Drone News Update

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you; GAO Report on Foreign Made Drones, officials tell Fairfax County to stop using DJI, Axon acquires Dedrone, and new record drone show.

First up, the GAO has released a report on the Department of Interior’s stance on foreign drones. Currently, the DOI does not allow foreign drones to be used except for emergency situations such as search and rescue and wild fires. The GAO studied the effects of the policies after the DOI asked them to, covering the 4 most active departments; bureau of land management (BLM), Fire and Wildlife service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Findings from the GAO are predictable; the majority of drones are now nearing their end of life and replacing them with compliant drones is much more expensive. Due to the reduction in fleet size, bureaus haven’t been able to expand their use of drones and some no longer have enough drones even for emergencies. Even for bureaus that have purchased approved drones, the drones aren’t be delivered until 6 months or more later. The GAO gave the example that in April of 2024, the DOI had purchased 98 drones for fiscal year 2024 and only 46 had been delivered. In another example, the National Park Service purchased drones for wild fire management in March and were not expected to have the drones in hand until October, missing nearly all of the 2024 fire season. The GAO goes on to discuss that compliant drones are not as capable in carrying payloads nor are as reliable. Due to these problems, not only have emergency flights decreased but non-emergency flights for research, surveys, training, and post-storm recoveries have become nearly non-existent. Next up, federal law makers John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi from the House of Representatives have urged Fairfax County to stop using DJI. In a letter to the county Board of Supervisors the representatives stated “The PRC-made UAS platforms and censors currently used by Fairfax County collect high-resolution imagery of facilities and individuals at risk, putting them at risk of being collected by the CCP,” This is the first time we’ve seen representatives attempting to influence a particular public safety department on what drones to use or not use. Fairfax county sits just south west of Washington DC along the Potomac river. At this time, we don’t know how the county will respond but we’ll keep you updated if we see more. Third, Axon has finished the acquisition of Dedrone. Dedrone is a counter UAS system that uses RF detection, RADAR, cameras and for authorized users can include hammers, drone take over, and kinetic means to stop a rogue drone. An important note is that the DOD are the only ones currently who are allowed to utilize these tools to stop a drone. We’ll keep you updated if we see more from Dedrone and Axon! Last up, Sky Elements broke the record this week for the most drones launching pyrotechnics. The city of Mansfield TX partnered with Sky Elements to break the word record of most drones launching pyrotechnics. Sky Elements used 1164 drones to break the record in a free drone show for residents. Cool use of the drones and we’re sure we’ll continue to see bigger and bigger drone shows! That’s all for this week, we’ll see you later in the community for Happy Hour and on Monday for our Q&A! https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-24-106924.pdf https://dronelife.com/2024/10/01/lawmakers-urge-fairfax-county-to-end-use-of-dji-drones-due-to-national-security-concerns/ https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/mansfield-texas-drone-show-guinness-world-record-sky-elements-display/287-a03f5178-feea-43ca-9e06-7e5a5ae2a099

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you, New DJI Action 5, Air 3S hits FCC Database, Pilot Institute Community, a Drone finds missing Louisiana girl, and a press release on drone incursions into wild fire aircraft operations.

First up, DJI has released the new Action 5! The action 5 comes with a new 1/1.3” sensor (the same size as the Mini 4 Pro), 10-bit D-Log M, HLG, horizon steady, subject tracking, a barometer/hydrometer, 47GB of internal storage, magnetic mounting, 4 hour battery life, 113 degree max operating temperature, and connection with the DJI Mic 2s! Whew, lots cool specs, we’ll be getting on to check out and post some content on! Next, the Air 3S has hit the FCC database! We’ve seen quite a few leaks about the Air 3S, including some images with an RC-N3 series controller, what appears to be a larger sensor in a dual camera setup, and potentially larger batteries. Rumors have also included that batteries may be compatible with the current Air 3. We’ve seen some decent images of the Air 3, we’ll have to wait and see if DJI publishes an announcement any time soon! Third up, a big Pilot Institute update. This week we launched the Premium Community with the goal to help part 107 pilots use their certificate to get paid work. In premium you'll find tons of interviews and workshops, we'll be releasing exclusive content every month. And, if you're a fan of News Update, we have an extended version every week called Post Flight. Each episode we discuss News Update stories in more detail and give our personal opinion on the facts. Visit Pilotinstitute.com/community to check it all out! Third up, a drone in Louisiana located a missing child this week. A 10 year old Louisiana girl was reported missing early in the day on Sunday. Searchers were unable to locate the girl, and a company from Arkansas, Drone Management Services, stepped in to assist. Using what appears to be a Mavic 3 Thermal, Co-Owner Josh Kolber located the girl sleeping on the ground. Great use of the drone Josh! Last up, the National Interagency Fire Center has published data this week about 21 incidents where drones have operated near wildfires. In 10 of these events, firefighting aircraft operations were suspended. Generally, firefighting aircraft operate within a TFR, meaning other aircraft including traditional aircraft are not permitted in that area. Be sure to check the TFRs before you take off, especially in wildfire prone areas. Alright, that’s all we’ve got! Greg will be back on Monday, so he’ll see you then for the live Q&A!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you: Drone ban updates, Green Day concert paused for drone flight, FLIR and AirData partner, 3 men in a stolen vehicle were found using a drone, and SkyeBrowse updates everyone to Lite Processing!

First up, The house has voted to pass the Countering CCP Drones Act. This is a setback that was expected but it changes little. Representative Stefanik stated during her speech “Over the last seven years, the US government has publicly confirmed time and time again that DJI drones are being used to collect information on US critical infrastructure and pose significant risks to US national security,” Not sure where the evidence is, but we’d love to see it. The Countering CCP drones act was also passed with the House NDAA, so the bill has already passed before. Both bills still must still go through the Senate prior to landing on the President’s desk. It doesn’t matter what vertical you’re in, now is a great time to weigh in on this issue, and educate your senators and representatives. If you’re having trouble with where to start, head over to the DAA website, which is linked below. Next up, Green Day rushed off stage this week after security spotted a drone in the stadium. Detroit Police confirmed the interruption to the show was due to a drone and that the operator was located and detained. Currently, it’s unclear what drone was flying or how close it was to the band. An important note was that this did not qualify for a stadium TFR, and no TFR was in place. This brings up an interesting situation where a Part 107 pilot could legally operate over the stadium with a category 1 or 2 drone. We’ll keep you updated when we see more. Third, FLIR and AirData UAV have partnered to provide SIRAS flight tracking. If you’re unfamiliar with the FLIR SIRAS, it’s a quadcopter with a 640x512 FLIR Hadron series sensor designed for industry and public safety. The integration with AirData uses SIRAS’s offline log-export and isn’t connected to the internet. For users of the SIRAS, AirData is a great tool and one that we use for tracking our aircraft’s flights, battery cycles, and determining what when wrong if things do. Fourth, a shout out to some students from Gaston County Police. Gaston County police used a drone this week to assist in recovering a stolen vehicle and arresting 3 men who fled the stolen vehicle after a car chase. The drone was utilized after officers lost sight of the vehicle when it drove into a soybean field. A Gaston County Police Officer was part of the drone unit, and launched to determine where the vehicle went. Once the police officer found the vehicle, they began to track the suspects, locating them in the field attempting to evade police. All 3 suspects were taken into custody without incident. Great use of the drone! Next, SkyeBrowse has updated everyone on the Freemium plan to Lite processing! This will increase the quality of all models from folks with free accounts. If you're unfamiliar with SkyeBrowse, the program uses video from nearly anything to make 3D models. You can sign up for free and start making models immediately. Models can be accessed on any device and can be easily marked up for measurement and shared as needed. And to wrap up, check out this clip for something coming next week… https://dronexl.co/2024/09/10/us-house-votes-to-ban-new-dji-drones/ https://dronexl.co/2024/09/05/green-day-interrupted-mid-song-by-drone-threat-at-detroit-concert/ https://www.flir.com/suas/ https://airdata.com/about https://www.instagram.com/p/C_jIAlFTnbf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&img_index=1

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you; Updated Countering CCP Drones language, representatives call for Anzu investigation, FAA proposes over 300,000 in fines, two drones-for-good stories about rescue, and Best Buy strikes again with a DJI leak.

Story Links: https://dronexl.co/2024/08/27/lawmakers-dji-drone-loophole-anzu-robotics/ https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-proposed-341413-civil-penalties-against-drone-operators https://dronexl.co/2024/08/26/dji-neo-drone-spotted-at-best-buy/ https://dronexl.co/2024/08/26/faa-drone-violations-penalties/ https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4792/text?s=1&r=1

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you, More DJI Leaks, DroneUp layoffs, and failed drone smuggling in South Carolina.

First up, a bunch more DJI leaks have come out this week including the Air 3S and more Neo Leaks! New images of the Air 3S show what appears to be a much larger gimbal on an Air 3 frame. Leaked images also confirm the name of the new drone as the Air 3S. Images also show specs including a Sony CMOS sensor, 14EV dynamic range, and onboard panorama composition of 13,000x6500 pixels. The pictures are getting better so we might be getting closer to release! The Neo has also had a recent leak by an Australian online store. The store shared specs, some of which we’ve seen before. Key features include 135g, hand takeoff and landing, 4K video, smart track, direction track, motion control, remote audio recording, and goggles compatibility. Control methods also include voice control, phone control, or RC control. For a complete list of specs, visit DroneXL’s article linked below! Next up, DroneUp is scaling back operations and is closing 18 delivery hubs. DroneUp ended hubs in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Tampa, resulting in 70 job losses or about 17% of DroneUp’s workforce. Deliveries in the future will be limited to 15 locations in the Dallas area. You can see DroneUp’s response to DroneXL’s request for comment by saying: “Layoffs are an unfortunate part of a business that is literally defining its own industry. Like so many innovators before us, the decision to automate often leads to similar circumstances but we acknowledge that this is a difficult time, especially for those with whom we've parted ways. While we are deeply grateful for their service, DroneUp remains committed to a strategy that supports our commercial partners and their customers. The lessons we have learned in the last several years has informed a strategy to reshape the last-mile of delivery with DroneUp's Ecosystem platform that is economically feasible for sellers and scalable for buyers. It remains our ambition to grow DroneUp, nationwide. Doing so would rely on a bigger workforce in roles that will be defined by what regulators permit, and what partners and their customers need.” We’ll keep you updated when we see more. Last up, deputies in South Carolina confiscated large drones being used to drop contraband into the Ridgeland Correctional Institute. While responding to known take off locations nearby, deputies found the two men flying the drone and attempted to stop them. The men ran and escaped into nearby woods. When searched, the vehicle contained marijuana, tobacco, a cellphone, AirPods, and a large drone. Don’t be that guy, and don’t fly over prisons. Have a great week, and we’ll see you on Monday for the Live! https://dronexl.co/2024/08/21/details-dji-air-3s-drone/ https://dronexl.co/2024/08/19/dji-neo-drone-listing-imminent-release/ https://dronexl.co/2024/08/17/large-drone-contraband-seized-failed-prison-drop/ https://dronexl.co/2024/08/16/mayday-for-droneup-delivery-plans-lose-altitude/

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Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you, Man sacrifices drone to save lost people, Autel Evo Lite Enterprise, and Drones inspect KLM Aircraft.

First up, 7 people were rescued after their boat started sinking in Utah Lake. Police were notified of a sinking boat, but were unable to locate them. While staging rescue crews at the marina, a local man flying his drone for fun overheard and offered to help. Stephan Ceciu was flying for fun initially, but assisted in the search, locating the sinking boat and sending their location to officials. The 7 people were successfully rescued and the boat was towed back to the marina. It’s unclear how far the drone was flown away from the operator or what kind of drone it was. However, did not have enough battery to return to home and landed in the lake. Great job Stephan and we’re sorry about your drone! Next up, Autel has released the Evo Lite Enterprise Series! The new series weigh 866g, and include thermal and visual payload options. The Lite Enterprise has a 40 minute flight time, 4K video, and 12km range. The Lite Thermal has a 640x512 resolution thermal camera, 16X digital zoom, and a temperature range of 0C to 550C. So far, no pricing has been released but we’ll keep you posted when if we see more! Last up, a new partnership between Dutch Drone Delta and KLM will use drones to inspect KLM’s aircraft. The new program will use DJI Matrice aircraft with AI enabled software to perform inspections and report damage to the pilots or other users. Images of the operation appear to show a Matrice 300 or 350 with a P1, LiDAR, and other payloads inspecting an Airbus A330. This is a pretty cool use for drones that will benefit air carriers by reducing downtime for inspections! Have a great week, and we’ll see you on Monday for the Live! https://shop.autelrobotics.com/collections/autel-evo-lite-series https://kutv.com/news/local/man-sacrifices-drone-in-effort-to-help-find-sinking-boat-with-7-passengers-in-utah-lake https://dronexl.co/2024/08/06/autel-robotics-evo-lite-enterprise-series/ https://dronexl.co/2024/08/07/drones-aircraft-inspections-schiphol-airport/

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 4 stories for you, Countering CCP Drones Act Update, First Category 2 Drone, a brand new DJI drone model and the FAA authorizes commercial BVLOS flights without a visual observer.

First up, a new senate amendment to the 2025 NDAA hopes to add the Countering CCP Drones Act. If enacted, the countering CCP language would revoke all FCC approvals for DJI and Autel products, effectively banning new mo dels and grounding current fleets. The NDAA still has to be voted on by the Senate, but the addition of the Countering CCP language would align the House of Representatives NDAA bill and the Senate bill on the issue.  Now is a great time to reach out to your representatives and senators as we near the election to let them know this language would devastate our industry and reduce Public Safety's ability to effectively save lives. We’ll update you as this progresses. Next up, the first Category 2 Drone has hit the DOC List!  The DJI Matrice 3D and 3DT are now approved for operations over people under categories 2 and 3 using the AVSS parachute system! If you’re unfamiliar with the Matrice 3D, it’s DJI’s Dock 2 aircraft.  Both of the Matrice 3D and 3DT are variable categories between cat 2 and cat 3 depending on the winds. More approvals should begin to hit the DOC list as AVSS tests more parachutes!  Next, there are some DJI leaks for a new drone! The DJI Neo hit the FCC database this week, showing a 2S, 1435mAh battery. According to DroneXL, DJI follows a “30% Rule” in battery to drone weight, suggesting the drone will weigh about 170g. Leaked pictures also show a possible prototype similar to a DJI Mini-series drone.  Currently, there are no leaked specs for the drone and we can't verify the leaked images are indeed of this model. We'll keep you updated when we see more! Last up, the FAA has finally authorized the first commercial drone operation beyond visual line of sight without using a visual observer. The approval goes to Zipline and Wing Aviation. I'm guessing this is an approval without a waiver under part 135 since other operators have been able to do this under part 107 waivers. The FAA stated that companies are sharing planned flight routes with other authorized airspace users by using Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) systems. We are still expecting to see a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) later this year that would normalize BVLOS operations for drones. Finally, a quick Community update. We have our July Drone photo contest winner! This month's winner is Derek Paulsen, with his photo of a "Beautiful Mountain Lake Outside Glacier National Park". Congratulations to Derek, who will receive a custom made pilot institute trophy and a $250 gift card. We'll have another contest in August, so stay tuned for those details. That's it for now, have a great weekend, and we’ll see you on Monday for the Live!  https://dronexl.co/2024/07/26/senate-amendment-countering-ccp-drones-act-ndaa/ https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/ https://dronexl.co/2024/07/26/dji-neo-drone/ https://dronexl.co/2024/07/26/faa-avss-first-category-2-drone-flight-over-people/ https://www.avss.co/drone-parachutes/drone-parachute-recovery-system-for-dji-m3td-or-m3d-for-dji-dock-2/ https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-authorizes-first-commercial-use-of-bvlos-drone-operations/

The first story this week is not the best one, a man was arrested for flying a drone over the SpaceX launch facility in Cameron County, Tx. The man was identified as 32 yr. old, Reynold Daniel Chavez, admitted he was flying his drone to see the rockets and said he didn’t know the airspace was restricted. At this stage, we’re unsure what legal ramifications Chavez will face. But he was charged with “operation of an unmanned aircraft over a critical infrastructure facility.” The incident highlights the need for all UAS pilots to know the rules and regulations as well as the airspace they fly in. Whether flying under part 107 or recreationally, flying safely helps protect the industry we love. We’ll share updates on this story as more information comes in. Alright, in our next story some more exciting news. We have some new leaked photos and even a video of two new drones. First, what looks like a new DJI Air. It was first speculated to be an DJI Air4 and then later an DJI Air3s. Either way, these new leaks appear to show a much larger gimbal and dual cameras. Could we be getting a 1 inch sensor? The original DJI Air3 came out almost exactly one year ago, on July 25th 2023. And, it’s a great drone we still fly today, so we’re excited to see what kind of upgrades we’ll get with a newer model. This time, several pictures showing a possible Mavic 4 prototype. What is clear is the very visible Hasselblad name branding and a design that looks similar to the current Mavic 3 series. The leaks seem to show a larger gimbal with a 3 camera setup, which could indicate bigger image sensors. You can also see several sensors on the top and bottom of the drone, another possible upgrade could be to obstacle avoidance or tracking features. Again, we’ll have to wait and see. But the possibilities are exciting! Next up, an accusation involving drones at the Olympics. A drone was seen flying over the New Zealand women’s soccer team during practice. The New Zealand Olympic Committee stated, “Team support members immediately reported the incident to police, leading to the drone operator, who has been identified as a support staff member of the wider Canadian Women's football team, to be detained,” A formal investigation has been launched to review the event. The Canadian Olympic Committee responded with a statement saying, “The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair-play and we are shocked and disappointed. We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee,” We’ll have to wait to see what information is uncovered from this story, but we will report back with any updates. Lastly, as mentioned, Greg is at the EAA airshow with a lot of team. This year we have booths 209,210 and in Hangar B booth 2141. No live on Community today and no live on Monday. But, Greg will be back for next week’s News Update we’ll see you then! https://dronexl.co/2024/07/24/man-arrested-drone-spacex-texas/ https://dronexl.co/2024/07/22/dji-mavic-4-prototype-drone/ https://dronexl.co/2024/07/22/dji-air-3s-drone-video/ https://dronexl.co/2024/07/22/dji-air-3s-drone-video/

First up is your “Don’t be that guy” segment… A video was posted this week of a drone pilot flying over the Blue Angels near Pensacola Beach, FL. The drone appeared to be in the flight path of the jets, though slightly higher. The footage has since been deleted off of social media. Please do not be that guy and do not interfere with other air traffic. We’ll keep you updated as we see how this story progresses. Next up, the FAA finally released a FRIA map! This new interactive map functions similarly to the UAS Facilities map, but displays FRIAs instead of airspace! The map includes information about each FRIA including the site name, Affiliated CBO, approval & expiration date, and address. This is a great site along with FRIAmap.com for recreational flyers to find FRIAs! Last up, a burglary suspect was taken into custody after a drone observed them breaking into multiple vehicles. A DFR drone returning from a mission was used to survey a parking lot at a busy area when the operator noted a man acting suspiciously. After watching the man for a short time, the police operator observed the man use a screw driver to break into a vehicle, where he spent several minutes before breaking into another vehicle. Police units responded and were directed to the vehicle the man was in, where he was arrested. This is an interesting, secondary use of a DFR drone. Have a great week, and we’ll see you on Monday for the Live! We'll be in booths 209/210, and 2141 Meet the team, get swag, see the airplane, and try out our new VR systems for airplane training! https://dronexl.co/2024/07/17/reckless-drone-pilot-endangers-blue-angels/ https://dronexl.co/2024/07/12/faa-map-drone-remote-id-fria-areas/ https://faa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=8f274117010f4eb1a50f64c1719be12b https://www.friamap.com/ https://ktla.com/news/local-news/police-drone-in-southern-california-busts-burglary-suspect-in-the-act/

First up is an update to the Chinese drone ban discussion. The Senate version of the 2025 NDAA was released this week, without the Countering CCP Drones Act language in the bill. This is a great win, but we can’t let up. The NDAA is an act that must pass every year and Speaker of the House Mike Johnson said that Congress plans to put together a China-focused bill later this year. Please continue to educate and talk to your Senators and Representatives. Let them know that this and other legislation that would ban Chinese drones is not okay. To see how you can get involved, visit the DAA’s website! Next up, a drone show in Washington State lost 55 drones due to a malfunction. Starlight Drone Shows was scheduled to perform a drone show over Angle Lake, WA on the 4th of July. Despite initial GPS locks, 55 drones out of 200 lost GPS and landed in the lake. None of the drones flew away or went into the Geofence, showing that programming worked as expected. The remainder of the show was cancelled and 145 other drones were successfully recovered. Starlight was in charge of the Sun N Fun show that we attended in April in Lakeland Florida with over 500 drones, which went flawlessly for 2 nights during the show. We’ll keep you updated if we see more about what caused the GPS loss. Third up, Freefly has released Astro Prime! The new Astro Prime has a 28-minute flight time with a Sony LR1, a new battery system guaranteed to 500 cycles, and a pro controller. Payloads include a Sony LR1 as a main camera with additional payloads including Wiris cameras, Sony Alpha 7R-IV, Green Valley Lidar, Sentra Multispectral cameras, Internal labs LiDAR, Hovermap LiDAR, Rock Robotic LiDAR, Micasense multispectral cameras, and more. The Astro Prime is also NDAA Compliant and Blue UAS, made in Woodinville, WA. Pricing for the Astro Prime is $27,000 for the aircraft only while a kit including batteries, controller, and aircraft is $32,250. Pretty cool aircraft from Freefly! Last up, Watts's Innovations appears to have shut down and is "Shifting to new horizons". It's unclear what the new horizons are, but we wish the folks over at Watt's Innovations the very best! Have a great week, and we’ll see you on Monday for the Live! https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/press-releases/sasc-completes-markup-of-national-defense-authorization-act-for-fiscal-year-2025 https://www.armed-services.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/fy25_ndaa_bill_text.pdf https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/ https://www.flyingmag.com/drones/questions-remain-after-july-fourth-drone-show-falls-apart/ https://dronexl.co/2024/07/08/freefly-astro-prime-drone/ https://store.freeflysystems.com/collections/astro https://wattsinnovations.com/

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week. An assaulted drone pilot wins in court, SkyeBrowse's latest update, and our yearly PSA about flying drones near wildfires! Let's get to it.

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week. An assaulted drone pilot wins in court, SkyeBrowse's latest update, and our yearly PSA about flying drones near wildfires! Let's get to it. A drone pilot won a court case after being assaulted during a property shoot in Tucson, Arizona. Zach Zywiak, a real estate photographer, was attacked by a neighbor while operating his drone. The court ruled in Zywiak's favor, dismissing the neighbor's claims and focusing on the physical assault. The person who attacked him claimed that Zywiak harrassed him first, but the judge had a hard time believing that someone who was hired to film a million dollar listing would go out of their way to assault a neighbor. Following the incident, Zywiak said he implemented new safety measures, including wearing a drone operator vest and using a 360-degree camera. Next up, SkyeBrowse has announced major upgrades to its 3D modeling platform, significantly enhancing speed and quality. The updates include a 40% boost in loading speeds and improved interior mapping capabilities. With SkyeBrowse, you can quickly process complex interior spaces from short videos rather than hundreds of photos. The platform now supports better 8K, 4K, and 2K textures, depending on the subscription tier. If you're not familiar, SkyeBrowse is used by multiple verticals, including law enforcement, real estate, and emergency services, by making 3D modeling more efficient and accessible. And now it's time for our yearly PSA regarding flying drones near wildfires. The shortest was to say this is: don't be that guy. But more seriously, if you fly your drone near firefighting operations, they will stop their operation, potentially leading to more acres burnt, houses burning down, or even lives lost. Illegal drones disrupted firefighting efforts during a brush fire in Del Mar Heights, California on June 25. These operators forced the delay of three water drops, potentially worsening the fire. Authorities identified an individual lawnching drones during the operation, but it is unclear if charges will be filed. The fire burned 23 acres, forced evacuations, and was only 50% contained by the next morning. Another similar story was reported out of Oregon at the Upper Applegate Fire in Jackson County 3 days earlier. Again. Don't be that guy. And yes, I know, DJI released an e-bike. I love mountain biking but this is not something we will cover on this channel...unless it starts flying. What would you like DJI to make next? An air fryer? An electric laundry basket? Perhaps a speed boat? Let us know in the comments. And that's it. Hope you had a happy 4th of July, no live on Community today, have a good weekend and we'll see you on Monday for the live!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you, DJI Air 3S Leaks, Chairs of Homeland Security calls for declassification of national security risks for Chinese drones, and a man arrested for shooting at a drone. 

First up, DJI Air 3S Leaks! More leaked images show the possible Air 3S or Air 4 with the same exact body style as the Air 3. The leaked image also appears to retain the dual camera setup and the obstacle avoidance.  It’s unclear what upgrades may be added to the new drone, but speculations include a larger sensor size, longer flight time, and potentially more smart features.  We’ll have to wait for more leaks or an announcement from DJI! https://dronexl.co/2024/06/25/dji-air-3s-leak/ Next up, the chairs of Homeland Security and Energy and Commerce Committees have called on the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Energy to declassify security risks posed by Chinese drones.  Mark Green and Cathy Rodgers, House Representatives, requested the declassification of security threats found by the government. Their letter includes the publication of found issues to law enforcement agencies, the federal government, and the American public for a better understanding of possible security threats found in the drones. The two Committee Chairs requested a briefing no later than July 2nd, 2024.  We’ll keep you updated as this unfolds.  https://homeland.house.gov/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/2024-06-18-Green-Rodgers-to-CISA-DOE-re-PRC-Made-Drones.pdf Finally, a man was arrested this week in New York after shooting down his neighbor’s drone.  Joseph Dishaw was arrested for menacing and criminal possession of a weapon after state troopers responded to a report of a drone being shot down.  Dishaw allegedly became angry when his neighbor flew his drone over his property and shot down the drone using a shotgun.  It’s unclear if there will be any federal charges for shooting at the aircraft. We’ll keep you updated if we see more.

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you, DJI Ban Updates, Drone Stalker Arrested, a drones for good story, Flite Fest and a correction to last week's segment!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 6 stories for you this week: DJI Ends Sync, AVSS Parachute for Mavic 3 Enterprise, GAO report on remote ID, University of Michigan sued for airspace rules, DJI Air 4 Leaks, and Public Safety responds to Stefanik proposed bills.

First up, let's talk a pretty big story that happened at the end of last week after we published news update: DJI has ended their “Sync Flight Data” function as of this week. If you’re unfamiliar with it, this feature allows flight records to be synced to the DJI cloud and imported into other apps such as AirData UAV or Aloft Air Control.  AirData and Air Control have posted information on workarounds, with AirData utilizing their app to synch data from the drone, and Aloft allowing for manual uploads of flight logs.  This move by DJI is only applicable in the United States and is likely a response to repeated accusation that the data is made available to the Chinese government. With the end of the program, law makers will now need to find new excuses to try to ban DJI. For more info, check out the links below. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) has published a report this week about the implementation of remote ID. The GAO found that while RID is now mandatory, the FAA has not spent time educating law enforcement on the technology, with many departments reporting they knew nothing about it. The study also looked at law enforcement access to RID and aircraft registration, and the GAO noted that there is not currently an interface allowing law enforcement to access registration information. The report also mentions network remote ID technologies as a necessary solution to help law enforcement to "access real-time information needed to track and investigate unauthorized drone activity." . The report also stated that “Stakeholders representing a commercial drone group said that there is a general lack of willingness by industry to develop network-based Remote ID”. The GAO issued 3 recommendations to the FAA; develop resources to assist state, tribal, and local LE to use remote ID; develop a plan and timeline for a remote ID interface; identify a path forward for how to provide real-time, networked data about the location and status of drones. Note that Network Remote ID is a topic of discussion in the new FAA Reauthorization Act. We’ll keep you updated if we see more. Fourth up, we have a lawsuit from the Michigan Coalition of Drone Operators against the University of Michigan. The lawsuit claims that the University has rules attempting to govern airspace above the campus and that these rules violate state and federal laws.  We’ll have to wait and see how this one plays out but good on the Michigan Coalition for fighting for drone operators and their unencumbered access to the airspace. Hopefully this sends a message to other organizations trying to illegally restrict airspace access, sadly lots of universities are in this bag. Air 4 Leaks??? Lastly, 3 first responders associations have joined hands and published opposition to the DFR Act and the Countering CCP Drones Act. Drone Responders, the Law Enforcement Drone Association (LEDA), and the Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA) have issued a joint press release in opposition to Representative Stefanik's proposals.

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have four stories for you this week: NDAA Markup, Commercial UAV Workshops, WingtraCloud, and two new courses from Pilot Institute!

Now is the time to make our voices heard in the US Senate. The Senate Armed Services Committee is considering its version of the National Defense Authorization Act. The House’s NDAA bill includes the Countering CCP Drones Act, which would ban DJI Drones.  It’s also important to ensure the Drones for First Responders Act or the Countering CCP Drones Act isn’t included in the bill’s language. As a reminder, the Countering CCP Drones Act plans to ban Chinese drones by revoking to preventing new FCC approvals, which would affect EVERYONE, including public safety agencies. The DFR Act would ban Chinese drones in 5 years after creating an incremental tariff, which would affect everyone, including public safety agencies that would lose financial aid after 5 years and have to pay for expensive drones without subsidies. The Senate will vote on their version of the act next week, between June 11th and June 13th, so the time to act is NOW.  Please visit the DAA’s website to contact your senator!  https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/ Next up, Commercial UAV Expo is around the corner! I’ll be on a panel with Desiree Ekstein, Jared, Janacek, Vic Moss, Kenji Sugahara, and Amy T Wiegand discussing Regulations and Compliance, BVLOS, Airspace Management, Remote I, Operations Over People and Vehicles, and more.  The talk is on Tuesday, September 3rd from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM and I hope to see you there!  https://www.expouav.com/session/now-beyond-2024-essentials-for-every-drone-pilot/ Last up, Wingtra released WingtraCLOUD this week!  WingtraCLOUD is a new software solution for flight planning, site-based file organization, 3D Planning, and coordinate systems.  The primary goal of the new software is to streamline surveyors' workflows and enable more data capture.  It doesn’t look like WingtraCLOUD currently integrates an image processing system but integrations are available according to Wingtra’s website.  We’ll keep you updated if we see more!  https://wingtra.com/wingtracloud/ Lastly, two new courses: LiDAR and Search and Rescue. Have a great week, and we’ll see you on Monday for the Live!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week: Anzu Raptor passes security checks, NV Mosquito busting drone, and SkyeBrowse’s new partnership with RSET.

First, Anzu Robotics has successfully completed White Knight Lab’s penetration test. Penetration testing of the Anzu Raptor included static and dynamic traffic analysis, Data transmission security, and removal of references to Chinese domains. These tests reinforce that the Raptor is a secure platform, and that all of the drone’s data remains on US-based Aloft Servers. https://dronexl.co/2024/05/28/anzu-raptor-security-penetration-test/ Next up, Nevada is using drones to combat mosquitos. The operation will dispense a granular product in remote areas where mosquitos are prevalent to target the mosquito larvae. The un-named product is traditionally dropped via helicopter away from residential areas, businesses, and buildings. There’s no word on the particular drone that will be used for this mission, only that it measures 9 feet by 9 feet and can carry 100lbs of the anti-mosquito payload. We’ll keep you updated if we see more interesting uses of drones! https://dronexl.co/2024/05/29/mosquito-busting-drone-northern-nevada/ Last up, SkyeBrowse has partnered with RSET. If you are unfamiliar, RSET uses virtual reality to assist in training public safety and military customers. RSET will now accept Skyebrowse models for Disaster response training, Active shooter drills, and firefighting exercises. This is a pretty awesome use of 3D models! https://dronexl.co/2024/05/29/skyebrowse-rset-3d-training-simulations/ Have a great week, and we’ll see you on Monday for the Live!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week: Drones for First Responders Act Introduced, Drone Pilots Can’t Map in NC, and DJI Air 4 Rumors. https://droneadvocacyalliance.com

First up, a follow up on the misleadingly named Drone For First Responder act from Congresswoman Elise Stefanik from New York. As we mentioned last news update, the bill introduced last week would increase taxes on drones imported from China by 5% per year, up to 50% + $100. This means pricing recreational pilots out of the hobby. And pretty much ending the ability for FPV pilots to build their own drones... Why? Let's see. If a cheap toy drone costs $130 today, it will cost 50% more in 4 years, plus $100. So you'll pay $300. The alternative? A US drone that doesn't exist from a company that we don't know about, because no American manufacturers are currently building this kind of drone. A Mavic 3 Pro that costs $2200 today would cost $3400 in 4 years. Of course until a year later where you wouldn't be able to buy it because it will be banned from import. In 5 years, the bill would BAN drones that contain a Flight Controller, Radio, Data Transmission Device, Camera, Gimbal, software, network connectivity hardware, or data storage manufactured in China. This would effectively ban all DJI, Autel but also EXO, Holy Stone, Ruko, EMAX, BetaFPV, and more premade drones. So what about the FPV pilots that I mentioned before? Well, drones that utilize systems manufactured in China, such as Team Black Sheep, T Motor, iFlight, and even Spektrum would also be banned.  It gets better, and of course I'm sarcastic. Funds from these new tariffs would be used to fund First Responders purchasing new drones. 60% of the funds collected would go to first responders, 20% to farmers and 20% to critical infrastructure pilots. But in 5 years, all the funds end. Meaning first responders, farmers and critical infrastructure pilots will be left on their own to buy drones that have been over-inflated, without any grants. This would decimate the entire hobby. Many thought the FAA was interested in killing the hobby. They were never interested in that but it certainly seems like Stefanik's office is, along with the supporter of the bill, including AUVSI. We’ve included a link to the DAA, where you can reach out to your representative and let them know this is not okay. https://dspalliance.org/the-u-s-drone-industry-is-under-attack-again/ https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/ Next up, an appeals court said that the North Carolina Surveyors Board didn’t violate a drone pilot’s rights by telling them to stop advertising and offering aerial mapping services.  If you haven’t heard of this story, A drone pilot in NC received a cease and desist letter from the state’s surveying board for engaging in “ mapping, surveying and photogrammetry; stating accuracy; providing location and dimension data; and producing orthomosaic maps, quantities, and topographic information.”. The current court decision effectively bans mapping in NC for those who aren’t a surveyor.  Michael Jones of 360 Virtual Drone Services plans to further appeal the decision.  Let us know what you think about this in the comments. https://finance.yahoo.com/news/drone-pilot-cant-offer-mapping-215413201.html Finally, we have some DJI Air 4 Rumors. Leaked images show possible Air 4 batteries and rumors include some specs. Specs include 1” sensors, Mechanical shutters, Variable Aperture, two cameras, and O4. Interestingly the leaks seems to suggest the drone may come with the ability to map, which would likely cater to entry-level drone pilots looking to get their feet wet without spending $3500 on a Mavic 3 Enterprise.  We’ll have to wait and see if these rumors are true! https://dronexl.co/2024/05/18/dji-air-4-rumors-what-we-know-so-far/ Have a great week, remember, no Live on Monday this week.

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week: FAA Reauthorization, DJI Mini 4K, and Robinson Helicopters purchased Ascent AeroSystems.
First up, congress appears close to FAA reauthorization. The reauthorization is over 1,000 pages, with topics including BVLOS drone operations, fine increases for consumer violations, legislation over near collisions, quality control for large aircraft manufacturers, and FAA staffing. Congress now will need to vote in favor of the bill before it heads to the President’s desk. During this time, we need to stay up to date on possible regulations going through Congress that may get lumped into the bill. The DAA has a new campaign opposing a section of the FAA Reauthorization that would prohibit the DOT from using any money for drones made in China along with the expected-to-be-introduced Drones for First Responders Act. Check out the DAA Link below to make your voice heard and we'll keep you updated when we see more. https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/ Next up is the DJI Mini 4K. The drone is currently available for sale on DJI’s Amazon site, with no mention on DJI’s official website. The Mini 4K supports recording up to 4K 30fps, and 2.7K up to 60 fps. Other specs remain similar to the old Mini 2 series, with a 31-minute flight time, 3 axis gimbal, smart features like quickshots, panoramic shots, and RTH. The Mini 4K comes in at $299 for the drone and controller, and the Fly-more combo with extra batteries at $449. This offers a more cost-effective option for those looking for a 4K drone, as compared to the Mini 3 at $419 for the drone and controller, and $589 for the fly more combo. Let us know what you think about this new DJI release! https://dronexl.co/2024/04/29/dji-mini-4k-drone/ Last up, Robinson Helicopter has acquired Ascent AeroSystems. If you’re unfamiliar with Ascent, they make the Spirit Drone which is a coaxial tube-like drone primarily used by the military and some industries. The Spirit has a max takeoff weight of 13.5 lbs, an IP56 Rating, and a maximum flight time with a payload of 38 minutes. Ascent also makes the NX30, with a 15lb payload, 65-minute endurance, and 35-mile range. Robinson CEO David Smith hopes to ramp up production of Ascent’s drones to hundreds a month. We’ll keep you updated if we see more from Robinson and Ascent! https://dronexl.co/2024/04/24/robinson-helicopter-drone-maker-ascent-aerosystems/ Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 4 stories for you this week: New Drone Act in Congress, Aloft adds SGI, the DAC recommends Changes for Stadium TFRs, and the new DJI Agras!

First up, is the soon-to-be proposed "Drones for First Responders Act". Not to be confused with DFR: Drones AS first Responder, which is actually something useful. This bill is introduced by Elise Stefanik, NY republican, who was being the proposed full DJI ban we discussed a few weeks ago. So you know we're in good capable hands here. The new act aims to transition public safety operations away from Chinese-made drones by increasing tariffs, providing grants to purchase US-made drones, set a limit on when imported drones must not contain Chinese parts (2030), and provides grants to US manufacturers. There's no word though on if US manufacturers will be able to produce the same amount of drones and what will happen if production is limited. The act claims that drones manufactured in China have a risk of potential data vulnerability. So I'm gonna ask the same question I've been asking for the last few years: if they are a threat, why are we allowing them to be used for the next 6 years under this proposal? Keep in mind, this is NOT a bill nor a legislative proposal yet and is subject to change. We don't have a bill text at this time, but we'll let you know when we see one. https://dronelife.com/2024/04/21/new-legislation-balances-national-security-concerns-with-support-for-u-s-drone-industry-drones-for-first-responders-act/ Second up, Aloft has added automated SGI waiver requests into Air Control! In case you don’t know what an SGI waiver is, it stands for Special Government Interest. SGI waivers allow for public safety and other UAS operators to fly in emergency operations that may require entering a no-fly zone or flying beyond visual line of sight. To get an SGI waiver, a department or operator had to call the FAA’s SOSC. Aloft Air Control is now approved to provide these waivers as needed. This should help all those public safety agencies and those who operate as volunteers. https://www.aloft.ai/blog/aloft-introduces-automated-sgi-waivers-in-aloft-air-control-streamlining-access-to-restricted-airspaces/ Next up, the DAC is recommending changes to stadium TFRs! Stadium TFRs close over 125,000 square miles of airspace annually and impact thousands of legitimate UAS operations. The DAC’s recommendation includes a drone-specific TFR that would be limited to the fence line of the stadium, reducing the restriction by 99% to just 11 square miles. Pretty cool for those operators who fly in cities! https://www.einpresswire.com/article/704774366/drone-advisory-council-announces-recommendation-to-modernize-airspace-restrictions-at-sporting-events Last up, DJI is continuing to release new drones! The Agras T25 and the Agras T50 were released this week. Along with these new Agras, DJI released Smart Farm, which allows for plot management and daily operations. The new T50 comes with Active Phased Array RADAR, a four-sprinkler Kit, and 9-minute fast charging batteries. The T50 has a maximum payload of 50kg of spreading payload or 40kg of spray payload and can spray 50 acres per hour. We’ll keep you updated if we see more from DJI! https://dronexl.co/2024/04/22/dji-agras-t50-agricultural-drone/ Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week on Monday for the live!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week: Drone Shop Owner arrested for prison drops, Baltimore bridge collapse, possible Avata release next week?
First up, next week appears to have two DJI releases! The first release appears to be a possible gimbal which is set to release on the 9th. Leaks on the new gimbal suggest an RS4 Pro and suggest battery compatibility and new accessories. Unlike the possible RS4 Pro, the next release has several leaks. Set to release on the 11th appears to be a new DJI Avata! Leaked specs and pricing from DroneXL suggest a 1/1.3” CMOS sensor, D-Log, O4, and 23 minute battery life. Pricing has also been leaked, with the drone only coming in at $410 and the fly more combo at $960. We’ll keep you updated if we see anything else about either of these releases! https://dronexl.co/2024/04/03/dji-avata-2-leaks-specs-prices-features/ https://dronexl.co/2024/03/28/dji-rs-4-pro-gimbal-leaked-photo/ Next up, the bridge collapse in Baltimore is a No Drone Zone. If you’re unfamiliar, a container ship hit a bridge pylon on the Francis Scott Key bridge in Baltimore resulting in the bridge collapsing. To reduce possible airspace congestion, a TFR has been issued for the area surrounding the bridge. Authorities including as the NTSB are using drones and helicopters as part of the investigation, with the NTSB releasing videos and images of the collapse. The FBI has issued a statement saying: “The FBI's message is simple: All drones are to stay away from the site of the Francis Scott Key Bridge collapse. This is to ensure the safety of all first responders and crews in the area as well as to not interfere with their work," said William J. DelBagno, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office. "You will be charged federally if you fly a drone in a restricted area. It is harmful to the recovery operations, and it is illegal” Don’t be that guy… https://dronexl.co/2024/03/31/fbi-no-drone-zone-baltimore-bridge-collapse/ Last up this week, a drone shop owner in Georgia was arrested for using drones to smuggle contraband into Prison. Georgia Department of Corrections arrested business owner Robert Schwartz from Thunder Drones on charges including contraband drops and inmate communications. Police said during the investigation they stopped over 170 prison drops, seized more than 50 drones, 51 lbs of ecstasy, 22 firearms, and 273 cellphones. The investigation began in November of 2022 and has led to 146 arrests. We’ll keep you updated if we see anything else about this story. https://dronexl.co/2024/03/29/drone-shop-arrested-georgia-prison-contraband/ Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week on Monday for the live!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week: DJI Dock 2 Release, Hylio gets approval for drone swarms, and DroneUp announces new delivery system.

First up is DJI’s new Dock 2. The Dock 2 is a smaller more compact version of the DJI dock, with similar capabilities. The Dock 2 is 75% smaller and 68% lighter than the Dock 1, and comes with two available aircraft. DJI also released the Matrice 3D and 3DT with the Dock 2, allowing for nearly any mission to be completed using the Dock system. The Matrice 3D is set up much like the Mavic 3 Enterprise, with a 4/3 CMOS wide camera and a 1/2” CMOS tele camera. The Matrice 3DT mimics the Mavic 3 Enterprise Thermal, with a 1/1.32” CMOS wide camera, a 1/2” CMOS tele camera, and a 640x512 Thermal camera. Batteries on both aircraft are advertised to last for 50 minutes and for 400 charge cycles. DJI also advertised that the control of the docks was through US Based AWS servers for maximum security. Let us know in the comments what you think about this new dock! https://enterprise.dji.com/dock-2?site=enterprise&from=nav https://dronexl.co/2024/03/26/dji-unveils-dock-2-automated-drone-ops/ Next up, Hylio has gotten approval to operate drone swarms! Hylio makes several spray drones from small 2.5 gallon up to 18 gallon drones. Prices range from $18,000 to $56,000 respectively, with additional accessories further increasing the price. Hylio’s latest FAA approval allows them to operate several drones larger than 55lbs simultaneously. It’s unclear the specifics of the waiver/authorization but this is a pretty huge breakthrough for those working in agriculture. https://dronexl.co/2024/03/26/faa-green-light-agricultural-drone-swarms/ Last up is DroneUp. DroneUp this week released a locker system, called the DBX, that will replace the operations centers currently in use. The DBX acts as a location that a company can use to send packages out of, with a capacity of up to 50 packages per hour. A drone then delivers the package to the customer and returns to a different location to either charge or to get a battery swap. This allows a network of drones to operate from a “Hub” and pick up packages at stores and other locations to deliver to customers. What do you think about this? Let us know in the comments! https://www.droneup.com/introducing-the-droneup-ecosystem https://dronexl.co/2024/03/26/droneup-autonomous-drone-delivery/ Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week on Monday for the live!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week: DJI Releases, AUVSI’s stance on Drone Bans, and an update on the man who flew over an NFL game in Maryland.

First up, DJI has a few rumors out for future releases! The first is scheduled to come out on March 26th and is titled “Easy Operation, Superior Results”. Leaks suggest this is most likely the DJI Dock 2, the Matrice 3D, and 3DT drones. The Dock 2 and the new Matrice series drones popped up on the FCC database in February, but we haven’t seen any updates since then. Rumors put the new dock at about $10,000 but don’t discuss the price of the drones. Leaked specs include 50 minute flight times for Matrice 3D series, wind resistances up to 12 m/s (27 mph), and a maximum take off weight of 1610g. Pretty cool for enterprise customers and public safety! https://dronexl.co/2024/03/19/dji-dock-2-matrice-3d-drones-launch/ Our next story is about possible hidden agendas by AUVSI. https://dronexl.co/2024/03/19/auvsi-real-stance-on-dji-drone-ban/ Last up this week is an update on the drone flyover of an NFL game earlier this year. Matthew Hebert flew a drone over and around the stadium causing a delay during the first quarter of the game. Police quickly located Hebert, who claimed ignorance of the TFR and relied on the drone’s remote control app for guidance. Hebert cooperated fully with the investigation and was sentenced to one year of probation and a $500 fine. https://dronexl.co/2024/03/17/drone-afc-championship-probation-fine-pennsylvania-man/ Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week on Monday for the live!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 4 stories for you this week: Remote ID enforcement begins, Bill to control airspace in Illinois Senate, St Louis Drone Bill update, and DJI Avata 2 Leaks.
First up the FAA’s deferred enforcement of remote ID ends this Saturday. This means that remote ID is now required to operate any drone that is registered or needs to be registered. If your drone doesn’t have remote ID, you can equip it using a broadcast module or you can fly it at a FRIA. FRIA information is available in the UAS Facility maps or on Aloft Air aware. https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-extends-remote-id-enforcement-date-six-months Next up is an update on the St Louis drone bill that would regulate airspace… The bill has passed the city’s legislature and is now on the Mayor’s desk. Like we previously covered, this bill limits commercial operators and attempts to control airspace, including airspace around emergency vehicles, schools, publicly owned buildings, and events. If these laws are violated, a pilot faces fines and the confiscation of the drone. This is a perfect example of a municipality over reacting to a proposed drone operation. We’ll keep you updated if this becomes law. https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/city-laws/upload/legislative/boardbills/committee-substitute-amended/BB199CSAA%20Combined%20Final%205.pdf Third this week is an Illinois bill that would also control the airspace. This bill would allocate the lowest 150’ to of airspace to be controlled by municipalities, who could create their own rules around “public” airspace. If you’re in IL, please reach out to Senators Julie Morrison and Linda Holmes to let them know this bill goes against the FAA’s sole jurisdiction of the airspace. It’s also interesting to note that this bill doesn’t specifically attempt to restrict UAS, but instead would apply to all aircraft. Another one we’ll keep you updated on! https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=SB&DocNum=2849&GAID=17&SessionID=112&LegID=151674 Ending on a better note, ther's leaks for the DJI Avata 2… Leaded pictures show the Avata 2, which appears to be a streamlined and a bit thinner version of the original Avata. With the leaked drone images come another set of DJI goggles with forward facing cameras, possibly to allow for an AR Experience. Leaked specs for the Avata suggest a 1/1.3” CMOS Sensor, 155 degree FOV, f/2.8, and 4K 60/100/120. Rumors say the drone will be about 480 grams and will fly for 27 minutes in normal/sport mode and 12-15 minutes in manual mode. We’ll have to see what comes of these leaks! https://dronexl.co/2024/03/10/dji-avata-2-goggles-3-specifications/ Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week on Monday for the live!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 4 stories for you this week: DJI Data breach, FAA Authorization extended, AirData creates public portal for government transparency, and Ohio DOT to use drones for traffic surveillance.

First up this week is supposed DJI data breach that turned out to be a complex scam. The “Mogilevich” group claimed online to have hacked DJI and had a one-terabyte database of information including prototypes and blueprints of new products. At least one person or group paid for the non-existent database at a price of $85,000. The scammers then posted their scam online saying “Now the real question is? Why confess all this when we could just run away? This was done to illustrate the process of our scam, We don't think of ourselves as hackers but rather as criminal geniuses, if you can call us that.” To be clear, DJI has not been hacked, the “hack” was instead a scam to convince people to pay for the non-existent data. We’ll keep you updated if we see anything else about this. https://dronexl.co/2024/03/04/hacker-mogilevich-scam-drone-maker-dji/ Second this week, the FAA has gotten another extension in funding until May 10th, 2024. This is the third extension since the 2018 Reauthorization Act ran out in September of 2023. The US House Of Representatives passed a bill to reauthorize the FAA for the next 5 years back in July of 2023, but the US Senate has yet to come to any agreement on FAA Reauthorization. We’ll have to wait and see if this is another “Kicking the can down the road” fix or if we’ll get a 5 year reauthorization. https://generalaviationnews.com/2024/03/05/faa-reauthorization-extended-yet-again-2/ Next this week, AirData has released their “Public Portal”. The Public Portal is an integrated product for public safety agencies to publish where drone operations occurred within a city or municipality. The publishing of these flights allows law enforcement agencies to be transparent about their operations after the operations have occurred. Flights are filtered automatically to protect confidentiality and a department can tailor what data is released to their needs. According to AirData, a number of major police departments have assisted with the design and development of the Public Portal including Chula Vista PD, Las Vegas Metro PD, and Sacramento PD. For more information, check out AirData’s website. Last up, the Ohio Department of Transportation will be using what appears to be a Censys Sentaero for traffic surveillance along US 33. Along with the purchase of the Sentaero, the DOT has gotten approval for a BVLOS waiver and an OOP waiver, allowing the drone to be operated over people and traffic beyond line of sight. Specific safety mitigations are not listed in article nor were they available on the Ohio DOT’s website. It’s unclear when the traffic surveillance operations will begin, but the drone will also be used for a number of other operations including GIS operations, mapping, emergency management, and construction monitoring. Another innovative use of UAS! https://www.10tv.com/article/news/local/ohio/odot-to-launch-drone-on-us-route-33/530-1485ea6d-e289-403f-86ed-dc418c306fd8 https://drive.ohio.gov/programs/aam/uas Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week on Monday for the live!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week: Man sentenced after shooting down drone, SkyeBrowse Lite, and the AMA has gotten approval for temporary FRIAs.

First up this week is an update on a story we’ve been covering since 2021... Back in 2021, a sheriff’s drone looking for burglary suspects was shot down by a man who claimed the drone was “Harassing him”. The $30,000 Matrice 300 crashed onto a nearby building and caught on fire. The fire was quickly contained and no permanent damage occurred to the structure. Wendell Goney was identified as a person on interest and was contacted by police shortly after the crash. Goney claimed the drone was harassing him and admitted to shooting the drone with a .22 rifle. Deputies then arrested Goney for possessing a firearm as a convicted felon. This week, a US District judge gave the 29 time felon a 4 year prison sentence for the incident. We’ll have to see if this sets a precedent for other courts to follow in drone shoot downs. https://dronexl.co/2024/02/23/florida-man-sentenced-four-years-shooting-down-sheriffs-drone/ Next up this week is our friends over at SkyeBrowse! SkyeBrowse released “Lite” this week, adding a monthly plan between free and enterprise! SkyeBrowse lite adds higher accuracy down to 2 inches and priority processing speeds for $49 a month. If you’re unfamiliar with SkyeBrowse, it’s an online processing software that uses videos to create 3D models. Videos can be from nearly any source and don’t require GPS information. If you don’t want or need to pay for models, SkyeBrowse still has their Freemium plan, which allows you to pay to unlock tools when you need them! https://www.skyebrowse.com/blog/2023/12/12/introducing-skyebrowse-lite Last up this week is the AMA, who has gotten approval from the FAA for temporary FRIAs. The approval is only applicable AMA events though we’ll likely see similar approvals for the FTCA, FPVFC and Stem+C soon. NOTAMs will be required for these events, which won’t help out the FAA’s NOTAM system unless it gets a major overhaul. We’ll keep you updated when we see more. https://amablog.modelaircraft.org/amagov/2024/02/27/faa-grant-national-authorization-for-ama-sanctioned-events/ Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 4 stories for you this week: New bill to ban DJI for all users, Philly Drone Life goes back to court, WingtraOne gets LiDAR, and Air Aware gets FRIA locations! Please help fight the drone ban here: https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/?vvsrc=%2Fcampaigns%2F111611%2Frespond

First up this week is a new bill from the US House Of Representatives called the “Countering CCP Drones Act” or H.R. 2864. The bill would revoke all FCC authorizations for existing and future DJI drones. For those who don’t know, the FCC issues approvals for anything that transmits radio frequencies. The revocation of DJI’s approvals would mean no drones could transmit radio frequencies. This would affect ALL users of DJI drones, including those who fly for recreation or fly for non-critical infrastructure. Please reach out to your representative and let them know this is unacceptable and will destroy the UAS industry. We’ll keep you updated if we see any developments on this. https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/?vvsrc=%2Fcampaigns%2F111611%2Frespond Second up this week is trouble for Philly Drone Life, a YouTuber known for being fined by the FAA for flying dangerously. A complaint filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania states the YouTuber, Michael DiCiurcio, has been “warned, counseled, and educated” 3 times by the FAA. The complaint goes on to state that DiCiurcio continues to knowingly violate regulations and lists 26 incident flights between December 29th, 2019 and August 4th, 2020 and the violations for each flight. The complaint assigns a value of $1,501 per violation of each Federal Aviation Regulation, totaling $182,004 in fines. Violations included acting as an airman without an airman certificate, careless and reckless operations, operating without a strobe light at night, operating beyond visual line of sight, operating over a human beings, and operating within controlled airspace without airspace approval. The court seeks the total fine amount along with a permanent injunction on operating drones not in full compliance with Part 107 or 44809. This would mean that if DiCiurcio were to violate Part 107 or 44809, a warrant could be issued for his arrest. We’ll keep you updated if we see any more about this case. https://www.justice.gov/usao-edpa/pr/united-states-files-lawsuit-against-philadelphia-resident-alleging-violations-faa Third this week is Wingtra, who has released a LiDAR unit for the WingtraOne Gen II. This unit has a vertical accuracy of 3cm from 200’ and the capability to map up to 890 acres in a single flight, this is a game changer for those mapping and LiDAR firms who do large areas. The LiDAR payload comes in at about $6000 according to the head of sales at Wingtra. Pretty cool new payload, I wonder if Jared will be getting one… https://dronexl.co/2024/02/12/aerial-mapping-wingtra-lidar-drone/ Last up this week is Air Aware! You guys asked, and we heard your requests! We were able to get FRIA Maps added into the app so you can see where to fly with your older drones or your foamy without RID! We’re excited to continue to add features to Air Aware, so be sure to leave a comment if you have some suggestions! https://www.aloft.ai/blog/new-in-air-aware-b4ufly-fria-data-layers/

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 4 stories for you this week: Remote ID for the DJI minis, an armed suspect escaped police after shooting down a drone, a man faces felony charges after flying over NFL game, and the Super Bowl is a No-Drone-Zone.

First up this week is an update on Remote ID for the Mini 3, Mini 3 Pro, and Mini 4 Pro. Last week we covered that DJI’s latest firmware update that removed remote ID when using the small batteries. This firmware update applies to ONLY the Mini 3 and the Mini 4 Pro at this time, if you have the Mini 3 Pro, the drone will transmit RID with both batteries. For the other two drones (The Mini 3 and the Mini 4 Pro) we reached out to DJI. After meeting with DJI we found out that each drone is considered two models, one with each battery. The large battery will transmit remote ID, while the other battery does not. Only the drone and larger battery is approved by the FAA. We’ll be publishing a full video on this topic soon and we’ll place a card here when it’s time! https://dronexl.co/2024/02/02/dji-clarifies-mini-drones-rid-compliance/ Next up this week is kind of a scary one out of California. Police with a warrant were conducting surveillance with a drone in Shasta County on a man wanted for multiple felonies including assault with a deadly weapon. During the operation, the wanted man shot the drone down. A SWAT team was deployed along with California highway patrol, but the man escaped and remains at large. The incident is a great example of how drones put cameras in harms way instead of people. https://dronexl.co/2024/02/02/suspect-shooting-law-enforcement-drone/ Third up this week is likely one you’ve seen, a man is facing felony charges after illegally operating a drone at a NFL game in Maryland. Matthew Hebert allegedly flew his drone over the M&T Bank stadium during a TFR on January 28th, 2024. The NFL suspended the game due to the drone while Maryland State Police and the FBI located the drone pilot. The pilot advised police he relied exclusively on DJI’s built in geofencing to tell him where he could and couldn’t fly and that because no DJI restrictions were in place, he assumed he could fly. The drone was unregistered and Hebert does not possess a remote pilot certificate. If convicted, the maximum sentence is three years in federal prison for operating as an airman without an airman certificate and operating an unregistered drone. Another charge of willfully violating US National Defense Airspace would add another possible year to the charge. We’ll keep you updated if we see anything else about this. https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/pr/pennsylvania-man-facing-federal-felony-charges-illegally-operating-drone-during-national?fbclid=IwAR240Cf8I9ZA5rX4dOaBMUisUFlfgFqEVd93Y9ONw5uwUm7wMMChuyn4Uac On the same topic, the Super Bowl is this weekend… if you’re in Las Vegas, there is a 30 NM TFR around the game… The FBI WILL be visiting pilots who bust this TFR… Don’t bust it! Las Vegas has a number of drone detection stations around the city, don’t think that you won’t get caught… Don’t be that guy, check the TFRs before you fly! https://dronexl.co/2024/02/05/las-vegas-no-drone-zone-super-bowl-faa/ Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 4 stories for you this week: A Secret Announcement, AUVSI jumps on anti-Chinese drone bandwagon, NASA’s Ingenuity ends mission with 72 flights, Autel releases the Alpha, and Mini 3 and 4 RID update.

AUVSI appears to be alienating a large number of the folks they claim to represent. AUVSI released a video this week calling for US Lawmakers to “take measured actions to strengthen the U.S. drone industry”. If you’ve followed us before, you know we’d love to use US made drones, but there are none available for the same cost with the same capabilities as DJI or Autel. AUVSI’s stance particularly affects Public Safety, who has recently seen restrictions on country of origin in a number of states including Florida, Arkansas, Indiana, Mississippi, California, Nevada, Texas, and the 2024 NDAA. We’ve also seen a recent bill from Oklahoma to ban the use of Chinese drones for public safety. So far, the industry’s response hasn’t been in favor of what AUVSI and other American drone manufacturers are pushing, with many companies including us pulling out of AUVSI’s conference. There hasn’t been a better time than now to re-evaluate who is advocating for you and your hobby/profession and where you may be donating. If we can make a recommendation, the Drone Service Providers Alliance is a great group to join. We commonly talk with Vic, Kenji, and Dave Messina about advocacy including fighting local bills that restrict us from flying and those that restrict our Public Safety agencies from using the best tools available to save lives. Next up this week is an update to NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter. Ingenuity suffered a “Hard landing” on January 18th, which damaged one or more of the rotor blades, making it no longer capable of flight. NASA’s goal for Ingenuity was 5 total flights on Mars, instead 72 flights for a total flight time of over 2 hours were completed, with over 10 miles covered It seems Ingenuity’s mission was a success and hopefully we’ll see another version of the helicopter headed to the red planet soon! Last up this week is the Autel Alpha release! The Alpha appears to be a medium sized industry/public safety drone with a wide camera, zoom camera, laser range finder, and two thermal cameras with up to 56X hybrid thermal zoom. The alpha is much bigger than the Max series and boasts a ton of features, including hot-swappable batteries, mesh networking, 4K 35X optical zoom, IP55 weather rating, and obstacle avoidance. Looks like a pretty cool new aircraft, hopefully we’ll be able to get our hands on one to test! Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week! https://www.linkedin.com/posts/auvsi_auvsi-is-calling-on-us-lawmakers-to-take-activity-7156338684651327488-TGQC/# https://dspalliance.org/ https://dronexl.co/2024/01/25/autel-introduces-alpha-drone/ https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/nasas-ingenuity-mars-copter-ends-a-remarkable-run

The first bill we’re going to cover is the Oklahoma, which would restrict state entries from purchasing or operating drones built or assembled by a covered foreign entity. Waivers of HB3068 are available through the state’s Office of Management and Enterprise Services. Waivers can be granted for criminal investigations, counter UAS, and “difficult circumstances”. Under this bill, state entities would be restricted starting May 1st, 2027. Next up is Missouri, where we saw the drone surveillance scheme last week. The state’s response is House Bill 1204, which would ban surveillance by drone. This one doesn’t seem to be nearly as bad as the St. Louis bill we saw last week but we have some questions… What does surveillance mean? What constitutes observation - nearly viewing through the camera of a drone? The answers to the observation question could completely restrict commercial UAS operations if observing through a camera as a by-product of a shot is not allowed. We’ll keep you updated with what we see out of this one. Third up is Utah, which seems to be trying to control airspace. The bill is sponsored by Ryan D. Wilcox, references recreational flying and “14 CFR section 101”… Go home Ryan, you’re drunk… Recreational operations are now 49 USC 44809, and have been since 2018… The bill would restrict operations over electric lines for public transport, over critical infrastructure, and would limit Part 107 waivers issued by the Waiver officer, specifically waivers for operations over 400’ AGL. If you’re in Utah, please reach out to Mr Wilcox and let him know this is unacceptable. Fourth this week is the CISA and FBI’s Guidance on Cyber security for Chinese manufacturers UAS. The document does not take a side, and instead provides facts regarding possible cyber threats, going as far as to state “Identify and select the UAS platforms that best meet the operational and security requirements of the organization.” The fact sheet provides federal guidance and recommendations on how to mitigate possible cybersecurity threats, specifically from Chinese manufactured UAS. The document also includes references and other resources for those of you who may want to look into this further, and we’ll leave a link below so you can read it for yourself. In all reality, many of the rules and guidance in this document can be applied to most things you do online. Alright! We’re through the government craziness for now! Last up this week is the ACSL Soten, A Japanese NDAA compliant drone that has now been released to the US! The Soten has a number of payloads including visible camera, IR+visual, and a multispectral camera. The drone uses 94Wh Li-Ion battery pack for a maximum flight time of 29 minutes. Soten also has a vision system and an infra red sensing system for obstacle avoidance, maximum range of 4km, and a number of available accessories including a smart controller! We’ve reached out to ACSL to see if we can get one to test out! Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week! https://product.acsl.co.jp/en/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/ACSL_SOTEN_pamphlet_EN.pdf https://www.okhouse.gov/posts/news-20230117_1 https://le.utah.gov/~2024/bills/static/HB0142.html https://house.mo.gov/billtracking/bills141/biltxt/intro/HB1204I.htm https://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/Cybersecurity%20Guidance%20Chinese-Manufactured%20UAS.pdf

First up this week is St Louis Bill BB199, which has some concerning text for recreational UAS operators… Line 19, 20, and 21 state “Any person who operates a drone or any UA in the City of St. Louis shall have a valid Remote Pilot Certificate from the FAA and shall be in compliance with all standards set forth under the FAA’s Small UAs Rule (Part 107).” There is no exemption for recreational or 44809 operations… The bill has other concerning text for any UAS operators, with restrictions on operating drones within 1500’ of other aircraft (Including City of St. Louis Drones), No fly zones to be established by the city, required stand back distances from public safety vehicles, and publicly owned buildings.The rule is of course not applicable to any city department or city agency. We’ll leave a link in the description to the bill’s text. And speaking of St Louis, here is an update on the plan to use drones for surveillance. After push back from the city, the company isn’t backing down and instead sent the city a letter threatening a lawsuit if permits for operators were required. Instead they will offer a free trial at a different time and location. They are also asking for operators to join him and fly. All you have to do is pay $99 and they'll let you fly with them! Currently, a gofundme for the plan sits at just $20 out of a goal of $10,000. And if you think there's a link between the two St Louis stories, there certainly could be. When we say: don't ruin it for the rest of us, this certainly applies here. Next up this week is Wing, who has unveiled a new drone with double the payload capacity of their current flagship drone! The new drone has a 5lb payload capacity, while maintaining the 12 mile round trip range. Wing says the new drone will be deployed within the next 12 months to all sites where Wing operates.The company also said that about 70% of deliveries are completed using one drone, while 30% use multiple drones to deliver, this would reduce the required number of trips to deliver the same goods. Fourth up this week is the DJI Mics 2! DJI has released the new Mics 2 with an 8GB internal storage, 14 hours of internal recording, 820’ range, Ai Noise Canceling, 32 bit float recording, All in one stage case, and compatibility with USB-C, Lightning, and 3.5mm TRS analog output.The cost of the new mics comes in at 349 for two mics and a transmitter, a mic and transmitter for 219, or 99 per mic. Check out our video on the new mics! And the final story this week is another DJI release, this time from DJI Enterprise. DJI released “Modify”, which appears to be a mesh-editing tool that pairs with DJI Terra to provide modification to 3D models. On release, Modify is only compatible with DJI Terra models. Models can then be exported as .ply and .obj for third party or online sharing. The yearly cost of Modify is $1580 plus taxes and you can a 6 month free trial. And here’s a quick pilot institute update, our new course app is now ready! We’re released our new app for offline viewing of the courses available on both android and apple devices! Head over and download it to start watching! https://www.theverge.com/2024/1/17/24040030/wing-delivery-larger-drone-payload-capacity-alphabet https://dronexl.co/2024/01/17/dji-mic-2-new-era-pro-audio-recording/ https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/city-laws/upload/legislative/boardbills/introduced/BB199%20Combined1.pdf https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/departments/aldermen/representation/profile.cfm?id=1561

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 5 stories for you this week; Autel Alpha hits FCC database, DIJ FlyCart 30 released outside of China, KY bill could limit drone operations, Walmart partners with Wing, and a filmmaker’s plan to curb crime using drones.

First up this week is the Autel Alpha, which hit FCC databases!  It’s been a long time since we discussed the Alpha rumors and many folks have likely forgotten about the drone. Alpha specs supposedly include IP55, 45-minute flight times, 50MP cameras, 25X Zoom camera, 640x512 Thermal, laser range finder, multiple payload options, autonomous missions, multi-aircraft operations, and 360 degree obstacle avoidance. We’ll keep you updated if we see anything else! Second up this week is the FlyCart 30, DJI's delivery drone! The FlyCart 30 has been released outside of China! If you aren't familiar with the FlyCart 30, the heavy lift drone has a capacity of 30kg with the dual battery setup and 40kg with the single battery set up. Safety features include IP55, active radar, binocular vision, obstacle avoidance, dual batteries, a parachute, weight/center of gravity detection, and swing stability. The FlyCart uses the DJI Pilot 2 App, the RC Plus, and O3 for a 9.9-mile range. The drone uses a 38,000 mAh battery which is rated to 1500 charge cycles. We'll see if anyone currently doing drone delivery picks this up for testing! Next up this week is a Kentucky bill that could limit the use of drones.  Kentucky house Bill 45 would prohibit use of an unmanned aircraft system for surveillance, which the bill goes on to define as  “1. With respect to an owner, tenant, occupant, invitee, or licensee of privately owned real property, the observation of such persons with sufficient visual clarity to be able to obtain information about their identity, habits, conduct, movements, or location; or  2. With respect to privately owned real property, the observation of such property’s physical improvements with sufficient visual clarity to be able to determine unique identifying features or its occupancy by one or more persons” The bill goes on to say; "For purposes of this section, a person is presumed to have a reasonable expectation of privacy on his or her privately owned real property if he or she is not observable by persons located at ground level in a place where they have a legal right to be, regardless of whether he or she is observable from the air with the use of an unmanned aircraft system.” Fourth this week is Walmart who is expanding deliveries in the Dallas area. Walmart has partnered with Wing and Zipline to expand their deliveries in Dallas beyond the current 60,000 people coverage. By the end of 2024, they hope to cover 1.8 million people using both Wing and Zipline’s Part 135 certificates with BVLOS waivers.  So far, Walmart has completed over 20,000 successful deliveries from two stores. Last up this week is a bit of a weird one; a business owner from Washington DC, hopes to curb crime by live-streaming a drone’s camera over a neighborhood. The idea is that drones equipped with loudspeakers, cameras, and spotlights would fly over this neighborhood and live stream the camera to residents. The program would have a two-week test period, after which the neighborhood would be able to book the service for $60 - $125 per hour.  What do you think about this use of drones - Let us know in the comments! https://fox2now.com/news/missouri/neighbors-local-leaders-react-to-proposed-south-city-drone-patrols/ https://dronexl.co/2024/01/02/walmart-drone-delivery-lewisville/ https://dronexl.co/2023/04/30/autel-alpha-drone/ https://apps.legislature.ky.gov/record/24rs/hb45.html

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 3 stories for you this week, drone hits Robinson R44, 2024 NDAA signed with American Security Drone Act, and a Drone Rescue, lets get to it! https://droneadvocacyalliance.com

First up this week is one you’ve probably seen… A Robinson R44 Helicopter, operated by Leading Edge Helicopter Tours hit a drone at approximately 180 feet near KDAB. It’s unclear what phase of flight the helicopter was in, but it was able to land without any injuries. The incident occurred above the Daytona Beach Flea Market, in Daytona Beach, Florida while the UAS operator was flying a mission for a construction company. All current information points to the UAS operator having the valid permissions to operate at that altitude in that area. The replacement of the R44’s rotor blade is estimated to cost approximately $60,000. Both the NTSB and FAA were notified and we’re going to hold off on assumptions at this time, we’ll wait for the NTSB report to be released. Next up this week is the 2024 NDAA, which had the American Security Drone Act added as an amendment. If you’re unfamiliar with the ASDA, it aims to address cybersecurity concerns for drones used by federal agencies. The law defines aircraft as “Covered” and means they were made/produced in China. The ASDA does NOT ban DJI or Autel drones for recreational or commercial use. The ASDA does limit the use of drones that are made by a “Covered Foreign Entity”, but an exemption is in place if “as procured or as modified after procurement but before operational use, can no longer transfer to, or download data from, a covered foreign entity and otherwise poses no national security cybersecurity risks as determined by the exempting official.” This means drones with secure data modes, such as Enterprise DJIs, may be allowed to be operated by federal agencies and purchased using federal grants…. But… Later in the law is a two year buffer, meaning for the next two years no federal agency may fly a covered aircraft, procure a covered unmanned aircraft, or spend federal grant money on the operation of a covered aircraft. There is NO limitation in the ASDA limiting public safety from spending non-federal money on these covered aircraft. If you want to get involved in opposing the ASDA as it currently stands, head over to the DAA and let your representative know. Last up this week is a drone for good story out of Weber County, Utah. A foreign exchange student, Kai Zhuang, was reported missing by his parents in China, after they supposedly received a picture of him indicating he had been abducted and ransom was demanded. Despite initial fears, there was no concrete evidence suggesting a forceful removal of Kai from his home. Using an M30T, the Weber County SAR team located Kai hiding in the mountains of Utah in a tent while fearing for his family’s safety. It’s unclear what actually caused the incident, but we’ll keep you updated if we see more. Alright, that’s it!

Happy new year and we’ll see you Monday for the Live event! https://dronexl.co/2024/01/01/rescue-missing-student-dji-drone/ https://dspalliance.org/what-the-2023-national-defense-authorization-act-means-to-the-uas-industry/

Welcome to your weekly news update, New Year's edition! Let's take a look at everything that's happened this year including drones for good, the don't be that guy compilation, drone regulation, Pilot Institute updates and of course new drones, starting with the Autel EVO Max....

We also reported on some Drones For Good stories this year, starting with a teen who saved people in their car. And of course, the FAA was front and center on many of our updates this year, but also some states, like Tennessee banning non-NDAA drones. Let's not forget about everyone's favorite segment: Don't be that guy! Starting with the guy who flew over the Bengals game in 2022. There were also a few surprises with Airmap shutting down their LAANC service, Amazon having a lot of issues keeping employees on board, and Skydio quitting the consumer drone business. But on the bright side, we accomplished a lot at Pilot Institute. We partnered with Influential Drones, Unmanned Tactical Group, and Axon Air to help provide even more training to our customers. We received a BVLOS waiver and submitted many more. We joined hand with the Drone Advocacy Alliance to help push back on non-sensical anti-drone regulation. We partnered with Aloft to provide the Air Aware to recreational pilots in preparation of the expected retirement of the current B4UFLY app. Then we travelled the country to various tradeshows: the Texas Robotic Summit in Burnitt TX, Sun N Fun in Lakeland Florida, AUVSI in Denver, FliteFest in Ohio, EAA Air Venture in Oshkosh WI, Commercial UAV Expo in Las Vegas, two back to back events in Colorado with the Colorado Round Up and the Colorado AirShow, and AZ Drone Fest in Phoenix AZ. We published 14 new courses, including 8 new drones courses such as the Skydio 2 and X2, DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise, Air 3, Mini 4, Inspire 3, the Evo Max 4T, and the Part 107 Waiver course. We end the year having trained 88,000 remote Pilots to date, 295,000 students totaling 506,000 course enrollments, 7.3 million lectures completed throughout our courses (that's 1 lecture every 4 seconds), 30,000 free registration stickers, 37,000 members in our Facebook groups, 128,000 subs on the various social media channels, and 6,800 WINGS credits issued on the FAASafety website. Needless to say, none of this would have been possible without all of you. A big THANK YOU for your continuous support, my team and I certainly appreciate it. We aren't slowing down, we are already working on some very cool projects for 2024 and we hope to release the first one later this month! Happy New Year, fly safe, and see you next year!

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 5 stories for you this week, Air Aware Released, Legislators urge Pentagon to deny export licenses for DJI, PrecisionHawk shuts down operation, the FAA Reauthorization act and an important update to DJI Air 3 and Mini 4 Pro.

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 4 stories for you this week, Amazon loses Head of Safety and Flight operations, FAA and NASA conduct UTM Field Test, Skyebrowse introduces pay-per-model, and the FPVFC releases a FRIA map.

Your first story this week is Amazon, who keeps losing people. Sean Cassidy, the head of Safety, flight operations, and regulatory affairs has reportedly left the company. Cassidy, a former Alaska Airlines Pilot, joined Amazon in 2015 to assist Prime Air through the process of obtaining FAA approvals. Amazon received their Part 135 certificate in August of 2020, and deliveries began this year. Over the last year, amazon has had a number of lay-offs including one in January and has lost a number of key players. Amazon hasn’t released any statement or status on their deliveries in the past few months, but we’ll keep you updated if we see any updates. Next up this week is the FAA and NASA, who have conducted a UTM field test. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept of unmanned traffic management, it’s a system that allows a UAS operator to reserve a portion of the airspace for a particular time. These “reservations” would assist with deconfliction between UAS traveling at or below 400’ in uncontrolled airspace. The test included flights of varying complexity levels, verifying standards, evaluating UTM systems, testing FAA integration with USS, and testing the real world application of all these systems working with ones another. Data collected from the UTM field test is expected to be used by policymakers to enable low-altitude operations, particularly those that will operate beyond line of sight. If you’d like to read the full report, we’ll add a link in the description! Third up this week is Skyebrowse, who is now offering a pay-per model version of their software! Models start at just $3 per model and vary based on the size of the video file. Pay per models will allow you to unlock features, such as download or measurements, that are not available in the “freemium” subscription plan. This works with older models, and we were able to use a model from 2021 and access these tools! Alright, and last up this week is a map of FRIAs! Due to the UAS Facility maps not containing information about FRIA, Alex Suarez has created a map that contains the locations of approved FRIAs. The map is color coded to differentiate between the 4 CBOs, and for FPVFC, FTCA, and STEMC FRIAs, has precise boundaries. Great job Alex! Alright, that’s all we’ve got, have a great week and we’ll see you on Monday for the live! Last week, I was on vacation and @wolfpack4694 asked the team if they would do a video talking about how mean I am. The thing is, I’m really not mean, so they had to make stuff up, and let’s just say they had a little too much fun with it. Take a look, enjoy! https://www.skyebrowse.com/blog/2023/12/12/introducing-pay-per-model https://www.faa.gov/uas/advanced_operations/traffic_management/UFT-Final-Report.pdf https://www.faa.gov/uas/research_development/traffic_management/field_test https://dronexl.co/2023/12/07/faa-nasa-utm-field-test/ https://dronexl.co/2023/12/12/prime-air-shakeup-cassidy-amazon-exit/ https://www.friamap.com/

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 4 stories for you this week, Air 3 and Mini 4 Pro finally added to DOC list, Percepto gets drone swarm waiver, defibrillator drones are faster than ambulances, and the City of Plano is looking at zoning for AAM and UAS.

First up this week is the Air 3 and the Mini 4 Pro, which have finally been added to the remote ID DOC list! This means you no longer need any RID modules for the Air 3 and Mini 4 pro IF you had one you were using. If you’ve been waiting for the Air 3 and Mini 4 to be approved before purchasing, now’s the time! Here’s hoping the FAA and DJI are more efficient about getting these drones approved when the drone comes out! Next up this week is Percepto, who has received a waiver allowing them to operate up to 30 drones with a single operator, beyond visual line of sight. The waiver is designed for drone-in-a-box systems to be used to inspect infrastructure and pipelines. Currently, the waiver doesn’t appear on the Part 107 Waivers issued so we can’t see the specifics of the waiver, but this is a pretty cool development allowing what many would consider the holy-grail of drone waivers. We’ll keep you update if we see any updates on this waiver! Third up this week is a study out of Sweden, which tested 55 drones over 11 months responding to cardiac emergencies. Over the 11 month study, drones responded to 72 emergencies, of those 55 delivered the AED. The study found that drones had a quicker response time from dispatch to arrival, with drones arriving first 37 out of 55 times, and 2 cases of shocks being delivered prior to the ambulance arriving. Super interesting study, we’ll have to see if drones are the next thing used by emergency services to deliver supplies such as AEDs! Last up this week is the City of Plano, which is looking at changing particular zoning rules that will affect AAM and UAS operations. This comes in response to DroneUp operating out of a local Walmart without any formal permit from the city. There’s no word on what the actual zoning changes would be or how they would affect AAM or UAS operations, but another meeting is scheduled for February 26th, 2024. Major John B Muns said during a meeting “ “We had the opportunity as a council to meet in person to see the operations in two different areas, one in Frisco and one in Plano, unfortunately, it was a couple of days before Thanksgiving, so we had a lozt of us gone,” “We still need some of that information, so we're respectfully hoping that we can table this item until we can get some real data that can be analyzed and explained to us… If we could get that information and come back with a much better understanding of what you're asking for.” We’ll keep you updated with what we see out of Plano. That’s it! Have a great weekend! https://dronexl.co/2023/11/28/plano-city-council-drone-delivery/ https://uasdoc.faa.gov/listDocs https://dl.djicdn.com/downloads/phantom_4_pro/20231123/Phantom_4_Pro_V2.0_Release_Notes_EN.pdf https://dronexl.co/2023/11/28/defibrillator-drones-outpace-ambulances/ https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-approves-inspection-drone-swarms/

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 4 stories for you this week, Ravens vs Bengals game halted due to drone, FAA Safety Login changes, rumors of a new DJI Agras T60, Skyebrowse releases 2D mapping, and our Black Friday sale is in full swing! I am certainly thankful for all of you who come here every week and watch this segment and engage in the comments. What started as a way to help our students stay informed with the industry changes has grown to a video that many of you tell me about when we meet at in-person events. I love the discussion that ensues in the comments and while many of you say it’s your favorite part of Friday mornings, my favorite part is to read the comments and interact with you all.
First up this week is another drone over a major sporting event… A major league football game was halted due to a drone flying over the stadium this week, busting the stadium TFR. And while I would commonly say don’t be that guy (I’ll still say it), there are deeper issues that need to be brought up here... First, there isn’t enough notification for these TFRs… If you watched our live event you’ve heard my opinion on this: There is a single NOTAM issued for ALL stadium TFRs. This means that the stadium TFR doesn’t show on any of your favorite apps such as B4UFLY or Aloft Air Control. And no, that’s not a problem from the LAANC providers. In all reality, this is my and my team’s full time job but I personally don’t follow major sporting events. I don’t know when the games are and the TFRs aren’t charted, so we could potentially bust one of these TFRs because I don’t follow these major sporting events. Over the years I have been questioning the intent of this stadium TFR, especially when it only covers certain events. A concert from a popular artist would fill up as many if not more seats than a qualifying sporting event, and yet would not qualify for a TFR... why be selective? I’ll say it out loud: is the TFR protecting broadcasting rights of the NFL, MLB, and Nascar or is it actually designed for safety purposes? The second issue at play here is that we need better education for drone pilots at the point of sale. The FAA requires that manufacturers include a brochure with each drone sold in the US. Problem is, the rule is not enforced. Could this person who flew over the game have been better informed? Probably. Next up this week is an update to the FAA Safety Login process for non-governmental employees. The FAA is going away from using a username and password and is transitioning to a multi factor authentication service. The process is pretty easy and takes about 5 minutes to change info over. After setting up the new log in system, you’ll still need to use your old credentials to get in until Nov. 30th, 2023. FAA Safety doesn’t appear to have changed at all, but we’ll have to see once the changes are rolled out later this month! Your third story this week is a new and larger Agras! A shared image by DJI leaker Igor Bogdanov shows a new Agras to be released on Thursday - yesterday as you’re watching this! The rumored Agras T60 will have a 60-liter liquid spray capacity. Other specs are sparse, but the T40 had a 50kg dry payload, so it’s reasonable to expect the T60 will increase this. The T60 is also likely to have onboard RTK, Camera, and light similar to the T40! Your final story this week is Skyebrowse, who released free 2D mapping. As with other Skyebrowse products, their mapping and modeling software uses video instead of pictures to create models. You may already be familiar with Skyebrowse’s 3D mapping, which includes an app to fly the drone, 2D and 3D model processing in about 5 minutes, and model sharing. https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/manufacturers_toolkit https://dronexl.co/2023/11/20/dji-agras-t60-agriculture-drone/ https://www.faasafety.gov/login/

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 3 stories for you this week, Phase One releases 128 MP survey camera, Aloft expanding to AAM, new waivers course and our Black Friday sale is now live!

Phase One has released the P5 Survey Payload, coming in at 700 grams. The P5 has an electronic global shutter capable of capturing four frames per second at 128MP. The P5 also comes with a 1G ethernet connection port, 14 pin JST-ZE, and MAVLink/Auterion connections. Two lens options are available, with a 35mm and an 80mm lens. With the 35mm lens, the ground sampling distance at 394 feet (120m) is 1.16cm, or 0.45 inches. Using this information and working backwards through a GSD calculator, we estimate this means with the 80mm lens, from 120m would be 0.51cm. Pretty awesome new camera for those in the surveying field! Next up this week is Aloft, who is combining low altitude monitoring of UAS and AAM. The Project, called the North Texas Airspace Awareness Project, hopes to basically create a dashboard of low altitude aircraft operations specifically around UAS and AAM. This dashboard will allow local municipalities to publish and disseminate localized safety advisories for certain types of users such as governmental users, commercial, and recreational. Additionally, this will allow a direct connection between operators of both AAM and UAS and the local governments to share information such as local rules. If you’re unfamiliar with Aloft, they are the largest UAS Service Supplier of LAANC and the current maintainer of the FAA’s B4UFLY. Aloft provides 80% of all UAS airspace authorizations in the US. We’ll keep you updated if we see more about this project. Last up this week is our Black Friday Sale, which is now live! All of our catalog of courses is currently on sale for up to 50% off! This is our largest sale of the year and as usual, all of our courses are on sale for the lowest price of the year! We also JUST released a new paid course for drones on how to apply for waivers! The course includes information on the process, supporting documents, what the FAA wants to know, where to submit, and what to do after you get your waiver! That’s it! Have a great week and we’ll see you on Monday for the live event! https://dronexl.co/2023/11/15/phase-one-p5-survey-payload-drone-camera/ https://www.nctcog.org/getmedia/63742e52-4c0e-40c2-97c8-3ec7bb63a28c/North-Texas-Airspace-Awareness-Pilot-Program.pdf https://www.aloft.ai/blog/aloft-selected-for-pioneering-north-texas-airspace-awareness-project-leading-the-way-in-advanced-air-mobility/

First up this week is the DJI Matrice 3D and the Dock 2!

The Matrice 3D is a simplified Mavic, designed for use in the Dock 2.

The M3D comes with two available payloads, one nearly identical to the Mavic 3 Thermal and the other seemingly identical to the Mavic 3 Enterprise. 

The M3D has a 55 minutes of flight time, obstacle avoidance, working temps between -13F and 113F (-25C and 45C), and a max take off altitude of 8200 feet.

The Dock 2 comes in smaller and lighter than the original dock, at 75lbs with an IP55 rating, an environmental monitoring system, security cameras and spotlights, air conditioning, and 4G/Ethernet connectivity. 

Currently the Dock 2 and M3D are only available in the Chinese market, with prices ranging between $9,600 for the enterprise payload to $10,700 for the Thermal.

We’ll keep you updated if we see anything else or hear of any plans to bring the dock to the US! 

Next up this week is a man in Missouri, who allegedly tried to crash his drone into a police drone. 

The sheriff’s drone was watching an area during a city-wide power outage when the other drone “attacked” maneuvering to hit the sheriffs drone. 

The officers were able to use the IR camera on the drone to locate the operator of the rogue drone, who was then arrested for obstructing government operations and attempted property damage. 

According to the sheriff’s office records have also been sent to the FAA for investigation. 

Don’t be that guy…

Last up this week is the DSPA, who has recently released their guidance on getting an operations over people waiver! 

This article explains how to apply for a 107.39 waiver and a 107.145 waiver with the Mini 3 Pro and the Mini 4 Pro.

Waivers can be tricky and we know based on the comments in our course how many folks are interested in flying over people and moving vehicles.

Check out the link below and be sure to write your own waiver — Don’t copy paste. 

The FAA has limited staff in the waiver office and will know if you’ve copied parts of someone else’s waiver. 

If you aren’t familiar with DSPA, they are an advocacy group focused on drone service providers and ensuring the FAA and other state, city, and local agencies create common sense drone laws that don’t restrict operators abilities to fly. 

We’re proud to support the DSPA and appreciate all the work Vic and Kenji put in to help the industry! 

That’s it! Have a great week and we’ll see you for our live on Monday!

https://dspalliance.org/107-39-107-145-application-info/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3wCMCVZ4_o

https://dronexl.co/2023/11/08/dji-releases-dji-dock-2-matrice-3dt/

https://www.newspressnow.com/news/regional_news/central_missouri/vandalia-man-arrested-for-attempting-to-attack-audrain-county-sheriff-s-office-drone/article_0648b2eb-3ee4-5ffb-8fcf-6864e7d0e4e1.html

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 3 stories for you this week, New bill proposes banning Chinese drones for the Federal Government, DJI Matrice 3D leaks, and Zipline’s new partnerships with Healthcare in Ohio. Make your voice heard: https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/?vvsrc=%2Fcampaigns%2F105982%2Frespond

First up this week is a “new” bill that would prohibit the Federal Government from purchasing Chinese Drones, again… To be clear, this is a reintroduction of a past, failed bill. Florida Senator Rick Scott introduced the American Safety Drone Act in the Senate and now Representative Gallagher from Wisconsin is now doing the same in the House. This new bill is set to be announced this week, and would prohibit the federal government from using any tax dollars to purchase UAV equipment from China. The bill would require a federal report detailing the number of foreign commercial drones and “Covered” unmanned aircraft procured by federal departments. At the non-federal level, the bill would also bar local and state governments from purchasing Chinese drones using federal grants. Both Scott, in the past, and Gallagher now are trying to attach this to the National Defense Authorization Act, which is the only likely way for it to advance since it’s highly unlikely to move on its own. Once again we see a country of origin ban rather than a set of comprehensive standards that any drone used for government purposes must conform to. The best way to fight this is to use the DAA’s link in the description for instructions on reaching out to your representatives and oppose the National Defense Authorization Act. Next up this week are some DJI leaks, for the Matrice 3D. New pictures of the drone and new pictures of the rumored DJI Dock Mini. As we covered previously, the Matrice 3D appears to be a simplified DJI Mavic 3 Thermal with fixed arms, top-mounted SDK port and mounting, and built-in RTK. New leaks about the Mini Dock appears to shows an angled channel that the Matrice 3D would fit into in contrast to the flat landing pad of the existing DJI dock. The M3D also appears to be slightly larger than the Mavic 3 with much thicker arms and larger propellers. Pretty cool innovations coming from DJI, we’ll see if this is released any time soon! Lastly this week is an announcement from Zipline, who has partnered with a number of healthcare providers in Ohio and Michigan. Zipline announced in September that they’d gotten FAA permission to operate BVLOS without visual observers, and now they appear to be ready to use that permission. Partnerships include the Cleveland Clinic, Michigan Medicine, Intermountain Healthcare, and Ohio Health. With these new partnerships, Zipline aims to deliver prescriptions directly to a home’s front door by 2025. The Zipline P2 system cruises at 70 mph, an altitude of 300 feet and uses a small “droid” to drop packages in places where the main aircraft can’t get to. Pretty cool tech! That’s it! Have a great week and we’ll see you for our live on Monday on our airplane channel! https://dronexl.co/2023/10/31/zipline-drones-deliver-meds/ https://www.flyzipline.com/newsroom/news/announcements/faa-authorizes-zipline-to-fly-bvlos https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-house-panel-seeks-ban-federal-purchases-chinese-drones-ft-2023-11-01/ https://dronexl.co/2023/10/30/dji-matrice-3d-dock-mini/ https://dronexl.co/2023/10/31/dji-dock-mini-matrice-3d-photos/ https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/?vvsrc=%2Fcampaigns%2F105982%2Frespond

First up this week is the new FAA Administrator, Michael Whitaker. 

As we previously speculated, this confirmation process appears to have gone smoothly. Z

Whitaker worked for three years as the Deputy Administrator of the FAA and Chief NextGen officer, coming to the FAA now from Hyundai’s Supernal eVTOL manufacturer.

AOPA’s President Mark Baker said “I am really pleased the Senate took action to confirm Mike and look forward to working with him to help pilots and to move GA forward… He’s a capable leader, knows aviation, knows the agency, and he’s a private pilot.” 

We’ll look forward to see how Whitaker lead the FAA in the coming months and years! 

Next up this week is one for all our Texas folks out there, the ruling labeling Texas drone law (Code 423) unconstitutional, has been reversed.

In March of last year (2022) a federal judge declared Texas code 423 unconstitutional under the first and 14th amendments, now after an appeal in the fifth circuit court, the decision has been reversed. 

The NPAA (National Press Photographers Association) says the law has been used to target journalists in situations where privacy hasn’t been an issue. 

The court decided the plaintiffs lacked standing for a 14th amendment claim because none of the plaintiffs had been arrested or prosecuted under Texas Code 423. 

In addition, the appeals judge said “And nothing in the No-Fly provisions has anything to do with speech or expression. These are flight restrictions, not speech restrictions,”, which is interesting considering the FAA is the sole party permitted to control the airspace. 

Brenden Schulman, former DJI VP of Legal said “In a very significant drone law update, the prior decision in Texas articulating a First Amendment right to drone journalism, and striking down a Texas statute that interfered with that right, has just been overturned by the Fifth Circuit… Depending on what the plaintiffs decide to do, this could be the first drone law case to go to the US Supreme Court.”

This means that Texas Code 423 is now back on the books, and we’ll see if it’s appealed again to the Supreme Court. 

Alright, last up is a fun one, we have a new possible world record for the largest foam quadcopter! 

Engineers in the UK have created and flow what they believe is the largest quadcopter, at over 21 feet from corner to corner! 

The “GFQ” or Giant Foam board Quadcopter appears to use hobby foam for its structure and weighs 54lbs. 

Next up, the team hopes to expand the project to create a quadcopter even larger! 

That’s it! Have a great week and we’ll see you for our live on Monday!

https://dronexl.co/2023/10/24/drone-innovation-manchester-quadcopter/

https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/GV/htm/GV.423.htm#:~:text=(a)%20A%20person%20commits%20an,is%20a%20Class%20C%20misdemeanor.

https://www.courthousenews.com/fifth-circuit-rejects-media-groups-challenge-of-texas-drone-regulations/

https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/288975/

First up this week is Amazon, who has announce they will start delivering medicine in College Station, Texas. Prime air aims to transport medicine to homes within 60 minutes of ordering, and includes over 500 medications for the flue, asthma, and pneumonia. Amazon hopes to sameday delivery over 500 million packages a year, and recently we’ve seen a number of lay-offs suggesting their drone program was dying. We’ll have to wait and see if this is a turn around or a last-ditch effort to make the program a success. Next up this week is Aloft, who won the GENIUS NY challenge for innovation. The win provides Aloft with an additional $500,000, which will be used to expand their team in NY. Josh Ziering said “Securing this win at GENIUS NY is not just a testament to the innovation and hard work of the Aloft team but also underlines the promise and potential of our growing partnerships in the State of New York, With the support and visibility that comes with this investment, we’re poised to continue growing Aloft at an even faster pace.” If you’re somehow unfamiliar with Aloft, they’re the largest LAANC provider in the country and our preferred LAANC app. Aloft includes both fleet management, flight tracking, flight planning, incident tracking, and LAANC. If you’d like to learn more about Aloft, check out our Aloft Deep Dive! Third up this week is a company called DataBlanket, whose mission is to use AI to fight woodland fires. This start up was launched last year, and their goal is to use drones to determine where resources should be allocated to effectively fight the fire. DataBlanket uses a drone manufactured by Ascent Aero systems called the Spirit. The Spirit is a coaxial drone capable of flying in extreme conditions, temperatures, and weather including winds in excess of 40 mph, rain, and temps up to 130F. DataBlanket has taken the Spirit and equipped it with AI and a custom payload and swarming technology to map fires or conduct search and rescue missions. DataBlanket hopes to conduct pilot programs in late 2024 or early 2025, pending FAA approvals for BVLOS. Your final story this week is Pilot Institute! We just passed 80,000 people in our part 107 course, 80,000 subscribers on this channel, 169,000+ TRUST certificates, and over 27,500 free stickers shipped! Here’s a big thank you to those who follow us, your support makes this possible! We also just released the DJI Air 3 Deep Dive and the DJI Mini 4 Pro Deep Dive, with the Inspire 3 Deep Dive coming very soon! Last up, sorry about missing our scheduled live event this week. We got busy around the office putting out fires and when we finally stopped to think, it was already 4:15. Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you for the live next Monday! https://dronelife.com/2023/10/17/this-ai-enabled-system-teaches-drones-to-fight-fires-datablanket/ https://www.aloft.ai/blog/aloft-wins-500k-investment-at-the-genius-ny-drone-accelerator-pitch-competition/

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 3 stories for you this week, Drone pilot loses control of drone over stadium, an update on the man who shot down the police M300, and DJI releases new L2 LIDAR

The first story this week is a drone that flew over a college football game, resulting in players evacuating the field. This occurred in Columbus, Ohio when Rigoberto Canaca Escoto flew a drone he purchased the day before at best buy over the stadium. Upon returning to Escoto, Columbus counter terrorism police were able to track the drone back to the pilot. Escoto admits he had no knowledge of basic UAS safety, hadn’t take TRUST, and that he lost both control of the aircraft for about 3 minutes while over the stadium and line of sight. Escoto has been charged in Franklin County, OH with: Unsafe operation of aircraft in a careless or reckless manner, Two counts of aircraft operation without a license, Inducing panic by committing an offense with reckless disregard, And disorderly conduct in a physically offensive condition. Yikes. Next up is an update on a story we talked about nearly two years ago. If you’re unfamiliar with this story, a man in Florida named Wendell Goney shot down a Lake County Sheriff’s M300 drone in 2021. According to the man, the drone was “Harassing him”, however Lake County Sheriff was investigating reports of a burglary at a nearby 10 acre wear house. The man is a 29 time convicted felon, who now faces 10 years in prison for possession of a firearm and ammunition. So don’t be either of these guys, don’t shoot drones down and don’t fly over stadiums in TFRs. Final story this week is the Zenmuse L2 LIDAR from DJI! The new L2 is compatible with both the Matrice 300 and the Matrice 350. When compared to the L1, the L2 increases detection range by 30% with a reduced spot size of 4x12 cm at 100m. The L2 has a maximum point cloud rate of 240,000 points per second and a 20MP 4/3 CMOS with a mechanical shutter. The L2 isn’t as expensive as other LIDAR units, coming in at “only” $13,560 according to DJI’s website for the basic combo. Pretty cool device, and maybe we’ll get our hands on one eventually! Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you next week! https://dronexl.co/2023/10/11/felon-shoots-down-sheriff-drone/ https://www.nbc4i.com/news/local-news/ohio-state-university/pilot-arrested-after-losing-control-of-drone-over-ohio-stadium-during-buckeyes-game-records-say/ https://dronexl.co/2023/10/10/dji-zenmuse-l2/

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 4 stories for you this week, FAA authorization extended, DJI FlyCart 30 gets FCC approval for operation in the US, Leaked video reportedly shows a new DJI matrice, and some upcoming events!

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 3 stories for you this week, The Air Sentinel App, New Skydio Drone, and DJI event next week! 

First up this week is the Air Sentinel app, who has partnered with DroneResponders to provide remote ID information to Public Safety.

If you’re unfamiliar with Air Sentinel, it’s an app that allows you to pick up remote ID broadcast information but excludes the location of the pilot.

Only authorized users can access pilot location information via logging into the app, and they must prove they are public safety before being granted access to pilot location.

Air Sentinel is free to download on Android at this time, and it is one of the apps we tested in this video (Point - Lets add the thumbnail of the RID test video).

Next up this week is the new Skydio X10.

The X10 is Skydio’s newest enterprise drone, with a FLIR Boson+ 640X512 Radiometric, a 1 inch, 50 megapixel wide camera, and a 64 megapixel zoom camera. 

The X10 will also have other payloads with the V100-L coming soon. 

The V100-L will have the same wide and zoom camera with a flashlight instead of the thermal camera.

The X10 has a 40 minute maximum flight time, 4 payload bays, 5G optional connectivity, and a 7.5 mile range. 

Pretty interesting changes from the X2, we’re interested in getting one to test! 

And finally, DJI has announced an even this coming Monday, we assume to be the release of the Mini 4 Pro! 

The event “Mini to the Max” will release at 9 AM Eastern Time.

Based on pictures, the Mini 4 has redesigned obstacle avoidance, a downward facing LED, and adjusted front legs! 

We’ll see if this is indeed the new Mini drone we’ve seen so many leaks about! 

Before we go, we’ll be at the Colorado Drone Airshow in Fort Collins Colorado in two weeks! 

The event is free, and we’ll be doing first flights for people who haven’t ever flown drones before! 

Have a great weekend, and we’ll see you next week! 

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 5 stories for you this week; Remote ID Delay confirmed, Mini 4 pro pricing leaks, the FAA gives UPS and uAvionix BVLOS, TFR Violating Drone Pilot Sentenced, and the DAA announces more campaigns!

Your first story will sound familiar if you saw our video earlier this week, the FAA has announced discretionary enforcement of remote ID. The FAA has officially - See link in the description - published discretionary enforcement for Remote ID until March 16th, 2024. Compliance date if you are able is STILL Sept. 16th, 2023. Discretionary enforcement ENDS on March 16th, 2024. If you’re waiting on your module, firmware, or FRIAs, you have an extra 6 months. For everyone else, you still need to comply as of the 16th of September, 2023. We’re very glad to see the FAA has responded to our previous video and letter requesting for discretionary enforcement until March. Alright, next up we have some pricing leaks for the rumored Mini 4 Pro, coming from Europe. As reported by DroneXL, the drone only will run 799, drone with the RC 2 at 999, and the fly more combo at 1129. Pricing is currently only reported as euros, but we can expect similar pricing here as drone prices in Europe tend to be just a bit more expensive than the US. Interestingly we see the DJI RC 2 package here nearly confirming that the Mini 4 will come with O4. We haven’t seen any other leaks on when the new Mini will be released, but we speculate within the next month. In the third story this week, the FAA granted UPS Flight Forward and uAvionix BVLOS waivers. UPS will be utilizing Matternet M2 drones, which have an airworthiness certificate. uAvionix will utilize Rapace drones to test their detect and avoid technology. These two companies join Phoenix Air Unmanned in operating BVLOS to capture data for the FAA. The FAA will then use this data to create standards for routine BVLOS in the future. According to the FAA at Commercial UAV Expo, we could see a BVLOS NPRM as soon as August of 2024 with a final rule in 2025. We’ll keep you updated as we see more! Next up we have sentencing for the Bengals Game TFR violation… 25 Year Old Dailon Dabney was sentenced to a year of probation and 40 hours of community service for operating his DJI Air 2S over the Bengals VS Raiders game last year. Dabney posted the video on YouTube, resulting in massive backlash from those in the UAS industry, and went as far as to taunt the FAA that they couldn’t find him. In the video, the Air 2S is flow down into the stadium, over people and the field, and inside of a stadium TFR. The sentencing comes from the Department of Justice, not from the FAA, so it’s possible the FAA has fined Dabney in addition to the sentencing. We’ve said it once and we’ll keep saying it… Don’t be that guy. Finally, we have the Drone Advocacy Alliance who has announced three more campaigns. If you’re unfamiliar with the Drone Advocacy Alliance, the group is an alliance of companies across the UAS industry that advocate against restrictions in what drones may be used by industry and public safety. The new campaigns include opposing restrictions in federal bill appropriations, restrictions in the FAA Reauthorization act, and other market restrictions in the NDAA. If you’d like to get involved or read more about these topics, we’ll put a link in the description below! That’s all for this week, we’ll be in Buena Vista Colorado on Sunday for the Colorado UAS Roundup! We hope to see you there, we’ll see you next week! https://dronexl.co/2023/09/08/faa-ups-uavionix-bvlos/ https://dronexl.co/2023/09/11/dji-mini-4-pro-european-pricing/ https://dronexl.co/2023/09/13/drone-disruption-changes-nfl-game-rules/ https://droneadvocacyalliance.com/take-action/

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update and this week we are live from Las Vegas. We have three stories that we want to share. The first one is information about Remote ID. The second one is the Mini 4 Pro. And lastly, we have a person that decided to do something not so great with their drone.

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 3 stories for you this week; Aloft integrates RID into fleet management, Phoenix Air gets nationwide BVLOS, and lastly an AI system that is faster at FPV racing than professional FPV pilots.

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 3 stories for you this week; DJI releases delivery drone, DJI warns against imitating apps, FAA Registration change, Pilot Institute success and some upcoming events!

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 3 stories for you this week; Some news from the FAA Symposium and AAM Summit, Pyka Pelican Spray gets FAA approval, and China is imposing export restrictions on some drone products.

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 4 stories for you this week; Reckless Drone pilot pleads guilty, we might finally have a release date for the Air 3, New FAA guidance about federal preemption, and a malfunction that caused 500 drones to fall from the sky.

Welcome to your weekly news update, we have 3 stories for you this week; Drone Light Show Record Set, More DJI Leaks, and a Big Upcoming Event - EAA AirVenture!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week; NYC is proposing an approval process to fly drones in the city, Aloft Air control has released their API, and some drone leaks. Lets get to it!

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 3 stories for you this week; The FAA is seeking public comments on BVLOS below 400’ for data collection, DJI Air 3 Leaks, and Korean Air who is using drones to inspect their airplanes.

This week in Drone News we have three stories for you. The FAA recently released a document outlining AAM integration into airspace, a scary Iowa bill has passed the Iowa House, Aloft releases Air Boss aimed to have one person able to boss their immediate airspace for use with multiple pilots and aircraft.

DJI Mavic Pro Leak This week in drone news we have four stories for you: DJI Mavic 3 Pro leaked price, Yet another bill to prevent first responders from doing their jobs, organized drone crime ring busted, Upcoming events and Deep Dives! Don't forget about the LIVE AMA with Greg on Monday April 24th at 4PM MST!

DJI Mavic Pro Leak This week in drone news we have four stories for you: DJI Mavic 3 Pro Leaked price, Yet another bill to prevent first responders from doing their jobs, organized drone crime ring busted, Upcoming events and Deep Dives!

This week in drone news we have three stories for you: Inspire 3, Check your currency (Public Service Announcement), and a device to make DJI drones NDAA compliant.

This week in drone news we have four stories for you: Inspire 3 and Mavic 3 Pro are around the corner, Wing’s CEO testifies before Congress and some heated discussion about Florida’s DJI ban.

In this week's drone news we have three stories: DJI releases new goggles and controller for Avata, there is an Autel Evo support update, and a New York drone corridor for testing.

This week in drone news we have four stories for you and the first one is a big one, Oregon nominates a new Aviation Director, Florida public safety pushes back against the country of origin ban, A new partnership for Pilot Institute, and 200 weeks of news!

This week in drone news we have four stories for you; A UK Drone Pilot was fined after flying too close to a warbird, AUVSI Green UAS program, DJI discontinues aeroscope, and a petition to raise the weight limit for remote id and registration.

This week in drone news we have three stories for you; IACRA glitch means anyone who applied for certs needs to re-apply, AZ bill to make flying drones over houses a felony, and the “American Security Drone Act of 2023” bill in congress.

This week in drone news we have three stories for you; Recreational LAANC enabled for night flights, Freefly Grounding, Spright gets nationwide BVLOS.

This week in drone news we have four stories for you; DJI SDK and New DJI Mini 2 SE, Super Bowl Drone Incursions down, the upcoming Texas drone workshop and a kuddos!

This week in drone news we have four stories for you; A new drone announcement from Brinc, TN law to ban non-NDAA drones from government uses, a New FAA CBO, and a potential new drone from DJI.

This week in drone news we have three stories for you; the Government Accountability Office says the FAA needs to stop dragging its feet on UAS integration, New Pyka Pelican Cargo, and Flytrex gets Part 135!

This week in drone news we have three stories for you; Amazon and other drone company layoffs, a follow-up on a crash between a drone and a Cessna 172, and Airbus is looking for partners on the Zephyr Project.

This week in drone news we have three stories for you; did Amazon fire someone for voicing safety concerns, a new world record for the fastest drone, and drone was used to locate a stranded boater.

This week in drone news we have three stories for you; DJI’s CES ban, FAA Delays Section 2209 again, and Walmart/DroneUp face delivery challenges.

This week in drone news we have four stories for you; the new Autel Evo Max, PSI changing the cut for testing centers, FCC announces NPRM for UAS, and a Ford Patent for operations over moving vehicles.

It’s time to recap 52 weeks of drone news update. We want to thank our community and our students for everything this year. Looking forward to another year of education and aviation.

In this week’s drone news update, we’ll talk about a rescue with a drone, DroneUp Expanding Deliveries, and a reminder for the holiday season.

In this week’s drone news update, we’ll talk about AUVSI Drone Prepared, a chance for those in Florida to comment on the country of origin ban, the new Ebee Vision, New CBOs, and finally, what happens today…

In this week’s drone news update, we’ll talk about a drone pilot getting fined for flying without a TRUST cert, a new DJI drone, and An autonomous aviation company working with the FAA and large drones to battle wildfires.

In this week’s drone news: Matternet, a medical drone delivery platform has received type and production certification from the FAA, DJI updates their data security following all the buzz about data security with Chinese company DJI, and the FCC database, amongst other things, has shown a new DJI Mini 3. Let’s get to it!

This week in drone news: A story of a Pilot Institute Student who saved two people in 9 days using drones, DJI released the Mavic 3 Multispectral & the new O3+ Air Unit this week, and a FOIA Showed 101 accidents reported to the FAA.

Your first story this week is a Pilot Institute Student who saved a life. 

Texas Game Warden Michael Hummert responded to two search and rescue calls in central Texas in less than ten days. 

As the only thermal drone in the county, Hummert led deputies to the first missing individual who was in a restricted DOD airspace.

Just nine days later officials reached out requesting assistance in another missing persons case. 

Hummert working in conjunction with federal officials was again successful in ensuring the person’s safety.

Huge shout out to Warden Hummert and all first responders! Thanks for what you do!

Your second story this week is the new DJI air unit and the Mavic 3 Multispectral!

O3+ has arrived in an air unit platform, and the video is amazing with 1080p 100fps in the goggles and 4K60 with rock steady recording in camera.

We’ve got a review you can check out here where we tested the air unit in a number of torture tests! 

Also check out Drone XL’s article on the new air unit!

Also released this week is the Mavic 3 Multispectral, signaling the true end to the Phantom line up.

The M3M uses a 4/3 CMOS sensor with 4 additional sensors in the Green, Red, Red Edge, and Near IR bands to collect data for agriculture.

Each additional sensor is 5MP while the main sensor is 20MP with a mechanical shutter. 

As with the rest of the Mavic 3 enterprise line up, the M3M has an available SDK, RTK, and uses the DJI Pilot 2 App. 

For those who were waiting for a Phantom 5, it looks like this is it! This is the 6th Mavic 3 from DJI, and the 4th one this year. 

Your third story this week is a FOIA request that showed 101 drone accident reports made to the FAA. 

Interesting notes are that 25 of the 101 pertain to near misses or collisions with manned aircraft, 8 were caused by fly aways, 7 by wind, 4 by low battery, and 3 were shot down. 

Many of the accidents were due to equipment malfunctions, however there are a few that are due to people being “That guy”. 

One discussed a person flying a mavic air 2 by an unlicensed operator who decided to go inside during the flight, resulting in the drone low-battery landing into a girl riding her bike resulting in lacerations to her face that required hospitalization. 

Remember that these were FAA reports, not NTSB reports. The NTSB reporting requirements are actually a lot lower than the FAA ones (which is only $500 in damage). 

The last story this week is that our Black Friday sale is going strong today. All the courses in our catalog are currently at the lowest they will be this year, and I mean that. Our Part 107 course is $107 right now, our photo/video fundamentals course is $75, the real estate course is $49, the mapping bundle is $199. See the full list on our website.

That’s it! We hope you had a great turkey day, time to go back to your food coma, we will see you next week.

This week in drone news: The FAA has snuck network Remote ID into the norm by approving a bid for a company to download local Remote ID information and broadcast it on a nationwide network. The FAA has approved the first community-based organization (AMA). A study published by Aloft shows LAANC compliance is low, finally all the Pilot Institute courses are on sale! Go check it out!

This week in drone news: Researches have made a WiFi tracking drone and outline potential dangers, a DJI M30T was used just days after purchase to save a woman, Percepto has been approved for remote deploy of their drone in a box solution, this comes along with a BVLOS waiver nationwide, lastly there have been leaks and rumors regarding a DJI Mini 3 SE.  What do you think the specs are going to be?

This week in drone news, the senseFly (now AGEagle) eBee was approved as the first class 3 drone this week, DJI releases the Mavic 3 Classic, a more simple version of the base Mavic 3, and Pilot Institute published a free course on how to 3d map with SkyeBrowse!

This week in drone news: SkyeBrowse released a completely free version of their videogrammetry software called Freemium. Check it out using the link below. The FAA has released a new advisory circular that is aimed toward community based organizations and recreational flyers; we put out a video on this if you want more information. More DJI leaks and updates, the Air2S is seen with the new smart controller, Mavic 3 Classic, and more.

This week in drone news: over eighty thousand drone identification numbers were leaked causing panic and distrust; the database was a result of an aeroscope user not DJI; the Drone was reported as spying but in fact it was just an FP&L drone doing inspections not related to the accuser; the recent Dodgers/Padres game in San Diego was interrupted by a rogue drone flying over first base; lastly, we will be attending AZDrone fest this weekend, come say hi!

This week in drone news we speak with Paul Brown, a PI student, about NYC ticketing him for flying a drone, next we will discuss a company that is tracking volcanos with what looks like a DJI M600, lastly, we will recap airworks, recent DJI troubles, and the Mavic 3 Classic leak.

This week in drone news: the first remote id app was released to the app store, Paladin released an LTE dongle that attaches to the DJI M30 and M300, there was a drone show in New Mexico during the balloon festival, and a Wing delivery drone crashed into a power line leaving people without power.

In this week's drone news, the infamous pilot that flew inside the stadium during the Bengals game was finally indicted, the Mavic 3 Thermal has been leaked on the FAA DOC page amongst other places, wildfire ops were halted after sightings of a drone in the airspace, and finally, less than a minute after a search drone was launched a missing man was found and brought to safety.

This week in drone news: Remote ID delayed for manufacturers working on compliance, DJI Leaks on Mavic 3 Classic, and Autel releases V3 aircraft and new smart controller.

Check out our gear list: https://www.amazon.com/shop/pilotinstitute

Free drone registration labels:

https://pilotinstitute.com/free/

Our Other Channels

- PIXL Drone Show: drone-related podcast, posts every Tuesday morning. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbeSmbjvE0etKry8Nk2n0CQ

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Our courses

- Part 107 Made Easy: the most comprehensive ground school online. https://bit.ly/2AkRWq0

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Remote Id Delayed for manufacturers actively working on RID compliance. The new compliance date for these manufacturers is Dec. 16th, 2022. 

Leaks show a new Mavic 3 classic drone with a fixed aperture camera. 

https://dronexl.co/2022/09/03/dji-mavic-3-classic-camera-drone-photos/

https://dronexl.co/2022/09/01/dji-rumors-dji-mavic-3-classic-drone/

New Autel aircraft

V3 aircraft will be compliant with Remote ID and can come with a smaller more compact Autel Smart Controller!

This week in drone news; DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise leaks, Rogue Drone stopped firefighting efforts in Montana, Drone tracking installed at LAX, and some new Pilot Institute Deep-dive courses! 

DJI Avata Deep Dive: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/dji-avata-deep-dive/

Parrot Anafi Ai Deep Dive: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/parrot-anafi-ai-deep-dive/

Matrice 300 Deep Dive: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/dji-m300-deep-dive/

An image shared by DealsDrone potentially shows the payload for the Mavic 3 Enterprise.

Currently, there are no specs on the Mavic 3 Enterprise or the payload

The Mavic 3 Enterprise is expected to be released or announced at DJI Airworks 2022, in just a few weeks. 

https://dronexl.co/2022/08/29/dji-mavic-3-enterprise-camera-leaked-photo/

A rogue drone in Montana delayed firefighting efforts.

Firefighters were able to chase the drone back to the owner. 

“The crew member actually kind of chased the drone down the hill and was able to find some kids that helped him out, that got him to the person that was actually operating the drone. We quickly called the PD and they responded within a few minutes, and we were able to catch up with the gentleman,” says Huston.

https://dronexl.co/2022/08/30/rogue-drones-mount-helena-firefighting/

In light of recent “Guy in a jetpack” sightings at LAX, TSA will be testing a new technology to track drones.

See our aerial armor video - 

No confirmation on if this particular system will be used at LAX or not…

TSA reports that there have been 38 drone sightings at LAX this year.

https://dronexl.co/2022/08/26/drone-tracking-tech-tested-lax-airport/

Commercial UAV Expo: Sept 6-8 in Las Vegas, NV

Colorado UAS Roundup: Sept 11-12 in Mount Princeton, CO

DJI Airworks: Oct 10-12 in Las Vegas, NV

DRL Drone Race: Oct 11 at the PayPal Park in San Jose, CA

$15 tickets for PI Students, family, and Friends.

https://offer.fevo.com/drone-racing-league-kywoakr-8083d5a?fevoUri=drone-racing-league-kywoakr-8083d5a%2F

Commercial UAV Expo: Sept 6-8 in Las Vegas, NV

Colorado UAS Roundup: Sept 11-12 in Mount Princeton, CO

DJI Airworks: Oct 10-12 in Las Vegas, NV

DRL Drone Race: Oct 11 at the PayPal Park in San Jose, CA

$15 tickets for PI Students, family, and Friends.

https://offer.fevo.com/drone-racing-league-kywoakr-8083d5a?fevoUri=drone-racing-league-kywoakr-8083d5a%2F

This week in drone news; the DJI Avata has been released after weeks of leaks, the long-flying Zephyr Drone has crashed hours short of the world record time, FCC filings suggest an EVO 2 V3, and some upcoming industry events including Commercial UAV Expo and DRL's first race of the season! 

Get the Avata here: https://click.dji.com/APt7wTOjepgyoDfSf0T_aA?pm=link

DJI Avata is out and it’s sweet!

4K 60, 18 minute of flight time, 

GPS, Sport and Manual modes

New goggles with Head Tracking

Free Deep Dive

Full Review

Comparative Footage

The Zephyr drone crashed shortly after our news update went out last week.

The drone totaled 64 days airborne

The Zephyr was just hours short of the longest flight ever, which was set in 1958.

Two men flew a C172 Skyhawk for 64 days and 22 hours.

https://www.businessinsider.com/solar-powered-airbus-zephyr-drone-apparently-crashed-in-arizona-2022-8

According to recent FCC filings, Autel is preparing to release up to 6 new models of the EVO 2.

EVO II Pro V3: Quadcopter equipped with a 1-inch CMOS sensor that can shoot up to 6K video.

EVO II Pro RTK V3: Quadcopter equipped with a 6K camera and a RTK module that has centimeter-level positioning accuracy.

EVO II Pro Enterprise: Quadcopter equipped with a 6K camera and compatible with four kinds of enterprise accessories (Spotlight, Loudspeaker, Strobe, RTK Module).

EVO II DUAL 640T V3: Quadcopter equipped with a 4K camera and a thermal camera.

EVO II DUAL 640T RTK: Quadcopter equipped with a 4K camera, a thermal camera, and an RTK module that has centimeter-level positioning accuracy.

EVO II DUAL 640T Enterprise V3: Quadcopter equipped with a 4K camera, a thermal camera, and compatible with four kinds of enterprise accessories (Spotlight, Loudspeaker, Strobe, RTK Module).

This appears to be another chipset for the drones and controllers

New Autel smart controller “SE” for Evo lite and Nano series

Commercial UAV Expo: Sept 6-8 in Las Vegas, NV

Colorado UAS Roundup: Sept 11-12 in Mount Princeton, CO

DJI Airworks: Oct 10-12 in Las Vegas, NV

DRL Drone Race: Oct 11 at the PayPal Park in San Jose, CA

$15 tickets for PI Students, family, and Friends.

https://offer.fevo.com/drone-racing-league-kywoakr-8083d5a?fevoUri=drone-racing-league-kywoakr-8083d5a%2F

This week in drone news, the Airbus Zephyr has completed 60 days of flying so far, DJI Avata accessories leaked by Adorama, another drone smuggling attempt, more PI content coming to the Photography and videography course, and the upcoming Commercial UAV Expo! 

The Zephyr drone is still flying!

82’ wingspan, 165lbs.

Solar powered

This is the same drone (and same flight) that flew to Belize and back.

The previous record for a sustained UAS flight was 26 days… we’ve passed 60 days now.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/armys-zephyr-drone-is-still-aloft-after-50-days

These leaks show the Avata accessories!

Looks like parts including new props, ducts/propeller guards, and the “upper frame” are available for purchase

Extra batteries, fly more combos, ND filters, and a battery hub are also available. 

https://dronexl.co/2022/08/16/9-dji-avata-accessories-pricing-adorama/

DJI Battery Charging Hub for Avata Intelligent Flight Battery – $59

DJI Propellers for Avata Drone – $9

DJI ND Filter Set with ND8, ND16, ND32 for DJI Avata drone – $79

DJI 2420mAh Intelligent Flight Battery for Avata Drone – $129

DJI Fly More Kit w/2x Intelligent Flight Battery & Charging Hub for Avata Drone – $279

DJI Headband for Avata Goggles 2 – $19

DJI Propeller Guard for Avata Drone – $29

DJI Upper Frame for Avata Drone – $19

DJI 1800mAh Battery for Avata Goggles 2 – $39

Another smuggling attempt via drone was stopped this week in Fort Worth, Texas.

A man attempted to smuggle contraband into a prison including drugs, smartphones, and MP3 players.

Flight logs from the drone show that it was flown over a number of other correctional facilities previously. 

https://www.kxan.com/news/texas/texas-man-accused-of-flying-drone-over-federal-prison-to-deliver-drugs-other-contraband/

Don, Greg, and Jason (and DSPA!) will be attending Commercial UAV Expo this year!

The Expo will have at least 193 exhibitors and project at least 200+ will actually fill the floor, a 50% increase over last year and a record-sized show.  

It is the most important commercial drone show ever held in the Americas.  Our attendance is also tracking at a record level, and our full-conference registration is way ahead of last year.

This week in drone news; More leaks for the DJI Avata, Skyebrowse has released a new hyper-realistic modeling software, ASTM has gotten the first MOC for remote ID, the FAA's Dronezone got a new look this week, and an update on Pilot Institute's new courses! 

Check out Skyebrowse: https://www.skyebrowse.com/

DJI Avata leaks continue, suggesting the drone is nearing release

Rumored specs include

18 minute flight time

RTH

408g

DJI Goggles 2 (looks like 2 different types)

A motion controller

1/1.7” sensor, 4K 60

3 modes: Manual, Sport, Normal

$629 to $1388

Also looks like an Avata Air Unit ($250-300)

DroneXL reported a leaked published day of 8/23

https://dronexl.co/2022/08/08/dji-avata-specs-drone-photo/

The DroneZone got a new look! 

Functionality of the site remain the same, with additional links to mission specific rules and guidelines.

Remember that the Dronezone is the ONLY place to register your drone. If it doesn’t end in .gov, you’re in the wrong spot!

https://faadronezone-access.faa.gov/

Skyebrowse has released Hyper.

This system generates realistic models in as little as 2 minutes

This is a fully textured centimeter accurate 3D model

https://www.skyebrowse.com/?ss_source=sscampaigns&ss_email_id=62f10995ac12f171652d0858

In this week's drone news; The RDQ vs FAA court case has been settled and remote ID will continue as planned, NASA and Zipline partner for fleet integration, an experimental eVOTL crash, and a new FAASafety course by Pilot Institute. 

ALC-803: https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/course_content.aspx?pf=1&preview=true&cID=803

Remote ID was upheld in the US. Court of Appeals this week.

Race Day Quads sued the FAA based on the 4th amendment, procedural Mis-steps, and concerns of pilot safety.

“Remote ID technology requires drones in flight to emit publicly readable radio signals reflecting certain identifying information, including their serial number, location, and performance information. Those signals can be received, and the Remote ID information read, by smart phones and similar devices using a downloadable application available to the FAA, government entities, and members of the public, including other aircraft operators.”

For a full analysis, see our live stream and the article from DroneXL!

https://dronexl.co/2022/07/29/faas-remote-id-for-drones-upheld-in-court/

NASA has partnered with Zipline to create a vision for autonomous fleets of drones.

To achieve this, researchers are using a small number of people to operate large amounts of drones. 

This experience along with Zipline’s other experience with operations of many aircraft will help shape the future of fleet operations in the US. 

https://www.nasa.gov/aeroresearch/nasa-partners-with-zipline-to-shape-future-operations-of-autonomous-fleets

The Guardian G1 is an eVTOL made by the company Aura Aerospace.

In a recent test, the G1 caught fire due to a failed current regulator.

“The problem is that certain components, such as commercially available high-power transistors and FETs, are not at all suited to aerospace electric applications. Only when certified power controllers are available will electric flying be able to get off the ground safely,” Thompson said.

https://dronexl.co/2022/07/28/passenger-drone-evtol-catches-fire/

What is FAASafety 

Sarah Nilsson 

ALC-803 - Regulations, Laws, Airspace Ownership and FAA Enforcement 

Available for free on the FAA website

In this week's drone news; Leaks for upcoming DJI drones include the Mavic 3 Enterprise, Inspire 3, and the Avata, an update on the large UAS crash in California, lifeguards save a swimmer using a drone to drop a life jacket, and a new FAA safety course by Pilot Insitute.   

FAA Safety ALC-803: https://www.faasafety.gov/gslac/ALC/course_content.aspx?pf=1&preview=true&cID=803

The DJI Avata showed up in FCC filings this week, along with DJI goggles 2 and an O3 Air unit.

This appears to be a successor to the DJI FPV

According to registration, the Avata has a 2420mAh battery

No word on the launch date, but it’s in the FCC database!

https://dronexl.co/2022/07/26/dji-avata-drone-fcc-database/

New leaked photo of the Inspire 3!

The Inspire 3 is expected to have

Zenmuse X9

8K 75FPS

O4

Time code sync

Built-in ND filters

https://dronexl.co/2022/07/26/dji-inspire-3-drone-leaked-photo/

We previously reported on a possible Mavic 3 Enterprise after the April fool’s post by DJI.

Now, leaked photos appear to show a Mavic 3 with a Matrice 30 payload.

Rumored features include a 3-1200m Laser Range Finder

24 MP 1” CMOS sensor

3-16X optical zoom

Up to 300X hybrid zoom

https://dronexl.co/2022/07/23/dji-mavic-3-enterprise-thermal-leaked-photos/

We previously reported on a large UAS crash in California

The pilot reported that the aircraft was on its third spraying mission of the day

The pilot completed a pre-flight and updated the previous mission.

The aircraft took off in autonomous mode, climbed to ~125 feet, and went into a left turn. The pilot noted no unusual behavior during the turn.

The aircraft’s right wing skin separated from the aircraft taking flaps and ailerons with it.  

The aircraft rolled right and lost altitude crashing into the ground.

The batteries caught fire after the crash but did not spread.

(See pics)

https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=105109

Spanish lifeguards saved a 14 years old from drowning off of a beach in Valencia.

The drone dropped a lifejacket into the sea which kept the swimmer afloat until other guards were able to get to the distressed swimmer.

Don, Greg, and Jason (and DSPA!) will be attending Commercial UAV Expo this year!

The Expo will have at least 193 exhibitors and project at least 200+ will actually fill the floor, a 50% increase over last year and a record sized show.  

It is the most important commercial drone show ever held in the Americas.  Our attendance is also tracking at a record level, and our full-conference registration is way ahead of last year.

In this week's drone news; DraganFly has released a drone with a 66lb payload and a 55-minute endurance, Wing is creating a fleet of larger drones to carry different items, DJI is lobbying against the American Security Drone Act, a man was caught trying to fly contraband into a prison, and one year of Pilot Institute's Free stickers!

DraganFly has introduced a cargo drone with a payload of 66lbs and a range of 19 miles.

The heavy lift drone uses LTE for fully autonomous flights with an up to 55-minute endurance.

In addition to package delivery, the heavy lift can be equipped with a new long-range LIDAR unit to map large areas.

https://dronexl.co/2022/07/13/draganfly-heavy-lift-cargo-drone/

On the topic of larger drones, Alphabet’s Wing is expanding the size of its drones.

“Just as the ideal vehicle for carrying a ton of gravel would be a dump truck rather than a sedan, the ideal aircraft to carry a bottle of medication is not the same as the best one to deliver a gallon of milk, and neither is suited to deliver a refrigerator,” Wing CEO Adam Woodworth.

https://dronexl.co/2022/07/19/contraband-heavy-duty-drone-texas-prison/

DJI has hired lobbying firms in an attempt to persuade congress not to back the American Security Drone Act.

This would prohibit the government from buying drones made by Chinese firms or other companies that could be a national security risk

DJI is already on the Entity list and on the Chinese Military-industrial complex list.

https://archive.ph/Ijb8J

A Texas man was arrested in Houston after trying to use a heavy lift drone to drop a bag of contraband into a prison.

The contraband included wire cutters, money, smartphones, and tobacco.

Charges agains the man included two counts of improperly flying and aircraft, each carrying up to 3 years in prison.

https://dronexl.co/2022/07/19/contraband-heavy-duty-drone-texas-prison/

In this week's news, Yuneec announces a new commercial drone. DJI Airworks is happening in person this year, August 2022. Paladin and Odessa PD have created the largest DFR network in the states. Pilot Institute is 3 years old! We will go over some of our accomplishments all thanks to our students, viewers and community.  00:00 Introduction 00:36 Yuneec Announces Business Class Drone 02:00 DJI Airworks 2022 02:41 Largest DFR Program in the Country 03:49 Pilot Institute Anniversary  

Yuneec announced the H850-RTK, a new hexacopter drone aimed at professional users 65 min flight time and multiple payload capabilities.  Also introducing a smart controller with 7” built-in display (1000 nit) Designed to be a competitor to the Matrice 300 (but cheaper) 8 lb of payload, RTK GPS, Glonass, BeiDou, and Galileo constellations  Compatible with existing Yuneec cameras such as the E90x (20MP 1” sensor), E30Zx (30x optical zoom), and the E20TVx (radiometric thermal imager) Expected to be $7500-8000 range.  https://dronexl.co/2022/07/07/yuneec-h850-rtk-business-class-drone/  

DJI Airworks was announced this week as a in-person event again after a few years of online-only meetings.  It will be held at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas between October 10-12th.  The show will feature outdoor demos, numerous workshops, and in-depth panels discussions.  Tickets are available at $199 until August 8, then $299 after that.  https://dronexl.co/2022/07/09/dji-airworks-2022-las-vegas/  

The Odessa Police Department has teamed up with Paladin Drones to create the largest Drone as First Responder (DFR) program in the US.  The drones will be used by Odessa Police and Odessa Fire Rescue personnel to gather key information prior to first responders' arrival. Paladins Knighthawk Drones will arrive on the scene prior to first responders and stream video directly to that person who needs it the most. They will fly in Class C, E, and G using a 5-drone DFR System https://paladindrones.io/odessa-police-department-announces-largest-dfr-program-in-the-us/  

Check out the tour of our facility!  

Let’s take a look at some numbers for the past 3 years!  

167k students, 252k course enrollments 47k Part 107 trained. 

92% average on exam, 99.995% pass rate 

Almost exactly 50,000 comments left in the part 107 course alone 

9.3m lectures completed, that’s almost 6 lectures per minute.  

29 courses in our catalog with 3 more soon.  

12,600 Free stickers bringing awareness to Registration schemes online.  

73k+ TRUST Certificates (last year): 25% of all TRUST certificates ever issued!  

894 Continuing education credits issued in the last 12 months 

58,000 subs on YouTube and over 8.5m combined views (over 3 channels) 15k reviews with an average of 4.9/5

This week in Drone News: An Airbus Zephyr UAS has been flying for 17 days so far, A Mavic 3 was shot down, NAAA cautions UAS operators for crop spraying operations, and Samsung’s Airborne surveillance camera.

An Airbus Zephyr S Solar powered UAV has been flying above Arizona for 17 days - So far… 

While not a small UAS, This goes to show how solar power could one day allow for perpetual operation of a UAV!

The Zephyr S remained above the Sofa Wilderness and Yuma Test Range before flying to Belize.

It’s unclear how long the aircraft will remain airborne. During the testing of the Zephyr System in 2018, the aircraft flew for 28 days.

https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/zephyr-high-flying-drone-has-been-up-for-17-days-as-part-of-army-test

An investigation is ongoing in North Carolina, after a man’s Mavic 3 was shot down during a family gathering.

The pilot was taking pictures of the sunset when they heard 4 shots, and the aircraft fell out of the sky.

The operator reported the incident to both local law enforcement and the FAA. 

The FAA stated “A private citizen shooting at any aircraft – including unmanned aircraft – poses a significant safety hazard… Could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air,” said Elizabeth Cory (FAA).

https://dronexl.co/2022/07/06/dji-mavic-3-drone-shot-north-carolina/

Samsung has created a drone to provide overwatch in dark areas.

This drone is designed to provide overwatch to people traveling through areas in cities that are poorly lit or have a high crime rate.

The drone captures 360 degree video and can summon police if it detects a crime has been committed, and even can track the suspects.

https://www.yankodesign.com/2022/07/04/this-samsung-drone-wasnt-designed-for-consumers-it-was-designed-for-public-safety/

The National Agricultural Aviation Association released a flyer cautioning UAS operators for upcoming agricultural operations

This flyer advised the following

Equip UAV with Strobe Lights and Tracking Technology like and ADS-B out system

Get Certified and Trained in operating a UAV

Follow the law- Always give the right of way to manned aircraft

Coordinate with local aircraft operators about your UAV operations

Carry sufficient UAV liability insurance

 https://agairupdate.com/2022/04/18/naaa-cautions-unmanned-aircraft-operators-not-to-interfere-with-low-altitude-manned-agricultural-aircraft-this-growing-season/

This week in drone news: A new video on the DJI Avata shows an artist's concept of the drone, Influential Drones has acquired Buzz my Property, Phoenix Fire used a drone to help locate and rescue overheating hikers, an upcoming AAAC meeting will discuss pilot safety, and a new course for visual observers from Pilot Institute.

VO Course: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/visual-observer-essentials/

A new video shows the potential concept of the DJI Avata

It is important to note that this video is NOT made by DJI, this is an artist's representation of the Avata.

There haven’t been any new leaks at this time, however, according to DJI’s roadmap for 2022, we may see the Avata as soon as July of this year!

https://dronexl.co/2022/06/22/dji-avata-rendering-cinewhoop-drone/

Influential drones has announced a partnership with Buzz My Property.

Buzz My Property is a real-estate drone service for Realtors, landscapers, arborists, and municipal departments. 

Influential drones is drone reseller and commercial drone service provider

https://www.newswire.com/news/influential-drones-acquires-buzz-my-property-21751151

Phoenix fire rescued 8 people using drones and a helicopter

The group was hiking camelback mountain in Phoenix and were filming a reality TV show.

After running out of water, the group called 911, and phoenix fire was dispatched. 

They used their drone to find the groups of hikers, and then the hikers were air-lifted off the mountain.

https://www.azfamily.com/2022/06/23/more-than-10-people-treated-heat-related-illness-echo-canyon-trail/

There is an upcoming AAAC meeting, on June 30th, 2022 from 10 AM to 2:30 PM ET that will discuss UAS operator safety

Other topics to be covered will be the remaining items on the 2018 reauthorization act

FAA’s rule-making process

Operations of UAS in class E airspace - Over the top of class A.

This week in drone news: Zipline has gotten their PArt 135 certificate from the FAA, The FAA is soliciting public comments about Zipline's proposed drone deliveries, Wingcopter has raised 42 million to expand deliveries, Amazon's announcement a surprise for the small town where their deliveries will begin, and finally, we've released our Photography course!   

Enroll in the Photography Course here: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/drone-photo-video-made-easy/

The FAA on Tuesday approved Zipline to operate as an air carrier under part 135

Zipline is the first company to a its 135 cert under the FAA’s BEYOND 

program along with Zipline receiving their part 135 certificate, the FAA is asking for public comments on package deliveries in the Pea Ridge Arkansas area

Zipline's proposed area covers 1200 square miles in NW Arkansas, with a maximum of 20 flights per day

Comments will be open for 14 days, the proposal can be viewed here: https://www.faa.gov/advancedoperations/nepaanddrones/zipline-pea-ridge-environmental-assessment

Send comments to: 9-FAA-Drone-Environmental@faa.gov

https://www.faa.gov/uas/advanced_operations/nepa_and_drones

Wingcopter has announced they raised 42 million dollars to expand drone delivery beyond medicine.

The company hopes to use this money to begin deliveries of things like groceries.

“At Wingcopter, we create efficient and sustainable drone solutions to save and improve lives. For this, we are hiring passionate pioneers with whom we build what has not existed before,” said Tom Plümmer, co-founder and CEO of Wingcopter. “The new funding, combined with growing revenues, puts us in an excellent position to establish our industry-leading drone delivery solution with our customers around the globe to optimize supply chains.”

https://www.freightwaves.com/news/wingcopter-raises-42m-to-expand-beyond-medical-drone-deliveries

Currently Zipline is making deliveries every 4 minutes (Worldwide), and is working with Walmart in the US.

Amazon’s  plan to launch their drone deliveries later this year in Lockeford, CA came as a surprise to many folks in the town

It appears that this, as with many Amazon ventures, was kept secret in an attempt to prevent backlash.

Amazon is apparently reaching out to those within 4 miles of the distribution center to determine who is interested in trying drone deliveries.

Packages will be under 5lbs, and will be limited to certain goods.

https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2022/jun/21/amazons-drones-plan-a-surprise-to-residents/https://thehill.com/policy/technology/3531431-faa-approves-drone-delivery-from-zipline/