April 2, 2019, issue of 'AOPA Drone Pilot'


VOL 3, ISSUE 7	April 2, 2019

Top Stories

Rise of the news drones

Consumer quadcopters have democratized aerial journalism with affordable access to previously inaccessible perspectives. (Photo by Zach Ryall.) Read more >

Delivering blood, meds, and progress

Drone delivery specialist Matternet has come a long way since we visited them in 2017. Now they've teamed with UPS to launch the first U.S. medical delivery service. Read more >

Are unmanned aircraft eating the FAA budget?

The Daily Beast reports that drone integration may be consuming so many FAA resources that other programs are suffering. Like aircraft certification. Read more >

The crowded skies to come

More than five years after Amazon's Jeff Bezos promised routine drone delivery, we're still waiting. But it's coming, The New York Times reports. Read more >

Training and Safety

Free learning for public safety pros

North Carolina public safety pilot, unmanned aircraft educator, and AOPA contributor Steve Rhode has scheduled more free webinars for public safety professionals. Read more and register >

Robinson teaches SAR

Texas firefighter and drone pioneer Gene Robinson will teach a two-day class on robotic search and rescue during the Small Unmanned Systems Business Exposition in San Francisco in April. Read more >

Gear

Race against the machine

There's $1 million on the line for the first computer-driven drone that can outrun a human pilot. Read more >

Cover your assets

A drone flown for fun or profit can put you on the hook financially if something goes wrong, but insurance protects your pocket. Read more >

DJI takes on data analysis

The 800-pound gorilla of consumer drone hardware, DJI, is now tackling the back end of drone data analysis. Read more >

GPS springs forward

GPS systems around the world will be put to the test on April 6. The most common consumer drones should not be affected. Read more >

Lifestyle

AOPA sweetens the deal

AOPA is offering new discounts to our members for King Schools drone training and InterDrone admission, as our drone membership deal keeps getting better with more to come. Check out all of the perks and join today >

Farm drone pays its own way

An Indiana farmer's investment in a drone has reaped huge rewards: The quadcopter has paid for itself many times over. Read more >

SkyPixel winners picked

The SkyPixel photo and video contest winners announced March 25 include some truly amazing images. Read more and watch a video >

Public Safety

'Stepping stones' for drones

The imperative of emergency response helps justify risks the FAA otherwise might not allow. Read more >

Buying time for wildfire survival

A Georgia State University researcher believes drones can help fight wildfires and save lives by giving people more time to get out of the way. Read more and watch a video >

Regulation and Policy

AOPA backs integration

AOPA President Mark Baker told Congress about our mission to help safely integrate a new generation of aircraft. Read more >

FAA steps up enforcement

The FAA issued new policy guidance to district offices calling for increased surveillance and oversight of drone operations. Read more >

Yellowstone flight prompts investigation

Flying a drone to film a promotional video in Yellowstone National Park may land a company in hot water. Read more and watch a video >

Remote ID delayed

Remote identification and tracking, a prerequisite for many advanced drone operations, will take a bit longer than planned to implement. Read more >

News

Storm drones

Researchers will spend the storm season taking the most detailed look yet at tornado triggers. Read more >

Swarms approved

The FAA has green-lighted fixed-wing drone swarm operations at Oklahoma State University. Read more >

Armed and dangerous

A Russian military contractor has mounted a shotgun on a drone. Sleep tight. Read more and watch a video >

Irish drone joins fight against seagulls

A coastal Irish town is suffering through a seagull infestation, and drones are just counting the birds—for now. Read more >