June 13, 2017, issue of 'AOPA Drone Pilot'


VOL 1, ISSUE 9	June 13, 2017

Top Stories

Striving for flight beyond sight

California firefighters, along with search-and-rescue specialists from across the country, joined drone developers, regulators, and researchers for a symposium on deploying drones for emergency response on June 2 in the heart of Silicon Valley. Many have an eye on making drones more useful by freeing them from the limits of human vision. Read more and view a slideshow >

Five questions for Dallas Brooks

Dallas Brooks, the new chairman of the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International board of directors and the director of the Raspet Flight Research Laboratory at Mississippi State University, occupies key roles in ongoing research on drone technology development. Brooks fielded five questions from AOPA Drone Pilot. Read more >

Training and Safety

Free AOPA drone seminars fill fast

Drones make up one of the fastest growing segments of aviation. AOPA's inaugural seminar, "Drones, From the Ground Up," is being tested at two locations, covering topics ranging from regulations and airspace to weather and emergencies. Aviation Training Co. at Greenville Downtown Airport in South Carolina, and Frederick Flight Center in Frederick, Maryland, will host the free seminar June 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Register for the Greenville seminar here. Registration for the Frederick seminar reached capacity June 12; AOPA plans to launch seminars in August at flight schools around the country.

Drone law briefing livestream postponed

AOPA's drone law briefing livestream scheduled for June 13 has been postponed. AOPA will notify members of the new date and time. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Project Lifesaver teams with DARTdrones

Project Lifesaver, a nonprofit organization created to support first responders with equipment and training, has partnered with DARTdrones to offer DARTdrones training for its members. (DARTdrones collaborates with AOPA to offer drone training and education products for AOPA members.) Read more >

Gear

Drone is a true water wing

Sherbrooke University in Quebec, Canada, has created a flying wing that can swan dive into a lake, then do something nearly every other drone cannot: take off again. Read more and watch the video >

Hydrogen power gains steam

With interest growing in harnessing hydrogen power for long-endurance flight, Commercial UAV News checks out available options. Read more >

A deeper look at lidar alternatives

Writer William Tompkinson is somewhat skeptical that light detection and ranging (lidar) will become the be-all and end-all of remote aerial survey missions. Read more >

Lifestyle

Skypixel contest launched

A DJI Inspire 2 is among the prizes offered in the 2017 edition of the DJI/SkyPixel aerial video contest. Submissions are being accepted through Aug. 2 in three categories: nature, city, and sport.) Read more >

Regulation and Policy

Regulations and the future of drones

As nations around the world regulate drones in different ways, the progress of the technology, safety, and utility hinges on a combination of engineering and regulation. The Economist takes a look at the landscape, and how differing approaches are producing different results. Read more >

Are we losing the drone race?

Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. James Poss, who has held many leadership roles including military and FAA drone research, and more recently as a private sector consultant, worries that restrictive regulations may be setting the United States back as the world races to develop drone technology. Read more >

News

NASA completes latest drone management test flights

NASA and various partners have completed weeks of tests flying small drones beyond visual line of sight over sparsely populated areas. Read more >

Tokyo drone company issues Pacific challenge

A small drone startup in Japan has challenged all comers to race the iRobotics team across the Pacific Ocean with drones. Read more >

French firm claims BVLOS distance record

Delair-Tech has flown a drone on a 30-mile mission using cellular data networks for command and control, claiming a new distance record during a power line inspection. Read more >

Researchers recommend drones for pipeline patrol

Scientists at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland have published a study that makes a case for using unmanned aircraft to inspect pipelines. Read more >