The FAA has expanded the airspace for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) in North Dakota. Two Certificates of Waiver or Authorization (COAs) awarded to the Northern Plains UAS Test Site “greatly expand” the airspace available for research flights to most of northeastern North Dakota, according to FAA officials. FAA officials add that they soon expect to […]
UAS
FAA grants eight more RPA exemptions
The FAA has granted eight more regulatory exemptions for commercial use of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) operations, bringing the total number of exemption grants to 24. The agency has issued new exemptions to Total Safety U.S. Inc. for flare stack inspections, to LikeonaTree Aerial for aerial photography and surveys, and to Team 5, Shotover Camera Systems, Helinet […]
RPA test flights slated over Atlantic Ocean
The New Jersey Institute of Technology plans to conduct remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) flight in the National Airspace over the Atlantic Ocean Jan. 27-29.The flights, which will take off from the U.S. Coast Guard Training Center (TRACEN) in Cape May, N.J., will test the feasibility of safely integrating RPAs into the public airspace and to assess the […]
EAA joins ‘Know Before You Fly’ RPA safety campaign
The Experimental Aircraft Association has thrown its support to the new remotely piloted aircraft safety campaign, “Know Before You Fly,” during the 2015 Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) Expo. The campaign provides prospective operators of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) — also known as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) — with the information and guidance they need to […]
FAA asks law enforcement for help in policing RPAs
The proliferation of small, relatively inexpensive remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) has created a challenge for the FAA, which is why the agency has asked the law enforcement community to help identify people who don’t follow the rules of the air or who endanger the nation’s airspace. On Jan. 8, the FAA released some guidance to the law […]
RPA company raises $10 million
SAN FRANCISCO – EHANG, which makes a personal remotely piloted aircraft (RPA), has closed $10 million in Series A funding led by GGV Capital. Angel investors in the round are Xiaoping Xu and Nick Yang, two of China’s most successful entrepreneurs. PreAngel, a fund focused on early stage startups, is also contributing to the round. […]
Merrill Aviation receives airworthiness certificate
Officials from the UAS Integration Office of the FAA, the Grand Rapids Flight Standards District Office (FSDO) and the Detroit Manufacturing Inspection Satellite Offices (MISO) recently met in Saginaw, Michigan, to oversee final requirements before issuing Merrill Aviation & Defense (Merrill) a special Experimental Airworthiness Certification for its remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) named The Torrent. The Torrent […]
Under development: RPA that can fly horizontally and vertically
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A different kind of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) is under construction in the Unmanned Systems Laboratory at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi. The craft, which is still in the development stages, can not only fly horizontally, it can fly vertically as well. Click here to view a video of how it will work. […]
FAA grants five more commercial RPA exemptions
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The FAA has granted five regulatory exemptions for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) to four companies. The four companies that received exemptions want to fly RPAs — known as Unmanned Aerial Systems by the FAA — to perform operations for aerial surveying, construction site monitoring and oil rig flare stack inspections. “Unmanned aircraft offer […]