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Recommended GPS Systems for Use in Sierra Leone, Africa Today's question is about the best GPS systems for use in Sierra Leone, Africa. Our caller for today, Rakiatu is from Sierra Leone, Africa. Rakiatu wishes to start a drone mapping business in her hometown and is wondering which is the best GPS system for her. Can the right GPS system enable Rakiatu to procure accurate mapping data in Africa?...

Today's show is about flying your drone over tall buildings in Class B Airspace. Can you breach the 400 feet ceiling if you are flying directly over a tall building? Our caller for today, John wishes to fly above a 450 feet building in Miami in Class B Airspace. Do the drone laws permit John to do so? And, can he get into trouble if he breaches the upper shelf of Class B airspace? Tune in to this...

Today's show is about starting a new drone business. How can you conduct a thorough market validation exercise, and discover if it is worth investing in new business? Our caller for today, Jose is an army man on the verge of retirement. Jose is keen to start a UAV business once he commences his civilian life. Considering his background and all the critical skills that he has picked up over the yea...

Our biggest story this week is about the French drone manufacturer, Parrot. While promoting their latest launch, Parrot targeted DJI on the topic of data security. Regular ADU listeners might recall that the NY Times had recently pointed out security weaknesses in DJI's Android app. But, is there any credence to these reports? Should you worry about data security if you are not connected to the in...

Today's question is about failures in business. What are some of the most important lessons that Rob and Paul have learned from their business failures? Our caller for today, Tom has come with a very interesting question today. It is about failures in business. Specifically, what are some of Rob's and Paul's biggest business failures? And, what have they learned from them? Like all entrepreneurs,...

We have an interesting two-part question today. Our first part of the show is about making drone battery voltage appear on the main screen. And the second part is about getting a clean feed when recording on the DJI Crystalsky. Our caller, Zach flies a Mavic Air and is bugged by the fact that he cannot see battery voltage on the main screen. Can Zach hack the Mavic Air to address this issue? Addit...

Today's question is about drone mapping and modeling. What are some expert tips for creating highly accurate drone maps and models? Our caller for today, Roy has gotten a big job from a real estate company that involves mapping a large 69-acre piece of land. He is planning on using a Trimble G7X and five GCP's for the job. Will this suffice? What workflow should Roy follow to accurately map a larg...

We are back with yet another news show full of the latest and most exciting news from the drone world. Our first story this week is about public safety drones. Last week a drone fell on a patrol car while the police were investigating an accident scene. Fortunately, no one was hurt. As per reports, this drone was a police drone that was being flown for investigative purposes. Does this incident hi...

All You Need to Know For Flying Drones in Hot Weather Today's question is about flying drones in hot weather. As a drone pilot, how can you protect your equipment and your health while flying in hot weather? Our caller for today, Todd from Ohio has come up with an interesting two-part question today. His first question is about flying drones in hot weather? What precautions do drone pilots need to...

Security Weakness in DJI App, New Skydio X2 Drone to Come with Super Zoom, Drone Powerline Inspections in California, Drone Crashes, Mystery Drones in North Denver Our biggest story this week is about DJI. Last week, New York Times published a front page story about a potential security weakness with DJI's app. As per the article, researchers have contended that the app collects large amount of pe...

Today's question is about drone pilots assisting the police. Our caller for today, John from Omaha has a question about flying drones for the police. It is becoming increasingly common for police departments to use drones for various applications. Recently, John assisted the police in a search and rescue operation. And he found the experience to be extremely rewarding. John is now wondering if he...

Skydio announces the new X2 series of drones, DOD releases $84.4 million in funds for small drone manufacturers, NTSB concludes drone crash investigation In today’s news show, we have some exciting industry updates to share. DOD recently released $84.4 million in funds, $13.3 million of which will benefit small drone manufacturers. Airmap and Skydio are among the drone industry players who will re...

DJI Mavic 3 Rumors - Can We Expect a 2020 Release for This New DJI Drone? Today's question is about the DJI Mavic 3. Are the rumors about this new DJI drone true? Can we expect DJI to launch this new drone in 2020? Our caller for today, Mordy is waiting for the DJI Mavic 3. There have been rumors swirling around for quite some time about when DJI is planning to release this much-awaited drone. Ini...

Our first story for this week is about the all-new Anafi USA. The French drone maker, Parrot has announced this new drone which is meant mainly for government use. Touted to give some tough competition to the DJI Matrice 210, this new drone comes with 32x zoom capabilities, awesome stabilization, and a thermal sensor by FLIR. Tune in to this segment of the show to get the entire scoop on this exci...

Today's question is about using the Phantom 4 RTK for drone mapping. Compared to the Phantom 4 Pro, is the Phantom 4 RTK a better option for drone mapping? Our caller, Chris from North Carolina has a question about using the Phantom 4 RTK in drone mapping. We have always maintained that the Phantom 4 Pro is the "Honda Civic of Drones". You can use the Phantom 4 Pro across a gamut of applications r...

Today's question is about using the Inspire for building and solar inspections. Our caller for today, Eduardo is thinking of using the DJI Inspire 1 with the X5 for building and solar inspections. But, is it possible to capture accurate datasets using an outdated drone like the Inspire 1? And is the X5 a good drone camera for inspections? Do you need a dual camera setup (both EO and thermal) for t...

In today's show, we are joined by Angad Singh of Pix4D to discuss their new app, Pix4Dcatch. This app gives you the ability to 3D scan objects using Apple devices. Regular ADU listeners might be aware that we are huge proponents of Pix4D's drone mapping software. Their latest product, Pix4Dcatch goes a long way in simplifying 3D modeling, and gives users a much-needed, affordable alternative. In t...

Drone Helicopter Crash in Canada, Amazon Drone Delivery Yet to Take Off, How to Film a Protest Without a Waiver, Changing Dynamics of the Drone Industry, Drones for Good Our first story is about a drone crash. This collision happened earlier this year in British Columbia when a Royal Canadian Mounted Police helicopter crashed with a police surveillance drone. Ironically enough, both the helicopter...

Today's question is about the Mavic Air 2. Specifically, are there any issues with Mavic Air 2's gimbal that you should be aware of? Our caller for today, Bob has a question about the Mavic Air 2. This new DJI drone has caused immense excitement within the drone community inspite of the ongoing pandemic. However, Bob has heard from certain drone pilots that the Mavic Air 2's gimbal tilts up and do...

Today's show is about the commercial viability of technical drone services like NDVI inspections and drone mapping. From a purely commercial perspective, are technical drone services more lucrative compared to creative drone services? Our caller for today, Jun is a drone photographer and videographer from Los Angeles. In the wake of the pandemic, as opportunities in the creative field have dried u...

Expert Tips for Using Your Drone to Measure the Height of a Building Today's show is about using your drone for measuring the height of a building. What is the easiest and most accurate way of doing so? Our caller, Brendan is an architect who is using his Phantom 4 Pro to measure the height of a building. For this, Brendan is currently relying on the altitude displayed in the app. However, is the...

Flying Your Drone Near Birds and Endangered Species Today's show is about flying near endangered species. Are there any drone laws that prevent you from doing so? Our caller for today, John is trying to grab some picturesque shots near a tall building. However, the building's website mentions that the building falls in a no-fly-zone due to residential falcons. The building authorities are referrin...

Our first story this week is about the forthcoming drone conferences in 2020 and 2021. Taking into account the current situation, DJI has decided to go virtual with Airworks 2020. And drone pilots will be glad to learn that they won't have to shell out hundreds of dollars to attend this conference. Now, you can attend this conference for just $35. It shall be interesting to see if other conference...

Today's question is about calibrating your drone camera before a mapping mission. Our caller, Gaurav, a long-time Drone U member has come up with a great question that has not been asked on ADU before. Gaurav's question is about drone mapping. Specifically, do you need to calibrate your drone camera before a mapping mission? Along with your IMU and compass, will calibrating your drone camera help...

Today's show is about the Phantom 4 RTK. What are some main issues that you are likely to encounter with the P4P RTK? Our caller for today, Chris from Charlotte is a Phantom 4 RTK user. Chris is running into some glitches with his P4P RTK remote, and thinking of switching over to a SDK remote. Is this a good idea? Does a P4P SDK remote work seamlessly with third party apps? To answer Chris's quest...