May 30, 2017, issue of 'AOPA Drone Pilot'


VOL 1, ISSUE 8	May 30, 2017

Top Stories

Bahamas by quadcopter

A seemingly simple up-and-down quadcopter flight over a Bahamian beach during a break between airshow acts proved to be quite the aeronautical challenge. Even with the airspace clear of manned aircraft and the show’s air operations staff watching from a few feet away, several risks and potential hazards required careful mitigation, focus, and a landing pad to keep sand out of motors. Read more >

Inside the Boston Marathon drone operation

In a Q&A with Commercial UAV News, Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency Executive Director Kurt Schwartz describes how drones protected the 2017 Boston Marathon. Read more >

Training and Safety

AOPA offers online drone law briefing

Find out how the drone space has evolved, what important legal matters you should be aware of, and how AOPA can help protect your freedom to fly during a free livestream June 13 at 8 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. This free webinar is open to members and nonmenbers, and is suitable for remote pilots flying commercially and those flying for fun. Register today >

An object lesson in what not to do

A major league ballpark is no place to fly a drone, particularly when there's a game on. Read more and watch the video >

Gear

Playing the float

SwellPro has made waves with the announcement of the Splash Drone 3, a fully waterproof drone for tough environments that comes in two models for a multitude of missions. One version is controllable with a mobile app, and the other is capable of carrying and remotely releasing an object weighing up to 2.5 pounds. Read more >

Palm-sized product seizes the moment

The new DJI Spark, a mini drone that debuted at a May 24 "Seize the Moment" event in New York City, fits in the palm of your hand but won't empty your wallet. You can maneuver it with a wave of your hand. Read more >

Lifestyle

Drone saves 'Pirates' on stormy set

As Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales was wrapping production in 2015, a tropical storm struck and proved too much for manned camera helicopters to cope with. A drone got the job done. Read more >

Forget drones, tech entrepreneur tells agriculture conference

One speaker addressing an agriculture technology conference in Australia dared to suggest that farmers could get bigger returns using ground-based technology. Read more >

Regulation and Policy

Court shoots down drone registration requirement

The FAA requirement to register hobby drones was ruled illegal by a federal appeals court on May 19, though the three-judge panel of the nation's second highest court left other rules and requirements intact. Read more >

White House seeks permission to down drones

President Donald Trump's administration plans to seek congressional authority to allow law enforcement to "track, hack and destroy any type of drone over domestic soil." The proposal calls for permission to counter drones and protect any "covered facility, location, or installation" in the country. Read more >

Notorious rule breaker reports FAA investigation

Long known for breaking rules and bragging about it on YouTube, Casey Neistat, a New York skateboarder with a robust online following, now reports he is under FAA investigation, and confesses to having been "irresponsible" in the past. Read more >

News

DJI makes registration a must

DJI has started putting drones that customers decline to register with the company on a very short leash. Read more >

Drones target mosquitoes, disease in India

In an effort to wipe out malaria in Gujarat by 2022, the government of the Indian state has turned to drones. Read more >

Wedge-tailed eagle attacks drone

An Australian farmer captured images as a huge bird of prey took aim at his drone. The drone lost. Read more >