Just published is “Build A Drone: A Step-by-Step Guide to Designing, Constructing, and Flying Your Very Own Drone,” by Barry Davies. British Special Air Service veteran Davies has built drones for DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and AAI (one of America’s largest drone manufacturers), as well as six experimental ones for MIT. In the […]
drones
The easiest certificate ever
It has been a LONG time since I’ve added a rating or certificate to my pilot qualifications. But I’ve just added the easiest certificate ever. If I understand it correctly — and that’s a big if — I’ve just earned a Remote Pilot Certificate with a Small Unmanned Aircraft System Rating. How easy was it to add […]
Drones not welcome at air shows
Leave the flying to the professionals. That’s the message coming from the International Council of Air Shows (ICAS) out of concern for spectator safety and the safety of air show pilots who fly nearly 10,000 performances at over 300 North American events annually. Supporting the FAA’s “No Drone Zone,” “Leave Your Drone at Home,” and “Know […]
Video: Drone-assisted water rescue
HAMBURG, Germany — microdrones has released a video demonstrating a new water rescue tactic it hs developed that uses drones. The company says it may revolutionize lifeguard rescue operations all over the world. https://youtu.be/d6Qhq9yFdKo In the video, a specially trained lifeguard spots a drowning swimmer and immediately deploys a microdrones unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) as another lifeguard rushes […]
Training programs launch to teach law enforcement how to deal with drones
The Unmanned Safety Institute, a professional organization dedicated to the safe integration of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) into the U.S. National Airspace System, has partnered with the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) to provide training on the safety and security of UAS to the law enforcement community throughout the State of Florida. The educational workshops are […]
‘Enter the Drones: The FAA and UAVs in America’ published
Schiffer Publishing has released “Enter the Drones: The FAA and UAVs in America.” The book details how UAVs — unmanned aerial vehicles, remotely piloted aircraft, drones, unmanned aerial systems, the labels vayr — are a disruptive technology on par with computers and smartphones. Present since soon after the dawn of manned aviation, they have become controversial only in recent […]
FAA’s new drone rules now in effect
The FAA’s new regulations went into effect Aug. 29 for routine commercial use of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), more popularly known as drones or remotely piloted aircraft. The provisions of the new rule – formally known as Part 107 – are designed to minimize risks to other aircraft and people and property on the ground, according to […]
Commercial drones cleared for takeoff
The new FAA rule governing commercial operations of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) — also known as drones or remotely piloted aircraft — means more businesses and innovators will be able to fly, unlocking the “tremendous economic benefits of the new technology,” according to the top official of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI). “The United […]
Report: Most drone accidents cause by technology failures
A new story at Mashable reports that researchers in Australia have found that most drone accidents were caused by technology issues, rather than human error. Led by Graham Wild, a senior lecturer in aviation at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia, the researchers reviewed a sample of 152 global drone event reports between 2006 and 2015. The most […]