sink. The Atlantic Carbon Observatory Pilot Program (ACOP) utilizes moored bottom observatories and gliders that provide mobile pH and CO2 sensors. Real-time data collected is collected via Iridium and Fiberoptic links. The Slocum Underwater Glider is designed and manufactured by Teledyne Webb Research.

We must act now to protect the electric grid from drones

The North American Electric Reliability Corporation is set to review the physical security standards of the electric grid, but that doesn’t address airborne threats. Defensive options need to be investigated, leveraging the progress that National Laboratories and the Department of Defense (DOD) are making in counter-UAS (C-UAS) technologies and systems. Current statutory restraints limit the ability of utilities to defend their facilities from drone attacks.

U.S. Navy Drones Pass Long-Range Test of Unmanned Cargo Delivery to Moving Ships

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) “recently demonstrated multiple unmanned systems in a first-of-its-kind mission to move supplies to ships at sea.” Two VTOLs were involved in the testing: the Martin V-BAT 128 and the Skyways V2.6 Cargo Aircraft. The Navy is looking for UAVs that have the ability to transport cargo under 50 lbs and fly to and from moving ships.

414 Operations Over People

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Operations Over People approval for AgEagle, transitioning to UAV-dominated air forces, women drone pilots in Ukraine, an autonomous Black Hawk helicopter, a drone facilitates a robbery, a BVLOS corridor in upstate New York, an autonomous firefighting helicopter, 500 drones celebrate a game anniversary, and how to increase lithium battery lifespan.

UAV News

AgEagle’s eBee X Series Drones Are the First and Only UAVs to be Approved by the FAA for Operations Over People (OOP) in the United States

AgEagle Aerial Systems Inc. announced that the eBee X series of UAS comply with Category 3 of the Operations Over People rules for sUAS. These are the first and only drones on the market to comply with the rules published in March 2021. eBee drone operators will no longer need an FAA waiver for OOP or Operations Over Moving Vehicles. Testing was conducted by the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (“MAAP”). The family of eBee fixed-wing UAS includes the eBee X, eBee GEO, and eBee TAC.

The eBee is currently approved for use by the U.S. Department Of Defense under the Blue sUAS 2.0 program, for BVLOS operations in Brazil, and Operations Over People and BVLOS operations in Canada. It is also the first drone to receive European Union Aviation Safety Agency (“EASA”) C2 certification and a Design Verification essential for these operations from EASA.

Transitioning from Human Pilots to Drones

This opinion piece argues that manned military aircraft have issues and unmanned aircraft, or drones, can address some of them. This is not to say that manned combat aircraft should be abandoned. Rather, supplementing manned with unmanned should be the focus and the military should plan to “transition toward UAV-dominated air forces.”

A new school in Kyiv is training women to pilot drones

The Female Pilots of Ukraine school opened recently to teach Ukrainian women to operate drones. Most Ukrainian drone pilots are men and this school focuses on training women – civilians and military student pilots.

Black Hawk Flies Missions Without Pilots

Pilot-less Black Hawk flies logistics and rescue missions

In a demonstration to the U.S. Army, Sikorsky and DARPA showed how an autonomous Black Hawk helicopter could perform internal and external cargo resupply missions, as well as a rescue operation. The demonstration shows that in the future, optionally piloted utility helicopters could fly complex missions safely.

How a DJI Mini drone enabled a $147,000 ATM robbery

The incident took place in broad daylight in France with security footage showing a drone flying into the air vent. The drone subsequently pushed a button that opened a door allowing the thieves to enter.

Governor Hochul Announces Major Progress Toward Boosting New York’s Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Industry

Governor Kathy Hochul announced that the New York Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site (NUAIR) received approval from the FAA to fly uncrewed aircraft systems BVLOS across the 50-mile airspace of New York’s Drone Corridor. NUAIR can fly civilian drones from Syracuse International Airport to Griffiss International Airport in Rome without the need for visual observers.

The Governor also announced that New York will be providing NUAIR with an additional $21 million in funding to cultivate the UAS industry hub along the corridor in Central New York.

Also, NUAIR has entered into an agreement with Quebec-based VPorts to develop an international Advanced Air Mobility Corridor between Syracuse International Airport and Quebec, Canada.

Video: New York UAS Corridor – Flying 50-Miles Beyond Visual Line of Sight

Rain Industries announces autonomous firefighting helicopter

Rain Industries says, “Every Wildfire Starts Small” and “The Rain System contains ignitions within 10 minutes to prevent catastrophic wildfires.” Rain announced their next-generation MK2 autonomous firefighting demonstrator aircraft, an uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) that carries about 30 gallons of payload.

Backlash after 500 drones light up New York City sky to celebrate Candy Crush

A swarm of 500 drones performed to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Candy Crush game. Not everyone was happy.

Video: 500 Drones Take Over NYC Skies, Twitterverse Outraged “Shoot them down”

Chinese scientists’ new gel filling could triple lifespan of lithium batteries for EVs, drones

Beijing University of Chemical Technology researchers say a new technology could triple the lifespan of lithium batteries and decrease the risk of battery fires. They do this by replacing the liquid battery electrolytes with gel-polymer electrolytes.

UAV Video of the Week

Video: 10 Fastest Military Drones And Unmanned Vehicles In The World

403 BVLOS ARC Final Report

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Public meeting scheduled for BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee Final Report, the MQ-9B STOL, Skyward is closing, bombs dropping from commercial drones, an indoor drone from DJI, Commercial UAV Expo 2022, and drone docking systems.

UAV News

FAA: Unmanned Aircraft Systems beyond Visual Line of Sight Aviation Rulemaking Committee Final Report

The UAS Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) has scheduled a public meeting for June 22, 2022. Its purpose is to give the public an opportunity to comment on the UAS BVLOS ARC Final Report.

The meeting will be held virtually from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Eastern Time. On the day of the event, the Livestream can be viewed on Facebook or YouTube. Members of the public who wish to provide written comments and/or oral comments may email 9-FAA-UAS-BVLOS@faa.gov. Meeting minutes and other information will be posted on the FAA webpage.

To see the March 10, 2022, final report, visit Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) Operations Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC).

MQ-9B STOL, first aircraft in its class to offer short takeoff and landing

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. developed a kit for the MQ-9B SeaGuardian giving it short takeoff and landing, or STOL, capability. The kit allows the aircraft to operate from shorter fields (less than 1,000 ft) compared to the roughly 3,500-foot runways it currently requires.

Verizon is closing its Skyward drone management company

Verizon bought the Skyward drone management business in 2017. In a surprise announcement, Verizon now says it will close down Skyward on June 30, 2022, to focus on higher near-term growth activities.

Skyward Is Closing—What Does This Mean for LAANC and for Parrot’s ANAFI Ai?

Skyward launched in 2013 and provided LAANC services starting in 2017. The company conducted a remote drone operation in 2020 without a pilot present in a Washington state wildfire, helped establish Remote ID requirements, and partnered in 2021 with Parrot to provide 4G LTE connectivity for its ANAFI Ai.

Now There’s A Drum Magazine For Dropping Multiple Bombs From Commercial Drones

Reports are unconfirmed that a Dutch company (unnamed) has developed a drum magazine for commercial drones that holds and drops multiple mortar shells. It’s said that prototypes are headed to Ukraine.

DJI may be working a new FPV drone that you can fly indoors

According to leaks, A DJI indoor drone is coming between July and August 2022. Supposedly called Avata, the drone will weigh 500 grams and features ducted propellers, a camera, and “greatly improved” battery life.

Commercial UAV Expo 2022 Program – Vegas Show is Back, and Bigger than Ever

The Commercial UAV Expo is September 6-8, 2022 in Las Vegas. Featured sessions include keynotes, deep-dive vertical market sessions, and industry update sessions. See the 2022 Conference Program.

Advances in Drone Docking Systems

On-demand drone services need a place where drones can land and await the next mission, get their batteries charged, and be protected from environmental conditions. Globe UAV and HEISHA Technology have offerings in this space.

Mentioned

PBIA approved for ‘vertiport’ for electric jet service to connect Florida cities

Lillium

401 Air-One Vertiport Opens

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A new vertiport opens in England, a new military tactical UAS, detect-and-avoid system deployment at a UAS test site, major Army drone swarm test, request for malicious drone legislation, NTSB wants more drones and pilots, DJI suspends business in Russia and Ukraine, and Drone Safety Day.

The Vertiport from Urban-Air Port.
Courtesy Urban-Air Port

UAV News

World’s first airport for drones opens in the heart of Coventry

An Air-One vertiport opened in Coventry, England for demonstrations of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles. It is planned to remain in Coventry for at least a month then will move to other UK locations, and internationally. The circular vertiport structure with a central takeoff and landing zone includes traveler processing, arrival/departure lounge, baggage scanning, and retail.

Urban-Air Port Limited designs, develops, manufactures, sells, and operates infrastructure for urban air transport such as air taxis and autonomous delivery drones. The company wants to create a ground infrastructure that permits a “zero-emission-mobility ecosystem” and cuts congestion and air pollution. The company plans more than 200 vertiports worldwide over the next five years.

Meet ‘Phoenix Ghost,’ the US Air Force’s new drone perfect for Ukraine’s war with Russia

The Phoenix Ghost Tactical UAS was designed by the US Air Force and manufactured by AEVEX Aerospace. Similar to the Switchblade, it’s believed to be a single-use drone but the Pentagon isn’t providing any details.

NUAIR Partners with CAL Analytics and FAA

Under a Technical Assistance program with the FAA, CAL Analytics will deploy its detect-and-avoid system for low-altitude BVLOS operations at the New York UAS Test Site. NUAIR (the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance) manages the 50-mile Drone Corridor and FAA uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) Test Site at Griffiss International Airport in New York. 

The CAL detect-and-avoid service provides a suite of UTM services including situational awareness, conflict detection, health monitoring, and various weather services. The recent BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee recommended that the FAA develop a methodology for approving safety-critical UTM services for BVLOS.

Army To Test Its Biggest Interactive Drone Swarm Ever Over Utah

The Army’s 2022 Experimental Demonstration Gateway Exercise (EDGE 22) will test up to 30 small networked drones launched from air and ground vehicles. This will include Area-I ALTIUS 600 drones and Raytheon-built Coyote drones. The swarm will use infrared sensors and electronic warfare payloads to detect enemy signals, establish their positions, and send the information back through the network to command posts and manned assault aircraft. The EDGE 22 exercise runs from April 25 to May 12, 2022, at Dugway Proving Ground near Salt Lake City, Utah.

The White House wants to counter the use of drones in the U.S.

The White House issued an action plan to deal with malicious drones: FACT SHEET: The Domestic Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems National Action Plan. The plan asks to “adopt legislation to close critical gaps in existing law and policy that currently impede government and law enforcement from protecting the American people and our vital security interests.” The action plan:

  1. Expands the set of tools and actors who can protect against UAS by reauthorizing and expanding existing counter‑UAS authorities for the Departments of Homeland Security, Justice, Defense, State, as well as the Central Intelligence Agency and NASA in limited situations. 
  2. Expands UAS detection authorities for state, local, territorial, and Tribal (SLTT) law enforcement agencies and critical infrastructure owners and operators.
  3. Creates a Federally-sponsored pilot program for selected SLTT law enforcement agency participants to perform UAS mitigation activities and permit critical infrastructure owners and operators to purchase authorized equipment to be used by appropriate Federal or SLTT law enforcement agencies to protect their facilities;
  4. Establishes a list of U.S. Government-authorized detection equipment, approved by Federal security and regulatory agencies, to guide authorized entities in purchasing UAS detection systems
  5. Establishes oversight and enablement mechanisms to support critical infrastructure owners and operators in purchasing counter-UAS equipment for use by authorized Federal entities or SLTT law enforcement agencies;
  6. Establishes a National Counter-UAS Training Center to increase training accessibility and promote interagency cross-training and collaboration;
  7. Creates a Federal UAS incident tracking database
  8. Establishes a mechanism to coordinate research, development, testing, and evaluation of UAS detection and mitigation technology across the Federal government;
  9. Enacts a comprehensive criminal statute that sets clear standards for legal and illegal uses, closes loopholes in existing Federal law, and establishes adequate penalties to deter the most serious UAS-related crimes; and 
  10. Enhances cooperation with the international community on counter‑UAS technologies, as well as the systems designed to defeat them.

National Transportation Safety Board Wants To Expand Drone Operations

The NTSB has a history of using drones in their investigations to document accident scenes and process the data using photogrammetry software. Currently, they have five pilots and seven drones but the NTSB wants more pilots and more drones.

Chinese drone maker DJI halts business in Russia and Ukraine

In an April 26 statement (DJI Reassesses Sales Compliance Efforts In Light Of Current Hostilities), the company said:

“DJI is internally reassessing compliance requirements in various jurisdictions. Pending the current review, DJI will temporarily suspend all business activities in Russia and Ukraine. We are engaging with customers, partners and other stakeholders regarding the temporary suspension of business operations in the affected territories.”

DJI

Ukrainian authorities claimed the Russian military was “using DJI products in order to navigate” missile attacks, and said DJI was complicit in Russian attacks. DJI has publicly stated they are opposed to their products being used for military purposes.

Drone Safety Day

The FAA has organized a National Drone Safety Awareness Week each year from 2019 through 2021. This year, however, the FAA is calling for a single Drone Safety Day, Saturday, June 18, 2022, with five focus areas:

  • Education – How to safely operate drones and highlighting how drones are being used in education.
  • Economics – Highlighting the economic, societal, and safety benefits of using drone technologies.
  • Equity – Opening opportunities for all operators.
  • Environment – Understanding the environmental and sustainability benefits of drone technologies.
  • Emergencies – Learn how drones are used in emergency situations such as: natural disasters, search & rescue, firefighting, public safety, and other uses.

On the National Center for Autonomous Technologies Drone Safety Day page, you can browse all the Drone Safety Day events, sign up to attend, and submit your own event.

UAV Video of the Week

Insane FPV Footage of Downhill Urban Bike Racing in Chile

The Red Bull Valparaíso Cerro Abajo urban downhill bike race is held annually in Chile. The 2-kilometer course goes down narrow staircases and alleyways and even through a house. A video of racer Thomas Slavik cycling through the run was filmed by the Dutch Drone Gods, considered to be among the best FPV drone pilots in the world.

397 CycloTech Cycloidal Rotor

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CycloTech propulsion for eVTOLs, the first autonomous Blackhawk helicopter flight, the little drone carrying meth, universities study Verizon 5G drone applications, a Wisconsin bill to ban government use of DJI, and Navy unmanned underwater vehicles.

UAV News

Markus Steinke on CycloTech’s cycloidal rotor concept

The cycloidal rotor concept uses a large, open, rotating spool with airfoils that run between the ends of the spool. The vehicle has four spools (or rotors), one at each corner. Last year, Austrian company CycloTech conducted the first free flight of their technology demonstrator. The CycloRotor thrust can be directed in a 360-degree direction around the axis of rotation. The design has advantages that are desirable for eVTOL operations, including a smooth transition from vertical to horizontal flight and vice versa, precision maneuvering, and the decoupling of aircraft body attitude from the flight path.

Video: CycloTech GmbH First Free Flight

Safe, Reliable, and Uninhabited: First Autonomous BLACK HAWK® Helicopter Flight

With the flick of a switch, the DARPA S-70 Blackhawk helicopter goes from piloted to unpiloted. In this first flight, the S-70 autonomously completed a pre-flight checklist, started its engines, spun up its rotors, and took off with no crew on board. The ALIAS system (Aircrew Labor In-Cockpit Automation System) on-board sensors provided real-time obstacle data as the helicopter navigated through a simulated cityscape.

Video: First Uninhabited Black Hawk Flight

A tiny DJI drone smuggled its own weight in drugs over the US border wall

Last October, the US Border Patrol spotted a DJI Mini 2 flying over the 25-foot-high fence. The drone landed in a parking lot and a Mercedes pulled up to retrieve it. An Agent grabbed the drone first. The 249g DJI Mini 2 was carrying 259g of methamphetamine. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) obtained a warrant to search the drone for evidence that might lead to the pilot. It’s not clear if the warrant asks DJI to provide information about the drone flight.

Verizon taps universities for 5G drones, manufacturing

Verizon is working with two universities to develop and demonstrate use cases for low-latency networks. Verizon deployed millimeter wave 5G at the California Institute of Technology and the Pennsylvania State University. The universities will trial using AI to interpret drone data and research ways to improve and automate manufacturing processes.

INTERVIEW: Sen. Roger Roth on bill to ban Chinese-made drones

Wisconsin State Senator Roger Roth represents Senate District 19 and co-sponsored 2021 Assembly Bill 907 (text) restricting state and local governmental acquisition, possession, and use of certain drones. The bill has been referred to the Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety.

This bill prohibits local governmental units and state agencies from acquiring or… possessing or using drones manufactured or distributed by SZ DJI Technology Co., Ltd. … or any entity that is determined by the U.S. Department of Justice to be subject to or vulnerable to extrajudicial direction from a foreign government.

2021 Assembly Bill 907

Huntington Ingalls Industries has been designing and producing underwater drones for the Navy. Their REMUS (Remote Environmental Monitoring UnitS) series of unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) has been launched from submarines and can explore hazardous areas autonomously. The Navy is looking at small, medium, large, and extra-large UUVs as well as unmanned surface vessels, and unmanned aircraft.

UAV Video of the Week

Video: Watch a drone capture SpaceX Falcon 9’s latest launch and landing!

The NROL-87 mission successfully launched February 2, 2022, from Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, and carried a national security payload designed, built, and operated by the National Reconnaissance Office.

393 Lessons for the eVTOL Industry

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What the eVTOL industry can learn from helicopters, a counter-unmanned aircraft missile/drone, a birthday drone light show, saving lives with a drone, fused sensor data across manned and unmanned aircraft, and getting the most from the DJI Mavic 3 drone.

UAV News

5 Lessons eVTOL Can Learn from Legacy Helicopter Airlines

We see what the emerging eVTOL industry can learn from the history of helicopter airlines: safety first, encouraging public acceptance, keeping a critical eye on operating costs, maintaining tight routes, and including the first and last mile.

Dog owner spends nearly $16K on drones to celebrate pooch’s birthday

A woman in China hired 520 drones to spell out “Happy 10th birthday to Doudou” for her dog. The drone light show featured a birthday cake and a jack-in-a-box-like present. Authorities said they would have shot down the drones if they had seen them.

This Footage Of Jet-Powered Coyote Drones Obliterating Other Drones Is Incredible

Raytheon Missiles & Defense released a video showing Coyote missiles launched from a truck and taking out different fixed-wing drones. In partnership with the U.S. Army’s Integrated Fires and Rapid Capabilities Office, the tests used precision targeting radar and mobile sensing radar to detect and defeat drones of varying size and range. Raytheon says the Coyote 2s have a “dogfight-type of capability” and are capable of engaging highly maneuverable targets.

Video: Raytheon Missiles & Defense proves counter-UAS effectiveness against enemy drones

Drone helps save cardiac arrest patient in Sweden

A 71-year-old man suffered a cardiac arrest while shoveling snow in Sweden. Everdrone dispatched an autonomous drone with an Automated External Defibrillator. It arrived within 3 minutes and a doctor on the scene used the defibrillator at the man’s house – all this before the ambulance arrived.

Video: Everdrone’s emergency medical delivery service in action in Sweden

Two GA-ASI Avengers Equipped with Lockheed Martin Legion Pods Autonomously Send Fused Air Threat Data to Command Center

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI) has demonstrated sending fused sensor data to a command center. The long-range air threat data was captured passively by two Avenger® Unmanned Aircraft Systems and fused by an advanced sensor algorithm. The Avengers were each equipped with a Lockheed Martin Legion Pod®. GA-ASI Senior Director of Advanced Programs Michael Atwood said, “Avenger with Legion Pod demonstrates how collaborative autonomous platforms with advanced sensing can deliver persistent, shared air domain awareness.”

Video: Legion Pod Flies on F-16

28 MUST KNOW Tips & Settings for DJI Mavic 3

Dan from DansTube.TV recently created a tips and settings video for the DJI Mavic 3, a professional-grade cinematic drone with a 4/3 CMOS Hasselblad camera and 28x hybrid zoom.

Video: 28 MUST KNOW Tips & Settings for DJI Mavic 3

UAV Video of the Week

Drone that can fly and swim unveiled

Developed by telecom company KDDI, the drone floats on water and releases a second, underwater drone from its belly cage. The underwater drone can survey fish and shellfish farms or perform infrastructure inspection of facilities such as dams.

381 Tactical Beyond Visual Line of Sight

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First responder tactical beyond visual line of sight (TBVLOS) waivers, 100,000 Wing deliveries in Australia, using Starlink for military maritime intelligence drones, DJI Mavic 3 leaked, measuring the wind for UAM safety, a drone services company meets a UAV maintenance provider, and the history of drones in Southeast Asia

UAV News

Paladin publicly launches Knighthawk, a first response drone for cities

Paladin has unveiled its custom Knighthawk and Watchtower products for first responders. The startup has built autonomous systems for cities that can be deployed to 911 calls and provide instant situational awareness. The Knighthawk drone has a 10x zoom optical camera and a thermal camera to provide video feeds day and night. The Watchtower software is available as an app. Since 2018, the company has responded to about 1,600 emergencies in Texas and Ohio. 

Paladin has “First Responder Tactical Beyond Visual Line of Sight” (TBVLOS) [PDF] operating waivers from the FAA. These temporary BVLOS flights are flown to both reduce risk to first responders and to ensure the safety of the communities they serve. The waiver has a number of specific conditions and requirements.

Wing approaches 100,000 drone deliveries two years after Logan, Australia launch

In the first week of August alone, customers in Logan, Australia placed 4,500 orders – one every 30 seconds during Wing’s delivery window. The Wing drones delivered 10,000 cups of coffee, 1,700 children’s snack packs, 1,200 hot chooks (roasted chicken, in Australia), 2,700 sushi rolls, and 1,000 loaves of bread. Wing expects the service to expand into other markets in the coming months, including Australia, Finland, and the United States.

Drones and Starlink: Combining Satellite Constellations With Unmanned Navy Ships

The United States Navy faces an aging fleet of transport ships and personnel shortages. Autonomous maritime vessels could be a solution, as well as semi-autonomous drones that could act as a screening force for operations, provide an extended sensor net, and provide greater tactical awareness. The new SpaceX Starlink satellite constellation might provide easy and reliable connectivity for a globally operated network of maritime drones.

DJI Mavic 3 leaks with new cameras, a larger battery and longer flight times

A YouTuber leaked what is believed to be the next Mavic drone. It features improved obstacle detection utilizing new wide-angle lenses on the front and rear cameras, the main camera with a focal length equivalent to 24 mm, and an f/2.8 aperture, a second camera that supports up to 7x optical zoom, images stored on 1 TB of internal memory, and a larger battery providing up to 40 minutes of flight time.

NASA taps Kyoto startup to make maps of the wind for drones

NASA wants maps of the wind so drones and air taxis will be safer. Japanese startup MetroWeather Co. LiDAR sensors track atmospheric dust to measure wind direction and speed.  MetroWeather sensors will be used by US-based TruWeather Solutions Inc. at a NASA drone testing site to show how real-time wind information can help drones choose optimal routes that avoid wind shear and other dangers.

Carbonix Partners with Robotic Skies to Advance Global Field Support

Robotic Skies, Inc provides maintenance, inspection, and repair services for the commercial drone industry with over 230 Service Centers in 50 countries. Carbonix is an Australian company with data capture UAVs for long-range and large-area aerial surveillance. The two companies are partnering to provide an international field support program for customers who operate Carbonix UAVs.

Inside Vietnam’s Forgotten Drone War

Drones played an important role in the Vietnam War target spotting for bombers, jamming radars, and dropping propaganda leaflets. The new nonfiction book Drone War: Vietnam explores that history.

UAV Video of the Week

Watch: Alligator Eats Drone In Video Shared By Sundar Pichai

An inexperienced drone operator in Florida flew his drone too close to an alligator, with serious consequences.

379 T-Mobile 5G Drone

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T-Mobile’s low latency 5G drone, high-speed UAVs that crash less often, a solar-powered UAV, first responder drone of choice, patrolling the beach with drones, and marketing real estate with drone videos.

UAV News 

T-Mobile’s 5G off to the drone races

T-Mobile is partnering with the Drone Racing League (DRL) on a 5G drone with HD video. T-Mobile claims the drone is one of the world’s first racing drones to be equipped with an embedded 5G module that can live stream video straight to the internet. The module is made by Quectel.

Video from the Drone Racing League: Making of the Magenta 5G Drone

System trains drones to fly around obstacles at high speeds

Fast drones tend to crash because drone aerodynamics are difficult to predict at high speeds. Now MIT aerospace engineers are developing an algorithm that helps drones find the fastest route around obstacles without crashing. Drones trained with the new algorithm were found to fly through an obstacle course up to 20 percent faster than a drone trained on conventional planning algorithms. The results are published in the International Journal of Robotics Research as Multi-fidelity black-box optimization for time-optimal quadrotor maneuvers.

US Navy spends millions to develop a solar-powered UAV

The US Navy has awarded a $5 million contract to US-Spanish aerospace company Skydweller Aero to construct a solar energy-powered long-endurance UAV that could stay aloft for between 30 and 90 days. The aircraft flew in December 2020.

Video: Skydweller Aero Autonomous Software Flight Test – April 2021

As with consumer pilots, DJI drones dominate emergency responder fleets

A survey by the Airborne International Response Team (AIRT) and its Droneresponders affiliate found that DJI drones make up over 90% of the fleets flown by US first responder organizations. That compares with DJI’s 70-80% share of the commercial drone market. The AIRT + DRONERESPONDERS 2021 Public Safety UAS Survey was conducted in July 2021. Autel Robotics drones were the second most popular make, followed by Skydio, Parrot, and FLIR.

Brunswick County beaches have no lifeguards. Is technology the answer?

In March 2021, the Oak Island (North Carolina) Administrative department created the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Services division. The division provides aerial photography and video for Town departments. Current services provided include infrastructure inspections, project monitoring, pre and post-storm inspection, marketing materials, sand dune regulation enforcement, and beach safety observation.

Realtors shift to mini-drones to showcase properties to homebuyers in increasingly hot housing market

With contactless selling growing in importance during the COVID pandemic, companies that provide video services with drones are being created. Cain Costin and his wife Sarah formed Virtual Drone Tours that produce exterior and interior videos of properties using FPV drones. The videos on the Cain Costin YouTube channel show what’s possible.

Mentioned

The Volocopter at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh
The Volocopter at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh. Photo by Max Flight.

376 Open Source Drones

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Open source drones offer many opportunities, using drones to make a quiet place, US Army trials ground-vehicle drone launches, a Canadian drone membership program, New York law enforcement drones, tern tracking with a Phantom, cleaning up dog poop, a flapping wing UAV, some DJI drones are now government approved, air-to-air refueling.

UAV News

DroneAnalyst: The Rise of Open Source Drones

DroneAnalyst David Benowitz says “There are two key elements driving the push for open-source drones…” particularly in America: “geopolitical tensions between the US and China and the search for a true DJI competitor.” According to DroneAnalyst estimates, drones built around open source technologies account for 16% of all commercial drones sold, but more than 60% of all non-DJI drones sold. See also, What Will DoD Do About Open Source Drones?

Here’s a Cool Idea: Sony Patents Drones for Noise Cancellation

Under this patent, networked drones with speakers could be used to cancel ambient noise in real-time, creating a “mobile quiet-zone.”

US Army Trials Launching Drones From Ultra-Light Vehicles

Ground vehicles such as the DAGOR ultra-light tactical vehicle could become a mobile base to launch drones, such as the ALTIUS-600. The Future Vertical Lift Cross-Functional Team’s Twitter account posted a photo stating, “#EDGE21 the ultimate soldier touch point.” Edge 21 is the Experimental Demonstration Gateway Exercise.

COPA Introduces Drone Membership Options – Bridging Gap between Traditional and Remote Aviation

COPA, the Canadian Owners and Pilots Association, has a membership option for the remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) community. Benefits include updates on regulations and issues, education and safety programs, insurance coverage for recreational and commercial RPAS pilots, training discounts, and an RPAS scholarship. AOPA also has a drone membership program.

Use of drones, robotic dog in NY police intervention spark debate

Federal agents flew a UAV into a Poughkeepsie, NY apartment while executing a search warrant. Video from the drone showed the suspect throwing a handgun out of a window. He was arrested and booked on illegal possession of a firearm. NYC lawyer Albert Fox Cahn said,  “Flying drones in public air space is invasive enough, but using it inside of a person’s home is completely unconstitutional.”

We used drones to track the feeding habits of seabirds – new research

Foraging habits of seabirds were examined in a new study, A bird’s-eye view on turbulence: seabird foraging associations with evolving surface flow features. Feeding in turbulent water is difficult to study, but a DJI Phantom 3 quadcopter was able to track three species of surface-foraging terns and use particle image velocimetry to map the water vortices and upwellings.

The Dog Poodemic Is Here. Call in the Dung-Hunting Drones

The lockdown gave people an excuse to buy that puppy they always wanted, but owners are hanging the bags of poo in trees and on bushes. Using image recognition, drones might be useful for finding the bags and notifying authorities. (No, we didn’t make this up.)

Bird-like robots could assist in medical emergencies and hunt down drones

Uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAVs) can draw their inspiration from the biological world. The GRIFFIN project from the University of Seville is seeking to create prototypes of highly autonomous, ultra-lightweight robot birds. They would minimise energy in flight by soaring and flapping.

The government’s been worried about DJI drones — the Pentagon now says they’re safe

The Pentagon released a report that says two “Government Edition” DJI drones are “recommended for use by government entities.” In 2020, the Department of the Interior grounded all its drones. The government has examined some older model drones and didn’t find any malicious code.

Whoa, the US Navy is now using drones to refuel its jets mid-flight

A Boeing MQ-25 Stingray carrying 500 pounds of fuel transferred 325 pounds to an F/A-18 Super Hornet in midair, with as little as 20 feet of separation.

UAV Video of the Week

FPV racing drone chases kiteboarder in this adrenaline-pumping video from Spain

Video: Big Air Kitesurfing + FPV Racing Drone

372 Great Lakes Drone Company

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An interview with Great Lakes Drone Company, producers of drone light shows. Also, first responders and augmented reality controlled UAVs, drones that locate trash, Wing drone delivery expansion plans, QR codes in the nighttime sky, and a drone that launches a drone.

Great Lakes Drone Company
Great Lakes Drone Company drone show.

Guests

We talk with Ashley Munson and Lindsay Nitz from Great Lakes Drone Company about producing drone light shows. Recorded at the 2021 Sun ‘n Fun Aerospace Expo on April 17, 2021.

UAV News

New Headsets Let Police Control Drone Swarms ‘Hands Free’

Researchers want to support firefighters in Montréal during fire-related emergencies. Their solution is a swarm of drones and an augmented reality headset. They designed an AR interface using the Magic Leap 1 headset that can manage the UAVs in stressful situations.

Drones for the Environment: Battling Trash in San Francisco Estuaries

California researchers are using imagery from unmodified DJI Mavic 2 Pro drones and AI to find plastics and trash along the banks of creeks and streams. The idea is to collect the rubbish before it washes into the bay or the ocean.

Alphabet unit Wing seeks FAA OK to help expand U.S. drone operations

Wing wants to grow its drone delivery service beyond the Christiansburg, Virginia residents that are now supported. Wing is petitioning the FAA to consolidate remote pilot operations from local facilities “to regional operations facilities that are capable of safely controlling a larger number of aircraft simultaneously.” They also want to use a derivative version of the drones and change the operator line check requirement to every 12 months instead of every three months. The FAA says they’ll accept public comments on the petition before making a decision.

The future of advertising is here, and it’s a giant QR code formed by drones flying over Shanghai

Chinese video sharing and streaming site Bilibili created a large nighttime drone display that included a QR code in the sky using 1,500 drones. This was part of a light show celebrating a video game anniversary. Bilibili posted a video with the entire performance:

Video: Princess Connect! Re:Dive drone show

Valkyrie drone launches even smaller drone from inside payload bay

A Kratos XQ-58A Valkyrie experimental “attritable” drone successfully released an ALTIUS-600 autonomous drone. The ALTIUS-600 is a small tube-launched drone made by Area-I and it was released from the Valkyrie internal weapons bay. The XQ-58A Valkyrie is designed and built by Kratos for the USAF Low-Cost Attritable Strike Demonstrator program. The ALTIUS-600 is part of the ALTIUS family of autonomous UAS that can be launched from the air, sea, and ground from systems like the Common Launch Tube (CLT), Pneumatically Integrated Launch System (PILS), and other launch systems.

Maui63 drone

365 Remote Identification Implications

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Remote Identification from the eyes of different stakeholders, the Speed Racer is revealed, a buyer’s guide to drones for beginners, wet drones in Scotland, saving dolphins in New Zealand, Skyborg is coming this summer, and rogue drone detection and mitigation.

UAV News

How You Fly Determines Where You Stand: A RID Comparative

The final remote identification rule differed from the NPRM, and this article examines how the rule impacts different stakeholders, including service suppliers, drone service providers and operators, security agencies, hobby and recreational users, foreign-registered drones, designers, and producers.

Skunk Works Reveals Speed Racer Configuration

Lockheed Martin Skunk Works has provided some information about their secretive air-launched UAS. The Speed Racer has a hexagonal fuselage with folding and swept wings and two canted aft dorsal tails and one ventral tail. In a company video, the Speed Racer was launched by what looks like a Beechcraft 1900D.

7 Best Drones for Beginners: Your Buyer’s Guide

This article proposed some beginner drones ranging in price from $45 to $330.

Scottish police slammed over non-waterproof drone purchase

Scottish police chiefs purchased $83,000 worth of DJI Matrice 210 drones to help locate missing people and to lower response times. The problem is the Matrice 210 isn’t designed to fly in the rain and 16 of them have crashed flying in wet weather. DJI says the Matrice 210 is certified to an IP43 rating which is insufficient in the rain.

New Zealand Supporting Drone Project to Monitor Rare Dolphins

High hopes: drones join fight to save New Zealand’s rarest dolphin

The Māui Drone Project will use drones to monitor and protect the Maui dolphin, one of the world’s rarest marine mammals. It is estimated that there are only 63 adult members of the species left. The fixed-wing VTOL drones will find and track Maui dolphins, fly over them without disturbing them, and collect data on their habitat, population size and other behaviors. In testing, the drone can distinguish Māui dolphins from other species with over 90% accuracy,  using AI technology. The one-year project is a collaboration between the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI), the MAUI63 nonprofit wildlife organization, and the World Wildlife Fund-New Zealand.  

Video from WWF New Zealand: MAUI63 Drone Launch

USAF to flight test Skyborg autonomous system at Orange Flag this summer

The US Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is developing the Skyborg autonomous aircraft. The program is in its early development phase but ultimately Skyborg technology will be incorporated into UAVs that are considered expendable in combat. The technology will be tested during Orange Flag exercises this summer. AFRL has contracted with Boeing, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, and Kratos Defense & Security Solutions to develop the prototypes.

FAA Selects Five Host Airports to Test and Evaluate Unmanned Aircraft Detection and Mitigation Systems

The FAA has selected five host airports to evaluate technologies and systems that could detect and mitigate potential safety risks posed by unmanned aircraft. The effort is part of the FAA’s Airport Unmanned Aircraft Systems Detection and Mitigation Research Program. Researchers plan to test and evaluate at least 10 technologies or systems at these airports. 

See the news release: FAA to Test and Evaluate Unmanned Aircraft Detection & Mitigation Equipment at Airports.

Testing will begin in 2021 and continue through 2023 to create standards for future unmanned aircraft detection and mitigation technologies at airports around the country. The FAA selected the following airports:

  • Atlantic City International Airport in Atlantic City, New Jersey
  • Syracuse Hancock International Airport in Syracuse, New York
  • Rickenbacker International Airport in Columbus, Ohio
  • Huntsville International Airport in Huntsville, Alabama
  • Seattle-Tacoma International Airport in Seattle, Washington

363 DJI FPV Drone

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DJI’s new FPV drone, Super Bowl drone incursions, Major League Baseball drone incursions, drones at the Daytona 500, and UAS given to law enforcement.

UAV News

DJI’s breakthrough controller, other new FPV details emerge

There’s a new DJI FPV drone on the way. Based on DroneDJ sources, the drone will have some kind of joystick-style controller. Maybe included, maybe an accessory. The controller could provide intuitive control for pitch, roll, yaw, and thrust. The DJI FPV drone with a joystick controller should be easier to learn than standard FPV control with sticks.

Related:

Breaking: DJI FPV drone accidentally put up for pre-order on Amazon UK

DJI’s unannounced FPV drone is already the star of a complete unboxing video

Video: Unboxing the Unreleased DJI FPV Drone Combo

https://youtu.be/VOKTcMWom18

Florida Man Flies Drone Near Tampa Super Bowl Activities, Faces 1 Year In Prison

A 33-year old man has been charged with violating national defense airspace. FBI agents caught him flying near the Barrymore Hotel Tampa Riverwalk, inside the Super Bowl LV TFR. It seems he operated the drone BVLOS and he also flew his drone over people and moving vehicles. The man said he is an FAA-licensed remote pilot UAS operator and that he was aware of the TFR.

Second Florida Man Charged With Flying Drone Near Pre-Super Bowl Events

Another 33-year old man who busted the TFR also told agents that he is an FAA-licensed drone pilot and he was aware of the temporary flight restriction.

Sheriff’s office warns of more than 70 Super Bowl LV drone intrusions

Florida’s Hillsborough County sheriff said there been more than 70 drone intrusions from people wanting to capture an aerial view of the Super Bowl. 

As Drones Take Off, MLB Has to Play Defense

Five Major League Baseball games were interrupted by rogue drones in 2020. Mike McCormick, legal counsel for the Stadium Managers Association said, “It’s become a significant factor in the whole security conversation with stadiums.” Demand is growing for drone detection systems.

Daytona 500: Fox Sports Extends Use of ‘Megalodon,’ Improves Drones for NASCAR Season

Fox Sports has been using drones for event coverage. Their FPV racing drone is capable of 85 mph, carries a Dream Chip camera, and is operated by production company Beverly Hills Aerials. A heavy-lift drone is equipped with a Sony HDC-P50 4K camera.

DJI and Draganfly Tried to Use the Pandemic to Get Law Enforcement to Use More Drones

Unknown to the Trader Joe’s in Westport, Connecticut, a police department captain used a drone to observe shoppers as they were lined up outside the store. The officer was observing social distancing, and looking for high temperature and increased heart rate. The shoppers were not told this was going to happen.

A week later, the “Flatten the Curve Pilot Program” was unveiled in collaboration with Draganfly, the Canadian drone company. The program was due to last through the summer but public outcry changed that plan and the program was canceled less than 48 hours later.

The Documenting COVID-19 project at Columbia University’s Brown Institute for Media Innovation reports that police departments in multiple states were given or loaned surveillance technology from Draganfly and DJI. The drones were fitted with thermal cameras and intercoms to disperse crowds and broadcast coronavirus information. In some cases, the drones were equipped with health vitals monitors

UAV Video of the Week: 

Drone footage captures eagle rays near Woodgate

Justin Woodgate and his father were visiting Woodgate in Australia. When they stopped for a break, they saw fins breaking the surface.

Video: Marine Life in the Bundaberg/Woodgate Beach Region

361 Urban Airports for Drones

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Urban airports for drones as a service, FAA UTM transparency, a new Transportation secretary, drones that self-monitor airworthiness, domestic actions against Chinese drones, and the Superbowl no-fly zone.

UAV News

Hyundai Passenger Drones Need Urban Infrastructure: Urban Air Port® Air-One® is the eVTOL Operational Hub

A UK company called urban-Air Port aims to develop “the world’s smallest airport,” aa a “one stop shop for drones and eVTOL.” The company says, “We provide innovative ground infrastructure as a service for Future Air Mobility. An ultra-compact, rapidly deployable, multi-functional operations hub for manned and unmanned vehicles providing aircraft command and control, charging/refuelling, cargo and passenger loading, and other mission specific facilities.” Video: Urban airports: the future of urban aviation

FAA Could Improve Communication on UTM Programme

A Government Accountability Office (GAO) report recommends that the FAA provide more UTM information to stakeholders. The GAO says stakeholders need a better understanding of the timeline for planning purposes. Also, stakeholders would benefit from knowing the goals and metrics of the FAA plans for UTM testing and implementation. The GAO is recommending that FAA provide stakeholders with additional information on the timing and substance of UTM testing and implementation efforts using FAA’s UTM website or other appropriate means, and develop performance goals and measures for its UTM implementation plan.

What Secretary Pete’s confirmation means for drone regulation

Pete Buttigieg is the new Department of Transportation secretary and some are speculating if policy will change with regard to unmanned aircraft. As a previous mayor, Buttigieg embraced autonomous vehicle technology and drove initiatives to position South Bend as a testbed for drones and wireless technology.

Fit2Fly Aims to Make Future Drones Safe and Reliable

If drones flights are to become commonplace, they need to self-detect problems inflight. The NASA Fit2Fly program seeks to develop technologies for drones that allow this and transmit the situation to other drone operators.

The Legal Aspects of Banning Chinese Drone Technology

Last year, DJI donated at least 100 drones to more than 40 U.S. law enforcement and public safety departments. Against the background of the government issued warnings and even prohibitions against Chinese drones, some people are calling for federal inquiries into DJI’s drone giveaway. This article examines the issues.

60-mile-wide ‘no drone zone’ planned for Super Bowl Sunday; violators could face $30,000 fine

Restrictions for the 2021 Superbowl include a 30-mile radius “no drone zone” around the event. See https://www.faa.gov/superbowl/ for more information that applies to manned and unmanned aircraft.

UAV Video of the Week: 

Big Sur video shows what it’s like driving up to gaping hole in Hwy. 1 – and flying over it

Highway 1 in California was heavily damaged after recent rains. This aerial video from the Monterey County Sheriff’s Office shows the extent of the destruction.

345 SeaClear Project to Clean the Ocean

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SeaClear aims to clean ocean trash, the Loyal Wingman powers up its engine, a drone crashes into wind-turbine, drone makers see an opportunity in anti-China sentiment, marine animal rescue, photographing the orange landscapes caused by wildfire smoke, and why harassing a police officer with a drone is a bad idea.

UAV News

Autonomous Drones and Vehicles Collect Rubbish from Ocean Floor

There is a lot of trash in the oceans. One estimate puts it at around 26-66 million tons of waste with 94% of that is on the seafloor. The EU-funded SeaClear project wants to clean up the mess. Under this project An unmanned surface vessel acts as a “mothership.” Tethered to it are drones and remote-operated vehicles (ROVs) that will use AI-based algorithms to map, identify, and classify the rubbish. A combined suction-gripper manipulator will collect it.

Loyal Wingman combat drone powers up engine for the first time

The Boeing Australia Loyal Wingman aircraft that was rolled out in May 2020 had its first engine run. Also known as the Airpower Teaming System (ATS), the first test flight is expected later in 2020.

Drone crashes into wind turbine in ‘extremely rare’ incident

Earlier this year, a DJI Phantom 4 crashed into one of the four wind turbines at a sewage treatment facility. The drone was being used to survey the Bristol sewage treatment works in Avonmouth. The Air Accidents Investigation Branch report [PDF] says: “The pilot was using the NATS Drone Assist app1 as part of the flight planning and risk assessment of the flight; however, the app did not mention the wind turbines, so the pilot looked up “windturbine height” on the internet which returned a height of 328 ft.” Except the wind turbine actually has a height of 413 ft above the ground.

How drones can make inspections smart and automated for utilities

According to Power Engineering International, since the Covid-19 pandemic, power companies are turning to drones for inspections. The article describes the recently unveiled DJI Matrice 300 RTK commercial drone platform – a quadcopter with fold-up arms, up to 55 minutes of flight time, and transmission up to 15 km away.

Drone maker hurt by US China Rift opening door to US rivals

Rightly or wrongly, DJI has taken a hit to their image because of accusations about data transmission to China. Governments responded with bans on Chinese drones but some drone makers are taking advantage of the situation. Last month the Defense Department approved Skydio, Parrot, and three others to supply U.S.-manufactured drones to federal government agencies. DJI announced an internet “kill switch” on more drones that stops data transmission on sensitive flying missions.

Using drones to support marine animal research and conservation

Sometimes marine animals become distressed: tangled in a net, tangled in some of that plastic floating around the oceans, or they may be sick. Drones can be an asset because they can assess the situation so that marine biologists (and others) can bring the equipment they need to help the animal. Marine biologist Genni Brookshire (an FAA-certified drone pilot) and her team partnered with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University to find the pitch and volume levels that stress marine life the least. They plan to publish their findings in a peer-reviewed journal and to make the information available for free on Ceto Marine Research’s website.

The sky is on fire in San Francisco, and we flew a drone through it

Verge video director Vjeran Pavic took photographs of San Francisco and Sutro Tower just after sunrise using a drone.

Man cited for repeatedly flying drones over private property

An Ontario man received 13 citations for flying a drone in a harassing manner over residential areas. The Class B violations were issued under ORS 837.370 for operating a drone over privately owned premises in a manner that “intentionally, knowingly or recklessly harass or annoy the owner or occupant” of those premises. The man is scheduled for an October 7 court appearance.

UAV Video of the Week

Video drone footage of abandoned dinosaur park in Arkansas

Video: Drone Flight Over Abandoned Dinosaur Theme Park

339 Planning for Drones at Airports

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Airfield design guidelines for large UAS, a guidebook for UAS threats at airports, first free flight of Airbus naval UAS, studying sea turtles and saving baby deer, fully charging drone batteries in 5 minutes, and drones fly over a nuclear power plant.

UAV News

Woolpert hired to research and develop airfield design guidelines for large UAS

The guidelines are primarily intended for airport managers, planners, engineers, UAS operators, and other stakeholders. If manned and unmanned aircraft are going to operate in the same airspace, airports will want to know the impacts. That includes the facility needs of large UAS and if they would use the same infrastructure. The contract with Woolpert is under the Airport Cooperative Research Program (ACRP), which is managed by the Transportation Research Board of the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine and sponsored by the FAA.

Woolpert Selected by National Safe Skies Alliance to Develop UAS Response Guidebook for Airports

The guidebook is intended to help airports plan for and respond to UAS threats. The National Safe Skies Alliance is a non-profit organization funded by the FAA. It works with airports, government, and industry to maintain a safe and effective aviation security system. Woolpert will develop strategies and consider detection systems. Guidebook production is already underway with completion planned for 2021.

Airbus UAV Helo Completes First Free Flight

The relatively compact and stealthy Airbus Helicopters VSR700 is a multi-mission naval UAS designed to operate alongside other shipborne naval assets. It seeks to provide commanders with a tactical picture. The VSR700 flew for 10 minutes within visual line of sight. It had previously flown tethered. Powered by a Continental CD-155 four-cylinder, FADEC-controlled turbodiesel running on Jet A, VSR sea trials are planned for late 2021.

Embry-Riddle and Northrop Grumman Survey Sea Turtles

The Turtle Tech project teams Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Northrop Grumman with the Brevard Zoo in Florida. It’s a drone-based surveillance effort to better understand the behavior of sea turtles. The computer visioning systems can identify individual sea turtles, as well as their species, gender, and unique markings. Funded with a Northrop Grumman Foundation grant, Embry-Riddle researchers plan to use the Applied Aeronautics fixed-wing Albatross VTOL and the DJI Matrice 210.

Thermal drone used to save 15 baby Deer in Norway

A wildlife and outfield manager in Norway has been saving injured baby deer using a thermal camera equipped drone. Flights are conducted every morning between 2 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. looking for injured baby deer in grasslands. The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual is equipped with both a thermal camera and visual camera.

Storedot demonstrates worlds first 5 minute charge of a commercial drone

StoreDot is a battery developer that specializes in ultra-fast charging (UFC) technology. The company is applying UFC technology to the drone industry and they have demonstrated fully-charging a commercial drone in five minutes. StoreDot says their Li-ion batteries are “based on novel nanostructured materials combined with proprietary organic binders and enhanced electrolytes.”

The Night A Mysterious Drone Swarm Descended On Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant

On two successive evenings in September 2019, a swarm of drones flew over the Palo Verde Nuclear Generation Station in Arizona, America’s most powerful nuclear plant. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) called it a “drone-a-palooza.” Documents obtained from the NRC through the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) show that four to six drones were involved. They were estimated to be over 2 feet in diameter with flashing lights.

321 DJI on Remote ID

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DJI brings out the guns in its criticism of the Remote ID proposal, the Air Force has new medical standards for RPA pilots, a better communications antenna for UAVs, a draft executive order that would ban Chinese drones from the federal government, and using drones to speed 5G deployment.

UAV News

DJI urges FAA to reconsider Remote ID NPRM

The comment period for the FAA Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for the Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Systems is closed, but not before DJI submitted an 89-page formal comment. The FAA estimated its proposed Remote ID rules would cost about $582 million over the next 10 years. In the report prepared by NERA Economic Consulting, the cost was calculated at $5.6 billion over that period. DJI has demonstrated a direct “drone-to-phone” wi-fi based solution.

Medical standards changing for RPA pilots

Effective February 28, 2020, the Air Force changed the medical standards for remotely piloted aircraft pilots. Previously, graduating RPA students had to meet the medical standards designed for aircrew operating at altitude. Now, these Airmen will only need to meet the Ground-Based Operator medical standards.

New Antenna Will Boost UAV Communication with Satellites

Chinese researchers have developed a compact saber-shaped antenna for UAVs that can switch between two radiation patterns for better communication coverage. The new antenna incorporates a monopole perpendicular to the ground with an omnidirectional pattern and a dipole parallel to the ground with a broadside pattern. Published in a study in IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation.

US is preparing to ban foreign-made drones from government use

TechCrunch says the Trump administration is preparing to ban federal departments and agencies from buying or using foreign-made drones. This would be accomplished through an executive order that would effectively ban foreign-made drones or drones made with foreign components.

Afraid of heights? Drones, AI and digitalization to the rescue!

Deployment of 5G communications has some serious obstacles, including the need for many more antennas. Ericsson is using drones to speed the site survey process and build 3D site models that can be used for engineering decisions.

Announcement

The 14th annual UAS Summit & Expo is scheduled for September 1-2, 2020 at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks North Dakota. The event is produced and organized by UAS Magazine and BBI International.

318 Police Micro-Drones

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Micro-drones for law enforcement, a laser C-UAS system, DJI and the Coronavirus, drone remote ID interaction with manned aircraft, airplane modelers and remote ID, and a new reality show featuring drones.

UAV News

Calif. PD deploys new indoor micro-drones

The Sacramento Police Department is testing micro-drones indoors during conflicts. Drones with video cameras can give officers a real-time view and they can also avoid direct physical confrontations with suspects. The Sacramento police have a fleet of 12 small FPV drones that cost only about $90.

This Is How a Laser Weapon Torches Drones Out of the Sky

In a just-released video, you can watch a C-UAS system from Rafael Advanced Defense Systems take down drones with a laser. The system is truck-mounted on a Land Rover Defender and a DJI Phantom plays the role of a hostile drone. The system detects the Phantom, tracks it, and fires a high-powered laser. The laser continues to melt the drone even as it tries to maneuver.

DJI drones join worldwide fight against Coronavirus

DJI explained how its drones have been helping fight the Coronavirus. The company has pledged almost $1.5 million in aid and developed best practices for spraying a chlorine or ethyl alcohol-based disinfectant from the air. DJI adapted its Agras series of agricultural spraying drones to spray disinfectant in potentially affected areas.

FAA Exploring How Manned Aviation Can Benefit from Drone Remote ID

The FAA’s roadmap for integrating unmanned aircraft into the NAS relies on remote ID, but how will the remote ID signals from drones interact with manned aviation? The FAA plans to ask industry that question and is Internally discussing a request for information on how manned aviation could take advantage of remote identification signals.

Oklahoma model aircraft hobbyists fight back against drone proposal

The Academy of Model Aeronautics and Oklahoma model aircraft fliers have some problems with the FAA’s proposal for remote ID. The 400-foot requirement is not far enough for an RC glider. The FAA needs to have a compliance path for competitions outside the fixed sites. Adding a transmitter to a low-risk aircraft is too expensive and Remote ID requires access to the Internet. Also, the AMA doesn’t want owners to have to individually register every aircraft. NPRM comments are being accepted until March 2, 2020.

Reality show to highlight role of drones in difficult survey ops

A new reality series called “Down to Earth” shows real surveyors working with drones under challenging conditions. The surveyors use aerial drone imagery and analysis and the series is sponsored by MicroDrones. Viewers can register to watch a one-hour webinar at either 9 am ET or 6 pm ET February 19, 2020, covering episodes 1-3 of Down to Earth, project overview and objectives, workflow analysis, and a review of final surface model and deliverables.

316 DJI Responds to US Government Restrictions

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DJI takes off the gloves and issues a statement of displeasure, Japan Airlines looks at the drone delivery business, why we need standards, drones shut down the airspace over a fatal crash, the Army launches a new counter-drone office, stalking with a drone, and were mystery drones really mass hysteria?

UAV News

DJI Statement On U.S. Department Of Interior Drone Order

DJI says they are “extremely disappointed by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) order… which inappropriately treats a technology’s country of origin as a litmus test for its performance, security and reliability.” Further, “This decision makes clear that the U.S. government’s concerns about DJI drones, which make up a small portion of the DOI fleet, have little to do with security and are instead part of a politically-motivated agenda to reduce market competition and support domestically produced drone technology, regardless of its merits.”

Japan Airlines and Yabu City in Japan to trial UAV delivery trials

Japan Airlines wants to offer a medical supply delivery service to remote areas using UAVs. Meanwhile, Yabu City has been using drones for agriculture applications and they want to expand into other fields, like disaster, logistics, and medical care assistance. Starting in the Spring of 2020, Japan Airlines and Yabu City will collaborate on UAV trials using Terra Drone Corporation UAV technology.

Developing Drone Standards Is Key to Successful Growth in the UAV Industry

The potential UAV market is recognized as huge, but growth depends on having public standards, frameworks, and certifications. Last April, the Drone Advisory Council of CompTIA released Drone Standards and Best Practices which is targeted to companies who want to implement UAS operations internally or through outsourcing. There is still much to be done and CompTIA’s chief technology evangelist will represent CompTIA’s members and work with the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA). The AIA wants to have a completed standards protocol by Q2 or Q3 2020.

So many drones and aircraft swarmed the site of Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash that the FAA was forced to close the airspace

A recent crash of a Sikorsky S-76 helicopter in California killed 9 people, including Kobe Bryant. So many drones showed up that the FAA had to issue a temporary airspace restriction for 5 nautical miles from the crash site, up to 5,000 feet.

Defense Department to Stand Up New Counter-Drone Office

The military is concerned about small weaponized drones. The Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment Ellen Lord said, “We see that small UAS are becoming a more popular weapon of choice … [and] we need to be agile and pivot to that challenge.” A new counter-unmanned aerial system office will be created under the Army.

Untangling Maine’s Drone Stalking Mystery

A woman in Gorham, Maine says a drone has been following her over the course of several days. When responding to her call, law enforcement also observed the drone.

What happened to the mysterious Colorado drones?

NBC affiliate KUSA in Denver says those mysterious drone sightings have significantly dropped off. Are the drone gone? Were there ever any drones? The Colorado Department of Public Safety issued a news release that calls into question the credibility of the sightings. See also, The Colorado Mystery Drones Weren’t Real.

305 Mavic Mini, First Look

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The new Mavic Mini is so light that FAA registration is not required. Meanwhile, the US Department of the Interior has grounded Chinese drones, additional sensitive facilities have been added to the no-fly list, Uber Eats unveiled a delivery drone, a Navy submarine was resupplied by a drone, a white paper looks at drones at live broadcast events, and an airport welcomes drones – for facilities inspections.

Mavic Mini
The Mavic Mini, Courtesy DJI.

UAV News

The Mavic Mini is DJI’s first drone that doesn’t need FAA registration

DJI says the new Mavic Mini is the smallest and lightest drone they have ever made. The “everyday flycam” weighs 249 grams, one gram under the threshold for FAA registration. With folding legs, creative shooting modes, automatic return to home, and up to 30 minutes flight time, the Mavic Mini shoots 1080p video at up to 60 frames per second from a three-axis gimbal. The quadcopter is available for preorder and will ship on November 11, 2019.

Entire drone fleet grounded by US government agency

The US Department of the Interior has grounded drones made in China, or that use Chinese parts. The Department has initiated a security investigation and depending on the results, the Department may resume drone flights. The Department of the Interior uses drones to inspect dams, inspect land, monitor environmental damage and endangered species, and aid emergency workers with wildfires, floods, and other natural disasters. The agency is concerned the drones could transmit images and video to China about key installations.

UAS Operations Restricted At More Federal Facilities

The FAA is restricting UAS operations over 60 additional Department of Defense and Department of Justice facilities. An FAA Notice to Airmen (NOTAM), FDC 9/7752, defines these special security instructions and the FAA UAS Data Delivery System has the restrictions, including a list of restrictions (National Security UAS Flight Restrictions) and a map of the restrictions (Map of FAA UAS Data). The FAA’s B4UFLY mobile app will also include the restrictions.

Here’s what the Uber Eats delivery drone looks like

Uber has unveiled the Uber Eats VTOL delivery drone with two rotating wings, each with three rotors. The maximum flight time is eight minutes over a 12-mile round trip delivery range. Uber doesn’t plan restaurant-to-doorstep delivery. Rather orders will be flown to predetermined drop-off locations and an Eats driver will make the “last-mile” delivery.

First Navy Submarine Resupplied By Commercial Drone

A small quadcopter resupplied the USS Hawaii (SSN 776), a fast attack submarine, one mile off Oahu, Hawaii. The 5-pound payload in this test included circuit cards, medical supplies, and food.

White Paper: Rethinking Drone Usage on Live Broadcasts

Drone use in live sports broadcasts hasn’t been as successful as some had hoped. Issues include the safety of spectators and athletes, the noise of drones, short flight times, and the need for immediate response during live broadcasts. The author explains why live motorsports may be a good application.

Drone collects runway maintenance data at Edmonton airport

At Edmonton International Airport, drones are becoming a regular part of safety inspections of runways, taxiways, and aircraft handling aprons. Canadian UAV services provider AERIUM Analytics has conducted about 3,000 drone flights at the airport over the past four years.

294 DJI Government Edition

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DJI announces it’s “Government Edition” hardware and software to address data security fears, while one company drops Chinese drones from its services. A public safety alliance announces its board of advisors, an unmanned surface vehicle rescues swimmers, an interim report on UAS mitigation at airports is published, a drone operations app is launched in Australia, and a de-confliction service for drone flights is available via an API.

UAV News

Interior Department Approves Government Edition DJI Models

Amid all the government concerns and restrictions concerning Chinese drones, DJI has come up with a solution: the DJI Government Edition hardware and software. This is intended exclusively for government agencies and DJI says the Government Edition offers advanced security measures, ensuring governments can perform their essential drone work confidently and securely. The drone does not require activation with DJI, drones and controllers will not pair with off the shelf components, and local data mode is permanently enabled.

Video: DJI – Introducing DJI Government Edition

Technology Supplier to U.S. Police Agencies Bans Chinese Drones

California-based startup Cape says it’s going to tell its customers that it will no longer sell software that is compatible with Chinese drones. The Cape Aerial Telepresence™ software platform allows clients to quickly and remotely dispatch and operate drones to surveil incidents or crime scenes. An on-site iPad with internet connectivity is connected to the drone’s remote control transmitter. The pilot live-streams video to any iOS or Android platform and during remote operations, the teleoperator can use a computer to control the drone from anywhere.

DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Alliance Announces Inaugural Board of Advisors

DRONERESPONDERS is a non-profit program that was formed to bring together aerial first responders, emergency managers, and search and rescue specialists. They want to foster drone operations for public safety by learning, training, and testing one another. The DRONERESPONDERS Public Safety Alliance is operated as an official program under AIRT Inc., the Airborne International Response Team, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization formed in 2017 to help provide unmanned aviation research and charitable contributions for public safety and disaster relief.

EMILY USV saves four swimmers at Oregon beach

The Emergency Integrated Lifesaving Lanyard (EMILY) USV was recently used to rescue four swimmers from the ocean at Rockaway Beach in Oregon. The unmanned surface vehicle was deployed by the Rockaway Fire Department deployed EMILY to save two young boys and their family members that tried to rescue them.

Blue Ribbon Task Force Releases Interim Report on UAS Mitigation at Airports

The Blue Ribbon Task Force on UAS Mitigation at Airports was commissioned in 2019 by AUVSI and ACI-NA to address the issue of incursions by unauthorized UAS at US airports and how best to mitigate the threat. The Task Force released its Interim Report on July 12, 2019, with over twenty recommendations to industry and government on steps that should be taken to safeguard airports from UAS incursions. The Task Force will also solicit comments on its website from interested parties.

Introducing OpenSky — a platform to empower everyone to safely access the sky

Alphabet’s Wing has formally introduced its OpenSky app for iOS and Android devices in Australia. Wing says OpenSky is “a family of software products that will give drone operators a greater understanding of, and access to, the sky around them. OpenSky products will help users comply with rules and plan flights more safely and effectively.” After entering a location, the Australian OpenSky app gives you a checklist of critical factors such as airspace restrictions, known hazardous situations, and proximity to airports and heliports. Users also get alerts that relate to emergency response situations, nearby sporting events, or other situations that may impact available airspace.

Altitude Angel Launches World First UTM Conflict Resolution Service

Altitude Angel is a U.K. aviation technology company with a purpose-built cloud platform that supports both U-Space and UTM. The company is launching a de-confliction service for drone flights that is available via its developer API platform. Altitude Angel says the Conflict Resolution Service addresses some of the key risks which prevent BVLOS operations today.

288 Recreational Drone Restrictions

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The FAA has new recreational drone restrictions, along with exceptions for those that cannot be presently met. Also, drones that identify polluting ships, data security fears for Chinese drones, professional sports leagues weigh-in on drones, UAS that measure environmental conditions for weather prediction, and states in the US are actively using unmanned aircraft.

UAV News

FAA Implements New Recreational Drone Restrictions

The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018 repealed the Special Rule for Model Aircraft and replaced it with “new conditions to operate recreational small unmanned aircraft without requirements for FAA certification or operating authority.” Recreational drone users must meet eight statutory conditions. However, since the FAA cannot implement all of them immediately, exceptions were published in the Federal Register May 17, 2019, as Exception for Limited Recreational Operations of Unmanned Aircraft.

The eight conditions, and where exceptions apply:

1. The aircraft is flown strictly for recreational purposes.

2. The aircraft is operated in accordance with or within the programming of a community-based organization’s set of safety guidelines that are developed in coordination with the FAA.

The Act requires the FAA to establish guidelines for recognizing community-based aeromodelling organizations (CBOs). Since those guidelines don’t exist and CBOs thus cannot be recognized, the FAA will allow “operations conducted in accordance with existing safety guidelines of an aeromodelling organization.” As an alternative, the basic safety guidelines published in faa.gov/uas are sufficient. But, you “should be able to explain to an FAA inspector or law enforcement official which safety guidelines you are following if you are flying under the exception for limited recreational unmanned aircraft operations.”

3. The aircraft is flown within the visual line of sight of the person operating the aircraft or a visual observer co-located and in direct communication with the operator.

The visual observer is optional unless flying FPV and the operator can’t see the surroundings.

4. The aircraft is operated in a manner that does not interfere with and gives way to any manned aircraft.

5. In Class B, Class C, or Class D airspace [controlled airspace] or within the lateral boundaries of the surface area of Class E airspace designated for an airport, the operator obtains prior authorization from the Administrator or designee before operating and complies with all airspace restrictions and prohibitions.

Until Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) is upgraded to enable recreational flyers to obtain automated authorization to controlled airspace, the FAA is granting temporary airspace authorizations to operate at certain fixed sites that are established by an agreement with the FAA. The list of authorized fixed sites is available on the FAA’s website.

6. In Class G airspace, [uncontrolled airspace where the FAA does not provide air traffic services] the aircraft is flown from the surface to not more than 400 feet above ground level and complies with all airspace restrictions and prohibitions.

7. The operator has passed an aeronautical knowledge and safety test and maintains proof of test passage to be made available to the Administrator or a designee of the Administrator or law enforcement upon request.

The test doesn’t yet exist. Recreational flyers who adhere to the other seven conditions may use the exception for limited recreational unmanned aircraft operations.

8. The aircraft is registered and marked and proof of registration is made available to the Administrator or a designee of the Administrator or law enforcement upon request.

Registration and marking requirements are published and an online registration process is in place. Each unmanned aircraft used for limited recreational operations must display the registration number on an external surface of the aircraft. Proof of registration must be available upon request.

Sniffer Drones Will Start Patrolling the World’s Busiest Shipping Ports

New regulations apply to air pollution from ships, specifically sulfur oxides. Drones are being tested or used in ports around the world. These will quickly fly through a ships exhaust plume and measure the emissions. If a “dirty” ship is encountered, that vessel can be singled out for a test of its fuel. The Skeldar V-200 drone is an example.

DHS warns of ‘strong concerns’ that Chinese-made drones are stealing data

The US Department of Homeland Security issued an alert through the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency that says the drones “contain components that can compromise your data and share your information on a server accessed beyond the company itself.” Further, that “…certain Chinese-made (unmanned aircraft systems)-connected devices capable of collecting and transferring potentially revealing data about their operations and the individuals and entities operating them, as China imposes unusually stringent obligations on its citizens to support national intelligence activities.”

DJI said that it gives customers “full and complete control over how their data is collected, stored, and transmitted,” adding that “customers can enable all the precautions DHS recommends.”

Drones And Sports? Pro Leagues And NCAA Weigh In

Through the NPRM commenting process, the NFL, MLB, NASCAR, and NCAA have expressed concerns. The Leagues want to see the rules explicitly state that UAS operations at night comply with rules applicable to aircraft. Also, they want to see the requirement that pilots make their credentials available to law enforcement expanded to include private security officials.

States turn to drones to predict avalanches, spot wildlife

The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials found all but one State public transportation agency was using drones. (Rhode Island wasn’t, but since then they bought a drone.) In 2016, no state transportation agency was using drones every day. Now, 36 states have certified drone pilots on staff.

Researchers test unmanned aircraft systems for measuring the lower atmosphere, potentially improving short term weather forecasts

This is a project with the National Severe Storms Laboratory, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Colorado, and Meteomatics. Researchers used fixed-wing and rotary small UAS in Oklahoma to test the value of UAS for observing local environmental changes that can lead to severe thunderstorms.

Video of the Week

Beautiful! Drone footage captures school of stingrays swimming off coast of Australia

277 NUAIR Alliance and UAS Integration into the NAS

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The NUAIR Alliance and UAS stakeholders establish a plan to support integration into the NAS, North Dakota kills a drone privacy bill while the University of North Dakota supports drone tech for bee populations, 50 applications for LiDAR-equipped drones, drone complaints in the UK, a new FAA drone marking rule, a drone shoot-down in Australia, a UAV helped a SWAT team, an agricultural drone fleet, and Boeing’s new UAS from Australia.

UAV News

Drone Stakeholders Come Together to Plot Next Steps for UAS Integration

A two-day conference in Syracuse, New York was held with the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR) Alliance and more than 40 UAS stakeholders from 20 companies. Objectives to move the UAS industry forward were established, including tests to help integrate UAS into the national airspace system, BVLOS use-case scenarios, and the part to be played by the UAS test site at Griffiss International Airport.

House kills drone privacy bill in second vote, citing harm to UAS sector, language

North Dakota House Bill 1493 would have made it a Class B misdemeanor to intentionally violate another person’s privacy using unmanned aerial systems. Reasons given for voting against the bill included its impact on the UAS industry in the state, that it singled out drones, unclear language and lack of intent language in the bill.

Australian company specializing in bees taps into UND drone expertise

Australian company Bee Innovative says they “provide real-time bee identification, tracking and reporting services.” They provide early biosecurity hazard detection and significantly increase honey bee productivity. The company is working with the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks to enhance its current “BeeDar” drone technology.

50 Ways to Love Your LiDAR: How LiDAR is Used in Commercial Drone Applications

LiDAR, or Light Detection And Ranging, uses a pulsed laser to capture data that can be utilized to construct highly detailed 3D maps. This article relates many applications for LiDAR-equipped drones.

Police say drones being used to vandalise homes and stalk victims, as reports of incidents surge

Across 20 of the 45 UK police forces, there had been more than 2,400 reports of incidents involving drones last year. In 2016, there were 1,700 reports. These include cases of anti-social behavior, stalking and harassment, hate crimes, and dropping paintballs. The Home Office recently unveiled new drone legislation.

FAA imposed this big change Saturday for drone pilots

The FAA posted an Interim Final Rule in the Federal Register requiring small drone owners to display their FAA-issued registration number on an outside surface of the aircraft. Previously, owners and operators could place or write registration numbers in an interior compartment. See FAA Makes Major Drone ID Marking Change.

The FAA will consider comments from the public on this Interim Final Rule, and will then review any submissions to determine if the provisions of the ultimate Final Rule should be changed. The 30-day comment period will end on March 15, 2019. To submit comments, go to Regulations.gov.

Commercial drone shot down, police launch investigation

Australian electricity and gas network Evoenergy was using a drone for surveying work when it was reportedly shot down. Local landholders had experienced an increasing number of drones in the area in recent years, and farmers were concerned that drones were being used by criminals and animal activists.

This drone helped a SWAT team defuse an armed standoff

A SWAT team in Campbell, California used a 90-minute version of the Impossible Aerospace US-1 quadcopter to help end a standoff. The drone flew over the building for 45 minutes, monitoring the scene with thermal sensors and conventional cameras.

Over 400 DJI drones in world’s largest agricultural drone fleet

The Corteva Agriscience™ Agriculture Division of DowDuPont has partnered with DroneDeploy on a fleet that will be used for operations in the U.S., Europe, Canada, and Brazil.

Boeing introduces new unmanned system for global defense customers

The Airpower Teaming System is designed by Boeing Australia for global defense customers. This unmanned aircraft will complement and extend airborne missions through smart teaming with existing military aircraft. It’s Boeing’s first unmanned aircraft developed in Australia.

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.
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

UAV260 Narwhal 2 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Drone

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Another hydrogen fuel cell drone launches, a drone startup fails, two Chinese drone companies in a patent dispute, Flirtey defibrillator delivery drone flies, the AMA has a message for Congress, insurance drones take to the skies, and a missing woman is located with a drone.

The Narwhal 2 hydrogen fuel cell drone from BSHARK.

Narwhal 2 Hydrogen Fuel Cell Drone

UAV News

BSHARK launches new hydrogen-powered drone

BSHARK and MicroMultiCopter (MMC) have partnered on a hydrogen-powered quadcopter called the Narwhal 2. The aluminum frame, foldable design drone uses an 800 Watt metal-based PEM fuel cell. Hydrogen stored in a 3.5-liter carbon fiber cylinder covered with an aluminum alloy that is good for at least 500 fillings. The Narwhal 2 fuel cell drone has a claimed two-hour flight time and the transmitters have a 30 km range.

BSHARK Narwhal 2- A $6800 hydrogen fuel cell drone

For a good overview, see: Will Hydrogen Fuel the Drones of the Future? | 7 Benefits of Hydrogen Over LiPo Drones.

Drone startup Airware crashes, shuts down after burning $118M

Without advance notice, Airware told employees it was immediately shutting down operations. Airware was a drone operating system startup that had raised $118 million from investors. The company tried to manufacture their own hardware but couldn’t compete with DJI and other Chinese drone manufacturers.

Chinese netizens furious as homegrown drone companies sue each other in US

Chinese company Autel Robotics filed a formal complaint against DJI with the US International Trade Commission (ITC) claiming that DJI infringed on two Autel patents. Autel asked the ITC to ban all DJI products from being imported into the US. Thinking Autel was a US company, Chinese social media erupted. When it was understood that Autel was a local company, Chinese social media pointed their anger at Autel.

Drone Delivery Company Conducts City of Reno’s First FAA-Approved Multi-Drone Flight

Flirtey conducted its first official drone flights in Reno, Nevada under the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program. In a simulated delivery of automated external defibrillators, a single operator simultaneously piloted multiple Flirtey drones. Flirtey CEO Matt Sweeney said, “This program runs us through the end of 2020, so we expect that we’ll be regularly saving lives and improving consumer lifestyles through drone delivery in Reno even before that,” Sweeney said. “We’re talking less than 24 months.”

Risk-Based Approach for Recreational Regulations Essential in Upcoming FAA Reauthorization

From the Academy of Model Aeronautics’ Government Relations Blog: “…AMA president Rich Hanson sent letters to the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate, requesting they consider a risk-based approach to regulating recreational unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). This would ensure the safe integration of UAS into the nation’s airspace while continuing to allow responsible model aircraft operators to fly safely.”

Congressional Update for FAA Reauthorization – 9/19/2018

New waiver for drone operations over populated areas to help State Farm® respond to damage in states impacted by Hurricane Florence

Insurance company State Farm was granted a waiver by the FAA to fly drones in four states over people and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (“BVLOS”). State Farm will use the drones to assess damage from the hurricane and process claims faster. The company says, “State Farm needs to quickly assess damage after significant weather events. Drone technology provides us with the capability to quickly deploy over a catastrophe site and assess damage from the air. The data we obtain from drone flights can be used to help us determine the severity of damage. This also allows us to place our Claims team on-the-ground and evaluate uninhabitable insured property.”

Drone deputy shows how device saved woman

A 78-year-old woman with dementia was lost in Pokagon State Park in Indiana. Teams spent eleven hours searching 1300 acres, then chief drone pilot, deputy Shafter Baker of the Noble County Sheriff’s Department was called in. He found the woman in about 30 minutes using the heat sensor on the DJI Inspire. Baker said a ground search would have taken days.
State Farm is an interested party with Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP) under the FAA Integration Pilot Program (IPP).

UAV252 An Autonomous Flock of Drones

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A flock of drones that act autonomously, the Airbus Zephyr maiden flight, Teal Group predicts strong growth for the civil drone market, DJI improves their geofence unlocking process, another incident with an airliner, and suicide drones that take out hostile UAVs.

An autonomous flock of drones from Eötvös University in Budapest.

An autonomous flock of drones from Eötvös University in Budapest. Credit: Zsolt Bézsenyi.

UAV News

How a Flock of Drones Developed Collective Intelligence

These autonomous drones flock without any pre-programming or control station. Instead, they communicate amongst themselves and self-organize, split around obstacles, rejoin, and avoid colliding with each other. The flocking model is described in Science Robotics Vol. 3, Issue 20. The research is from the Robotic Lab in the Department of Biological Physics at Eötvös University in Budapest. See: Optimized flocking of autonomous drones in confined environments.

Airbus unveils pioneering solar-powered drone

At the Farnborough airshow, Airbus unveiled its Zephyr solar-powered drone. Airbus said the High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) Zephyr S maiden flight occurred in Arizona on July 11, 2018. The Zephyr S has an 82-foot wingspan and weighs less than 55 pounds. It can fly at 21,000 meters or almost 70,000 feet. Seven models are planned to be produced in 2018 and seven more in 2019. The future Zephyr T would have a 108-foot wingspan.

Civil drone production will soar over the next decade

The Teal Group 2018 World Civil Unmanned Aerial Systems Market Profile & Forecast is out, featuring 10-Year Market Forecasts, expert analysis, a look at venture capital, implementation of regulations worldwide, and company strategies. The forecast projects non-military UAS production growing from $4.4 billion worldwide in 2018 to $13.1 billion in 2027. You can download the Table of Contents & Executive Overview [PDF].

DJI will unlock geofencing for enterprise drone users

DJI is improving the process that allows drone pilots with authorization to obtain geofence unlock codes. The company’s global authorization team is now staffed around the clock and requests can be made online at the DJI “Custom Unlocking” webpage. A DJI account is required to login.

Dumb and Dumber: A Drone Flies Dangerously Close to an A380 During Take Off

A drone waited off the end of the runway as an Emirates Airbus A380 prepared to take off from the airport at Mauritius Island. The drone appeared to be about 300 feet from the tip of the left wing as the jet passed by.

Army Buys Small Suicide Drones To Break Up Hostile Swarms And Potentially More

At the Farnborough Airshow, Raytheon announced it has shipped more than 32 Block 1B variants of the Coyote drone to the U.S. Army. The Coyote weighs under ten pounds and includes a small warhead with a fire control radar. After launch, the six-foot-wide main wing, the rear stabilizers, and the twin tail pop open. Raytheon’s Vice President for Advanced Missile Systems said, “We modified these vehicles to have small warheads to take down a quadcopter, for example, or other types of Class I or Class II UAVs.”

Mentioned

The Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Procurement Guide was recently published by the USAID Global Health Supply Chain Program-Procurement and Supply Management (GHSC-PSM) project. The guide contains considerations, specifications, and criteria that can be used to evaluate UAV manufacturers. A webinar on the guide with the UAVs for Payload Delivery Working Group is scheduled for August 1, 2018, at 10 AM Eastern Standard Time.

UAV248 Black Swift Technologies Eyes Venus

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A UAS for Venus from Black Swift Technologies, DJI building a new headquarters complex, MIT develops the Navion chip, DroneDeploy spells out commercial drone predictions for 2018 and beyond, and LiquidPiston is developing a rotary drone engine.

Black Swift Technologies awarded contract to develop UAS for atmospheric observations of Venus.

Black Swift Technologies awarded contract to develop UAS for atmospheric observations of Venus. Image courtesy Black Swift Technologies.

UAV News

Black Swift Technologies Awarded NASA Contract to Develop UAS for Atmospheric Observations of Venus

Black Swift Technologies announced it has been awarded a NASA contract to perform upper atmospheric observations of the planet Venus. They will develop an unmanned aircraft system based on the concept of dynamic soaring. Jack Elston, CEO of Black Swift Technologies said, “While there have been a variety of systems proposed for upper atmospheric observations of Venus, the planet’s high wind speeds pose a significant design challenge. Our solution will be designed to not only survive in the harsh wind environment, but also simultaneously perform targeted sampling of the atmosphere while continuously extracting energy, even on the dark side of the planet.”

DJI’s Shiny New HQ Has a Sky Bridge for Showing Off Drones

DJI is constructing new company headquarters in China. The 1.7 million square foot complex includes twin towers connected with a sky bridge. This sky bridge includes a giant indoor space for demonstrating and testing drones.

Video: Foster + Partners’ Shenzhen ‘drone’ towers

Chip upgrade helps miniature drones navigate

A team at MIT has developed a custom chip called Navion that is smaller, has lower power consumption, and increased processing speed. Applications for Navion include tiny “nanodrones.” The chip can process real-time camera images up to 171 frames per second as well as inertial measurements. Researchers say the chip can help vehicles navigate, “particularly in remote or inaccessible places where global positioning satellite data is unavailable.”

2018 Commercial Drone Industry Predictions: DroneDeploy weighs in on the future of drones in 2018 and beyond [PDF]

Drone data company DroneDeploy has eight predictions for the commercial drone industry in 2018. These are continued consumerization of drone hardware, more outside players entering the Industry, in-house drone programs replacing service providers, deployments of large-scale fleets, a new era of automation, acquisition of large data sets, use of machine learning and artificial intelligence, and real-time data collection and analysis.

US military wants quieter drones

LiquidPiston Inc. is developing the X4 engine that offers the possibility of quieter drones, greater flight time, and reduced thermal signature. With some similarity to the Wankel engine, the X4 has an oval rotor inside a triangular chamber. DARPA is interested in the X4 enough to invest $2.5 million in LiquidPiston to continue research and development of the engine.

LiquidPiston X Engine from LiquidPiston on Vimeo.

UAV246 AiRXOS UAS Partnerships

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AiRXOS creates partnerships to create an “air operating system,” a five-month Canadian UAS BVLOS proof-of-concept trial, using drones to identify violent crowd behavior, and a chain of custody drone program for law enforcement.

AiRXOS, a digital UAS ecosystem designed for the next generation of air traffic management.

AirXOS, a digital UAS ecosystem designed for the next generation of air traffic management. Courtesy AiRXOS.

UAV News

Waze for the Sky: GE Drone Venture AiRXOS Takes Flight

AiRXOS is working with government agencies and others to help develop standard criteria for commercial drone operations. The company is a venture between GE Business Innovations (the corporate venture capital arm) and GE Aviation and is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GE.

AiRXOS (the “X” is silent) says they are “currently partnering with the FAA, FCC, NASA, ICAO, GUTMA and other industry stakeholders, to help define the architecture, standards, and implementation requirements necessary for the next generation of manned and unmanned potential.”

The Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR) and AiRXOS previously announced a strategic initiative, and of the ten pilot programs under the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP), AiRXOS was selected as a partner for three: the City of San Diego, the City of Memphis, and the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Additionally, AiRXOS has been selected as a partner with DriveOhio’s UAS Center for UTM research, and AiRXOS is a partner with NASA’s Technical Capability Level (TCL) testing and the expansion of the LAANC service program (Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability).

For more see:

IN-FLIGHT Data and senseFly partner for Canada’s largest BVLOS drone trial

Canadian commercial drone operator IN-FLIGHT Data, drone-maker senseFly, and other partner organizations are starting a five-month “UAS BVLOS Proof-of-Concept Trial.” The goal is to demonstrate that BVLOS flights can be conducted safely and efficiently. The trial will run until early November and will collect a very large amount of geo-accurate data, across many types of long-range drone applications.

Drones taught to spot violent behavior in crowds using AI

Researchers in the UK and India are developing an algorithm that analyzes drone video of crowds and indicates when violent behavior is occurring. The system uses a Parrot AR quadcopter, video over a real-time internet connection, and a “deep learning” algorithm that matches poses to violent postures, such as strangling, punching, kicking, shooting, and stabbing. Accuracy of the algorithm is an issue. See the Paper: Eye in the Sky: Real-time Drone Surveillance System (DSS) for Violent Individuals Identification using ScatterNet Hybrid Deep Learning Network [PDF] and the video demonstration.

Taser-maker Axon partners with DJI on police drone program

DJI and Axon have entered into an exclusive partnership to sell surveillance drones directly to public safety and law enforcement agencies. Under the new Axon Air program, DJI supplies drones and Axon brings its Evidence.com data management system which is used to preserve data from law enforcement body cameras and in-car cameras. This chain of custody control system is used by more than 200,000 public safety professionals, according to Axon. See the Product card [PDF].

Mentioned

The first webinar in the FAA series How to Apply for an Operational Waiver is available for you to watch:

How do I Apply for a Drone Waiver?

Be sure to contribute to the Embry-Riddle Unmanned Systems Industry Survey. Use this handy shortcut link: http://theUAVdigest.com/usis

MQ-9C Triton at Pax River by David Vanderhoof

MQ-9C Triton at Pax River by David Vanderhoof

 

UAV244 Solar Powered Drone

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A long endurance solar-powered drone, UAVs used for offensive and defensive applications, autonomous pollination drones, and DJI interest in the UAS Integration Pilot Program.

A solar-powered drone. Courtesy Alta Devices.

A solar-powered drone. Courtesy Alta Devices.

UAV News

Naval Research Lab Adds Solar Power to Hybrid Tiger UAV Project

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) will use Alta Devices solar technology to help power the Hybrid Tiger UAV, a long endurance UAV with a planned flight time of at least 3 ½  days. The Tiger uses solar cells, a hydrogen fuel cell, and autonomous soaring algorithms. Alta Devices develops “efficient, thin and flexible mobile power technology” that enables solar-powered drones.

MyDefence Launches the WINGMAN 103 – Wearable Drone Detection for Special Operations Forces

Dutch anti-drone technology company MyDefence has the vision “To protect those who protect us” and their mission is “To deliver products within Electronic Warfare, by extensive research and development in the field of mission critical RF equipment.” MyDefence offers the Wingman series of wearable drone detection platforms, the newest of which is the Wingman 103, designed for special operations forces.

Israel Uses Drone Racers To Down Incendiary Kites And Drones To Dispense Tear Gas Over Gaza

The Israeli Defense Forces enlisted local drone racers to fly into “incendiary kites” and snag them with fishing hooks. Video: צפו בתיעוד: רחפן של צה”ל מיירט עפיפון מעזה [IDF skimmer intercepts a kite from Gaza]

Robotic Bees Are a Real Thing—and the Company Funding Them Might Surprise You

Walmart has filed a patent for autonomous pollination drones, along with five other patents for agricultural applications.

DJI appeals for involvement in first-of-its-kind UAV integration programme

DJI didn’t show up in the DOT list of initial 10 projects under the UAS Integration Pilot Program. However, the company still wants to make contributions in the areas of AeroScope remote identification, drone equipment, software development kit, policy collaboration, custom geofencing, educational outreach, and access to the DJI user community. See press releases: DJI Seeks To Partner With State, Local And Tribal Governments (November 16, 2017) and DJI Welcomes New Drone Integration Pilot Programs (May 10, 2018).

Ohio Governor John Kasich Signs Executive Order Authorizing Autonomous Vehicle Testing in Ohio

AUVSI says, “The order authorizes researchers to test on the state’s roadways ‘as long as their vehicles meet certain safety requirements and are capable of complying with Ohio traffic regulations.’” Executive order (2018-04K) also asks that researchers register their vehicles with the DriveOhio initiative.

UAV Videos of the Week

This New Video Showing DARPA’s Master Plan For Its Gremlins Drones Is Awesome

Gremlins: Airborne Launch & Recovery of Unmanned Aerial Systems

Spectacular light show of 350 drones over #ALJAWHARA🇸🇦 Stadium in Jeddah during the final football match of the King’s Cup

Mentioned

From UAV Expert News: Fortress UAV Will Host Drone Day Event with DJI, CyPhy Works, Intel and Yuneec. June 1, 2018, in Plano Texas.

UAV241 Intel Falcon 8+ Certified Under UL 3030

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The Intel Falcon 8+ becomes the first drone certified under UL 3030, DJI responds to security and privacy concerns, hydrogen fuel cells for drones, combating the Zika virus with drones, and an air taxi startup draws on an outside designer.

Intel Falcon 8+

Intel Falcon 8+ Courtesy Intel.

UAV News

First Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) and Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) Certified by UL

UL issued their first UL 3030 electrical system safety certification to the Intel® Falcon 8+ UAS. Anil Nanduri, VP and GM of Intel’s Drone Group said, “The Intel Falcon 8+ drone is designed for advanced flight performance with redundancy built in for safety and reliability. Our successful UL listing of the Intel Falcon 8+ drone to UL’s 3030 safety standard demonstrates Intel’s commitment to safe operations needed for commercial applications such as inspection, surveying and mapping.”

Video: Intel Falcon 8+ Drone

DJI releases findings of Kivu report to stem concerns that China might use DJI’s drones to spy on the U.S.

Kivu’s report on DJI’s UAV Data Transmission and Storage practices – Are DJI drones really spying for China?

DJI has been in the news over concerns that user data was transmitted to China. Some U.S. Government entities even issued directives prohibiting the use of DJI drones. In response, DJI asked McDermott Will & Emery to undertake an independent investigation and Kivu Consulting, Inc. was retained to conduct the investigation. The report concludes that “users have control over the types of data DJI drones collect, store, and transmit.” But there’s more to it…

UAV Propulsion Tech Bringing HES Hydrogen Solutions to U.S. Drone Market

Singapore’s HES Energy Systems Pte. Ltd has appointed UAV Propulsion Tech to be their authorized U.S. representative for lightweight hydrogen fuel systems for UAVs. Press release. [PDF]

‘Breakthrough’ in mosquito-packed drones to combat Zika in Brazil

The Zika virus will be combated in Brazil using drones to release millions of sterile laboratory-bred male mosquitoes. The male mosquitoes breed with females but no offspring are produced. Over time, the mosquito population is significantly reduced.

Lilium Air Taxi Startup Hires McLaren Designer Frank Stephenson

A noted supercar designer has joined Lilium as they develop an electric vertical take-off and landing jet.

UAV Video of the Week

Stunning Manta Ray Sighting Off Florida Coast

A new species of manta ray may have been discovered off the coast of Florida.

Mentioned

SMi’s third annual UAV Technology conference in Prague September 26-27, 2018.

 

 

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.

Commercial Drone Alliance drone legislation priorities

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. 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 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!

UAV230 Ehang Autonomous Aerial Vehicle

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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.

 

UAV214 Autonomous Air Taxi Takes Flight

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An Autonomous Air Taxi test flight over Dubai, the SpiderMAV perching drone, Flirtey plans for delivery of emergency defibrillators by drone, using the Insitu ScanEagle to fight wildfires, the Zenmuse X7 professional camera, and drones for traffic management studies.

The Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT) Over Dubai

The Autonomous Air Taxi (AAT) Over Dubai. Courtesy Volocopter.

UAV News

Volocopter Completes Test Flight Over Dubai

The German-designed Volocopter (recently renamed the Autonomous Air Taxi or AAT) performed a test flight over Dubai on September 25. Dubai wants a fleet of autonomous vehicles to handle 25% of all passenger transport by 2030. The 18-rotor AAT flew unmanned and testing is expected to take five years before regular AAT begins. See the video: First ever public demonstration of an autonomous urban air taxi in a mega city by volocopter

SpiderMAV Drone Shoots Webs for Perching and Stabilization

Researchers from Imperial College London’s Aerial Robotics Laboratory have developed the SpiderMAV. This perching drone is based on a DJI Matrice 100 drone with a customized perching module mounted on top and a stabilizing module at the bottom.

Flirtey Partners with Pioneering Ambulance Service to Launch First Emergency Drone Delivery Program in United States

Drone delivery company Flirtey and the Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority (REMSA) announced a partnership to launch the first automated defibrillator drone delivery service in the United States.

Insitu Demonstrates Revolutionary UAV Integrated with GIS for Fighting Wildfires

Insitu successfully completed flight tests at the Warm Springs (Oregon) FAA UAS Test Range of a system that supports firefighting efforts. A week later, Insitu deployed its INEXA teams to Oregon to help firefighters with the Eagle Creek fire. The ScanEagle was equipped with electro-optical daylight sensors, infrared video for nighttime flights, and mid-wave sensors, and provided near real-time data for firefighters and first responders. Press release: Insitu Demonstrates Revolutionary UAV Integrated with GIS for Fighting Wildfires.

DJI Releases The Zenmuse X7

The Zenmuse X7 is a Super 35 camera designed for professional aerial cinematography. It uses a 24 MP CMOS sensor with 14 stops of dynamic range and offers both 6K CinemaDNG and 5.2K Apple ProRes. The X7 is priced at $2,699 USD and is scheduled to ship in early November 2017. It works with the DJI Inspire 2 drone.

Drones To Conduct Traffic Study On Black Rock Turnpike In Fairfield Today

The Town of Fairfield, Connecticut is using drones to aid in traffic management studies. Seven drones were to be flown simultaneously for approximately 20 to 30 minutes during the evening rush hour. The pilots were to operate the drones from the edge of the road and the Fairfield Police Department’s Traffic Safety Unit was to be on site at the time.

Mentioned

A possible drone strike on an Army Blackhawk helicopter.

Listener Mark’s list of fixed-wing VTOL drones:

 

UAV208 The Bladeless Drone

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A bladeless drone wins a design award, women to watch in UAS, drone support for Hurricane Harvey, DJI issues a mandatory firmware update, Customs and Border Protection nabs a drug runner, video gamers as drone pilots, and talking drones from Amazon.

The Edgar Herrera designed bladeless drone concept.

The Edgar Herrera designed bladeless drone concept.

UAV News

The Dyson of Drones

Mexican designer Edgar Herrera has created a concept for a bladeless drone that is a winner in the 2017 Red Dot Design Concept Award. In this design concept, three bladeless air ducts control direction and can rotate 20 degrees. A fourth central duct provides lift. Is it a viable design? Maybe yes, maybe no.

2017 Women to Watch in UAS

Drone360 magazine and Women and Drones announced the 2017 Women to Watch in UAS List. Nine women were chosen “for their work disrupting, innovating, and shaping the future of the UAS industry.”  The women are:

  • Holly Kasun, COO/CMO and Cofounder of Flybrix based in San Francisco, CA.
  • Mary Wohnrade, Civil engineer, Part 107 operator, and President/Owner of Wohnrade Civil Engineers, based in Broomfield, CO.
  • Karen Joyce, Scientist and Senior Lecturer at James Cook University, Cofounder of She Flies, based in Queensland, Australia.
  • Lexie Janson, FPV drone racer, software developer, drone certification teacher based in Gdynia, Poland.
  • Natalie Cheung, General Manager of Drone Light Shows in the UAV Group at Intel based in Santa Clara, CA.
  • Catherine Ball, Cofounder of World of Drones Congress, Cofounder and Chief Engagement Officer at She Flies, Founder and Publisher of Gumption Trigger, based in Queensland, Australia.
  • Helena Samsioe, Founder and CEO of GLOBHE based in Stockholm, Sweden.
  • Gretchen West, Senior Advisor at Hogan Lovells U.S. LLP, Co-Executive Director at the Commercial Drone Alliance, and Cofounder of Women of Commercial Drones, based in Menlo Park, CA.
  • Leah LaSalla, Technical Founder and CEO at Astral AR based in Austin, TX.

FAA Supports Drone Assessments for Houston Response and Recovery

As of August 31, 2017, the FAA had issued 43 unmanned aircraft system authorizations to drone operators supporting the response and recovery for Hurricane Harvey or covering it as part of the media.

DJI will ground Spark drones on September 1st unless owners install an update‬

DJI is pushing out a firmware update to fix the problem with some Spark drones falling out of the sky.This is a mandatory firmware update. Your Spark won’t fly without the update. DJI says the problem is related to the battery management system and power supply.

See the DJI press release: DJI Spark Firmware Update Enhances Flight Safety

Border Patrol Spots Meth-Carrying UAV in San Diego

The Department of Homeland Security’s U.S. Customs and Border Protection has arrested a 25-year-old man for using a consumer drone to transport several pounds of methamphetamine across the Mexican border.

Would Video Gamers Make Better Unmanned Aircraft Pilots Than Actual Pilots?

Psychologists at the University of Liverpool in the UK conducted a study. “Findings support the idea that VGPs (video game players) could be considered a resource in UAS operation.” The report is published in the journal Cogent Psychology: Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operators’ accuracy and confidence of decisions: Professional pilots or video game players?

Look for Military Drones to Begin Replacing Police Helicopters by 2025

Defense contractors see a market opportunity for large military-style drones to be used instead of police helicopters. General Atomics is investing in a new version of the Reaper.

Alexa-enabled Amazon drones could talk with customers when delivering packages

An Amazon patent envisions drones that interact with people – live audio and video. This could be used to warn someone standing too close to the landing zone or to have a conversation with customer support.

UAV Video of the Week

RDDC2016: Bladeless Drone

Photos of the Week

Solar Eclipse, Cerulean, KY by Max Flight

Solar Eclipse, Cerulean, KY by Max Flight

Reaper by David Vanderhoof

Reaper by David Vanderhoof

 

 

UAV207 Drone Racing with the Pro Aerial League

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A new drone racing league takes shape, an unmanned aircraft vehicle traffic management system is planned for Kansas, Northrop Grumman’s MQ-25 drone tanker testbed was spotted, a Phantom landed on an aircraft carrier, DJI responds to issues over data transmission, and drones assist in a rescue mission.

The RIOT 250R for the PAL drone racing league.

The RIOT 250R Pro racing drone. Courtesy Thrust-UAV.

UAV News

Professional drone racers start new league with six teams and big inaugural event in Everett arena

The Pro Aerial League (PAL) is a new drone racing organization that will feature indoor spectator events with six teams, each with six pilots. Pilots will race RIOT 250R Pro racing drones from Thrust-UAV through multiple types of challenges in order to determine the best team in terms of speed, skill, and strategy. The inaugural event is August 19, 2017, at the Xfinity Arena in Everett, Washington.

Riot 250R Pro by Thrust UAV Commercial

https://youtu.be/w02xX81DQTI

AirMap Takes Flight with Kansas

AirMap announced a partnership with the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to deploy the AirMap platform across the state. Their goal is “to open more airspace for drone operations, support Kansas’ growing community of drone operators, and ensure that the skies are safer for all.” The AirMap platform will be available to Kansas airports, state colleges and universities, and government agencies.

AirMap is one of the 12 companies assembled by the FAA for LAANC, the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, providing automated notification for flight in U.S. controlled airspace. A list of the initial 50 airports is available in Coming This Fall: Automated Airspace Authorization at U.S. Airports.

Northrop Grumman MQ-25 Drone Tanker Testbed Emerges At Plant 42 In California

Development contracts were previously awarded to Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics, and Northrop Grumman for the U.S. Navy’s MQ-25 Stingray drone. The MQ-25 Stingray is a carrier-launched tanker designed to extend the combat range of carrier aircraft. Aviation Week is now showing a low-quality photograph of what it says is Northrop Grumman’s modified X-47B flying test bed as part of its MQ-25 bid.

A drone landed on Britain’s biggest warship and nobody cared

A “Black Isle Images” photographer landed a DJI Phantom on the HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier. The landing was unintentional and the Phantom landed itself after sensing high winds. The photographer presented himself to the armed guards, but “no one seemed too concerned.” He also gave the authorities his phone number, but nobody called.

DJI Develops Option For Pilots To Fly Without Internet Data Transfer

DJI announced on August 14, 2017, that it is “developing a new local data mode that stops internet traffic to and from its flight control apps, in order to provide enhanced data privacy assurances for sensitive government and enterprise customers.” In local data mode, DJI apps will stop sending or receiving any data over the internet. That includes relevant local maps and geofencing data, the latest software updates, correct radio frequency and power requirements, and newly-issued flight restrictions.

First drone-assisted rescue in Southside a high-flying success

A logger on the Dan River in Virginia was pinned down by a tree. As the Danville Life Saving Crew traveled to the location, they created a plan that included using their drones. Just last month, they had received training to become certified drone operators, and on arrival at the scene, the drones were deployed to assist in making the operation safer. Danville Life Saving Crew assistant director Bryan Fox said, “We were able to navigate the boats around some circumstances in the water, some debris, rock formations, that [the rescuers] didn’t see from the boat as they were trying to navigate.”

UAV Video of the Week

On Sunday, July 2, 2017, a drone was spotted on the approach path to Gatwick Airport. This is the disruption it caused.

Gatwick drone incident – 2 July

 

UAV206 DJI and Data Security

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DJI drones come under attack for data transmissions, the U.S. Army responds, military installations get approval to take down drones, a Navy fighter is forced to take evasive action, automated approval to fly in airport airspace, and thrust-assisted perching.

DJI Phantom 4 Advanced

Phantom 4 Advanced, courtesy DJI.

UAV News

Drone Data Security

sUAS News describes the data they say is collected during the flight of a DJI drone, logged into your DJI Go app, and transmitted back to DJI Servers.

US Army calls for units to discontinue use of DJI equipment

The U.S. Department of the Army issued a “Memorandum for Record” directing military installations to “Cease all use, uninstall all DJI applications, remove all batteries/storage media from devices, and secure equipment for follow on direction.” This is in reaction to U.S. Army Research Lab and U.S. Navy studies that concluded there are operational risks associated with DJI equipment.

A government study found DJI drone, banned by US Army, kept data safe

In October 2016, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) tested a DJI DJI S-1000 using a packet sniffer to monitor transmissions between the drone and the computer. NOAA’s report states that “The majority of transactions to the DJI servers were to login to DJI servers hosted at both Amazon Web Services and Linode to check for software updates. These transactions are quite common for software of this type, and nothing unusual was detected during the experiment.” Further, “There was no evidence whatsoever of any attempt by any software to transfer any data from the aircraft.”

However, one of the authors of the NOAA study observed a different result when he tested personal Phantom 3. The Phantom was sending encrypted data back to DJI servers.

New policy: Military bases can shoot down trespassing drones

In July, a classified policy was sent to the services from the Pentagon. More recently unclassified guidance was sent concerning how to communicate the new policy to local communities. Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said military installations “retain the right of self-defense when it comes to UAVs or drones operating over [them.] The new guidance does afford of the ability to take action to stop these threats and that includes disabling, destroying and tracking.”

Iranian drone forces US jet to take evasive action

A Navy F/A-18 had to make an evasive maneuver while trying to land on the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf. An Iranian QOM-1 drone came within 100 feet below the F/A-18 and 200 feet to the side.

50 Airports Across the U.S. to Adopt Automated Airspace Authorizations for Drones

The FAA Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) page says, “The FAA is currently in acquisition for the first step of a UTM system, the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC), which supports air traffic control authorization requirements for UAS operations conducted under the Special Rule for Model Aircraft (part 101e) and the Small UAS Rule (part 107). The current airport notification and airspace authorization processes are manual for the small UAS. LAANC will provide part 101 & 107 UAS operators a streamlined solution to enable real time automated notification and authorization.”

Now fifty airports will start using LAANC in Autumn 2017. UAS operators will be able to apply for automated authorizations to fly in controlled airspace around those airports.

UAV Video of the Week

Innovative Vertical-Landing Drone Can Stick to Walls Like a Fly

Researchers at the University of Sherbrooke in Quebec, Canada have developed the fixed-wing Multimodal Autonomous Drone (S-MAD) that is capable of repeated perching and take-off cycles.

The S-MAD: A Drone Landing on Walls Like a Bird

xxxx

UAV205 Smith College Drone Class

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Max and @dronemama visit Smith College and talk to the summer drone class, 3DR and DJI join resources, drones assist with invasive snakes, Farmers Insurance expands the use of UAS, and a drone privacy spat on Twitter.

Max speaks with students at the Smith College Drone Class.

Max speaks with students at the Smith College Drone Class.

Drone Class at Smith College

Jon Caris and Max Flight

Jon Caris, Director at Smith College Spatial Analysis Lab (L) and Max.

Max spoke to the SSEP Drone Class at Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. The class is part of the College’s Summer Science and Engineering Program (SSEP), a four-week residential program for exceptional young women with strong interests in science, engineering, and medicine. High school students from across the United States and abroad do hands-on research with Smith faculty in the life and physical sciences and in engineering.


The young women are building quadcopters in the Smith College Spatial Analysis Lab where they learn about drone laws and regulations, applications of the technology, flight mechanics and piloting skills, photogrammetry and image processing, and of course drone safety. The students are highly engaged, and this program is a wonderful opportunity for them.

Drone class students at Smith College

Smith College drone class students.

UAV News

America’s top drone company couldn’t beat China’s DJI, so now they’re partners

3D Robotics announced that they are entering into a partnership with DJI and will integrate their Site Scan software with DJI drones. This is an enterprise solution for industries like construction, insurance, surveying & mapping, utilities, and telecom. Sales at 3DR were not up to expectations and the company consumed $100M in venture capital trying to compete. Now, 3DR will focus on software instead of hardware.

3DR Site Scan data capture technology can use 3DR (with Sony R10C) or DJI (Phantom 4 Pro) vehicles and operate in four autonomous flight modes for data capture. Data is uploaded to the cloud and can be processed by Pix4D and Autodesk ReCap. The service includes complimentary drone replacement for accidents and malfunctions.

VolAero Drones Starts Python Tracking Project In Everglades Using Thermal Technology

The population of non-native Burmese pythons in the Florida Everglades has exploded to the point where they are a threat to the small mammal population. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the South Florida Water Management District are now looking to professional drone services company VolAero Drones and drone imaging technologies to help manage the situation.

Farmers Insurance launches drone program with Kespry

Farmers Insurance is expanding their use of UAS for residential property damage assessments. The company is looking for faster inspection times with fewer safety risks for field adjusters. Drones from Kespry will “gather rooftop imagery and data, generate analytic reports, supplement ladder assist capabilities, and resolve more claims with greater efficiency and accuracy.” The FAA-licensed drone operators will be Farmers’ own claims professionals.

Kentucky governor says news station drone invaded privacy

Gov. Matt Bevin tweeted: “The drone that was just flying over my home & filming my children was personally flown by @WDRBNews Director.” WDRB news director Barry Fulmer followed with his own tweet: “.@GovMattBevin WDRB was flying a drone in accordance to the FAA rules to cover news happening at your home. There is NO video of children.”

UAV Video of the Week

Drone captures mesmerizing footage of hundreds of fish on pink salmon run

Video captured by Danny Sanford in Hartney Bay in Cordova, Alaska.

UAV204 Drone Registration Planned for the UK

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The UK plans to require registration for drones over 250 grams, a study looks at drone strikes on aircraft windscreens, a transformable UAV is under development, Airbus tested their Sagitta demonstrator, some DJI Sparks are experiencing a problem, and draft Technical Standard Orders win AOPA approval.

The Transformable HOvering Rotorcraft (THOR)

The Transformable HOvering Rotorcraft (THOR)

UAV News

Drones to be registered and users to sit safety tests under new government rules

Drone registration is coming to the UK, along with drone safety awareness tests. This will apply to drones over 250 grams. Operators may be able to register online or with an app. The government also plans for expanded use of geofencing in the UK.

Drones and manned aircraft collisions: test results

The summary report from the Department for Transport, British Airline Pilots’ Association, and the Military Aviation Authority says drones weighing 400 grams could damage windscreens. Airliner windscreens were found to be more resistant than helicopter windscreens.

The Small Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (drones): Mid-Air Collision Study [PDF] was conducted by QinetiQ and Natural Impacts using laboratory collision testing and computer modelling. The study aimed to find the lowest speed at collision where critical damage could occur to aircraft components. Critical damage was defined in this study to mean major structural damage of the aircraft component or penetration of drone through the windscreen into the cockpit. The study indicated that:

  • Non-birdstrike certified helicopter windscreens have very limited resilience to the impact of a drone, well below normal cruise speeds.
  • The non-birdstrike certified helicopter windscreen results can also be applied to general aviation aeroplanes which also do not have a birdstrike certification requirement.
  • Although the birdstrike certified windscreens tested had greater resistance than non-birdstrike certified, they could still be critically damaged at normal cruise speeds.
  • Helicopter tail rotors are also very vulnerable to the impact of a drone, with modelling showing blade failures from impacts with the smaller drone components tested.
  • Airliner windscreens are much more resistant, however, the study showed that there is a risk of critical windscreen damage under certain impact conditions: It was found that critical damage did not occur at high, but realistic impact speeds, with the 1.2 kg class drone components. However, critical damage did occur to the airliner windscreens at high, but realistic, impact speeds, with the 4 kg class drone components used in this study.
  • The construction of the drone plays a significant role in the impact of a collision. Notably, the 400 g class drone components, which included exposed metal motors, caused critical failure of the helicopter windscreens at lower speeds than the 1.2 kg class drone components, which had plastic covering over their motors. This is believed to have absorbed some of the shock of the collision, reducing the impact.
  • The testing and modelling showed that the drone components used can cause significantly more damage than birds of equivalent masses at speeds lower than required to meet birdstrike certification standards.

The THOR Hybrid UAV

A team of students at the Singapore University of Technology and Design is developing the Transformable HOvering Rotorcraft (THOR). The prototype is based on the single-blade monocopter concept from 1913, although THOR actually has two opposing wings, mounted at right angles to each other. The wings rotate into alignment when transitioning from hover to cruise. See episode #48 Evan Ulrich and his RoboSeed for our previous conversation about a monocopter UAV.

Video: SUTD Transformable HOvering Rotorcraft (THOR)

Successful first flight for UAV demonstrator SAGITTA

Airbus Defence and Space has flown their demonstrator Sagitta UAV. The 25 percent scale fixed-wing aircraft is powered by two turbine engines. It was developed in cooperation with a number of industry and academic partners.

Some DJI Spark drones are falling from the sky, and that’s to be expected

Complaints have appeared in DJI forums that some of the new Spark drones are shutting down and falling from the sky. DJI has issued a statement:

“DJI is aware of a small number of reports involving Spark drones that have lost power mid-flight. Flight safety and product reliability are top priorities. Our engineers are thoroughly reviewing each customer case and working to address this matter urgently. DJI products are tested for thousands of hours, and the overwhelming number of customers enjoy using our products with minimal disruption.”

AOPA Backs Unmanned System Standards

Two draft TSOs (Technical Standard Orders) have been issued that would apply to unmanned aircraft transitioning to and from Class A and special-use airspace, and traversing other types of airspace. The TSOs are meant to determine minimum standards that allow manned and unmanned aircraft to remain safely separated. The draft standards would not apply to small UAS – those under 55 pounds and governed by Part 107.

TSO-C211, Detect and Avoid (DAA) Systems [PDF]

TSO-C212, Air-to-Air Radar (ATAR) for Traffic Surveillance [PDF]

UAV Video of the Week

Soccer fans use toilet roll to take down drone in Argentina

https://youtu.be/tiZ9AUNbhaU

 

 

 

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 Piaggio Aerospace P.1HH HammerHead

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

 

 

UAV196 The DJI Spark

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The DJI Spark, Snap Inc. interest in drones, the ANSI UAS Standardization Collaborative, the Drone Federalism Act of 2017, Florida utility company using drones, the MQ-25A Stingray carrier-launched unmanned tanker, a drone camp for girls, and NATE embraces drones.

The DJI Spark

The Spark mini-drone. Image courtesy DJI.

UAV News

DJI brings gesture control to consumer drones with the diminutive Spark

The $499 DJI Spark mini-drone recognizes your face and launches and lands on the palm of your hand. It can be controlled with hand movements, a remote controller, a mobile device, or DJI goggles. Featuring obstacle detection and image stabilization, the Spark can follow flight maneuvers preset with your mobile device. It can also follow you.

Snap recently acquired Ctrl Me Robotics, an LA-based drone company

Snap Spectacles

Snap Spectacles. Image courtesy Snap, Inc.

Is the company that owns Snapchat getting into the drone business? It’s unclear, but Snap Inc. acquired drone company Ctrl Me Robotics last year and has reportedly looked at another company in that space.

Last September, Snapchat said it was rebranding itself as a camera company and getting into hardware. Snap also manufacturers a wearable camera called Spectacles. These “smartglasses” record video and connect to your Snapchat account.

 

ANSI Establishes Unmanned Aircraft Systems Standardization Collaborative

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) is a private non-profit organization that oversees the development of voluntary consensus standards. ANSI has decided to form a “Standardization Collaborative” for UAS. The Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Standardization Collaborative (UASSC) will create standards and conformity assessment programs for facilitating the safe integration of UAS into the United States national airspace system (NAS). An initial kick-off meeting is planned for the third quarter of 2017. To stay up-to-date regarding future developments, email Jim McCabe, ANSI senior director, standards facilitation, at jmccabe@ansi.org.

Drone Federalism Act Would Bring Regulation to Local Level

The Drone Federalism Act of 2017 has been proposed by U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; Mike Lee, R-Utah; Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn.; and Tom Cotton, R-Ark. The Act is an attempt to bring UAS regulation down to the local level.

Feinstein says the bill “allows communities to create low-altitude speed limits, local no-drone zones or rules that are appropriate to their own circumstances.”

Blumenthal says, “This legislation protects the rights of state and local governments to implement reasonable restrictions on drones in their communities while ensuring that the Federal Aviation Administration keeps our national airspace the safest in the world.”

So how does it work?

  • Keeps the FAA’s “general authority over the national airspace while preserving the authority of state, local and tribal governments to issue reasonable restrictions on the time, manner and place of drone operations within 200 feet of the ground or a structure.
  • Reaffirms that the federal government “will respect private property rights to the airspace immediately above a property, including the first 200 feet.”
  • Directs the FAA “to partner with a diverse group of cities and states to test out different approaches, inform the unmanned traffic management pilot program and report best practices.”

See Drone Federalism Act of 2017 (Senate Bill 1272) by Jonathan Rupprecht for a quick summary of important facts of the Drone Federalism Act of 2017, problems with the Drone Federalism Act of 2017, who supports it, and the actual text of the Drone Federalism Act.

Florida Utility Preps for Drone Use Ahead of Storm Season

With hurricane season coming soon, Florida Power & Light Company (FPL) is being proactive. They’ve trained more than 1,200 employees and that training includes the use of unmanned aircraft. FPL demonstrated the use of UAS for surveying damage areas and how they can speed up restoration efforts.

Navy to Launch MQ-25 Stingray Refueling Drone Competition This Summer

The MQ-25A Stingray is a carrier-launched tanker designed to extend the combat range of carrier aircraft like the F/A-18 Super Hornet and F-35C Joint Strike Fighter. The Navy is starting an industry competition for the Stingray, which it plans to enter carrier deck service in the early to mid-2020s. In advance of the formal proposal to industry this summer, the Navy awarded four development contracts: Boeing, Lockheed Martin, General Atomics, and Northrop Grumman.

Mentioned

UND to host drone camp for girls

The UAS Camp is sponsored by the Women’s Fund from the Grand Forks Community Foundation. Girls ages 8 to 12 will learn about drones, with hands-on experience with small unmanned aircraft. The camp will take place in two sessions at Robin Hall: from July 31 through Aug. 4 and from Aug. 7 through 11, 2017. Registration is $20 and space is limited. For more information, call Amanda Brandt with the UND College of Aerospace at (701) 732-0592.

Video of the Week

NATE UAS Operations Climber Connection Drone Video

The National Association of Tower Erectors (NATE) “has proactively embraced the utilization of drones in the wireless and broadcast infrastructure industries due to the enormous safety and efficiency benefits associated with their use.” Their new Climber Connection Unmanned Aerial Systems video was distributed industry-wide at the 2017 Drone Focus Conference in Fargo, North Dakota.

https://youtu.be/NgkG2rF3egw

 

 

UAV193 Flying Drones Over People

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The impact of drones striking people, geo-restrictions in war zones, monitoring volcanic ash, structure inspections using UAVs and artificial intelligence, keeping wildlife away from crops, waste management with drones, swarming tactics, Project Wing update, and drone weaponization for law enforcement.

A UAS crash test dummy in a study of flying drones over people.

A UAS crash test dummy provided data for a UAS ground collision severity study.

UAV News

FAA Issues Study on UAS Human Collision Hazards

In order to create regulations for flying drones over people, the FAA needs to know what happens when a UAV strikes a human. A consortium of universities has been studying this, and their report identifies dominant injury types applicable to small drones. See: FAA and Assure Announce Results of Ground Collision Study.

DJI Mysteriously Turned Vast Swaths of Iraq and Syria Into Drone No-Fly Zones

Without much fanfare, DJI created no-fly zones over large areas of Iraq and Syria. Some speculate this was a move to thwart ISIS from using their drones.

CNN journalist evades DJI GEO restrictions in Iraq

A CNN reporter proved the no-fly zone could be defeated by covering the GPS on his DJI Mavic with tinfoil. Without GPS, the no-fly zones are disabled.

NASA Selects Black Swift Technologies’ sUAS for Volcano Ash Monitoring

NASA has awarded a contract to Black Swift Technologies to develop and deliver a sUAS solution to explore volcanoes. Black Swift will provide an airframe, avionics, and sensors to measure gases, temperature, pressure, humidity, and winds, as well as particle sizes and trace gases. All this for improved air traffic management systems and more accurate measurements of ashfall.

AT&T Labs working to combine drone video footage with artificial intelligence monitoring

AT&T Labs is studying how they can use artificial intelligence (AI) and video footage of cell towers taken by a drone. AT&T wants to eliminate the labor for physical inspections and video analysis.

Drones keep elephants away from people in Tanzania

In Tanzania, elephants sometimes graze on crops and destroy them, presenting a huge problem for the people trying to grow food. The U.S.-based nonprofit Resolve is testing the use of drones to drive the animals away.

Drones-The Latest High Tech Tool For Las Cruces Waste Management

A quadcopter is being used to map a regional landfill and provide volumetrics to the landfill management company. This information about the amount of air space remaining in existing landfill cells is critical for future development plans.

Service Academies Swarm Challenge: Controlling drone swarms

DARPA created the Service Academies Swarm Challenge where U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, and U.S. Air Force academy teams compete and go from “zero to swarm in 8 months.” The research effort is an experiment where students develop offensive and defensive tactics for swarms of small UAVs.

Video: An Overview of DARPA’s Service Academies Swarm Challenge

Alphabet’s Project Wing Cuts Staff Before Progress Update

Reportedly, Google parent Alphabet has significantly cut staff at Project Wing. Yet sources say the program is still alive and a major progress update and demonstration is expected before summer.

Public Safety Committee Grounds Drone Legislation

Legislation proposed in Connecticut would have made that state the first in the U.S. to allow law enforcement to use weaponized drones. However, the legislature’s Public Safety and Security Committee decided to let the legislation die. This was after drone attorney Peter Sachs wrote an email to all members of the Committee asking them to vote against the proposal.

UAV Video of the Week

Amazing Drone Footage – The USS Alabama From The Air – A Very Impressive Battleship

The USS Alabama (BB-60) is a South Dakota Class Battleship, launched on April 16, 1942. It served during World War II in both the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. This video was shot using a hexacopter with a GoPro at the USS Alabama Memorial Park.

Mentioned

Drones flown in helicopter flight path at Franz Josef heliport ‘a huge risk’ to safety, police warn

 

 

UAV186 AOPA UAS Programs

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The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Senior Director of UAS Programs explains the organization’s strategies for unmanned aircraft.

Guest

Kathleen “Kat” Swain

Kathleen “Kat” Swain, Senior Director for AOPA UAS Programs.

Kathleen “Kat” Swain is Senior Director for AOPA UAS Programs. The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association created the position in 2016, and since then Kat has been working to implement the organization’s strategies for UAS.

Kat was a manned aircraft pilot before she became a remote pilot and has multiple ratings. She is a flight instructor, having instructed both military and civilian pilots. Kat has flown drones for many purposes, including insurance industry support and humanitarian missions.

We discuss the AOPA commitment to unmanned aviation, and how manned and unmanned pilots share the same desire to protect the safety of the airspace. Kat explains the value of AOPA advocacy and the benefits of membership that AOPA offers drone pilots. That includes insurance, legal assistance, pilot protection services, and the new AOPA Drone Pilot biweekly newsletter that covers training and safety, gear, lifestyle, regulation and policy, and drone news.

See:

UAV Video of the Week

Don Toporowski manages the ACE climatic wind tunnel at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology. The facility tests drones and can simulate the types of precipitation and clouds that UAVs have to deal with at lower speeds and altitudes. ACE actually creates repeatable water droplets, freezing rain, and clouds. This funny video illustrates the limits of a DJI Phantom 4’s ability to fly in high winds.

A Drone’s Worst Nightmare…

 

UAV185 The DJI Matrice 200 Series of Drones

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New DJI Matrice 200 drones created for enterprise users, Parrot also sees a future in the commercial market, an RQ-7 Shadow goes on an unexpected cross-country flight, and swarms of drones may someday map oil spills.

DJI Matrice 210

DJI Matrice 200 series drone

UAV News

DJI’s Matrice 200 UAV line is built for work

DJI showed its new Matrice 200 series of quadcopters at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It’s a workhorse designed for commercial and industrial applications and comes in three models: the baseline M200 with one gimbal, the M210 with two downward-facing gimbals or one top-mounted gimbal, and the M210 RTK which adds real-time kinematic sensors for precise navigation.

All models use the DJI flight management system, the DJI Pilot app, subject tracking, autonomous circling, and ActiveTrack. Flighthub lets the pilot stream video to a remote station in real-time, and DJI’s Flightsense algorithm lets the M200 drones autonomously avoid obstacles. Significantly, M200s incorporate ADS-B receivers.

Parrot to pursue profits with commercial drones

After failing to meet revenue targets, Parrot says it will return to profitability by 2018 through an expansion of its commercial drone business. The Parrot CFO says, “Professional drones should generate at least 50 to 60 percent gross margin on the long run, where consumer drones cannot generate more than 35 percent of gross margin.”

Questions hover over Army drone’s 630-mile odyssey across western US

An Army Shadow RQ-7Bv2 launched from southern Arizona on January 31 lost the connection with its ground crew. The Shadow was found February 9 in a tree near Denver, 630 miles away.

Coming soon: Oil spill-mapping swarms of flying drones

The University at Buffalo’s School of Engineering and Applied Sciences has devised a method to quickly map oil spills with a swarm of off the shelf drones. The drones record if they are over water, over oil, or at the edge of the spill. They then share that information among themselves so they waste time covering an area already observed. When reaching low power, the drones return to the ship for a recharge, while new drones join the swarm already knowing what the others have found. Collision avoidance is accomplished via simple rules taken from nature. See the paper: A Swarm-Intelligence Approach to Oil Spill Mapping using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles.

UAV Video of the Week

DJI – Introducing the Matrice 200 Series

Mentioned

The UAV Digest has become a media partner with the ASCEND Conference & Expo, to be held July 19-21, 2017 in Portland Oregon. ASCEND comes from the team behind Drone360 magazine and will focus on the commercial UAS industry with expert speakers and critical analysis. Registration is now open and the coupon code theUAVdigest will get you a $50 discount.

 

 

 

UAV166 DJI Mavik Hands-On Review

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A review of the new DJI Mavik folding quadcopter, Verizon drone tests continue, India looks at ATC towers and civil UAS, drones for flood control, and drones for flood rescue. 

Guest

DJI formation flight

Formation flight (top to bottom): DJI Matrice 600, Inspire 1 Pro, Phantom 4, Mavik Pro. Photo by Brandon Remler.

Parker Gyokeres got his hands on the new DJI Mavik and gives us his observations after flying the quadcopter.

Parker notes that the price, performance, features, light weight, and ultra-compact size makes the Mavik an ideal “gateway drug” to flying drones. The small size, when folded, makes it easy to take with you, and the fast setup time makes it more likely that you’ll actually fly the quadcopter and shoot video.

Parker is the owner of Propellerheads Aerial Photography, LLC, an FAA Part 107 licensed business providing aerial photography and medium/heavy lift cinematography, thermal imaging, NDVI multispectral and 3F photogrammetry.

News

Verizon Forges Ahead with New LTE Drone Project

Verizon Communications wants to outfit drones with 4G LTE and use its ThingSpace IoT platform for industrial surveillance missions and other applications. This is part of their Airborne LTE Operations (ALO) initiative which has been testing since 2014. Verizon brought in American Aerospace Technologies Inc. (AATI) in a test to connect a 17-foot wingspan UAS and their 4G LTE network.

India sets up ATC towers upgradation committee for UAVs

The Indian government has created a government/civil committee to determine infrastructure and technical requirements for air traffic control towers. In the past year, India experienced five near-miss incidents involving commercial aircraft. At least 40 ATC towers need upgrades to mitigate safety and security risks. The Indian government is still working on rules that would allow civil use of UAVs.

How Drones Can Save the Flood Control District Thousands of Headaches

County Flood Control District workers and contractors in Texas currently have to monitor hundreds of miles of bayous and channels, as well as tens of thousands of acres of detention basins. By using drones, they could significantly reduce their inspection costs. So far, in a limited trial with Austin, Texas company HUVR, they’re using a drone to check up on mowing done by contractors.

Video of the Week

Drone, social media make flood rescue happen in real time

Chris Williams and his dog were trapped for 14 hours in their attic. He texted his parents, and they told his brother 1,300 miles away in Texas, who tried but couldn’t get through to authorities.

Meanwhile, Quavas Hart sent his drone out and posted some photos of the flooded area on Instagram, which the brother of the trapped man saw. As a joke, he sent the photo to his brother saying, “at least you’re not this guy.”

Except, that he was that guy. The brother was eventually able to tweet Hart, the drone operator, who “used his drone to attract the attention of a FEMA search-and-rescue boat crew in the neighborhood.” They then rescued the trapped man. “The entire operation was captured by the camera on Hart’s drone.”

UAV164 Reflections on InterDrone

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DJI Mavic

Guest

Parker Gyokeres

Parker Gyokeres is the owner of Propellerheads, an FAA Part 107 licensed business providing aerial photography and medium/heavy lift cinematography, thermal imaging, NDVI multispectral and 3F photogrammetry.

Parker is an award-winning U.S. Air Force photojournalist, a freelance author, UAV subject matter expert and photographer. He serves as a member of the board of directors for the Professional Society of Drone Journalists, and he advises national clients on the design, operation, and deployment of advanced aerial systems for use by photographers, surveyors, cinematographers, and military contractors.

Topics

InterDrone

InterDrone 2016, the International Drone Conference and Exposition, was held September 7-9, 2016 in Las Vegas. They had 3,500 attendees from 54 countries, with 155 exhibitors and speakers. Parker tells us how this year’s event was very different from last year’s.

DJI Mavic Pro

DJI’s new Mavic Pro has folding arms and is smaller than the Phantom. Sensors handle obstacle avoidance, tracking of the subject, autonomous landing, and indoor stability. The camera shoots 4K video at 30 fps and full 1080p HD at 96 fps. The Mavic handles live video streaming and even employs gesture control. Parker attended the DJI announcement and tells us all about it.

Lessons from a Shoot

At a shoot, Parker’s drone had a little “encounter” with a barge on the river. The story is humorous but it also contains some good lessons for drone operators.

UAV153 ADS-B Out for Small UAS

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Flightradar24 and Skysense collaborate on ADS-B for drones, Boeing establishes the Collaborative Autonomous Systems Laboratory, Kansas chooses an unmanned aircraft director, Eurotunnel employs UAVs, implications of AI, and DJI updates its geofencing capability.

Flightradar 24 and the Skysense BCON1

Flightradar 24 and the Skysense BCON1

News

The Site That Lets You Track Planes In Real-Time Wants to Track Drones Too

Flightradar24 and Skysense are partnering to bring ADS-B solutions to drones. Flightradar24 is investing capital in Skysense, who will use the investment for product development. Skysense has been developing small, lightweight ADS-B OUT boards for small UAS and manned aircraft. They call their BCON1, “the world’s lightest, most energy-efficient and smallest ADS-B OUT device for drones.”

Boeing Opens Collaborative Autonomous Systems Laboratory in Missouri

The new 8,100-square-foot Collaborative Autonomous Systems Laboratory (CASL) will conduct research to test hardware and software that makes autonomous vehicles work together more effectively as a team or unit. The Lab will work with academic institutions, research partners, government agencies.

Kansas names Air Force veteran first unmanned aircraft director

Kansas has chosen Bob Brock to be its first director of unmanned aircraft systems, reporting to the state’s director of aviation. Brock had a 22-year career in the Air Force and held positions in intelligence and special operations units utilizing drones. He’ll help develop drone-related businesses, ensure safe operation of drones by individuals and companies, and developing a plan with the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture to bring jobs to Kansas.

Drones deployed to keep migrants and refugees out of Channel Tunnel amid warnings of post-Brexit surge

Eurotunnel operates the 30-mile tunnel between Britain and France, and they had already been thinking about tracking people seeking asylum. With the Brexit vote, they are even more concerned about migrants passing through the tunnel before it becomes more difficult to get into Britain. To help address this, Eurotunnel has demonstrated using small surveillance drones equipped with thermal imaging cameras if they believe people are in the 18-mile secure zone surrounding the tunnel entrance in France.

Is AI The Worst Mistake In Human History?

This LinkedIn “Pulse” article by John Battelle looks at the possible implications of a world dominated by Artificial Intelligence, also called Machine Learning and Cognitive Computing.

DJI makes it easier to keep your drone out of no-fly zones

DJI is making improvements to the geofencing system employed by its Phantom and Inspire drones. Permanent and temporary flight restrictions are included, as well as a process to unlock the geofence when that is necessary.

Connecticut father, son fight Federal Aviation Administration over gun-firing, flame-throwing drones

A teenager and his father are refusing to comply with subpoenas ordering them to provide information about the videos they posted. They claim the subpoenas violate their constitutional rights, and they question the FAA’s authority to regulate recreational drones. During questioning for an unrelated assault event, police seized the teen’s phone and reportedly found material that could lead to felony charges.

Video of the Week

Salmon Seining

Listener Josh Jarvis is a commercial fisherman in Southeast Alaska who started flying drones in 2013. After receiving encouraging feedback about his video clips on Instagram, he edited this video that shows commercial salmon fishing in Alaska. Josh has a video channel for his other drone video projects, all filmed with a Phantom 2 and a GoPro HERO3+.

Feedback

This X-shaped sensor will alert you to incoming drones, so you can freak out

FAA Part 107 Frequently Asked Questions in Drone Law by Jonathan Rupprecht

US sUAS/Drone Owner Maps

 

 

 

UAV137 Aurora’s LightningStrike Hybrid-electric X-plane

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Aurora Flight Sciences LightningStrikeThe Aurora Flight Sciences unmanned VTOL X-plane, shore-to-ship package delivery, Senate FAA reauthorization bill impacts UAS, more proposed local drone legislation, a new DJI Phantom, and high-altitude sUAS flying.

News

Aurora Wins Darpa Contract to Build Novel Drone Demonstrator

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarded second- and third-phase contract awards to Aurora Flight Sciences for the “LightningStrike” technology demonstrator. Aurora plans to start flight testing the vertical takeoff and landing experimental plane (VTOL X-Plane) in 2018.

The LightningStrike features two large rear wings and two smaller front canards. The same Rolls-Royce AE 1107C turboshaft engine used in V-22 Osprey tiltrotor is mounted in the fuselage and powers three Honeywell generators which drive 24 ducted fans on the wings and canards. The wings and canards rotate to direct the fan thrust for hovering, transition, and forward flight.

Aurora’s LightningStrike VTOL X-Plane

Maersk Tankers Claims First Drone Delivery to Ship at Sea

A French Xamen Technologies drone dropped a small package onto a Maersk tanker in Denmark as a test to see if drones could be used to deliver spare parts, mail, or medicine to a ship. Compared to traditional means of delivery, the potential cost savings is significant.

Bipartisan Senate FAA bill shuns Shuster’s ATC proposal

The U.S. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee has introduced a bipartisan FAA reauthorization bill that does not include any proposal for air traffic control privatization. However, under the Senate bill, the US National Institute of Standards (NIST) and the FAA would “develop risk-based, consensus industry standards on [UAV] aircraft safety.”

“The FAA would also establish a process for the airworthiness approval of small [UAVs] based on the consensus standards, in lieu of the more cumbersome certification process used for the approval of other aircraft. These standards … approved by FAA would ultimately improve safety by prescribing which safety technologies would be built into unmanned aircraft systems sold in the United States.”

Drone-Mounted Handgun, Flamethrower Reignite Lawmaker Debate

Reacting to the well-publicised drone weaponization exploits of a Connecticut teen, state legislators have conducted public hearings and proposed legislation to outlaw certain activity.

One bill would make it a class C felony, punishable by one to ten years in prison, to use a drone to release tear gas or other substances, or to control a deadly weapon or explosive device. Another bill would also limit how law enforcement and state agencies can use drones. But Peter Sachs, author of the Drone Law Journal, says one version of the bill exempts police from the ban on weaponized drones.

Proposed Utah legislation would allow cops to shoot down drones

Utah is not fooling around when it comes to drones. The recently introduced Senate Bill 210 would designate certain drone activity as aerial trespassing, and create guidelines for enforcement, including an option for police to shoot down rogue UAVs. State Senator Wayne Harper wants to address three issues: privacy, non-interference with airports and aircraft, and non-interference with emergency situations.

The bill would ban drones within 500 feet of correctional institutions or within three miles of a wildfire, and make it illegal to use a drone in the surveillance of large crowds or for stalking someone in a voyeuristic way. Violating drones could be neutralized by first responders or law enforcement officers.

DJI’s New Phantom 4 Drone Is Smarter, More Expensive and Available From Apple

DJI introduced the Phantom 4 which can dodge obstacles and track humans. The Phantom 4 features two sensors that allow it to react to and avoid obstacles in its path. The TapFly mode lets you tap on the live view on your smart device screen to direct the Phantom 4 in that direction. Flight time increases to 28 minutes, which is 25% more than the Phantom 3 Professional.

Someone thought it would be a good idea to fly a drone at 11,000 ft—it wasn’t

An anonymous YouTuber claims to have flown a modified DJI Phantom 2 to an altitude of 11,000 feet. Not all drone enthusiasts are impressed.

Video of the Week

African kids see drone for the first time!

Mark Brandon Smith was filming in Uganda when the headmaster of a school there asked him to give the kids a show with the drone. Watch the reaction from the kids as he flew the DJI Phantom 3 Professional for a short flight.

http://youtu.be/edgv7UH_LxY

Mentioned

High-tech ‘bazooka’ fires a net to take down drones

The SkyWall 100 from U.K.-based OpenWorks Engineering fires projectiles at drones from a shoulder-mounted compressed air launcher. The Skywall locks on the drone, tracks the drone’s flight path, calculates an intercept trajectory, and fires a cannister with a net.

Watch high tech ‘bazooka’ take down a drone Fox News

http://youtu.be/UfJ-Skd2CSU

Watch This Jet Ski Destroy a Drone, and Catch Some Serious Air

 

 

UAV131 Democratized Technology

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Skyward.ioThe CEO of Skyward tells us about software and services for commercial UAS operations. Also, DJI and Lufthansa do a drone deal, open source vs. open architecture autopilots, and taking FPV drone racing to the next level.

Guest

Jonathan EvansJonathan Evans is the CEO of Skyward, a provider of professional services and software in the form of airspace maps and integrated flight planning tools for commercial UAV operators.

Jonathan was a professional pilot for 18 years with over 3,000 hours of flight time. He holds an airline transport pilot (ATP) license and commercial and flight instructor ratings in airplanes and helicopters.

Jonathan began his career as a UH60 Blackhawk pilot and served as an Aircraft and Air Mission Commander for the 236th Medical company. He was selected to fly for the Army’s 12th Aviation Battalion, an aviation unit charged with protecting the Washington DC area and flying presidential cabinet members, congressmen and top Pentagon officials. During his military service, Jonathan built and managed secure computer networks and databases.
As a commercial pilot in civilian life, Jonathan flew medical crews to trauma scenes and hospitals for air ambulance companies in New Mexico, Alaska, and Oregon. He also flew in support of resource management and development projects in rural Alaska before settling in Oregon. He is now the CEO of Skyward, a drone operations platform.

Skyward webinarThe Skyward Professional Services team is hosting a webinar February 16 at 10 am PST (GMT-8:00) Get expert advice from the Skyward Professional Services team on running a professional drone operation. To register, see Drone Flights Underway? Expert Advice for Running a Professional Operation.

News

Lufthansa swoops on drone market

Lufthansa signs deal with DJI in fledgling drone push

Lufthansa and DJI have signed a partnership deal under which Lufthansa Aerial Services (LAS) would use DJI products and provide services to commercial customers. That might even include operating the drones. Lufthansa says they want to be a “one-stop-shop,” and that they will decide on their level of commitment by the end of the year.

UAV Propulsion Tech Post #15 – The Advantages of Commercial UAV Autopilots over Open Source Alternatives

Bob Schmidt from UAV Propulsion Tech (a sponsor of this show) posted this white paper by Sarah Vallely from MicroPilot. Last week we talked about the Dronecode Project and open source UAV control software. Adding to that discussion, Vallely brings up some interesting considerations for open source software. She argues that open source software is problematic for commercial applications, and open architecture is a better approach.

Video of the Week

There’s now a drone racing league that feels like pod racing from Star Wars

The Drone Racing League (DRL) announced its inaugural season for FPV racing. Spectator FPV racing suffers from a technical problem: The FPV standard definition video feed from the drone is poor quality, and HD video from the drone isn’t fast enough for the pilots. DRL has a solution: Use a low definition camera for the FPV pilots, and an HD camera that the producers can edit later for viewing.

Mentioned

Max was interviewed for an article in Drone Magazine (UK) about drone podcasts. The article, titled Radio Activity, appears in Issue #2, January 2016. Find more about the magazine on their Facebook page.

 

UAV128 Get the App Before You Fly

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Tactical Robotics AirMuleRegistration of model aircraft moves to the courts, FAA releases an app and answers more registration questions, a cargo delivery UAV makes a first untethered flight, and a new drone challenge.

News

FAA Sued In Federal Court Over Drone Registration Rules

Attorney and model airplane enthusiast John A. Taylor from Silver Spring, Maryland believes that the FAA requirement for sUAS registration is a violation of Section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Taylor requested an emergency stay of the registration requirement, but that was denied. The lawsuit is proceeding through the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, with a filing deadline of January 27, 2016.

FAA Administrator Huerta Addresses UAS Registration and Integration at CES

Administrator Michael Huerta spoke at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show, praising the work of the Registration Task force and noting that as of January  6, 2016, 181,061 operators had registered their drones.

Huerta was joined by Registration Task Force members:

  • Dave Vos, project lead for Google X’s Project Wing
  • Nancy Egan, 3D Robotics general counsel
  • Brendan Schulman, vice president of policy and legal affairs for DJI
  • Doug Johnson, vice president of technology policy for the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)

Schulman expressed concern about the ability to find an operator’s home address by looking up their registration number. On enforcement, Huerta says the FAA is trying for “voluntary compliance” but also that the FAA works closely with local enforcement.

FAA Releases B4UFLY Smartphone App

B4UFlyAlso at CES, Huerta announced the public release of the B4UFLY app for iOS, and the beta of a version for the Android operating system. The FAA says, “B4UFLY tells users about current or upcoming requirements and restrictions in areas of the National Airspace System (NAS) where they may want to operate their unmanned aircraft system (UAS).”

 

UAS Registration Q&A

The FAA Registration FAQs were updated to further explain the process:

Q52. Who can see the data that I can enter?

A. The FAA will be able to see the data that you enter. The FAA is using a contractor to maintain the website and database, and that contractor also will be able to see the data that you enter. Like the FAA, the contractor is required to comply with strict legal requirements to protect the confidentiality of the personal data you provide. Under certain circumstances, law enforcement officers might also be able to see the data. In the future, the registration database will be searchable by registration number only, but not by name or address. However, it is not searchable at this time.

Q2. Does it cost anything to register?

A. Federal law requires owners to pay $5 to register their aircraft. However, registration is free for the first 30 days to encourage speedy registration of UAS. During the first 30 days, you must pay $5 with a credit card, a pre-paid credit card or a debit card from a major bank. A $5 credit will appear 5-10 days afterwards.

Q9. Does the FAA have two different registration systems? If so, why?

A. Yes, there are two systems. The online system is currently only required for UAS used for hobby or recreational purposes. This new registration process is quick and easy and provides the registrant with a registration certificate immediately. The paper-based system is for manned aircraft and unmanned aircraft that are not solely used for [non-]hobby or recreational purposes or weigh more than 55 lbs. This process takes much longer to complete and the $5 registration fee is non-refundable. The FAA will transition the paper-based system to a web-based tool later in 2016.

Q11. Are non-U.S. citizens visiting the United States on vacation or for drone competitions required to register?

A. Everyone, including foreign nationals and tourists, who operate a UAS for hobby or recreational purposes outdoors in the U.S. must use the FAA’s online registration system. These non-U.S. citizens or non-permanent U.S. residents will receive the same registration certificate as U.S. Citizens or permanent U.S. residents. However, this certificate will function as a “recognition of ownership” document. This document is required by the Department of Transportation for foreign nationals to operate legally in the US.

Q19. I would like to fly my Radio/Remote Controlled (RC) aircraft outdoors, do I have to register it?

A. Yes, RC aircraft are unmanned aircraft and must be registered online if they weigh more than 0.55 lbs. and less than 55 pounds.

AirMule: Autonomous Cargo Delivery, Beyond Line of Sight

Tactical Robotics Ltd announced a successful untethered first flight of the AirMule Vertical TakeOff and Landing UAV. This cargo vehicle with internal lift rotors should be operational in a few years.

Ford Targets Drone-to-Vehicle Technology to Improve Emergency Services, Commercial Business Efficiency

The $100,000 2016 DJI SDK Developer Challenge brings DJI and Ford together to create drone-to-vehicle communications using Ford SYNC®AppLink or OpenXC. This is an opportunity for you to design an unmanned rescue aircraft that can be used for search missions.

“The aircraft must autonomously enter the ‘disaster area’ and gather information on the location of the ‘survivors’, and transmit it back to the computing device in the vehicle. Having captured all necessary information, it must then automatically return and land on the moving vehicle.”

  • Primary Technical Challenge: Automatic landing on a moving vehicle
  • Secondary Technical Challenge: Vision Guided Flight
  • Tertiary Technical Challenge: Object Recognition

Video of the Week

CES 2016: Intel drone dodges ‘falling tree’ on stage

Intel demonstrated a drone at CES that flew an obstacle course and autonomously detected and avoided an object that fell in its path.

Mentioned

AMA Air – January 2016

AMA Government and Regulatory Affairs team members Chad Budreau and Rich Hanson talk about UAS registration.

UAV123 UAS Registration Task Force Recommendations

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The UAS Registration Task Force issues its report to the FAA, and industry responds. A free, worldwide UAS course for new users, and package delivery by drone down under.

UAS Registration Task Force

UAS Task Force RecommendationsThe Registration Task Force provided its sUAS registration recommendations [PDF] to the FAA. The FAA will now consider those recommendations, as well as the public comments received, and issue its requirements for registration. If all goes according to the plan, these will come from the FAA this month, in December.

In its final report, the Task Force recommended:

  • Registration for all drones between 250 grams (.55 pounds) and 55 pounds operated outdoors
  • Registration by owner, not by drone. One registration number applies to all your drones.
  • As an alternative, you can instead register by manufacturer serial number.
  • Registration is required by time of flight, not at point of sale.
  • Required information: name and street address.
  • Optional information: email address, phone number.
  • Registration number (or serial number) displayed on each drone.
  • No fee, no citizenship requirement, minimum age 13.
  • Registration should be web-based with the certificate mailed/emailed to registrant.

AMA Reacts to DOT Task Force Recommendations on UAS Registration

The “AMA agrees that registration of UAS makes sense at some level and for flyers operating outside the guidance of a community-based organization or flying for commercial purposes.” But the Academy of Model Aeronautics does not support registration for its membership flying non-commercially.

The organization argues that members operate under a community-based organization: “Adding an additional requirement for AMA members to register at the federal level is contrary to the intent of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Public Law clearly states that the FAA is prohibited from promulgating any new rules for recreational users operating within the safety guidelines of a community-based organization. Congress by no means intended to grant a free pass for individuals who operate model aircraft. Instead, it clearly intended to leave risk mitigation and the development of appropriate safety guidelines for the operation of these devices by the members of the AMA to the nationwide community-based organization.”

DJI Concludes Participation on FAA Drone-Registration Task Force

“We share the concerns of many of the 4,700 people who filed comments that this process was initiated in response to sensational headlines rather than data-based risk assessments, and contradicts the provisions of several federal statutes. Nonetheless, we undertook in good faith the assignment, which was not to argue the law, but to use our expertise and knowledge as the world’s largest drone manufacturer to recommend to the Administrator a national drone registration system intended to be minimally burdensome to consumers and professionals, and effective at the stated goals.”

5 Things to Know About Mandatory Drone Registration

Lia Reich is Senior Director of Communications at PrecisionHawk, and PrecisionHawk was a member of the task force. In this piece, Lia provides some major points concerning the Task Force recommendations, but she also notes that she was on the “Women in Drones” panel at the Drone World Expo in San Jose. The panel discussed some of the ways that women can better influence outcomes in the commercial drone space.

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide to Offer Free Online UAS Course for New Users

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University – Worldwide is offering “Unmanned Aerospace Systems (UAS) – Key Concepts for New Users.” The massive open online course (MOOC) runs from Jan. 11 to 24, 2016. Registration opens Dec. 8, 2015.

The MOOC will consist of two 30 to 40-minute pre-recorded presentations, interactive discussion boards, and supporting links and videos. MOOC topics will include:

  • UAS Basics
  • The UAS Operating Environment
  • The National Airspace System (NAS)
  • Understanding the Basic Dos/Don’ts of UAS/Recreational Drone Operations
  • Planning to Fly Safe

Embry-Riddle says, “The primary goal is to educate new UAS users about effective operating procedures that foster safe UAS operations.”

UAV Propulsion Tech Post #13 – UAV’s Spotted at Dubai Airshow 2015

Bob Schmidt, president of UAV Propulsion Tech, attended this year’s Dubai Airshow looking for potential UAV customers for propulsion, servo, autopilot, and rescue/recovery parachute products. Bob’s well-illustrated report describes the UAVs at the airshow, but notes that there weren’t as many UAV exhibitors as he had hoped.  Bob looks forward to the UMEX show (Unmanned Systems Exhibition & Conference) in Abu Dhabi March 6-8, 2016 since this event is focused on UAVs.

Australia Post could soon be delivering packages with drones

Australia Post is trialing package delivery with drones that could be put to use as early as next year. The $10,000 drones will carry 2kg packages up to 25km, although the Post is looking at transporting 10kg packages.

Video of the Week

Flying Drones in rural areas

The Colorado Agricultural Aviation Assoc., Agribotix, UAS Colorado, and Avian conducted a test to see if pilots flying crop-dusting and other low-flying aircraft could see drones flying over the same fields. They could not.

Mentioned

The RoboUniverse Conference and Expo takes place December 14-16, 2015 in San Diego, California. It begins with a half day of interactive tutorials, followed by 2 days of conference sessions and exhibit hall access. Sessions include a drones track and keynote sessions by industry leaders, such as Chris Anderson, CEO of 3D Robotics. Other features include Drone Zone demos, an EZDrone Crash Course, and RoboGameChanger startup competition. If you act fast, you can get 10% off the conference price when you use the discount code “DIGEST.”

David participated in the Drone Laws and Technology / Latest TSA Adjustments conversation on Hong Kong’s Radio 3. You can listen to the panel on the Backchat podcast.

UAV122 Realtime Flight Restriction Data Coming to UAVs

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DJI geofencing systemDJI and 3D Robotics bring real-time airspace restrictions to UAV software, a UAV flagship store is planned to open, ArcadiaSky opens a marketplace for commercial UAV operators, FAA gives a UAV registration warning, and another municipality regulates drone flights.

News

DJI Introduces New GeoFencing System For Its Drones

DJI plans to introduce a dynamic geofencing system that continuously provides updated airspace information to the operator. Data comes from Geospatial Environment Online (GEO). Drone operators will see temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) in real time, including forest fires, major stadium events, VIP travel, and restrictions around prisons, power plants, and other restricted areas such as national parks.

However, operators with verified DJI accounts could temporarily unlock or self-authorize flights in some of those locations, but not in sensitive national-security locations. This to accommodate the authorized applications and provide accountability if the flight is later under investigation.

DJI intends to start this in December, first in North America and Europe via a DJI Go app update, and also a drone firmware update.

GEO is powered by geospatial data from Santa Monica, California-based AirMap, which calls itself “the leading provider of airspace information and services for drones. AirMap’s real-time services are available to manufacturers through an API and through an SDK for application developers.”

Just as we were recording this episode, a video was posted from Drone World Expo titled DJI Technology Policy Announcement by Brendan Schulman, VP of Policy & Legal Affairs.

3DR Collaborates with AirMap to Integrate Flight Safety Zone Software into the Solo App

3D Robotics will also integrate AirMap’s safety information into its Solo smart drone app. CEO and co-founder Chris Anderson says, “…we want to make flying as safe as it is easy. Supplementing the Solo app with AirMap’s robust and reliable real-time airspace information allows us to increase education with a seamless and enjoyable drone experience.”

From the 3DR press release: “If Solo users open their Solo app in a restricted area, they’ll see a warning. Users can then tap the warning to bring up a map that displays any airspace information in the area. This airspace information includes real-time Temporary Flight Restrictions that may be established in the areas around wildfires, major sporting events and other sensitive places. The Solo app will contain basic airspace information: federal guidelines (e.g., five miles from an airport); national parks; airbases, etc.”

The World’s Biggest Commercial Drone Maker is Opening a Flagship Store

In December, DJI plans to open an 8,600 square foot flagship store in Shenzhen, China. A DJI spokesman said, “We want more people to see and touch our products.”

Start-up ArcadiaSky creates marketplace for commercial UAV hire

Australian company ArcadiaSky wants to make it easier to find licenced commercial UAV operators. After two months, they have 180 drone operators in 74 locations in Australia, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They’ve received over 1,300 requests for quotes.

ArcadiaSky describes a free, three-step process:

  1. Define your requirements on a request for quote
  2. Choose your pilot based on your requirements
  3. You are put in contact with the drone operator

FAA: Think Twice about “Drone Registration” Firms

The FAA has issued a statement saying UAV owners should wait for the registration process to be announced before they work with any company that offers to help you with registration.

At least one company is offering this kind of service.

The FAA wants “a streamlined unmanned aircraft registration process that will be simple and easy to complete… The Task Force …is working on recommendations for a system that is similar to registering any newly purchased product with its manufacturer…”

Chicago City Council Approves Ban On Drones

The Chicago City Council approved an ordinance regulating drone use and requiring that drones cannot fly above 400 feet, must be line-of-sight, and cannot fly within five miles of O’Hare and Midway Airports. Also, no flying of drones over schools, churches, hospitals, police stations, and any private property without consent.

Video of the Week

DroneFest, the International Drone Film Festival

This international film and photography competition culminates in a one-night festival dedicated to everything drones. It’s part of the SkyTech 2016 Drone Expo on the 27th January 2016. Submissions are accepted until December 13, 2015.

 

UAV103 Matternet Tests Autonomous Package Delivery

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Matternet ONEPackage delivery by autonomous drone, drone company management changes, making interfering with firefighters illegal, drone service on demand, North Dakota innovation hub, drone photography contest results, USAF addresses pilot shortage, and accidents increase in Netherlands.

News

Swiss Postal Service, Air Cargo Carrier Begin Drone Testing

Freight carrier Swiss WorldCargo announced on July 7 that testing had begun using the Matternet ONE drone for small package delivery. The quadcopter operates autonomously and can carry one kilogram up to 10 kilometers on a single battery charge. Matternet says the drone uses “secure routes that adapt to weather, terrain and airspace [and] allow Matternet ONE to fly autonomously beyond line of sight, without the need for a human pilot.” The cloud-based routing system … ”guides the Matternet ONE along a secure route at low altitude – between 50-100 meters above ground – adjusting for inclement weather, avoiding tall buildings, mountains and restricted airspace.”

Chinese Manufacturer DJI Hires Prominent ‘Drone Lawyer’

Brendan Schulman, who defended Pirker against the FAA, has left law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel where he was head of the Unmanned Aircraft Systems practice. Now Schulman is Vice President of Policy and Legal Affairs at drone maker DJI.

Other movements in the industry include:

  • Amazon hired former Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) counsel Ben Gielow in September as its senior manager of public policy.
  • Amazon appointed Sean Cassidy, a former Alaska Airlines pilot and first vice president of the Air Line Pilots Association, as director of partner relationships in March.
  • Last August, Google hired David Vos, a technology entrepreneur and former Rockwell Collins senior director, to lead its Project Wing effort to deliver packages.
  • In April, Francis “Chip” Sheller, the former Aerospace Industries Association vice president of communications and research, became vice president of communications and public affairs for Aurora Flight Sciences.
  • Former deputy director of the FAA’s flight standards service, John McGraw, acted as a consultant to video production companies applying for an FAA sUAS exemption.

After drone diverts fire-fighting planes, lawmakers want fines and jail time

California representative Paul Cook (R-Apple Valley) introduced H.R. 3025 to the House of Representatives, which would make it a criminal offense to interfere with firefighting efforts on federal land.

Fly4Me gets FAA approval, launches ‘Uber for drones’

Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Fly4Me received a Section 333 exemption to “conduct community training workshops, research and development, and aerial inspections of buildings and land within the United States.” Now the company wants to establish a marketplace where customers book flights and pilots bid on projects. Customers are able to interact with the pilot during the flight and stream FPV. A beta version of the platform was released June 17, 2015.

Is the Silicon Valley of Drones in North Dakota?

Grand SkyNorth Dakota wants to be an innovation hub for drones. Grand Sky Development Park is set to open this summer at Grand Forks Air Force Base as a UAS Business and Aviation Park. The facility features 1.2 million square feet of hangar and office space, and a runway for drones. The state invested $5 million in infrastructure and $7.5 million more in grants for runway improvements.

The 2015 Drone Aerial Photography Contest

Dronestagram announced the winners of its second annual photo competition. The contest was judged by National Geographic and Dronestagram CEO and founder Eric Dupin. Nine photographs are depicted from the more than 5,000 entries submitted. Contest sponsors included National Geographic, Kodak, Parrot, Go Pro, Hexo+, Picanova, Hobbico, and Adobe.

AF rolls out details to improve RPA mission

The U.S Air Force has a plan to address the RPA pilot shortage that includes a Critical Skills Retention Bonus for RPA pilots, assignment of about 80 Undergraduate pilot training graduates to RPA squadrons beginning in August, and spending more than $100 million to buy six next-generation ground control stations, training simulators, and contract instructors.

UAS Accidents Rise in Netherlands

According to the Dutch Transport Ministry, inspectors received reports of 8 small unmanned aircraft accidents in 2012, 15 in 2013, and 27 in 2014. Most of the incidents were reported by manned aircraft and professional drone users and eleven of the 2014 incidents involved a crash landing close to people or buildings. New rules governing the use of drones come into effect later this year.

Video of the Week

Feeding Corn in Iowa

A Hagie machine applies liquid fertilizer to miles of corn with Y-Drops. Filmed with an DJI Inspire-1.

Mentioned

Our Real Red Selves

This book contains the work of three authors, including Harry Giles’ Drone, which explores modern warfare and office life. Harry tells us that there will be a performance of the poetry in August at the Edinburgh Festival this year at Summerhall.

 

UAV098 HeliVideo to Provide Footage at U.S. Open

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The HeliVideo fleet

HeliVideo to cover U.S. Open, commercial drone market share, China uses drone to catch cheaters, using TV signals to sense aircraft, a Google drone patent, and UAS full type certificates.

News

How FOX Sports will use drones at the U.S. Open, and why the FAA is watching

FOX Sports is using octocopters from Austin-based HeliVideo to cover the golf championship at Chambers Bay. HeliVideo says they provide “FAA approved cinematography for television and film.” The HeliVideo fleet includes a Small Sensor Hexacopter with a Panasonic Lumix GH3, a Full Frame Octocopter sporting a Canon 5D Mark 3, an EPIC 6k Dragon Octocopter, and an EPIC 6k Dragon Single blade helicopter.

For the golf tournament, HeliVideo is bringing a four-man team and more than $1 million in equipment — including the DJI Spreading Wings 1000 drone. HeliVideo received their exemption last September. An authorized, licensed pilot will fly the drones, while a visual observer will keep tabs on the devices at all times.

Forty eight percent of commercial drone platforms in the USA made by DJI

sUAS News reports that DJI has 48.4% of the “commercially licenced platforms” in service. AeroVironment follows with 12.1%, 3DR with 7.6%, and Precision Hawk with 3.9% This is from a total population of 380 platforms.

Authorizations Granted Via Section 333 Exemptions

This list from the FAA shows Petitioners, Grant Issue Date, Operation/Mission, and the Authorizations document.

China Uses a Drone to Curb Cheating on College Placement Exams

The National College Entrance Exams in China are critical to the future success of the 9.5 million students who take the 2-3 day test. This has led to cheating schemes where students send exam questions out to others, who then transmit answers back to the student.

Now Chinese education authorities are fighting back with a drone. It flies over testing centers and scans for signals being sent to devices brought in by students. The drone is reported to be about the size of a gas station pump and cost tens of thousands of dollars.

TV signals a possible alternative to radar

Air traffic control company NATS has been working with Thales and contract R&D company Roke Manor to see if television transmission signals could be used to detect and direct aircraft. In a trial conducted over London, more than 30 aircraft were tracked at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet.

Google Working On Fleet of Drone Ambulances To Save Your Life, Reveals a Newly Granted Patent

Google was granted United States Patent 9,051,043 titled “Providing emergency medical services using unmanned aerial vehicles.” It provides for a fleet of UAVs configured to: identify remote medical situations, determine the target location, select a UAV with the proper configuration, and deploy the UAV to the target location to provide medical support. Sounds a lot like the Amazon drone delivery patent.

FAA Working Eight UAS Full Type Certificates

A type certificate would allow a UAS manufacturer to fly the aircraft throughout U.S. airspace. Larger UASs like the Boeing Insitu ScanEagle and AeroVironment’s Puma fly under type certificates issued in the Restricted category. Experimental type certificates have been issued to other UASs which generally prohibit commercial uses. There are no type certificate requirements for UASs under 55 pounds.

Mentioned

Expert: Drones Causing Major Aviation Disasters Is ‘A Question Of When It’s Going To Happen, Not If’

David provides expert opinion to CBS DC.

UAV090 Dee Jay Eye

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X-47B Demonstrates Unmanned Aerial RefuelingThe X47B demonstrates autonomous refueling, 3D Robotics releases the Solo, India weaponizes small drones for crowd control, opinions on how the FAA can do a better job, and Auburn University plans to provide UAS pilot training.

News

X-47B Demonstrates Unmanned Aerial Refueling For The First Time

The Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle has successfully demonstrated autonomous aerial refueling, plugging into the aerial refueling basket behind a KC-707 tanker.

3D Robotics takes on DJI with Solo ‘smart drone’

The 3D Robotics Solo may be the smartest drone ever

3D Robotics Solo

3D Robotics released the Solo ready to fly quadcopter. They call it “The Smart Drone” and it includes an onboard 1GHz computer in addition to the Pixhawk 2 flight controller. It has full access to the GoPro camera (not included) and can stream live video. Price is US$1,000, or US$1,400 including a GoPro gimbal mount.

Security from the sky: Indian city to use pepper-spray drones for crowd control

The Senior Superintendent of police in the northern India city of Lucknow says they’ll use small drones with pepper spray to control mobs and unruly crowds. The drones they are using cost between $9,560 and $19,300, and will be fitted with a camera and pepper spray. Lucknow police have already used camera-equipped drones to monitor crowds at a recent religious festival.

FAA Speeds Up Small Drone Exemptions. But Why Not Just Issue Blanket Exemption?

This opinion piece argues that rather than issue exemptions one-by-one for sUAS operations, the FAA should issue a blanket exemption.

Auburn University receives nation’s first FAA authorization to operate Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight School

Auburn University says it has received FAA approval for a new Unmanned Aircraft Systems Flight School as part of its Aviation Center. Bill Hutto, director of the Auburn University Aviation Center said, “We will conduct commercial flight training for operators of unmanned aircraft systems outdoors and untethered. We will have the ability to offer training courses at different locations here and around the state for Auburn students, faculty, members of other public agencies and the general public.”

FAA permits Amazon to test new UAV model

Amazon had complained that the UAS approved by the FAA in March was already obsolete, due to the length of time it took to get the COA. Amazon has now received a letter from the FAA granting operation of “the Amazon-manufactured multirotor small UAS that has been described to the FAA in a confidential filing.”

33 UAV Experts Reveal Favorite Drone Accessory

UAV Coach asked 33 experts, “If you could only choose one drone accessory, which one would you choose and why?” The site, which seeks to help people fly their quadcopters, “wanted to discover what some of the top industry professionals, drone bloggers, news sites, companies, and pilots would use to enhance their flights if they only had one option.” The group of experts includes past guests Tim Trott and Parker Gyokeres. Oh, and also our own David Vanderhoof.

Video of the Week

Dragonfly – Vanuatu Disaster Relief 2015

This very interesting video documents the relief provided by the 240 foot super motor yacht “Dragonfly” after Tropical Cyclone Pam pummeled the islands of Vanuatu. Much of the video was shot with a quadcopter, and it very clearly illustrates the complete destruction of the island.

Mentioned

DJI Developer

DJI has a developer program and SDK which supports the Phantom 2 Vision and Phantom 2 Vision+. Support for the Phantom 3 and Inspire 1 is coming soon. iOS and Android operating systems are supported now, with Windows Phone support coming soon.

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Official Teaser #2

Lucasfilm and director J.J. Abrams take you back again to a galaxy far, far away as Star Wars returns to the big screen with “Star Wars: The Force Awakens.”

UAV089 New Quadcopters from DJI and 3DR

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3D RoboticsDJI and 3D Robotics introduce new quadcopters, more FAA exemptions, EASA looking at RPAS regulations, and export control implications for drones.

News

The World’s Largest Drone Company Unveils Newest Product DJI Phantom 3

DJI introduced the Phantom 3 in two models, the Professional at $1259 and the Advanced at $999. The Professional offers a 1080P 4K camera. Both come with the Lightbridge Technology offering real-time HD Video from up to a mile away. The DJI app now includes a flight simulator.

3D Robotics teases stylish drone with pro features

3DR - Dawn

 

3D Robotics released a teaser video for a new quadcopter to be introduced April 13th. It looks like the styling team took a page from the DJI Phantom book. Engadget believes it will have first person view out of the box, a pre-programmable flying route, perhaps follow-me settings, and a new gimbal design.

 

3D Robotics Launches DroneKit, Its API For Building Drone Apps

A few weeks ago, 3D Robotics launched “DroneKit,” an open-source API for writing drone apps. It works with any drone that uses its APM autopilot. With the API, developers can write web-based and mobile apps, as well as apps written in Python that run on the drone itself.

FAA Grants 30 New Commercial UAS Exemptions

The FAA approved 30 more commercial UAS exemptions, including exemptions for insurance companies USAA and AIG. In a press release (FAA Approves Drone Petition), USAA says, “The Federal Aviation Administration approved USAA’s petition on April 2 to conduct research and development on its new unmanned aircraft system (UAS) program to better serve members, especially after catastrophes.”

The FAA approved USAA’s use of a PrecisionHawk drone for daytime, line-of-sight flights under 400 feet with a trained pilot. USAA will work with PrecisionHawk to develop best practices, safety and privacy protocols, and procedures for future operational use.

In another press release (It’s Wheels Up with ‘Transformative Technology’) written before the petition was submitted, USAA provides some examples of the applications they have in mind:

“We’re constantly seeking ways to better serve our members, especially during catastrophes, when getting into neighborhoods immediately after can be dangerous to human life, and applying new technologies is one way we can do that,” says Alan Krapf, president, USAA property and casualty insurance group.

USAA has teamed up with Texas A&M University to research and develop how to effectively put UAS to work for its members. This is being conducted with the University’s Roboticists Without Borders and Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR).

Also granted exemptions were AeroVironment for agriculture, aerial survey, and patrol applications, and senseFly for precision agriculture.

The total number of approved exemptions is now 99. The FAA has received 700 applications.

EASA Presents its Vision for the Future of the Aviation Regulatory System

EASA (the European Aviation Safety Agency) published an ‘EASA Opinion’ with proposals for the future of the aviation regulatory system. They include proposals for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPASs).

As part of implementing a General Aviation Road Map, EASA proposes to amend existing regulations to introduce, “…the necessary flexibility for small, low-risk GA as well as for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPASs) by introducing provisions which will allow possible deviations from existing requirements, where appropriate.”

US policy on the export of Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS): a detailed look and analysis

The U.S. Department of State conducted a UAS policy review and has issued a new policy that governs the export and subsequent use of commercial and military unmanned systems. The new policy could allow export of weaponized UAS to U.S. allies, under certain circumstances and uses.

The policy also could also allow export of more types of commercial UAS to other countries, subject to compliance with U.S. laws and regulations and applicable multilateral commitments.

The U.S. Export Policy for Military Unmanned Aerial Systems fact sheet contains additional information.

In the United States, there are two sets of export regulations that would apply to drones, related components, systems, software, and technology:

U.S. exporters of drones, related systems, and technologies should pay close attention to these regulations.

Video of the Week

3DR – Dawn of the Aerial Age

3D Robotics teaser of their new quadcopter to be unveiled April 13, 2015.

Mentioned

Listener Bill sends in How SDG&E trains drone operators to help restore power.

San Diego Gas & Electric becomes the first utility company approved by the FAA to use unmanned aircraft systems. The company is looking at applications for its 26,000 miles of power lines.

Reminder

Visit http://theUAVdigest.com/nprm and you’ll be redirected to the regulations.gov web page where you can find the NPRM and submit your comments online on or before April 24, 2015.

UAV082 Reaction to the FAA’s NPRM for Commercial sUAS

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NBC Exclusive Drone Footage Captures Frozen Niagara Falls

Companies, the press, and other interested parties have looked at the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) for small UAS, and the response has been positive, but there is work to be done.

For documents related to the sUAS NPRM, visit regulations.gov and search for Docket FAA-2015-0150. At press time, the Recently Published Rulemaking Documents page still shows the NPRM as pending publication in the Federal Register, but a PDF of the NPRM is available.

News

FAA’s liberal proposed rules win allies in drone business

Jon Resnick, Policy and Marketing Representative in Washington for DJI says, “We are very pleased the FAA is taking a reasonable and practical approach to integrating commercial UAS into the National Air Space. We are very encouraged and stand ready to collaborate with the FAA to implement common-sense proposals as quickly as possible.”

Mark Dombroff, from law firm McKenna Long & Aldridge says, “My concern is that there will be people entering the UAS business who are attracted by the potential economics. This really requires aggressive monitoring and enforcement by the FAA to insure that the rules are observed.”

With new rules, the FAA and drone industry make up

“Drone advocates let out a collective sigh of relief as new commercial drone regulations are more industry-friendly than expected.”

Fortune says, the “FAA … is far more in tune with industry needs than many imagined.”

They call it “a promising sign.”

Matthew Bieschke, president of the UAS America Fund says, “I think the FAA has had a tremendously difficult job to do, and I think what they came out with over the weekend was surprising. It was less conservative than a lot of people in the industry thought it would be.”

Lisa Ellman, counsel and co-chair of the UAS Practice Group at the D.C. office of McKenna Long & Aldridge says, “People feared that the new process would look like the Section 333 exemption process up to and including the private pilot’s license requirement … so this is a huge, wonderful thing, this new UAS operator’s certificate. It will be relatively easy to get and will make drones broadly accessible.”

Brendan Schulman, head of the unmanned aircraft systems practice at New York City-based law firm Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel, says there are aspects of the Notice that the FAA got wrong: Limitations on academic research, night flying, and the height limitation.

Regarding drone-based delivery, Schulman says in an email to Fortune, “The proposal considers drone delivery to be air carriage subject to heightened regulatory standards outside the UAS proposal. That’s a legal distinction that made sense in the manned aircraft era but I am not sure why they are holding on to it. It strikes me as a real blow to Amazon and other companies that have been working on drone delivery projects.”

Amazon drone plans shot down by authorities

In the proposed regulations, operators of commercial sUAS must fly under “unaided” line of sight and not over people. This makes package delivery impossible. Amazon vice-president of global public policy Paul Misener told CNBC by email, “The FAA needs to begin and expeditiously complete the formal process to address the needs of our business, and ultimately our customers. We are committed to realizing our vision for Prime Air and are prepared to deploy where we have the regulatory support we need.”

Small UAV Coalition Applauds the FAA’S Release of the Proposed sUAS Rule as a Good First Step for Industry

In its press release, the Small UAV Coalition says, “We applaud the FAA for creating a flexible framework that appears to be risk-based, as we have advocated, and focused on the technological capabilities of UAVs, rather than simply adapting a set of rules from those currently governing manned aircraft.” And, “In particular, we support the FAA’s proposal not to require an airworthiness certificate for small UAVs, and to eliminate any requirement for a pilot to obtain manned aircraft flying experience or a medical exam.”

But the Coalition does have some issues with the proposal concerning line of sight, testing on private property, night flying, the altitude limit, and first person view.

President Obama Calls for Transparency in UAS Privacy Memo

President Barack Obama released a Presidential Memorandum to the heads of Executive Departments and Agencies: Promoting Economic Competitiveness While Safeguarding Privacy, Civil Rights, and Civil Liberties in Domestic Use of Unmanned Aircraft Systems.

Video of the Week

NBC Exclusive Drone Footage Captures Frozen Niagara Falls

Capturing the beauty of the frozen falls.

UAV080 UAV Tracking and Avoidance

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LATAS (Low Altitude Tracking and Avoidance System)

A new tracking and avoidance system, drones that assist firefighters, a Phantom firmware rollback, drone waiters that bring your meal, a personal No Fly Zone, shooting down those pesky drones, Qualcomm buys KMel Robotics, and California seeks to regulate drones below 400 feet.

News

PrecisionHawk Announces UAV Tracking and Avoidance System

PrecisionHawk released an automated traffic control system for UAVs said to aid with the integration of UAVs into the National Airspace (NAS). The “Low Altitude Tracking and Avoidance System” (LATAS) uses global cellular networks on speeds as low as 2G. to provide real-time flight planning, tracking and avoidance for UAVs.

LATAS is small (3x2x1in) and light and was developed to be plug and play or integrated into a UAV’s circuit during manufacturing.

Micro-flyer drone could help a robot to fight fires on ships

Last November, the US Office of Naval Research conducted a demonstration of its Shipboard Autonomous Firefighting Robot (SAFFiR) along with an autonomous quadcopter drone. The robot/drone combination is intended to assist firefighters aboard naval vessels. This is under the Office of Naval Research’s Damage Control Technologies for the 21st Century (DC-21) project. The quadcopter comes from Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute and Sensible Machines.

This Spherical Rescue Drone Is Straight Out of Star Wars

Flyability has introduced what it calls “the world’s first collision-proof drone.” The “Gimball” search and rescue drone is spherical and bounces off obstacles to keep flying. It has a coaxial twin rotor design inside a rotating protective carbon fiber frame. In Crash-proof UAV takes out US$1 million Drones For Good Competition we learn that the Flyability Gimball took first place in the Drones For Good contest.

Unexpected issues force drone maker DJI to roll back ‘White House’ update

DJI has rolled back the geofencing firmware update for the Phantom — also known as the “White House patch” — because there have been reports of “unanticipated flight behavior.”

Drone waiters to serve patrons in Singapore restaurants

Infinium Robotics specializes “in providing autonomous UAV solutions for commercial applications.” That includes food delivery by drone in some Singapore restaurants. The rotors are completely enclosed to avoid injury and the UAVs utilize sense and avoid technology.

Singapore currently has a shortage of workers in the food industry so this is covering a real need.

NoFlyZone Lets You Establish A No-Fly Zone Over Your Property

NoFlyZone creates a GeoFence around your home after you register your property. Currently,  the service works with UAS manufacturers DroneDeploy, YUNEEC, HEXO+, PixiePath, RCFlyMaps. EHANG, and Horizon Hobby.

Oklahoma bill would allow property owners to shoot down drones without civil liability

The Oklahoma State Senate Judiciary Committee passed Senate Bill 492, giving property owners the right to shoot down drones without fear of civil liability. Backers say that drones are increasingly being used by cattle thieves. This bill would protect property owners should they be sued by thieves over a shot down drone.

Qualcomm Buys Aerial Drone Startup with Advanced Control Technology

Chipmaker Qualcomm has acquired startup KMel Robotics, which specializes in multi-rotor drones. Qualcomm isn’t providing any details other than to point to the KMel Robotics website: “We are extremely excited to become part of the Qualcomm team and look forward to bringing aerial robotics to the next level together.”

KMel Robotics has produced videos demonstrating impressive flight coordination:

California’s No Drone Zones

California bill SB142 bans trespassing by drones flying below 400 feet.

Mentioned

UOIT Controls The Weather At Its Drone Testing Centre

The University of Ontario Institute of Technology has launched the ACE Centre for UAV Research.

Want to fly your drone and make a quick buck? The FAA has 33 rules for you.

UAV079 Volcano!

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'GMA' Flies Drone Over Erupting Volcano Live

A drone flies over a volcano for live TV, Alibaba tests drone package delivery, more Section 333 exemptions, drones for real estate, and a poll shows Americans want regulations.

News

‘GMA’ Flies Drone Over Erupting Volcano Live

ABC’s Good Morning America television show flew two quadcopters over the erupting Bardarbunga Volcano in central Iceland. And they broadcast the video live on national TV. Eric Cheng, DJI Director of Aerial Imaging, was on hand to operate the main quadcopter while a chase DJI provided additional coverage.

The live video of the volcano was spectacular. This wasn’t a puff piece – it was a very public demonstration of using a drone for science. With last week’s drone crash on the White House lawn, and now this, public awareness of small drones is increasing.

Alibaba Package Delivery

Alibaba Beats Amazon to Drone Delivery

The Wall Street Journal calls Alibaba, “China’s — and by some measures, the world’s — biggest online commerce company.” With e-commerce activity of $248B, it’s bigger than eBay and Amazon.com combined.

Now Alibaba is conducting a three day package delivery test for customers that are within a one-hour flight by quadcopter from their warehouses in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. They’ve posted a promotional video online.

FAA Grants Eight More UAS Exemptions

Exemptions under Section 333 were issued to Total Safety U.S. Inc. for flare stack inspections, Slugwear, Inc. (dba LikeOnATree Aerial) for aerial photography and surveys. Team 5, LLC;  Shotover Camera Systems LP;  Helinet Aviation Services, LLC;  and Alan D. Purwin were given an exemption for film and television production.  This brings the total number of exemptions to 24.

At the same time, the FAA amended the exemptions previously granted to Pictorvision, Inc. and Aerial MOB, LLC to let the companies fly additional types of small UAS.

As with the last round of exemptions, “the proposed operations do not need an FAA-issued certificate of airworthiness because they do not pose a threat to national airspace users or national security.”

The FAA says they have received 342 requests for exemptions from commercial entities and individuals.

UAV real estate Co. to expand nationwide following FAA exemption

Real estate video and production firm Burnz Eye View received an exemption from the FAA in January. Mark Burns started the company 3 years ago and has a team of 15 in San Diego. With the exemption, he wants to expand to cover the entire U.S. To do that, he needs pilots. Specifically, UAV operators that have private pilot’s licenses or multi-hour experience flying UAVs. An understanding of platform maintenance will also be needed.

Americans OK with police drones – private ownership, not so much: Poll

A Reuters/Ipsos online poll of 2,000 people conducted Jan. 21-27, 2015 showed that 73 percent of the respondents said they want regulations for small drones. Forty-two percent oppose private ownership of drones. They think they should be restricted to officials or other experts. Thirty percent were OK with private drone ownership, and 28 percent were undecided.

Video of the Week

Seize Des Moines

This interesting aerial tour of Iowa’s capital city was sent in by listener Bill, who raises some questions about the safety of flying in proximity to buildings and crowded events.

UAV078 Dronegate

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Crashed drone photo courtesy of Secret Service

Drone crashes on the White House lawn, actors playing drone pilots, a waterproof drone swims with the fishes, fighting fires with optionally manned helicopters, a record UAS flight, drone regulations around the world, and new FAA exemptions.

White House Incursion

Obama Says US Must Catch up to Ensure Drones Are Safe

Don’t drink and drone: Bozo who crashed drone at White House had been boozing

White House Drone Raises Questions About D.C., Capitol Policy

Man Lost Contact With Drone Before It Sped to White House, Friend Says

DJI to Disable Phantom in No-Fly Zones

A government employee who works for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency lost track of the quadcopter he was flying from inside an apartment, and it landed on the White House lawn. The man, who reportedly had been drinking, turned himself in the next day after hearing about the news reports.

Apparently, the man flew a Phantom in and out of an apartment window. A friend says this quadcopter model has a flaw that causes them to fly away, and so the manufacturer is partially at fault.

DJI has responded with a software update that will disable all of its devices within a 15.5-mile radius of downtown Washington D.C. and around more than 10,000 U.S. airports.

This story has created a lot of attention in the press that raises issues including the lack of regulations and the need for security measures.

News

Anne Hathaway and Ethan Hawke both playing drone pilots—what does it mean?

Story lines with military drones are making their way into various productions. The off-Broadway, one-woman play titled “Grounded” is performed by Oscar-winning actress Anne Hathaway, who portrays an Air Force pilot who is assigned to fly drones. Meanwhile, the movie “Good Kill” stars Ethan Hawke as a drone pilot who questions the ethics of his job.

The New “Mariner” Waterproof Drone Video Collection

Ambient Real Life presents a waterproof quadcopter that can skim along the surface of the water and take video of the sights below.

US Interior Department, Australia eye unmanned helicopters to fight fires

The US Department of the Interior wants to investigate the use of optionally piloted helicopters for forest firefighting. They want to “assess the feasibility of utilizing these types of aircraft for a variety of missions, including, but not limited to fire suppression at night and during low visibility conditions as well as cargo delivery.” Interior is asking interested companies for an initial response.

Some existing helicopters would seem to fit the requirements:

The Kaman and Lockheed Martin K-MAX has operational experience, and on November 5, 2014 a demonstration of eight firefighting scenarios was conducted at Griffiss International Airport in upstate New York where it gathered water and doused fires. Sikorsky’s MATRIX project has tested an S-76 as an optionally manned platform.The Northrop Grumman MQ-8C Fire Scout might be a possibility, but it’s a fully unmanned aircraft.

Orion UAS breaks flight endurance record on 80 hour mission

Aurora Flight Sciences says they have set a world endurance record for an unmanned aircraft system. Their Orion UAS flew for 80 hours, beating the previous official record of 30.5 hours set in 2001 by the RQ-4 Global Hawk.

Thailand mulls jail term for unlicensed drone pilots

Thailand’s Civil Aviation Department is drawing up rules that would:

  • prohibit attaching cameras to drones except for business reasons
  • restrict drones with cameras to use by photographers, film-makers, and journalists
  • set a one hour maximum flight time
  • limit weight and size

The Ministry of Transport would oversee and approve applications to use drones. Violators could face a year in prison and a fine of 40,000 baht (£813; $1,229)

Queensland man first in Australia to be fined for flying a drone

If you fly your drone in a manner not allowed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), then upload the video to YouTube, your notoriety could land you a fine. In this case, $850.

CASA regulations state that hobbyists who fly for no commercial gain cannot fly their drones:

  • Within 3 nautical miles of an airport;
  • Above 400 feet in controlled airspace (large towns and cities)’
  • Over populous areas;
  • Within 30 meters of people;
  • At night.

Aviation safety: GCAA to issue drone rules

The General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA), which regulates civil aviation in the United Arab Emirates, says they are about to release regulations for unmanned aerial systems. Reportedly, the regulations will be based on weight and type of operators and will ban the use of UAVs near airports, residential areas, and public facilities and properties. A permit will be required from the GCAA, as well as coordination with the air traffic authorities.

FAA Grants Two More UAS Exemptions

The agency gave new exemptions to AeroCine, LLC for aerial cinematography, and to Burnz Eye View, Inc. for aerial photography and inspections. FAA-issued certificates of airworthiness are not needed “because they do not pose a threat to national airspace users or national security.”

Videos of the Week

First commercial drone to take flight over downtown Edmonton

Connor Burns of Skymatics flies the first drone approved for operation in downtown Edmonton on Jan. 28, 2015, a DJI Spreading Wings S1000. Video by Bruce Edwards, Edmonton Journal. The octocopter will be used to take video of construction projects for a design and planning firm.

Farmer uses drone to capture bird’s-eye view of ‘cow art’

What can you do with a feed truck, a drone, and a herd of cattle?

UAV076 FAA Enlists Law Enforcement

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Trace FLYR1

 

The FAA tells law enforcement what their role is in policing UAS usage, CNN signs an agreement with the FAA to share drone journalism research results, and drones are big at the Consumer Electronics Show.

News

FAA Issues UAS Guidance for Law Enforcement

This isn’t guidance on how law enforcement can use UAS. It’s guidance on how law enforcement plays a vital role in “deterring, detecting and investigating unsafe operations.” Specifically, FAA looks to law enforcement for:

  • Witness Identification and Interviews
  • Identification of Operators
  • Viewing and Recording the Location of the Event
  • Identifying Sensitive Locations, Events, or Activities
  • Notifying FAA of incident, accident or other suspected violation
  • Evidence Collection

The guidance document Law Enforcement Guidance for Suspected Unauthorized UAS Operations is available as a PDF.

CNN strikes drone deal with FAA

In June 2014, CNN and the Georgia Institute of Technology announced they would jointly study how to operate UAVs safely and effectively. At that time, they said they wanted to share the data from the study with the FAA. CNN has now signed a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with the FAA that allows it to share the research data with the FAA.

CNN Senior Vice President David Vigilante said, “Our aim is to get beyond hobby-grade equipment and to establish what options are available and workable to produce high quality video journalism using various types of UAVs and camera setups.”

International Consumer Electronics Show Coverage

The giant, annual International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) gives the industry a chance to display products that are available to buy now, and concepts that you may or may not be able to buy later. As you’d expect, there were a lot of drones at CES:

Drones fly high at CES

The AirDog auto-follow drone is available for pre-order ($1,295) and is envisioned for recording extreme sports.

The GoPro-ready RTF Ghost Drone ($600) can be operated by a Smartphone app.

CES 2015: Unleash the Drones!

In a CES first, there was an Unmanned Systems Marketplace on the show floor with over a dozen companies exhibiting. The FAA was close by promoting “Know before You Fly” and handing out fliers.

The Trace FLYR1 (available for pre-order) is called, “A visually intelligent smart camera that can click in and out of a multitude of self controlled motorized accessories, allowing you to stay in the moment and stream your footage live to the internet.” It can follow you at a fixed distance by tracking a pattern on your shirt.

At one of the keynote speeches, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, shows drones from Ascending Technologies that use a depth-sensing camera from Intel. This technology finds the shortest route from Point A to Point B while avoiding obstacles in the way.

CES 2015: Why the future of drones is up in the air

CCS Insight analyst Ben Wood said, “Drones are arguably the most hyped product at CES.”

There was a pink version of the Ghost Drone at CES, under the belief that the quadcopter would thus be more appealing to the female market.

DJI showed their Drone Stick, a handheld mount when you are not flying your camera. It’s compatible with the DJI Inspire 1 camera and gimbal. DJI also announced the new H4-3D gimbal, which works with the GoPro Hero4 Black camera. It also works with the DJI Phantom 2 and Flamewheel systems.

CES 2015: The drone revolution begins with AirDog, Hexo+ and Nixie

The Hexo+ drone from Squadrone System is another autonomous auto-follow drone getting a lot of attention. They call it a “self-flying camera,” but you supply the GoPro and control it through an app. Available for pre-order at $1,149.

Video of the Week

Racing in a Las Vegas Drone Rodeo — CES 2015

A Drone Rodeo put on by DJI for a day of racing and of fighting drones with the madmen from Game of Drones.

Mentioned

Coit Tower Reopens After Controversial Drone Filming

Geo-matching.com is an independent comparison website for geomatic (including precision agriculture) and hydrographic products. The UAS for Mapping and 3D Modelling category lets you compare different UAVs.

UAV075 Charge Your Drone on a Pad

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Skysense charging pad

A charging pad for your drone, USAF Unmanned Systems faces a huge manpower problem, real estate and agriculture gain FAA exemptions, timeline for ICAO RPAS standards, and UAS in Canada.

News

New Charging Pad for Parrot Drones Changes the Way You Charge Your Batteries

The portable Skysense Charging Pad is said to support nearly all existing multicopters and VTOL aircraft. Plug the Pad into an electrical outlet, land your drone on the Pad, and your batteries will charge at the same rate as your regular charging cable. Pads are available in different widths and should ship next month.

Skysense also offers the Droneport, “a protective closed structure that is managed remotely and can hold a Skysense Charging Pad and your drone. It also provides synching of sensor data to the cloud and connectivity within your Skysense Droneport network.”

Drone War pushes pilots to the Breaking Point

The U.S, Department of Defense wants 61 Combat Air Patrols (CAP) per day by April 15. Each CAP requires four Predators or Reapers for 24-hour coverage. These require ten “men” per drone per CAP, for a total of forty. With a shortage of drone pilots, the crews have high workload and low morale.

FAA Grants Real Estate, Agricultural UAS Exemptions

The FAA granted two exemptions on January 6. One was to Douglas Trudeau with Tierra Antigua Realty in Tucson, Arizona. Their DJI Phantom 2+ quad will be used to “enhance academic community awareness and augment real estate listing videos.”

The second exemption was to Advanced Aviation Solutions in Spokane, Washington. Their fixed wing senseFly eBee will fly to take “photographic measurements and perform crop scouting for precision agriculture.”

Both still need a COA “that ensures the airspace for their proposed operations is safe, and that they have taken proper steps to see and avoid other aircraft. In addition, the COAs will mandate flight rules and timely reporting of any accident or incidents.”

The FAA has received 214 requests for exemptions from commercial entities.

ICAO Panel Will Recommend First UAV Standards in 2018

The International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) new Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) Panel is focusing “on development of standards and recommended practices (SARPs) for adoption by the Council of ICAO in 2018 related to airworthiness, operations (including RPAS operator certification) and licensing of remote pilots.” Detect and avoid regulations are to follow in 2020.

Cameraman hit with $1,000 fine for filming with drone

The co-founder of a Canadian video and photography company that uses drones was fined by Transport Canada after a real estate shoot. He’s fighting the fine, saying that Transport Canada’s rules on flying unmanned aerial aircraft are not clear.

City man has high hopes for school for drone pilots

Buoyant Aircraft Systems International in Winnipeg wants to develop a flight school for UAV pilots. They plan to take the idea to Transport Canada’s UAV working group in April for approval, and could be teaching by August, if approved.

Video of the Week 

Coast Guard Helo takes out drone

In August 2014, a hurricane caused heavy surf off the coast of California. That brought out body surfers, boogie boarders, and surfers, along with thousands of spectators and some camera-equipped quadcopters. One of the copters didn’t fare too well in the Coast Guard helicopter downdraft.

Mentioned

50 Things You Can Do With A Drone

Some applications you’ve seen before, some you haven’t, and some you shouldn’t.

UAV055 The Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership Gears Up

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Estes Proto X Nano Electric Quadcopter

UAS test sites update: Virginia gets FAA COA’s, Maryland starting, New Jersey delayed, Nevada moving slowly. Also, hobby UAV’s you can buy, UAS in the Netherlands, and a possible drone near miss.

News

The Drone You Should Buy Right Now

The Verge offers up their top five recommended hobby drones. These range across the spectrum in size, price, and capability.

FAA Announces Virginia Tech UAS Test Site Now Operational

The FAA granted Virginia Polytechnic Institute seven Certificates of Waiver or Authorization (COAs) for two-years. This is the last of the six FAA UAS test sites now operational.

Virginia Tech has the lead for the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership (MAAP), which has members from academia, the government, industry, economic development agencies, and non-profit organizations in Virginia, New Jersey, and Maryland.

The UAVs covered under the COAs are: Smart Road Flyer, eSPAARO (the electric Small Platform for Autonomous Aerial Research Operations), Aeryon Sky Ranger, MANTRA 2, Sig Rascal, and two AVID EDF-8 micro UAVs.

University of Maryland Opens UAS test site

The University of Maryland (another member of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership) has launched its unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) test site based in St. Mary’s County, close to the Naval Air Warfare Center Aviation Division at Patuxent River and the Naval Air Systems Command headquarters. This site is intended to be a hub for UAS technology and policy issues for the University System of Maryland, as well as government and industry.

Drone testing delayed to protect migratory birds

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service postponed testing at another MAAP member, the New Jersey Institute of Technology, until November. Two endangered migratory bird species there are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act as well as New Jersey law.

Nevada drone testing off to slow start

To date, only one company has completed testing at the Nevada UAS test site.  Conversations are underway with other interested companies, and the Site hopes to be financially self-sufficient by 2015. In the meantime, Nevada is looking at possible revenue from “indoor testing.”

Dutch drones miss out through tough rules

Dutch drone rules are stricter than in other European countries. It takes weeks to receive permission for test flights, and Dutch drone manufacturers fear they will be left behind. New rules are being considered by the Dutch government, but progress is slow.

UAS at the Beach

Much of the land in the Netherlands is below sea level. A series of breakwaters and dikes keep the land from flooding, but need to be monitored and maintained. Doing Inspections with a Microdrones MD4-1000 quadcopter, is a lower cost alternative to a manned aircraft.

Mini-UFO comes close to jetliner

An Air Canada Jazz pilot reported a near miss with a possible drone. The plane was still climbing at about 18,000 feet and spotted a “red and white vertical tube with rotor” less than 300 meters above the plane.

Video of the Week

Third Person Driving with a Drone

Can you drive a Mazda Miata while wearing video goggles linked to an overhead multi-copter equipped with a camera? Do not try this at home!

 

UAV054 NUAIR Gets an FAA COA

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DJI S900 Hexacopter

NUAIR becomes the fifth FAA UAS test site to receive a COA, DJI introduces a new model, regulations in the EU and Singapore, North Dakota and Yellowstone in the news, businesses embrace UAVs in Charlotte, and how long until we see deliveries by drone.

News

NUAIR Cleared to Begin First Flights of Unmanned Aircraft Systems

The Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR Alliance) and Griffiss International Airport announced the receipt of their first Certificate of Authorization (COA) by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). From the press release:

“The approval of this application clears the way to begin testing of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in New York under the FAA-designated Griffiss International Airport UAS Test Site… Before the first test flights can start, the NUAIR Alliance team will establish an independent safety review board to collect additional information and create a flight plan… Once that process is finished, the NUAIR Alliance-Griffiss team will coordinate a series of test flights on behalf of Cornell Cooperative Extension.”

“The COA allows Cornell Cooperative Extension to fly a UAS manufactured by PrecisionHawk below 400 feet over a farm in western New York. Currently, PrecisionHawk works with clients on a global scale across a variety of industries including agriculture, insurance, oil and gas. For this operation, the Lancaster Hawkeye Mk III, a small fixed-wing aircraft, will carry visual, thermal, multi-spectral and video sensors. These sensors will evaluate field crops like corn, soybeans and wheat, collecting data on conditions like crop growth, insect activity, disease spread, soil conditions and more. This information is critical to advancing the precision agricultural industry which is why this sector is expected to be an early adopter of civil and commercial UAS in the United States and is estimated to comprise 80 percent of the civil and commercial UAS market.”

DJI’s Newest Pro-Level UAV Puts Its Phantom Lineup to Shame

It gets all the press, but the Phantom isn’t the only multicopter that DJI makes. The Spreading Wings S900 Hexacopter is referred to by DJI as an “aerial system for the professional creator.”

House of Lords launches inquiry into civil use of drones

Like elsewhere, civilian use of UAVs in the EU is growing. So the same questions come up: issues of safety, controls that ensure privacy, and economic benefits. The Lords’ EU subcommittee on Internal Market, Infrastructure and Employment has called for submissions to get expert written and oral evidence on this topic. They’ll be looking at standards for Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) across the EU. The deadline for submitting evidence is September 19, 2014. The final report in expected March 2015.

How should UAVs be regulated? Experts weigh in

The Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) is also considering UAV regulations for hobbyists and for commercial operations. There are existing rules for UAVs under the Singapore Air Navigation Order: no operation within five kilometers of an aerodrome, and maximum flight altitude of about 61 meters. But the CAAS wants to determine if additional requirements are needed.

Grand Forks AFB hosts first integrated UAV flight

On August 1, two MQ-9 Predator Bs were operated in close proximity in unrestricted airspace. This took place at the Grand Forks Air Force Base in North Dakota, by the 319th Operations Support Squadron. They actually accomplished an additional milestone when a manned private aircraft asked to do a brief runway approach.

Drone crashes into famed hot spring at Yellowstone National Park

Visitors to U.S. National Parks continue to use UAVs to create videos at the Parks, despite the ban announced in June by the National Park Service. Several drone crashes have occurred at Yellowstone National Park, including one where a tourist crashed his camera-equipped multi-copter into the Grand Prismatic hot spring. A park spokesman said they didn’t know if the UAV would damage the 121 foot deep spring, and if they would have to remove it – if they could even find it.

Commercial drones are taking off in Charlotte area

Fearing that the competition might get the jump on them, some Charlotte, North Carolina businesses are using drones for real estate and other aerial footage. One company is operating four drones, and a video production company uses drones to film promotional videos and weddings. The Governor of North Carolina has said he’ll sign legislation for a state licensing system for commercial drones and operators.

Drone Expert: Drone Delivery Still 10 Years Away

Missy Cummings is an associate professor at MIT and Duke University, and is one of the professors who signed the letter to the FAA we talked about last episode. This former Navy fighter pilot wants to use drones for wildlife conservation research. She believes that because of “technical obstacles” such as battery life, security, and integration with air traffic control systems, drone delivery systems are about 10 years away.

Videos of the Week

World’s Largest Urban Zipline and Behind The Scenes – Urban Zipline! World’s Biggest!! from Eric. A 2000 foot zip line from a tower in Panama over a road and marina with base jumpers is documented with quadcopters and other video methods.

Why Firefighters Aren’t Using Drones to View the Blazes – Yet from Bill. This impressive aerial video of a wild fire and of aerial firefighting suggests why UAVs and response teams don’t mix well. also related: California firefighters encounter civilian drone for first time.

Mentioned

Birds Eye Alaska is the Kickstarter project of a paralyzed man who is using UAVs to create great content, and a new life.

Lost DJI Phantom/Drone and Go Pro (Litchfield Beach/Pawley’s Island) Missing quadcopter search by Craig’s List.

UAV032 Taking Autism to the Sky

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Connor with Hex

Paul Braun and Dan Frye tell us about Taking Autism to the Sky (TATTS) where children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) build and fly a small UAS. This program helps the children build confidence, gives them world perspectives, and develops interest and ability in skill sets that may help them eventually find and hold productive jobs. With April being Autism Awareness month, this is a timely conversation.

Paul and Dan work for Continental Mapping Consultants, Inc., who create authoritative geospatial data solutions.

The News:

Students using drones to learn high tech jobs (STEM)

Using UAS software from Analytical Graphics Inc., students at Ohio’s Greenon High School are preparing for modeling and simulation career opportunities. The STEM program (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) is designed to expose students to today’s in-demand skills.

Photos:

Above – Connor with the Hex. Below – Kids watching flight simulator, and kids observing first aerial footage.

Kids watching flight simulator

Kids observing first aerial footage