Episodes

The CEO of Skyward tells us about software and services for commercial UAS operations. Also, DJI and Lufthansa do a drone deal, open source vs. open architecture autopilots, and taking FPV drone racing to the next level. Guest Jonathan Evans is the CEO of Skyward , a provider of professional services and software in the form of airspace maps and integrated flight planning tools for commercial UAV operators. Jonathan was a professional pilot for 18 years with over 3,000 hours of flight time. He h...

Open source UAV software, safety with a soccer ball sized drone, a drone landing on a moving vehicle, combining rotors and wings for overall efficiency, the FAA blocks sUAS registration site outside the U.S., and UAS rules for public safety organizations. News Dronecode Project Advances Unmanned Aerial Vehicles for Commercial Applications In its first year, the Dronecode Project has formed three technical working groups and grown to include 50 members. This collaborative effort brings open sourc...

Anti-drone systems and shooting down drones, more legislation from California, the authority to control the airspace, the FAA clamps down on R/C and drone clubs in Washington, D.C., formation flying, drones in television and film, stealth UAVs, and the B4UFLY app. And now, for something completely different… Instead of recording this episode over Skype for an audio program, we tried a bit of an experiment and recorded a video show live on Blab.im with an audience participating. Blab is a service...

Registration of model aircraft moves to the courts, FAA releases an app and answers more registration questions, a cargo delivery UAV makes a first untethered flight, and a new drone challenge. News FAA Sued In Federal Court Over Drone Registration Rules Attorney and model airplane enthusiast John A. Taylor from Silver Spring, Maryland believes that the FAA requirement for sUAS registration is a violation of Section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. Taylor requested an emergen...

Small UAS registration is proceeding in the U.S., but AMA says to hold off, package delivery robots, drone registration in the Bahamas, security drones chase thieves, the FAA gets tough with states legislating drones. News sUAS Registration The FAA sUAS registration website is open for operators of small UAS intended for non-commercial use. Reportedly, 45,000 registrations were filed in the first two days. FAA-2015-7396-0001 ( Registration and Marking Requirements for Small Unmanned Aircraft ) a...

The Hivemapper community-edited mapping and real-time navigation system for drone fliers. Guest Ariel Seidman is co-founder and CEO of Hivemapper , which has been called “Waze for drones.” With Hivemapper, drone operators have a real-time view of obstacles and no-fly zones to help guide a safe flight. The growing database is a combination of data supplied by Hivemapper, observations from drone flights, and data added by drone operators. To date, this system has mapped over 30 million building bo...

On December 14, 2015, the U.S Department of Transportation and the FAA held a media briefing to announce the new registration requirements for small UAS. This special episode provides the audio from the announcement. The rulemaking will appear in the Federal Register December 15, 2015. The requirement applies to sUAS from 0.55 pounds to 55 pounds. sUAS purchased before December 21, 2015 have until February 19, 2016 to register. sUAS purchased after December 21, 2015 have until first flight outdo...

DaVinci Challenge Princess Aliyah Pandolfi created the non-profit Kashmir World Foundation to integrate art, science, and technology for sustainable projects that transform social and economic structures. One of these projects is the DaVinci Challenge: Build a Drone Workshop , which helps students see robotic aircraft from a broader perspective. The workshop trains students and teachers in the design, fabrication, customization, and operation of small robotic aircraft. In this blend of science, ...

The UAS Registration Task Force issues its report to the FAA, and industry responds. A free, worldwide UAS course for new users, and package delivery by drone down under. UAS Registration Task Force The Registration Task Force provided its sUAS registration recommendations [PDF] to the FAA. The FAA will now consider those recommendations, as well as the public comments received, and issue its requirements for registration. If all goes according to the plan, these will come from the FAA this mont...

DJI and 3D Robotics bring real-time airspace restrictions to UAV software, a UAV flagship store is planned to open, ArcadiaSky opens a marketplace for commercial UAV operators, FAA gives a UAV registration warning, and another municipality regulates drone flights. News DJI Introduces New GeoFencing System For Its Drones DJI plans to introduce a dynamic geofencing system that continuously provides updated airspace information to the operator. Data comes from Geospatial Environment Online (GEO). D...

“Polivation” policy briefing, UAS registration update, multicopters crash in Seattle, charges of misrepresenting UAS to the US Government, Google and Facebook want to be ISPs, and the tower industry looks ahead to UAS. Implementing Polivation to Achieve Autonomy: A Path Forward David tells us about the policy briefing he attended where panelists addressed issues of “polivation,” the intersection of policy making and innovation. Held at the City Club of Washington (D.C.) on November 12, 2015, the...

Systems that allow drones to avoid obstacles, impediments to package delivery by UAV, the UAS registration task force kicks off and gets some help, and interviews and presentations from the UAS Industry Days conference. News A Drone with a Sense of Direction The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich has demonstrated a multirotor drone that creates 3-D maps of its environment. The first flight must be manual so the drone can build the map. After that, the drone can fly autonomously in t...

Guest Kevin Kelly describes how Stampede is including UAV products and services in its portfolio so resellers can then offer complete drone video systems to business customers. Guest Kevin Kelly is President and COO of Stampede Presentation Products , a large, value-added distributor of professional audio-visual (ProAV) products. They represent more than 150 technology manufacturers through a network of over 12,000 resellers. Kevin introduced the ProAV industry to the business-building potential...

Analysis of the DOT/FAA announcement that operators will be required to register their unmanned aircraft. News U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx Announces Unmanned Aircraft Registration Requirement Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx and FAA Administrator Michael Huerta announced the creation of a task force to develop recommendations for a registration process for unmanned aircraft. Secretary Foxx said, “Registering unmanned aircraft will help build a culture of accountability and re...

FAA proposes $1.9 million penalty against UAS operator, Pathfinder expanded to detect UAS near airports, NAV Canada wants jail time for flying near airports, detect-and-avoid standards on the way, Boeing tests joined wing body UAS, and DARPA working to develop vanishing drones. News FAA Proposes $1.9 Million Civil Penalty Against SkyPan International for Allegedly Unauthorized Unmanned Aircraft Operations The FAA says aerial photography company SkyPan International “conducted 65 unauthorized ope...

We talk with U.S. Customs and Border Protection Deputy Director John Murphy, Jr. about the UAS they use. Guest Guest John Murphy, Jr. is Deputy Director, National Air Security Operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection ( CBP ), Office of Air and Marine Operations ( AMO ). John is responsible for providing oversight, mission alignment, and associated administrative requirements for national and foreign operations involving the P-3 Orion and MQ-9 Predator. AMO is a federal law enforcement o...

Industry reacts to FAA missing the UAS integration deadline, lasers on drones, UAS testing at Wallops Island, a million drones for the holidays, and interviews from UAS Industry Days 2015. News Drones Armed With High-Energy Lasers May Arrive In 2017 Predator and Reaper manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is looking at mounting a 150-kilowatt solid-state laser onto its Avenger drone, also known as the Predator-C . This could be ready in 2017. NASA Wallops looks to bump up drone traf...

A first report on UAS Industry Days 2015 with the keynote by Lisa Ellman and an interview with Lawrence Brinker. NUAIR Alliance and Empire State Chapter of AUVSI Second Annual UAS Industry Days: Collaboration for Innovation Held September 22-23, 2015 at the NUAIR Alliance Hangar and at the Turning Stone Resort and Casino Events Center in New York, this conference offered speakers, exhibits, flight demonstrations, and networking opportunities. David, Max, @dronemama , and @ProfVanderhoof attended...

Lockheed Martin adds drone flight plans to pilot briefings, the AMA takes a closer look at FAA drone sightings data, Canadian farmers don’t want onerous regulations, California legislators want more drone laws, InterDrone product announcements, and the Reaper gets a long-range update package. Think Before You Launch Think Before You Launch (TBYL) is an awareness campaign that seeks to educate both manned and unmanned aircraft operators about the hazards in the low-altitude environment. This alli...

An Interview with the National Retail Hobby Stores Association, bad drone legislation vetoed in California, UAS awards, and mass jackassery. Interview We wanted to know how hobby shop retailers feel about their responsibilities toward UAV buyers at point-of-sale. So we called Noel Bays, the president of the National Retail Hobby Stores Association (NRHSA), and asked him. He was happy to explain the position of NRHSA, and how he personally implements this at HobbyForce in Ontario, Ohio. News Cali...

Local and state drone laws and regulations at odds with federal authority, a reported mid air collision and other reports by pilots, updated model aircraft guidance from the FAA, two UAS executive positions filled by the FAA, and Sony shows us its camera-equipped quadcopter. Guest Sarah Nilsson has both an aviation and a legal background. She holds an airline transport pilot certificate for single and multi-engine fixed-wing airplanes. She has also flown air cargo and private business jets, and ...

Drone legislation in the news: private property overflights in California, mandatory drone geofencing, and weaponized drones for law enforcement. Also, ALPA responds to pilot encounters with drones, counter-drone systems, and a Sony prototype drone. News Drone no-fly zone in California will stifle innovation, say industry advocates The California Assembly has passed a bill (SB 142) that prohibits flying a drone under 350 feet over private property without permission. The bill is awaiting signatu...

We talk with Dr. Ella Atkins about UAS privacy regulations, regulatory and legislative jurisdiction over the airspace, developing a drone safety culture, and UAS air traffic management challenges. Guest Dr. Ella Atkins is an Associate Professor in the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the University of Michigan , where she is director of the Autonomous Aerospace Systems (A2SYS) Lab . Ella received her BS and MS in Aeronautics and Astronautics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, ...

Reports of unmanned aircraft sightings by pilots on the rise, FPV racing gets a financial boost, Google tests package delivery, proliferation of rogue drones, and knocking down drones with light, sound, and shotguns. News Pilot Reports of Close Calls With Drones Soar in 2015 According to the FAA, pilots reported 238 unmanned aircraft sightings in 2014. Through August 9, 2015, more that 650 sightings had been reported at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet. The FAA is doing four things: The FAA is wor...