August 8, 2017, issue of 'AOPA Drone Pilot'


VOL 1, ISSUE 13	August 8, 2017

Top Stories

Drone identification debated

Law enforcement officials, hobbyists, industry representatives, and advocates have different perspectives on how much drone information should be public. Read more >

Drone data prompts concern

Writer David Walters looks at the broader question of who really controls the data collected by drones, and why you should pay attention to that. Read more >

US Army grounds DJI drones

Data security concerns prompted the U.S. Army to immediately ground all of its DJI drones. Read more >

Training and Safety

FAA youth drone academy draws (more) media

While much of the aviation world was at EAA AirVenture in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, for the largest fly-in in the world, a senior FAA official led a week of summer school in Westport, Connecticut, teaching teens to be commercial drone pilots. Watch the video >

AOPA members get King Schools discount

Longtime aviation educators John and Martha King are well known to manned-aircraft pilots, and are gaining a reputation among drone pilots as well. John King said during the AOPA Drone Social at EAA AirVenture that the King Schools Part 107 test prep course is selling faster than any they've released. AOPA members can get that hot ticket at a discount. Read more >

Drone seminar draws crowd

AOPA Senior Director of UAS Programs Kat Swain and Multicopter Warehouse Chief Operating Officer Kerry Garrison drew a crowd at EAA AirVenture with an hour-long seminar covering the basics of flying drones for fun, for profit, or both. Another edition of this popular presentation will be offered during the AOPA Fly-In Sept. 8 and 9 in Norman, Oklahoma. Learn more >

Ontario police lose drone

Drone pilots are well advised to treat every flight following a firmware update as a test flight, and therefore to expect surprises. Canada's Ontario Provincial Police may still be searching for their search-and-rescue drone after a mishap we can all learn from. Read more >

Gear

Manned vs. drone

The line between manned and unmanned aircraft gets blurry when talking about the air taxis of the future. AOPA found one of the contenders at EAA AirVenture. With eight rotors and two seats, SureFly could be test-flown on a tether by year's end. Read more and watch a video >

No pilot option

Another drone made to carry human passengers was on display at EAA AirVenture, but this one does not offer the option of the occupant manipulating flight controls, as Aviation Week noted. The Ehang 184 has begun carrying people in Dubai, and state officials in Nevada have agreed to host further tests of the prototype. Read more >

Heavy hauler reaches market

The VertiPod IV quadcopter can squeeze in under the 55-pound limit for Part 107 operations only by leaving the payload on the ground, but FAA exemptions can be arranged, and this monster machine is made to haul a load for less. Read more >

Lifestyle

Toronto Drone Film Festival launched

The Big Drone Show 2017, returning in September for its sophomore year, claims to be Canada's largest drone gathering. This year's event includes the inaugural Toronto Drone Film Festival. Submissions are being accepted through Sept. 15 in a variety of categories, with $300 prizes for each category winner, and a grand prize of $3,000 cash and a drone. Read more >

'Jet' reigns supreme

What, one might wonder, does flying small quadcopters through obstacle courses, day after day, get you? If your name is Jordan "Jet" Temkin, it gets you back-to-back Drone Racing League world championships, television time, trophies, and loot. Read more >

Regulation and Policy

North Carolina updates drone laws

One observer sees the new drone laws in North Carolina as a clear signal the state is ready, willing, and able to do business with unmanned aircraft. Read more >

News drone irks governor

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin shared on Twitter his displeasure with a drone flight over his residence. Read more >

News

DJI and 3DR join forces

If you can't beat them, join them. So goes the proverb, so goes 3D Robotics, the California-based one-time drone maker that tried to take on DJI, and lost in dramatic fashion. Now, 3DR is refashioning its business model and forging an alliance with its erstwhile rival. Read more >

British detectives fight drone crime

This thoroughly modern British detective story from the BBC details how police are using a variety of tools and methods to fight drone-related crime. Read more >

Trump visit brings restrictions, drones

Pilots will want to pay close attention to temporary flight restrictions in New Jersey that are related to President Donald Trump's stay in Bedminster through Aug. 21. The U.S. Secret Service detail protecting the president will have tethered drones of its own to keep an eye on things, according to Reuters. Read more >

Amazon pitches drone delivery to pilots

Amazon has been testing its Prime Air delivery drones largely in secret, so the company's visit to EAA AirVenture was designed to introduce these unmanned aircraft still in development to a potentially skeptical audience, and win friends. Read more >

NOAA chooses wildfire drone platform

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has picked a Colorado company to build drones to collect wildfire data. Read more >