UAV News Talk – Drone News, eVTOLs, UAS Policy & Air Mobility

Several UAS flight demonstrations are in the news: the Boeing MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueler, a microturbine propulsion system, and a high altitude pseudo-satellite. Also, counter-drone tech from both the Secret Service and Raytheon, and drones that study dust devils. UAV News Boeing shows capability of unmanned aircraft refueler The MQ-25 unmanned aerial refueler has been demonstrated through an...

EHang is flying its urban air mobility vehicle contender. Remote identification of drones is moving forward. Also, using drones to measure methane emissions, find standing water where mosquitoes breed, assess hurricane damage, explore Titan, and plant trees. UAV News EHang completes first passenger-carrying autonomous aerial vehicle demonstration flight The  EHang  216 passenger-carrying...

US Customs and Border Protection plans to test drones that provide agents with situational awareness. Also, a modular hydrogen fuel cell UAV platform, a UAS Traffic Management Pilot Program concludes, FPV drones that use your phone for video, a traffic control drone in China, a new all-electric helicopter UAS, and a test that teams manned and unmanned aircraft and munitions. UAV News UAVs Recruite...

Climate activists plan to use drones for activism at Heathrow Airport. Also, how the trade war is impacting the drone community, the FAA is issuing more emergency COA’s, the RAAF is working closely with the U.S. Navy on the MQ-4C Triton, a startup is using a drone to generate electricity, an anonymous reporting portal for drone incidents is coming, and a look at the “drone bubble.” UAV News Climat...

The Commercial Drone Alliance wants to see regulations for large drones, sUAS are vulnerable to impacts, using AI-enabled drones to identify specific individuals (human and otherwise), drones donated to universities for precision ag, and BVLOS for the UAS Integration Pilot Program. UAV News DON’T SAY ‘DRONES,’ Beg Drone Makers This is the first story we covered, from Episode #1. Commercial Drone A...

An update on the aeronautical knowledge test for recreational drone pilots, UPS plans for medical deliveries, a drone field technician college degree, a waiver for drone flights over people, opinions on drone strikes on airliners, environmental BVLOS missions, and a message from the FAA on drones and dangerous weapons. UAV News Recreational Drone Flyer Test Coming Soon FAA seeks third parties to a...

HAPSMobile plans to fly a High Altitude Pseudo Satellite (HAPS) over Hawaii, Amazon petitions for drone delivery exemptions, NASA plans to test UAS traffic management in Texas, researchers find that drones are better than people studying whales, a female drone pilot seeks to encourage women, and drones that provide medical assistance. UAV News FAA Approves Solar Drone Flights Over Hawaiian Island...

A drone crash halts Swiss package delivery, AI used to detect drone faults and locate/track other drones, swarming nano-drones, mesh networked drones for precision agriculture, a drone mesh for event security, UAS for airport and public safety, and the reliability of drone sightings from aircraft. UAV News Swiss drone crashes near children, forcing suspension of delivery program In May, a 22-pound...

Bio-inspired drones are getting attention, a general contractor receives a waiver for flights over people with a parachute-equipped drone, six Israeli drone companies, a drone-mounted flamethrower, BVLOS critical infrastructure inspection, and an online drone survey. UAV News Forget props and fixed wings. New bio-inspired drones mimic birds, bats and bugs Bio-inspired drones are being investigated...

An MIT lab has developed a system that creates the controller for a hybrid drone, UPS forms a drone delivery subsidiary, LAANC is expanded to include recreational Part 107 operators, Australian drone registration is delayed, a gas detecting micro-drone, and a quadcopter that shrinks to get through small openings. UAV News Designing custom “hybrid drones” The MIT Computer Science & Artificial I...

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...

The  Consumer Technology Association  (CTA) has performed a number of drone market research studies, including a consumer study titled  Drones: Public Perceptions & Consumer Attitudes  which looks at the number of owners by type of drone, general awareness of drones and safety messaging, purchase likelihood, and drone applications. Other aspects of consumer behavior such as...

Diana Cooper is the Senior Vice President of Policy & Strategy at  PrecisionHawk , a company that leverages advanced robotics, robust software, and rich data to extract the commercial value of drones. PrecisionHawk provides training, drone consulting, and global flight services. PrecisionHawk has joined the  Alliance for Drone Innovation  (ADI), a D.C.-based coalition of drone m...

Princess Aliyah Pandolfi from the  Kashmir World Foundation  is our guest. We spoke with her at the  Innovations in Flight  Family Day and Outdoor Aviation Display, held June 15, 2019, at the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum, Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. This annual event is held the Saturday before Father’s Day. Besides the museum exhibits,...

Highlights of the  FAA UAS Symposium  held June 3-5, 2019 at the Baltimore Convention Center. Presented by the  Federal Aviation Administration  and  AUVSI . FAA UAS Symposium 2019 Over 1000 attendees from industry, the government, and academia gathered for three days of keynotes, breakout sessions, and “how to” sessions. We discuss some highlights of the Symposium, includ...

DHS resources for the threat of UAS to critical infrastructure, urban testing of drone flights in Reno, using drone images as evidence, a delay for the remote ID NPRM, and a drone used by the Army Corps of Engineers. UAV News ‘We’re Not Being Paranoid’: U.S. Warns Of Spy Dangers Of Chinese-Made Drones NPR references the DHS Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) website  Unma...

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 Recr...

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University offers an Unmanned Systems Science degree, delivery drones produce an annoying noise, Uber Eats is hiring UAS specialists, AUVSI announces humanitarian award winners, and autonomous BVLOS patrol drones are planned for the Australian coastline. Interview Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University  UAS Flight Standards and Training Manager  Michael Zebehazy &...

Professional-grade UAS components, a fuel cell system for UAVs, drone flying in national parks, the Choctaw Nation UAS Integration Pilot Program, new life for Piaggio Hammerhead, and the Northrop Grumman Firebird surveillance aircraft. UAV News UAV industry purging hobbyist-grade components from supply chain Fifteen years ago, practically all the drone components came from the hobby business. Comm...

An actively tethered UAS for situational awareness, a fixed-wing drone studies the atmosphere in Greenland, a larger “hive” drone releases a swarm of smaller “cicada” drones, Virgin Atlantic reports a drone near-hit, a drone that plants tree seeds, Wing receives FAA certification allowing delivery service in the US, and a drone powered by variable-buoyancy. UAV News Fotokite Launches Firefighter S...

New lithium metal batteries offer the prospect of greater capacity. Also, Parrot’s Anafi Thermal drone, a quadcopter over the Boston Red Sox, drones for sugarcane agriculture, the role of drones during the Notre Dame fire, parts delivery by drone for manufacturing, and indigenous people use drones to assert territory rights. UAV News Lithium-Ion Batteries Aren’t Good Enough for Electric Flight. Bu...

Comments close soon for an NPRM for sUAS operations over people and an ANPRM for safe sUAS operations. In the news, advice for drone operators near agricultural aircraft, rogue drones in China, Google’s Wing receives authority to operate in Australia, FAA close to awarding the first drone airline license, and GENIUS NY awards are announced. UAV News Safe and Secure Operations of Small Unmanned Air...

Drones for studying wildlife, wetlands, and tornadoes. Using them to resupplying troops and support a Mars rover. Also, gender diversity study of the drone industry, and airplane incidents that turn out to not be caused by drones. Guest Executive Wildlife Producer Heather. UAV News A Guide To Using Drones To Study Wildlife: First, Do No Harm A  Best practice for minimising unmanned...

FAA approves a fixed-wing drone swarm, firefighting drones under development, young girls trained to fly drones, costs of Gatwick incursions, mimicking a bat, and drones blamed for airliner problems. UAV News OSU receives first FAA authorization to fly unmanned aircraft in groups Oklahoma State University received FAA approval to fly drone swarms in the national airspace. Up to twenty drones can b...

The FAA proposal for flying small UAS over people, a terrain-following fixed-wing UAS with active navigation, using drones and citizen science for animal conservation, a greater surveillance role for FAA Flight Standards District Offices, and an autonomous grocery delivery service. UAV News Small UAS Over People: A New Safety Paradigm The FAA published a notice that would allow flying UAS over peo...