Tag Archives: DroneSeed

267 Drones and the Public Safety Sector

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Drone programs for the public safety sector, post-emergency reforestation from DroneSeed, package delivery from Wing and Amazon, a new Airbus high altitude pseudo-satellite flight base, and a proposed BVLOS infrastructure for North Dakota.

UAV News

Send in the drones: NYPD launches its new ‘unmanned aircraft’ system

The NYPD Technical Assistance and Response Unit has acquired 14 drones to be used during emergencies such as rescue missions, inaccessible crime scenes, and hostage situations. They stressed that the drones will be unarmed, they won’t carry out routine patrols, and they won’t spy on potential suspects, but the Legal Aid Society and the New York Civil Liberties Union have concerns.

Detailing the Success of the L.A. Fire Department’s Drone Program

The LAFD created their drone program to provide Incident Commanders with better situational awareness. They spent two years of planning how the drones would be valuable and how they were going to operate the program. Their theme was transparency and communication within the department and with the public.

Swarms of drones can now plant trees in areas devastated by fires

The recent wildfires in California’s were devastating with loss of life, loss of property, and loss of forests. The forests need to be restored and DroneSeed is planning to assist with their system that creates a 3D terrain map with lidar, uses a multispectral camera for soil and vegetation data, and then determines the best location to plant a tree. DroneSeed “seed vessels” include a nutrient puck with a seed in the middle and capsaicin on the outside to help keep animals from eating them. DroneSeed has FAA approval for multi-craft, over-55-pounds UAVs that can work in swarms of up to five crafts to cover larger areas.

Los Angeles Area UAS Disaster Conference to Explore Evolving Role of Drones in Public Safety, Emergency Management, and Wildfire Fighting

Two UAS Drones Disaster Conferences are planned for 2019: Los Angeles March 8-9 at the Columbia Memorial Space Center, and Miami April 11-12 at Florida International University. These will discuss and showcase the role of UAS in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from major incidents and disasters. The conferences will feature presentations, workshops, and live flight demonstrations.

Google’s drone delivery spin-off ‘Wing’ aims to be operational in 2019

Google’s Wing delivery drones head to Europe

Wing is the drone delivery company owned by Google’s parent Alphabet. A flight test program in Helsinki, Finland is to start in the spring and they plan to become operational by the end of 2019. Customers will order through an app, packages can weigh up to 1.5kg (3.3lbs), and delivery will be free during the trial period. Wing will use their own UTM system.

Amazon delays on five-year drone delivery promise

Meanwhile, Amazon will miss its 2013 prediction that delivery drones would be operating in five years. Amazon remains committed, but says they are staying away from fixed timelines.

Airbus opens flight base in Australia for Zephyr UAS operations

Airbus Defence and Space announced the opening of the world’s first High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) flight base serving as the launch site for the Zephyr UAV in Wyndham, Western Australia. Airbus Press Release: Airbus celebrates opening of the world’s first Zephyr Solar High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite operating site.

Burgum announces $30 million UAS infrastructure proposal to support statewide beyond visual line of sight operations

The governor of North Dakota announced a proposal to build out infrastructure for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft systems across North Dakota. The $30 million investment would establish a statewide BVLOS network for UAS command and control, and surveillance equipment for safe integration of manned and unmanned aircraft.

 

UAV255 Virginia UAS Integration Pilot Program

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Project Wing demonstrates package delivery under the Virginia UAS Integration Pilot Program, Zephyr achieves altitude and duration records, DARPA recharges drones with lasers, drone-themed tours entice enthusiasts, FAA details shortcomings with many waiver applications, and DroneSeed raises venture capital.

Virginia UAS Integration Pilot Program

Wing package delivery drone flying under the Virginia UAS Integration Pilot Program.

UAV News

Country’s first long-distance, residential drone delivery touches down in Montgomery County neighborhood

Alphabet subsidiary Wing is a partner in the Virginia UAS Integration Pilot Program, which had proposed package delivery in Wise County, Montgomery and Roanoke counties, and Loudoun County. Under the Pilot Program, Wing can now fly long distances, over people, and beyond visual line of sight. Demonstration flights are underway.

Zephyr claims new endurance record

The Airbus Defence and Space Zephyr ‘pseudo-satellite’ has achieved an endurance record with a 26-day flight. At the same time, the solar-powered production-standard Zephyr S also set an altitude record for a UAV in its class at 70,740 ft. A Zephyr has previously held the record with a 14-day flight in 2010. Note that the record still has to be officially ratified by the FAI (Fédération Aéronautique Internationale).

Drones Recharged by a Laser Could Fly Forever

DARPA’s Stand-off Ubiquitous Power/Energy Replenishment – Power Beaming Demo (SUPER PBD) uses lasers to recharge drone batteries. The Silent Falcon drone has solar panels on the wings and batteries in the fuselage. When batteries get low lasers are aimed at the solar panels to recharge them.

Tour operators take a flyer on multi-thousand-dollar drone photography trips

The New York Times Journeys travel program now offers the Drone Photography Journey, departing June 2019 for an eight-day trek around Norway. Daily drone-photography sessions will be led by a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer. You can bring your own drone or use one of theirs. As an alternative, Airbnb Experiences offers single day, lower cost drone experiences.

FAA: Why Most Drone Rule Waiver Applications Crash and Burn

In 2018 to date, the FAA has reviewed 11,345 waiver applications, and only 16% of them were approved. At the FAA webinar on applying for Part 107 operational waivers, the agency noted that almost 8,000 of the rejections were for incomplete information and another 800 made “an insufficient safety case.” The biggest issue: not reading the requirements and leaving information out or not being specific enough.

A Seattle Startup Is Pioneering a New Way to Use Drones in Agriculture

As we described in Episode 195, the FAA approved delivery of agricultural payloads by DroneSeed with drone swarms. The company planned to plant tree seeds and spray fertilizer and herbicides on trees. In this update, we see that DroneSeed now has eight employees, they raised over $3 million in venture-capital backing, and two large timber companies are now DroneSeed customers. One pilot operates up to five drones, each carrying four gallons of payload with a 20-minute spray time. Planting tree seeds could take another year or so.

UAV195 Drone Registration Struck Down

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A court ruling halts recreational drone registration in the U.S. while China implements a new drone registration requirement. Also, a fast fixed-wing VTOL UAV, heavy-lift delivery drones, remote pilot training in Australia, a long-endurance solar powered unmanned sailplane, and some new drone swarming applications.

The Marlyn VTOL mapping and surveying drone. Courtesy Atmos UAV.

The Marlyn VTOL mapping and surveying drone. Courtesy Atmos UAV.

UAV News

Court Strikes Down Drone Registration Requirement

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has struck down the FAA’s drone registration requirement for recreational UAV operators. The three-judge panel agreed with John A. Taylor, a drone hobbyist represented by attorney Jonathan Rupprecht, who argued that the FAA requirement violated the 2012 FAA Modernization and Reform Act passed by Congress. Read the Court Opinion [PDF] and the Court Order [PDF]. Note that the ruling does not affect aircraft operated for commercial operations under Section 333 or Part 107. Rules for commercial operations remain the same. More details: Complete Guide to Taylor v. FAA (Drone Registration Lawsuit).

FAA Statement Regarding US Court of Appeals Decision

“We are carefully reviewing the U.S. Court of Appeals decision as it relates to drone registrations. The FAA put registration and operational regulations in place to ensure that drones are operated in a way that is safe and does not pose security and privacy threats. We are in the process of considering our options and response to the decision.”

Atmos UAV Launches Marlyn

The Atmos UAV Marlyn is a fixed-wing, VTOL UAV designed for high-speed mapping applications like land surveying, mining, precision agriculture, and forestry. It can be deployed from any surface, can map up to 10 times faster than a multirotor, and can fly in a broad range of weather conditions.

Heavy Duty Delivery Drones Coming From JD.com

JD.com says they are China’s largest retailer, online or offline, and they plan to build China’s largest low-altitude drone package delivery network. The heavy-lift drones are expected to carry more than a ton, transport products to remote areas, and move agricultural produce to cities. JD.com will also establish an R&D campus in partnership with the Xi’an National Civil Aerospace Industrial Base (XCAIB) where unmanned systems will be developed, manufactured and tested.

Changes to approved training

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), Australia’s national aviation authority is changing the practical training requirements for receiving an Australian Remote Pilot Licence (RePL) effective 1 June 2017. RePL applicants will satisfy the training requirements by completing a RePL training course conducted by a person holding a RPA Operator’s Certificate (ReOC) that authorized the training. Applicants can also apply to CASA for a flight test. CASA-approved training organisations are located across Australia, and a list of approved drone operators including those who can conduct training, is on the CASA website. More information about the advantages of holding a RePL can be found in Flying drones/remotely piloted aircraft in Australia.

Drone owners will now have to register with the government in China

Pilots of drones weighing 250 grams or more (0.55 pound) will be required to register with the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC). This requirement is effective June 1, 2017. Registration is online and real names must be used.

FAA releases registered private drone owner database

The Federal Aviation Administration has made available a database of registered drone owners. The spreadsheet shows the city, state and zip code of each registered drone owner.

NRL Tests Autonomous ‘Soaring with Solar’ Concept

The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory is looking at long endurance unmanned sailplanes that use solar power. The Navy says, “The Solar Photovoltaic and Autonomous Soaring Base Program and the U.S. Marine Corps’ Expeditionary Energy Office (E2O) want to improve the ability of unmanned platforms to support 24-7 information, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.

DroneSeed Receives the First FAA Approval for Using Drone Swarming to Deliver Agricultural Payloads

DroneSeed has received approval from the FAA to deliver agricultural payloads with drone swarms. The company says, “We’re working with commercial foresters to make reforestation more efficient. Offering a one-stop solution, our team of drones plants tree seeds and sprays fertilizer and herbicides to keep trees healthy.”

Drone Swarms Could Spoof the Enemy

At the Special Operations Forces Industry Conference, the vice president of science and technology at Cintel said a web of swarming unmanned aircraft systems that can spoof enemy drones could be a solution to the shot doctrine problem when exercising counter-UAS capabilities.

UAV Video of the Week

Lockheed Martin Conducts First Underwater Unmanned Aircraft Launch from Unmanned Underwater Vehicle

Lockheed Martin successfully launched a Vector Hawk UAV on command from the Marlin MK2 autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV). At the same time, the Submaran unmanned surface vehicle (USV) developed by Ocean Aero provided surface reconnaissance and surveillance.

Read more: From Under the Sea to Up in the Air: Lockheed Martin Conducts First Underwater Unmanned Aircraft Launch from Unmanned Underwater Vehicle

Mentioned

Airplane Geeks episode 453 The Zunum Aero Electric Airplane.