If you haven’t yet heard about it, Amazon is on the forefront of package delivery. And if you think that is old news (which it is!), have you heard about Amazon’s scanning technology capable of scanning the homes down below its delivery drone so that it can properly deliver that awesome new gadget you just … Continue Reading
On October 12, 2017, a drone collided with a commercial aircraft while it was approaching Jean Lesage International Airport, in Quebec City. This is the first time that a drone has hit a commercial plane in Canada, according to Canada’s Minister of Transport, Marc Garneau. He stated, “I am extremely relieved that the aircraft only … Continue Reading
When we previously wrote about the Federal Aviation Administration Reauthorization Act, there was a deadline set at the end of September. Just before the deadline, Congress approved a six-month extension of Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) taxes to give lawmakers more time to debate contentious, long-term airline policies. It is now set to expire on March … Continue Reading
It’s now considered ‘cool’ to fly a drone whether you are doing it for your business or as a hobbyist in your own backyard. When the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released the final rules for small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) operations back in August 2016, the price of a drone decreased and the number of … Continue Reading
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) released the results of a study that determined how annoying the ‘bzzz’ of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drones) really is to the public on the ground below. NASA researchers compared the noise generated by drones to that of cars, and found that indeed, there was a greater … Continue Reading
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has prohibited drone flights at 10 Department of the Interior (DOI) landmarks across the country. Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) § 99.7 – “Special Security Instructions” is being used by the FAA to address concerns about drone use at the 10 sites. Staring on October … Continue Reading
Unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drone) security has become a hot topic not only in the United States, but throughout countries around the world as more UAS hit the skies, increasing the potential for hackers to intercept data being transferred from drones to servers or other devices on the ground, or for hackers to carry … Continue Reading
Last week, a federal judge in Massachusetts ruled that the City of Newton’s drone ordinance, which attempted to regulate drone flights in the airspace over Newton, Massachusetts could not be enforced by the municipality because it is pre-empted by federal law. In December of 2016, the city passed an ordinance that required drone operators to … Continue Reading
Back in December 2016, Amazon executed its first customer delivery by drone in the United Kingdom. Now, as Amazon, and other large retailers, aim for widespread deployment of drones for the delivery of goods to consumers, it is increasingly clear that advanced weather data is vital for ensuring that these delivery drones can fly weather-sensitive … Continue Reading
Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV or drones) are being sent out to fire locations as scouts, using gas sensors and cameras with thermal imaging technology to help fire departments in their rescue efforts. With this new tool, fire departments are discovering that drones are the fastest way to put out a fire. Battalion Chief of the … Continue Reading
For years, drones have been used to support recovery efforts in the aftermath of floods and other disasters, and the aftermath of Hurricane Harvey is proving to be no different, and we suspect that the same will be true following the wake of Hurricane Irma, which is bearing down on the Southeast, but not without … Continue Reading
Residents in remote areas of Tanzania and Rwanda in East Africa are receiving medical supplies through the use of drones, far surpassing similar efforts in the U.S., according to Robert Graboyes, a senior research fellow at George Mason University. In Rwanda alone, according to RealClear Health, drones have delivered 2,600 units of blood and have … Continue Reading
We recently wrote about the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bills that would allow funding to the FAA to continue beyond Fall 2017. Now, it is likely that as Congressional leaders seem unlikely to reach a compromise on the FAA reauthorization bills before the end of September, a short term extension on these bills will … Continue Reading
The commercial drone technology ecosystem has come a LONG way in the last five years, and businesses all over the world have spent years exploring the potential of drones. Over this time, there have been at least eight distinct levels of evolution within commercial drone technology. The eight phases include the following: One: Affordable and … Continue Reading
Next week, on August 21, a total solar eclipse (or the alignment of the sun, moon and earth), visible from the continental U.S., will take place for the first time in 38 years. The last time this cosmic event occurred, there were no battery-powered supercomputers—smartphones—in your hand to fly a self-stabilizing, GPS-guided aircraft with a … Continue Reading
We posted last week about the U.S. Army issuing a memorandum banning the use of DJI drones due to security concerns, but now, this week DJI reports that it is developing a new local data mode that stops internet traffic to and from its drone flight control apps. DJI says that it is making this … Continue Reading
Last week, the U.S. Army issued a memorandum discontinuing the use of DJI drone products due to cybersecurity concerns. The memorandum said, “Due to increased awareness of cyber vulnerabilities associated with DJI products, it is directed that the U.S. Army halt use of all DJI products. This guidance applies to all DJI UAS and any … Continue Reading
North Carolina Governor, Roy Cooper, signed two bills this week to regulate the use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drones). First, House Bill 337 revises existing state drone law to make that existing state drone law applicable to model aircraft. House Bill 128 prohibits drone use near prisons –with the term “near” being defined … Continue Reading
Last week, a drone carrying 16 individual bags of marijuana, cell phones and chargers, two bags of tobacco, and 31 oxycodone pills crashed into the ground near the Washington State Prison yard. A corrections department spokeswoman, Joan Heath, said that the drone crashed into the ground near the prison around 10:45 p.m. Drones carrying contraband … Continue Reading
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Part 107 waiver process for the operation of unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drones) in certain restricted airspace or beyond the limitations of the Part 107 UAS regulations, was originally designed to streamline approval. However, for many drone operators who have had their Part 107 waivers denied, the process can … Continue Reading
In the last few weeks, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Reauthorization bills have made their way around both houses of Congress, which will allow funding to the FAA to continue beyond Fall 2017. These bills contain lengthy and significant language that could greatly affect commercial and hobbyist drone operations in the U.S. Below is a … Continue Reading
CNN’s Aerial Imagery and Reporting (CNN AIR) unit received its Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 107 waiver last week for closed-set drone operations over people for motion picture and television filming. This is the first Part 107 waiver of its kind. While CNN already has a Part 107 waiver to fly drones over members of … Continue Reading
By Fall 2017, 50 U.S. airports will start allowing unmanned aircraft systems’ (UAS or drone) operators apply for automated authorizations to fly in controlled airspace around those airports. Specifically, these airports will roll out a Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) with all other airports following that lead in 2018. Normally, UAS airspace authorization requests … Continue Reading
Taking off from the Blackpool airport in England, a drone owned by a private company called FlyLogix, set a British record last week after successfully completing a 50-mile offshore beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) round trip. On its trip, the Condor drone inspected an unmanned platform in Morecambe Bay operated by one a British utility company. While drone … Continue Reading
