Red Raven UAS Podcast

You can't open a drone news feed this week without hitting two storylines: federal money pulling the U.S. drone industry into a different gear, and the FCC's foreign drone ban finally hitting the kind of real-world friction that's hard to spin. Add a $33 million drone delivery IPO, a Louisiana DA paying for an entire DFR program, and a market projection that says drone services will...

The screen flashes "Pass." You pump your fist. You walk out to the parking lot — and then it hits you: nobody actually told you what comes next. Your score sheet proves you passed a knowledge exam. It does not make you a licensed commercial drone pilot. Not yet. In this episode, we break down: • The IACRA application — why the test score isn't your certificate and what you actually...

You call 911 — and a drone gets there before the patrol car does. That's not a concept video. That's Dallas, this week. It was a big seven days in drones, and the stories all point the same direction. In this episode, we break down: • Why Ontario just banned Chinese-made drones — and what it means if you fly DJI • Autel's new fight with the FCC, and why drone makers are splitting ap...

The FAA moved in two directions at once this week: proposing a new UAFR process for critical infrastructure while publishing the first official BVLOS road map. We break down what both mean for commercial operators, cover the May 11 DJI FCC reply deadline, the wireless industry's push for dedicated drone spectrum, a small government agency drone adoption success story, and AirData's Comme...

In This Episode: A United Airlines crew on final approach to San Diego reported a possible drone encounter at 4,000 feet — ten times the legal limit for drone operations. Skydio committed $3.5 billion to American manufacturing. Beijing banned consumer drone sales citywide. Federal agents recovered 15 stolen agricultural spray drones from a New Jersey warehouse. The Department of Homeland Security...

DJI's $1.5 billion FCC reality just opened a vacuum in the U.S. drone market — and what's filling it is forcing every operator, hobbyist, and program manager to rethink the next decade. In this episode, we break down: The $1.5 billion DJI shortfall and what the FCC ban actually means — what's blocked, what's grandfathered, and why the forums are a mess right now The Lito loopho...

Every layer of the drone industry moved this week — and if you're operating, training, or building in this space, you need to understand why. In this episode, we break down: DJI's April release and the closing window for US availability — which products can reach American buyers and why Hyfix's $15M chip manufacturing round and the May 1 FCC "Drone Dominance" comment deadl...

You walked out of the testing center. The screen said FAIL. Now you're calculating how much the retake costs and how long you have to wait. In this episode, we break down: Why the official 92% pass rate is misleading — and what it hides about self-studiers What the Part 107 exam actually tests (hint: zero questions about flying a drone) The #1 cause of exam failures: sectional chart interpret...

The platforms that defined professional drone operations are being retired. No domestic manufacturer is ready to fill the gap DJI is leaving. And this week, real-world deployments — from a Texas suburb pushing back on delivery drones to an Oregon sheriff's office making a hit-and-run arrest from the air — showed exactly where the industry stands. In this episode, we break down: • Why no domes...

The drone era isn't coming — it arrived this week. The U.S. government declared drone dominance a national priority. Sophisticated swarms penetrated a nuclear base for a week. And traditional aerospace giants are betting everything on autonomous systems. In this episode, we break down: • Why the FCC's "drone dominance" proceeding matters for every operator • The Barksdale Air F...

Your agency just approved a $3,000 drone purchase. It arrives Tuesday. By Wednesday, it's sitting in a supply closet — because nobody is FAA-certified to fly it, nobody wrote the policies, and nobody planned for anything beyond unboxing day. Sound familiar? In this episode, we break down: • Why a drone purchase and a drone program are two completely different things • The five major cost cate...

Your utility bought the drones. Your pilots passed their Part 107 exams. Management signed off on the budget. And then six months later, the inspection data is sitting on a hard drive that nobody's opened, the maintenance team doesn't trust the imagery, and leadership is asking where the ROI went. This is one of the most common patterns we see in utility drone programs: organizations tha...

Your fire department finally got the budget. The drone is state of the art. Your pilots passed their Part 107 exams. Leadership put out a press release. And then, at 2 AM, the first real structure fire call drops — and things quietly fall apart. The pilot freezes on the thermal read. The incident commander waves it off. The footage is useless. And nobody really knows what went wrong. This is one o...

Airspace is the “final boss” of the FAA Part 107 exam — not because it’s impossible, but because most people try to memorize it instead of understanding the system. In this episode, we break airspace down into a simple, repeatable framework: controlled vs. uncontrolled (permission vs. no permission). We walk through the airspace classes you actually need for Part 107, show how LAANC makes authoriz...

The FAA Part 107 exam is the #1 gatekeeper to flying drones professionally. And in 2026, Remote ID and night operations updates make “old advice” risky. In this episode, we demystify the Part 107 test (it’s a knowledge exam, not a flight test), explain what’s on it, and give you a realistic study strategy you can follow with confidence. If you’re studying right now, this episode gives you a clear...

Headlines are calling it a DJI ban. The reality is more specific, and it matters for anyone buying drones in the United States. In this episode, we break down what the FCC’s latest move actually does, what it does not do, and how to make smart decisions right now if you are a hobbyist, a small drone business, or an agency building an enterprise UAS program. We explain what “FCC equipment authoriza...

This episode explains how Drone as First Responder programs are changing emergency response across the country.  The conversation covers how DFR works, why agencies are adopting it, and the impact it has on response times, scene awareness, safety, and resource allocation. The hosts discuss common questions from administrators, including cost, training requirements, regulatory pathways, and what it...

This episode explains how fire departments are using drones as a powerful force multiplier to improve safety, protect personnel, and make better decisions at every stage of an incident.  The conversation covers how aerial overwatch strengthens Incident Command by revealing roof conditions, escape routes, fire spread, and structural risk in real time. The hosts walk through key use cases, including...

This episode breaks down exactly what the FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate is, why it exists, and who needs it.  The conversation covers the history of Part 107, the legal requirements to fly commercially, what the exam includes, and how to prepare the right way. The hosts explain the full process from start to finish, including registration, TSA vetting, testing requirements, and renewal.  T...