May 16, 2017, issue of 'AOPA Drone Pilot'


VOL 1, ISSUE 7	May 16, 2017

Top Stories

Eyes on the unmanned horizon

A future of robots programmed to fly, swim, crawl, and even entertain came into sharper focus as thousands gathered in Dallas for the Association of Unmanned Vehicle Systems International's 2017 Xponential conference May 8 through 11. Read more >

AOPA meets, greets, gives

AOPA staff welcomed attendees at AUVSI Xponential. Many were already members, and a few newcomers joined general aviation's largest organization at the show. Visitors who stopped by the AOPA booth were in the running for a DJI Mavic giveaway, and the good news went to Jim Kniss of Veteran's Emergency Technical Service in Ventura, California.

Training and Safety

Pilots wanted, bird brains a plus

If you think you can fly like a falcon, a Canadian firm looking to deploy Dutch-built robotic birds at airports to chase the real ones away may soon be recruiting pilots who have a talent for imitating raptors. Read more >

Crashing drone trips bike racer

Flying a drone near public events should be a no-go, but sadly that does not stop everyone. A video captured during a bicycle race shows a quadcopter crashing, and in turn causing another crash. While the cyclist was not seriously hurt, the footage illustrates more than one lapse in aviation safety, and serves as an object lesson in what not to do. Watch the video >

Gear

New parachute for drones hits market

A parachute made for multirotor drones was unveiled May 9 with a promise to protect people and property below, as well as the aircraft and payload, more reliably. Read more >

Five drones at Xponential under $25K

While AUVSI Xponential is usually dominated by military and other high-end systems, AOPA Drone Pilot found five unmanned aircraft systems for $25,000 or less on exhibit. Read more >

Beautifully simple separation

A university professor, pilot, and AOPA member in Nebraska hopes to gain some traction with a simple idea to keep drones and manned aircraft separated in the agricultural environment: a strobe light that warns pilots of manned aircraft to give the drone crew time to land. Read more >

Lifestyle

Pilots bring drones to Santa Claus

Aaron Begle does not want people to fear drones, and he was just one of many pilots who spread a cheerful story about them in Santa Claus, Indiana. Read more and watch a video >

Regulation and Policy

Safe separation defined

Ongoing research aiming to facilitate safe integration of drones into the National Airspace System has defined how much distance constitutes safe separation between small unmanned aircraft and manned aircraft. Read more >

ICAO seeks drone traffic management harmony

The International Civil Aviation Organization is looking to harmonize unmanned air traffic management with voluntary guidelines rather than time-consuming regulations. Read more >

Strange times for drone pilots

Drone pilots often are caught up in conflicts between state and federal regulations and irate property owners who may be inclined to shoot first. A confusing legal landscape doesn't help. Read more >

News

Unmanned systems aim to fill forecast gaps

A small squadron of drones built for rapid deployment to scout stormy weather, including a fixed-wing twin that is launched from the roof of a mobile laboratory, are so far performing as expected in Oklahoma. Read more >

Drone delivery sets record

A research team in Texas set a new U.S. record for long-distance drone delivery May 5. Read more >

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum exhibits drones

A new museum exhibit in New York tells the tale of drones from their humble origins as flying targets to their use as toys, tools, and more. Read more >

Airbus launches drone service division

Airbus is getting into the drone business, specifically the back end of the business, where data management is a growing challenge. Read more >