dronelife

The FAA Wings program has been around for a long time, helping aviators to improve their flight skills. The FAA Safety Team (FAAST) also offers free classes that benefit drone operators – an excellent resource for public safety professionals and others to keep learning. There are classes focused specifically on drones – and classes that […] The post FAA Wings Program: Becoming a Better Drone Pilot, in Small Bites appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Tech giant Toshiba and Fortem Technologies, Inc. have established a strategic partnership to expand the reach of both companies in counter drone tech. Toshiba Infrastructure Systems & Solutions (Toshiba) has invested $15 million in Fortem, a leading player in the airspace security and counter drone sector. The investment is one part of a strategic business […] The post Toshiba Invests $15 Million in C-UAS Company Fortem Technologies appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Is drone mapping surveying without a license? A First Amendment lawsuit in North Carolina says surveyors cannot stop drone operators from selling photos and making maps. Hiring a surveyor is an expensive buisness, but necessary if you want to establish legal property lines. What if you just want to see what your property looks like, […] The post Surveyors Wanted to Shut this Drone Photographer Down for Providing Aerial Photographs. Now, He’s Fighting Back. [VIDEO] appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Connectivity is critical for scaling drone operations – and the Elsight Halo is the tiny tool designed to ensure a secure and virtually unbreakable connection between drone and operator. We spoke with Elsight’s VP of Global Sales and Alliances Scott Jonasz about the Elsight solution and traction and velocity in the drone industry. Enabling Advanced […] The post Elsight Halo: Drone Enabling Technology that Fits in the Palm of Your Hand [DRONELIFE Exclusive Interview] appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Around the world, as commercial drone use grows and regulations develop, countries are faced with the problem of enforcing drone laws. In the U.K., Operation Foreverwing brings together the home office, police and Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) to act on drone crime. A CAA press release says that the new campaign is “aimed at clamping […] The post Enforcing Drone Laws: UK Announces Operation Foreverwing appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Polish autonomous drone startup Dronehub is teaming up with European property monitoring company RCS Engineering to develop a security system that marries security-detection and drone tech. With the new integration, RCS’s breach detection software would trigger autonomous drones to respond to property invasion incidents, reducing the cost of manned security. Think of a guard dog […] The post Drone in a box startup Dronehub strikes deal with property security firm appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Last night, Dawn Zoldi interviewed Plaintiff Tyler Brennan and Atty Jonathan Rupprecht in their first interview since filing “RaceDayQuads.com v. Federal Aviation Administration,” the first Remote ID lawsuit challenging the newly published rule. Dotting I’s and Crossing T’s – The FAA Remote ID Lawsuit By: Dawn M.K. Zoldi, Guest Contributor BREAKING NEWS! Last night, we did a […] The post The Remote ID Lawsuit: First Interview with Plaintiff and Attorney in RaceDayQuads.com v. FAA appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Flying from sunrise to sunset, CA-based Skyfront set out to prove that their off-the-shelf hybrid Skyfront Perimeter 8 could break the standing record for a multirotor flight.* The Skyfront gas electric hybrid flew 205 miles, achieving a flight of 13 hours and 4 minutes. Captured by the drone’s onboard 360 degree cameras (see video below) the […] The post 13 Hours, 4 Minutes: Skyfront Gas Electric Hybrid Flies 205 Miles for Longest Drone Multirotor Flight on Record appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Wing CTO Adam Woodworth is one of the most influential aviation experts in the drone industry today – but very few people would recognize him. In a rare public appearance at this year’s SxSW conference, Woodworth talks about developing an aircraft that will allow millions of people to experience drone delivery in their daily lives. Wing […] The post In a Rare Public Appearance, Wing CTO Adam Woodworth Talks About Drone Delivery Today appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Here at DRONELIFE, St. Patrick’s Day is a company holiday on other years: our CEO holds an Irish passport, and our home town of Boston usually celebrates Evacuation Day (look it up) as a reason to take the day off. This year is different – but the St. Patrick’s Day drone show over the night […] The post St. Patrick’s Day Drone Show: The Stunning, Moving, Orchestra of Light Over Dublin’s Night Sky (VIDEO) appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Texas lawmen team up with Austin-based drone software company By DRONELIFE Staff Writer Jim Magill Picture a search and rescue mission in which a hiker is lost in a remote brush-covered region of West Texas. The state’s premier law enforcement agency, the Department of Public Safety, launches several drones to conduct the search, as does […] The post DroneSense: Teaming Up with Texas Law Enforcement appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

(A DRONELIFE Editorial.) A recent headline from the Brookings Institute is a stunning example of the drone industry’s public perception problem. Death from above: How criminal organizations’ use of drones threatens Americans is actually an article about the growing opioid crisis: but the authors places the blame for our current problems first on COVID, then on fentanyl, next on […] The post International Relations, Drug Trafficking, and Murder: Don’t Blame Drones for Crime (Opinion) appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

California-based drone startup Skydio is flying into friendly skies with a lucrative deal with public-safety tech player Axon. The strategic partnership will allow Axon to offer Skydio’s autonomous drone platform to law enforcement and emergency agencies through the company’s Axon Air brand. As a Skydio Elite Partner, Axon will be the exclusive reseller and digital evidence management […] The post Skydio Soars Into Drone Marketing Deal with Top Law-enforcement Tech Provider appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Counter-drone provider Citadel Defense is teaming up with Syzygy Integration to develop a custom solution for the U.S. Department of Defense and other federal government agencies. Company officials say the new application “accelerates situational awareness and coordinated responses to uncooperative drone activity around critical infrastructure, national special security events, military bases and the border.” It will […] The post Citadel Defense Teams Up with Syzygy to Develop Advanced Counter-drone Platform appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The commercial drone industry, and BVLOS drone delivery, took a big step forward last week as officials demonstrated the first working UTM prototype in Singapore. U.S. company OneSky joined global technology firm Nova Systems on the project to provide advanced unmanned traffic management capabilities in Singapore’s unique urban environment. “This brings to a close a […] The post UTM in Singapore: OneSky Works on Nationwide UTM Services for a Unique Urban Environment appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The FAA has announced when rules on Remote ID will go into effect, along with the newly released regulations on drone Operations Over People and Moving Vehicles and Flight at Night. In a press release published Friday night, the FAA says that the “final rules requiring remote identification of drones and allowing some flights over […] The post When Will Remote ID Go Into Effect? FAA Announces Date appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Vertical Aerospace’s Urban Air Mobility solution may be the Rolls-Royce of passenger drones, a phrase synonymous with luxury engineering. Rolls-Royce has recently announced that their electrical power system will be integrated into Vertical Aerospace’s “piloted all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle.” The aircraft will carry up to four passengers for 120 miles at cruise […] The post The Rolls-Royce of Passenger Drones appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Used for creating precise 3D models of terrain for mapping and more, LiDAR surveys are an important commercial application for the drone industry – but battery limitations and the associated short flight times remain a problem. Now, California-based Skyfront is working with European UAV LiDAR solution provider Routescene to explore the impact of increasing flight […] The post LiDAR Surveys by Drone: Increasing Flight Endurance for a Big Impact on Productivity appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

In a recent DRONERESPONDERS webinar, Kerry Fleming of the FAA SOSC explains SGI waivers and how they work for small UAS operators. A Conversation on Public Safety UAS – Information You Don’t Want to Miss By: Dawn M.K. Zoldi, Guest Contributor This year the DRONERESPONDERS non-profit started hosting a free monthly open-to-all public safety-focused webinar […] The post SGI Waivers: “Special Government Interest” Waivers and How they Work appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The FAA today announced a groundbreaking partnership with the Choctaw Nation to determine how drones can best transport cargo—including parcels—at lower altitudes. The agency’s Mike Monroney Aeronautical Center (MMAC) signed a three-year agreement with the Oklahoma-based Native tribe that will enable the center to study human factors, supply chain management and air-traffic control as they […] The post FAA Taps Choctaw Nation for Groundbreaking Drone Program appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Automated airspace approval has been a game changer for commercial pilots in the U.S., through the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC). The digital transformation of a slow and manual process means that drone pilots can get the authorization required within minutes rather than, in some cases, weeks. Now, Australian airspace authorities CASA have […] The post Automated Airspace Approval in Australia: CASA Announces Beta Launch in Fall 2021 appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Choosing the right drone hardware for public safety applications is a critical step in establishing a drone program. How can public safety professionals sort through the hype and find the right tool for their needs? Steve Rhode gives his best advice on getting started. (Check out Public Safety Flight’s recent podcast, where DRONELIFE Editor Miriam […] The post Beyond the Hype Cycle: Choosing the Right Drone Hardware for Public Safety Applications appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Aviation Week writes that FAA drone registration is down by 50% – but why is that, and what does it mean for the industry? Has the use of drones dropped as much as registrations have, or are pilots simply not using the system? The total number of pilots who registered drones through the FAA’s online […] The post FAA Drone Registration Down by 50%: Why? appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

A select group of American airports are launching the latest tech solutions surrounding drone air-traffic systems. The FAA announced today the selection of five American airports to evaluate technologies that could detect and mitigate potential safety risks posed by rogue drones. As part of its Airport Unmanned Aircraft Systems Detection and Mitigation Research Program, the […] The post FAA Taps Five U.S. Airport to Test Drone Safety Protocols appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Launched! The 2021 Women to Watch in UAS Global Awards 5th Year Anniversary Program is Here Five years together supporting & inspiring women to break boundaries and thrive. By Guest Contributor: Dawn M.K. Zoldi* Women and Drones is pleased to announce that the milestone 5th Anniversary Women To Watch (WTW) in UAS Global Awards 2021 […] The post The 2021 Women to Watch in UAS Global Awards! appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article