Episodes

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 all...

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 C...

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, an...

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 signa...

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 ...

We talk with faculty members from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University about their unmanned systems degree programs. Embry-Riddle Worldwide’s College of Aeronautics currently offers a Master of Science in Unmanned Systems, a Bachelor of Science in Unmanned Systems Applications, and an undergraduate minor in Unmanned Aerial Systems. We talk about how programs are developed, the types of programs offered, the value they provide to students, and the opportunities available in this emerging industr...

Observations from the NASA Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Traffic Management Convention, including the Amazon Prime Air proposal for drone traffic management. Guest Max Trescott attended the NASA Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) Traffic Management Convention (or UTM) and gives us his impressions of the event. Max is a general aviation pilot, a certified flight instructor, an aviation author, and a glass cockpit expert. He also flies quadcopters. Discussion The UTM convention was an opportunity for...

A weaponized quadcopter, shooting down drones, legislation that would permit disabling drones, and nine ways to not be an idiot. Guest Max Trescott joins the conversation. Max is a GA pilot, a certified flight instructor, aviation author, a glass cockpit expert, and a budding drone pilot. News Handgun-firing drone appears legal in video, but FAA, police probe further Father Says ‘Flying Gun’ Drone Video Broke No Laws About that handgun-firing drone Viral Video Of Gun-Firing Drone Renews Intere...

We talk with the founder and CEO of a startup that is providing commercial UAS services for precision agriculture and other industries. Guest Eileen Shibley is the founder and CEO of Monarch, Inc. Monarch designs, engineers, and manufactures unmanned commercial aerial systems for the agriculture, energy, and land survey industries. Eileen incorporated Monarch, Inc. in 2014, and her team began providing customers with small UAS for the purposes of high tech aerial mapping. Monarch uses a combi...

Package delivery by autonomous drone, drone company management changes, making interfering with firefighters illegal, drone service on demand, North Dakota innovation hub, drone photography contest results, USAF addresses pilot shortage, and accidents increase in Netherlands. News Swiss Postal Service, Air Cargo Carrier Begin Drone Testing Freight carrier Swiss WorldCargo announced on July 7 that testing had begun using the Matternet ONE drone for small package delivery. The quadcopter operate...

We talk with Leslie Bates regarding her efforts to get young women and girls involved in the growing field of unmanned aerial systems. Guest Leslie Bates is the founder of SheDrones, an emerging non-profit which is being created to engage, educate, and train girls in unmanned aerial systems and related technologies. SheDrones will also support and collaborate with existing drone-specific STEM programs and organizations dedicated to women in related tech fields. Leslie is a 15-year energy indu...

The optionally piloted Centaur flies at a UAS test site, a NASA-led team tests a sense and avoid system, more bad drone behavior, and an interview with the founder of the Kashmir World Foundation. News Remote-controlled passenger flights 5 years away, CEO says An Aurora Flight Sciences Centaur was flown over the New York UAS test site from Griffiss International Airport. The Centaur is an Optionally Piloted Aircraft (OPA) based on the Diamond DA42 twin engine airplane. It becomes the first lar...

We look back at the first 100 episodes, and ahead to the next 100. We also talk with Curator Roger Connor from the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum. The First 100 Episodes The UAV Digest was started as a spinoff of the Airplane Geeks podcast, with Episode #1 published on August 16, 2013. David and Max wanted to explore the exploding unmanned aircraft industry and communicate the positive uses for “drones.” Early conversation topics included the desire of many to begin commercial oper...

Guest Chris Thomas from MultiGP talks with us about the sport of FPV multirotor racing. Guest Chris Thomas is the founder of MultiGP, a grassroots racing organization with a mission to make FPV multirotor racing a real sport. With over 30 chapters in the United States, MultiGP provides the rules, equipment, and software for FPV racing. We talk with Chris about what you need to get started, how much you can expect to spend to compete in FPV racing, the rules that ensure event safety, and the fo...

HeliVideo to cover U.S. Open, commercial drone market share, China uses drone to catch cheaters, using TV signals to sense aircraft, a Google drone patent, and UAS full type certificates. News How FOX Sports will use drones at the U.S. Open, and why the FAA is watching FOX Sports is using octocopters from Austin-based HeliVideo to cover the golf championship at Chambers Bay. HeliVideo says they provide “FAA approved cinematography for television and film.” The HeliVideo fleet includes a Small S...

Conversation with drone lawyer Jonathan Rupprecht, a NASA and Verizon UAS tracking system, the Google Internet HALE drone crashes, and Boeing patents a drone charging concept. Guest In December 2014, Jonathan Rupprecht formed Rupprecht Law, a firm providing legal services for operators of unmanned aerial vehicles. Jonathan authored a book on the law in the United States pertaining to unmanned aircraft called Drones: Their Many Civilian Uses and the U.S. Laws Surrounding Them. He later was an ...

DOJ privacy guidelines for agencies using drones, dumb drone flying, a drone-only store, interesting Kickstarter drone projects, NOAA says don’t mix drones and whales, drones as a tool for football practice, and a drone film festival. News What the Justice Department’s New Drone Rules Mean for Your Privacy On May 22, 2015, the U.S. Department of Justice announced agency-wide guidelines that set standards for the domestic use of UAS. These apply to the United States Marshals Service, FBI, DEA, a...

A drone powered by a fuel-cell, UAS use policy for police, a defensive anti-drone system, UAS training at a community college and at Textron Systems, a backup system for GPS, and the Commercial UAS Modernization Act. News Hycopter Drone Flies for 4 Hours via Hydrogen Power The Hycopter drone from Singapore-based Horizon Unmanned Systems (HUS) uses a hydrogen fuel cell for power. Four liters of hydrogen are stored in the hollow frame, and are converted to electric power to run the motors. This p...

Amazon patents package delivery by drone, using drones to plant trees, a new Israeli UAV company, another manned aircraft maker goes unmanned, and the Arctic becomes a no drone zone. News Here are Amazon’s plans for delivery drones Amazon Technologies, Inc. of Seattle, Washington was awarded Patent 20150120094 on April 30, 2015. The patent “…describes an unmanned aerial vehicle (“UAV”) configured to autonomously deliver items of inventory to various destinations. The UAV may receive inventory i...

News from the 2015 AUVSI Conference, including the Pathfinder Program where the FAA partners with industry to develop commercial UAS technology. AUVSI Unmanned Systems 2015 Conference The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) held its Unmanned Systems 2015 Conference May 4-7 in Atlanta, Georgia. At the Conference, the FAA announced the “Pathfinder Program” which it called “a partnership with industry to explore the next steps in unmanned aircraft operations beyond the ...

Smith College presents drones to the local community, a droner gets tased, and surveillance drones at London airports. Commercial Drones in Our Backyards and Communities: How New FAA Rules for Unmanned Aircraft Could Impact the Pioneer Valley Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts conducted a presentation introducing the public to unmanned aircraft. The free March 4, 2015 event featured three speakers from the College, a display of small UAVs, and even an indoor flight demonstration. Spe...

Law firms step up to UAVs, DARPA enlists Northrop Grumman and AeroVironment for TERN, the MQ-4C Triton UAS gets new search radar, the X-47B refuels autonomously, agricultural applications for UAVs, an anti-drone drone, detecting drones by sound, and the FAA clarifies policy for drone online videos. News US firms rush to set up drone departments Michael Drobac is executive director of the Small UAV Coalition, but also the senior policy advisor at Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld. He says, “’Almost...

The X47B demonstrates autonomous refueling, 3D Robotics releases the Solo, India weaponizes small drones for crowd control, opinions on how the FAA can do a better job, and Auburn University plans to provide UAS pilot training. News X-47B Demonstrates Unmanned Aerial Refueling For The First Time The Navy’s X-47B Unmanned Combat Air Vehicle has successfully demonstrated autonomous aerial refueling, plugging into the aerial refueling basket behind a KC-707 tanker. 3D Robotics takes on DJI with S...