Texas’ drone law, the “Use of Unmanned Aircraft,” is being challenged by press organizations and photographers for alleged violations of the First Amendment. The law prohibits the capture of images of a person or property...more
While drone deliveries have been tested for medical supplies, e-commerce/package delivery, and even pizza right from the oven, there are other, seemingly endless possibilities for delivery by drone. Recently, Reliable...more
Singapore analytics and acoustic solutions company H3 Zoom.AI’s founder, Shaun Koo, began using drones for building inspection and facilities management after realizing that the city’s highly urban landscape was “overdue for...more
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has been granting drone flight waivers for certain restricted flights to help during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the FAA says that it is unlikely the waivers will extend beyond current...more
Three companies – HeatSpring, Little Arms, and Unmanned Experts – joined forces to create a “Drone Pilot Boot Camp + FAA Part 107 Exam Prep.” This new offering is an unmanned aircraft commercial operations course designed...more
The U.S. Navy installed its first Optical Dazzling Interdictor, Navy (ODIN), which, more simply put, is a laser weapon designed to counter unmanned aerial systems (UAS)....more
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) released its comments on the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) proposed Remote Identification Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Rule, emphasizing the...more
Last week, a medical delivery drone flying from the People’s Hospital of Xinchang County to the disease control center there successfully completed the air transport of needed medical quarantine supplies and patient samples...more
This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued proposed safety standards for specific drones for package deliveries. This is a big step toward allowing routine package delivery by drones....more
2/7/2020
/ Airspace ,
Comment Period ,
Commercial Use ,
Drones ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Public Comment ,
Public Safety ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Safety Standards ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), along with federal, state and local law enforcement agencies, is informing drone operators of the restrictions on drone flights before, during and after Super Bowl LIV on Sunday,...more
1/30/2020
/ Airspace ,
Commercial Use ,
Drones ,
Events ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Football ,
Public Safety ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Safety Standards ,
Sports ,
Super Bowl ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
The United States Postal Service (USPS) recently issued a Request for Information (RFI) from industry experts on unmanned aircraft systems used for letter or parcel delivery. USPS says that it is merely investigating the...more
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) wrote in a report published last week that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has facilitated approximately 15,000 drone research flights since 2015, but that the FAA...more
1/17/2020
/ Airspace ,
Analytics ,
Data Collection ,
Data Management ,
Drones ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
GAO ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Research Reports ,
Research Tools ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released its unmanned aircraft system (UAS or drone) remote identification Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (Proposed Rule) on December 31, 2019. This is a huge step toward the...more
1/10/2020
/ Airspace ,
Comment Period ,
Commercial Use ,
Drones ,
Electronic Identification ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
NPRM ,
Public Comment ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Self-Identification ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
This week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced more details about its new recreational drone flyer test, which will be an opportunity to educate recreational flyers about the rules of flying a drone in...more
In a letter submitted last month to the chairmen and ranking members of the House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its aviation subcommittee, the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association...more
12/6/2019
/ Airspace ,
Commercial Use ,
Critical Infrastructure Sectors ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Drones ,
Federal Pilot Programs ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Privacy Concerns ,
Proposed Legislation ,
Public Safety ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Last week, UPS and CVS completed the first commercial medical prescription drone delivery in the United States under a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) program. The deliveries were made in North Carolina via a cable that...more
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted UPS Flight Forward, Inc. (UPS) a Part 135 air carrier and operator certification for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drone) delivery. The certification was granted...more
The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) announced that the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for remote identification of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drones) has been delayed – again. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking...more
10/7/2019
/ Airspace ,
Commercial Use ,
Department of Transportation (DOT) ,
Drones ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
NPRM ,
Regulatory Agenda ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Rulemaking Process ,
Self-Identification ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Recently, Reno, Nevada-based Flirtey introduced its new delivery drone – the Flirtey Eagle. This new drone was created to deliver packages to customers in less than 10 minutes, operate in 95 percent of potential wind speeds...more
Recently, British Petroleum’s (BP) North Sea business completed its pilot project to remotely monitor methane emissions of its offshore assets by using an unmanned aerial system (UAS or drone). BP used a fixed-wing UAS with...more
9/30/2019
/ Airspace ,
British Petroleum (BP) ,
Commercial Use ,
Data Collection ,
Data Management ,
Drones ,
Energy Sector ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Innovative Technology ,
Methane ,
Popular ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and industry partners in the unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drone) traffic management system pilot successfully demonstrated...more
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued a request for information (RFI) las week asking unmanned aerial systems (UAS or drone) stakeholders for input regarding the creation of a new aeronautical knowledge test for...more
Last week, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) gave the go-ahead for the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations. The KDOT team, which includes Kansas...more
8/26/2019
/ Airspace ,
Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) ,
Commercial Use ,
Drones ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Infrastructure ,
Inspections ,
Public Safety ,
Regulatory Oversight ,
Regulatory Standards ,
Safety Standards ,
State and Local Government ,
State Departments of Transportation ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems
Last week, the Burleigh County Sheriff’s Department in North Dakota received a four-year waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate drones over people....more
A beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight of a drone traveled along the Trans-Alaska pipeline system (TAPS) this month, led by a team from the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems...more
8/16/2019
/ Airspace ,
Alaska ,
Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) ,
Commercial Use ,
Drones ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Site Assessment ,
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ,
Oil & Gas ,
Pipelines ,
Unmanned Aircraft Systems