CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – A test-site research team from the Lone Star Unmanned Aircraft Systems Center of Excellence & Innovation (LSUASC) at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi has been dispatched to Wimberley, Texas, to conduct low-altitude research flights in the wake of devastating flooding. The town of Wimberley, about 30 miles southwest of Austin, was struck […]
RPA
New RPA law blog launches
WASHINGTON. D.C. — The Pillsbury law firm, which formed a multidisciplinary team focused on Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) in March 2014, has launched its new RPA law blog. The team is comprised of lawyers across multiple practices and sectors, including Aviation, International Trade, Energy, Real Estate, M&A, Intellectual Property, Communications, Privacy, Global Security, Finance, Technology, Insurance and Government Contracts, […]
FAA streamlines approvals for RPA test sites
The FAA has made it simpler for the six remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) test sites to conduct research by giving them “blanket” authorizations to fly public aircraft operations throughout the National Airspace System at or below 200 feet. FAA officials said they expect this improved access for the test sites will provide more opportunities for […]
Direct To Podcast discusses ‘Drone Strikes’
Are drones a true menace to General Aviation aircraft, and what’s being done to keep you safe? And, are drone strikes more of a threat than bird strikes? In Boldmethod’s second podcast episode of Direct To, Aleks Udris and Colin Cutler ask three industry experts what they think about the drone danger: Jon Resnick, Policy […]
AirMap to graphically aid RPA operators
AirMap is a free, comprehensive digital map that allows remotely pilot aircraft (RPA) operators to visualize the airspace around them, including areas where they may not be permitted to fly. AirMap integrates multiple sources of data and gives RPA operators an easy-to-use, yet detailed, solution providing a single view of the restricted areas around an area of […]
Sensing good things on the horizon
While flying, have you ever looked down to tune a radio? Check an engine or fuel gauge? Referenced your navigation chart? Chat with your passenger? Focus on something on the ground? Well, then you aren’t seeing and avoiding to the best of your ability. Wouldn’t it be nice to have some help? Something that doesn’t […]
FAA streamlines RPA approvals
The FAA reports it has established an interim policy to speed up airspace authorizations for some commercial remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operators. The new policy helps bridge the gap between the past process, which evaluated every RPA operation individually, and future operations after the agency publishes a final version of the proposed small RPA rule, FAA officials explained. Under the […]
Why are RPA regulations taking forever?
Why are regulations for remotely piloted aircraft — known commonly as drones — taking so long? The FAA tries to answer that question in a recent blog post at ReadWrite.com
Solar-electric RPA goes into production
DENVER – Silent Falcon UAS Technologies (SFUAS), a former subsidiary of Bye Aerospace, has begun initial production of the Silent Falcon remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) to fill its first commercial orders. “Silent Falcon is the first solar-electric aircraft to enter commercial production,” noted John Brown, president of SFUAS. The patent-pending Silent Falcon is a solar-electric, all composite, modular small […]