The FAA recently granted San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) a Special Airworthiness Certificate for a small Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), allowing the utility to research, test and train flight crews on the UAS in a sparsely populated airspace in Eastern San Diego County. SDG&E is the first utility in the nation to be granted […]
UAS
Droneport: FAA Approves Test of Drone Power Line Exams
Droneport is reporting the “FAA has approved San Diego Gas & Electric’s test program for the examination of rural power transmission lines with drone-mounted HD cameras.” SDGE will fly sub-one-pound quadcotpers in “four rural test sites 70 miles east of San Diego in the McCain, Valley. The drones replace manned helicopter inspections that cost nearly as much per flight hour as the drone system’s total cost.”
Husch Blackwell introduces UAS practice
Husch Blackwell has introduced its Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) group, which will assist commercial business users and manufacturers in navigating the requirements for unmanned aircraft systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Composed of a multi-disciplinary team that includes former fighter pilots, component and software developers, and data analysts, Husch Blackwell’s UAS/UAV Group will assist clients in the legal, […]
DOT audit says FAA likely to miss drone deadline
WASHINGTON, D.C. — A government report says the FAA will miss the Sept. 30, 2015, deadline set by Congress for drones to share the skies with manned aircraft. The Washington Post said the agency is “significantly behind schedule” in drawing up rules. The newspaper reported its findings based on a report by the Department of Transportation Inspector […]
Drones & airplanes: Mitigating the culture clash
By BRAD HAYDEN When strange newcomers appear on the threshold of any environment, the friction between them and the established residents stems from incomplete understanding of the prerequisites for safety and survival of both. By any name — unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), unmanned aircraft system (UAS), remotely piloted vehicle (RPV) — this is the situation […]
Clever copters can learn as they fly
SHEFFIELD, England — Flying robots that can show true autonomy and even a bit of politeness in working together and venturing into hostile environments are being developed by engineers at the University of Sheffield. The research paves the way for robots to work intelligently alongside humans in ways that are currently familiar only through science […]
Texas UAS center conducts drone tests
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi’s Lone Star Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Center conducted a series of flight missions last week, the first since becoming fully operational as a federally-designated test site. Researchers conducted missions with the university’s RS-16 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The FAA designated the center as one of only six test sites in […]
Are you ready to share the sky with drones?
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Unmanned aerial systems (UAS), better known as drones, are moving fast in development. General aviation pilots are starting to delve deeper into the subject as FAA expects as many as 30,000 UAS to be flying in U.S. airspace by 2020. Here’s why pilots are looking at what they are sharing the airspace […]
FAA issues guidance on ‘hazardous’ operations of model aircraft
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The FAA today published a Federal Register notice on its interpretation of the special rules for model aircraft, in response to recent incidents involving the reckless use of unmanned model aircraft near airports and involving large crowds of people, according to officials with the agency. Compliance with these rules for model aircraft […]