January 23, 2018, issue of 'AOPA Drone Pilot'


VOL 2, ISSUE 2	January 23, 2018

Top Stories

Saved in 70 seconds

A beach lifeguard in Australia had a drone ready when two teens were spotted struggling in 10-foot surf far from shore. The lifeguard-pilot found the teens and dropped a self-inflating rescue float into their hands in just over a minute. (Photo from video courtesy of Westpac Little Ripper.) Read more >

Training and Safety

Hands-on training at emergency medical conference

A full-day, hands-on drone workshop will be held Feb. 20, just ahead of the EMS Today conference in Charlotte, North Carolina. Read more >

Do no harm when filming wildlife

A nonprofit organization created by aviation veterans of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is working to educate drone pilots about how to capture images of marine wildlife without breaking the law, or harming animals. Read more >

Christmas drones soon vanish

Many drones given as holiday gifts soon disappeared, and lessons in the challenges of flying tiny aircraft were learned the hard way. Read more >

Gear

Drones at CES

The Consumer Electronics Show, an annual extravaganza of gadgets and gizmos held Jan. 9-12 in Las Vegas, featured several drones ranging from palm-sized to passenger-sized. Read more >

Parachute scaled down

California-based Fruity Chutes has unveiled a new line of spring-loaded parachute launchers for small quadcopters. Read more >

Lifestyle

Racing for a living

As drone racing continues to grow into a marketable sport, an Australian teen hopes to be among the first to earn a living as a full-time pilot. Read more >

Night vision

DJI and BMW Motorsport have teamed up to bring drones to the track. Watch the video >

Chesapeake views

A love of drones and the Chesapeake Bay prompted a pair of Maryland teens to launch a YouTube channel. Read more >

Public Safety

Paramedics fly beyond sight

Paramedics and police in Ontario, Canada, have been granted permission to fly drones beyond visual line of sight, a development that is unprecedented and "game-changing." Read more >

Drones speed investigations

Police in Fort Collins, Colorado, report that a drone can save hours of road closure following a serious crash. Read more >

Oregon police try drones

Accident reconstruction is one application of small, unmanned aircraft that state police in Oregon are testing. Read more >

New York troopers acquire UAS fleet

New York State Police are buying 18 drones to deploy statewide. Read more >

Regulation and Policy

Washington violations prompt concern

Drone sightings in Washington, D.C., continue to fuel security fears. Read more >

New challenge to drone registry

The brother of the man whose lawsuit forced Congress to expressly authorize the FAA drone registry has filed a new lawsuit seeking refunds. Read more >

Thailand drone law has teeth

Those who fail to follow Thailand's drone registration rule face five years in prison. Read more >

West Virginia town pitches drone project

The city of Bluefield, West Virginia, is among the thousands of parties interested in participating in the federal Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program. Read more >

News

Not-so-fixed wings

Researchers at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology have designed a drone with articulating airfoils that is capable of impressive aerial feats. Read more >

Spy on the spy

Researchers in Israel have developed a method to determine if a drone is looking at you. Read more >

Delivery test in New York

A Canadian drone delivery company will test its system in upstate New York. Read more >

When drones attack

A multiple-drone attack on a Russian military base in Syria has been described as a "swarm," though experts say it was a far cry from the worst case. Read more >