November 12, 2019, issue of 'AOPA Drone Pilot'


VOL 3, ISSUE 23	November 12, 2019

Top Stories

Pulling sock

Stringing high-voltage power lines is specialized and challenging work traditionally done with helicopters. A North Dakota company has demonstrated that drones can pull off a sock pull with less risk and expense. (Photo courtesy of SkySkopes.) Read more >

Training and Safety

Drone fly-in a first

Firefighters and police from across the state of New York converged on a decommissioned airport turned training center on October 29 to spend the day practicing with drones. Read more and watch a video >

Dangerous interference

Frequent illegal drone operations are delaying firefighting efforts as wildfires continue to scorch California. Read more >

Gear

Mavic Mini arrives

DJI's Mavic Mini is a flying stocking-stuffer that you don't have to register with the FAA. Read more >

Lifestyle

Neighborhood policing 2.0

Using drones to police homeowner association rules might become a thing, but privacy issues abound. Read more >

Where the jobs are

Axios crunched ZipRecruiter data to create a heat map of where drone pilots are earning dollars. Read more >

Aerial attack on malaria

Drones are targeting mosquitoes in Zanzibar, off the coast of Tanzania, with a goal of eradicating malaria. Read more >

Public Safety

Lifesaving speed

A study found drones can navigate New York City streets much faster than ambulances, showing potential to get medication to the scene when seconds count. Read more >

Goodbye helicopter, hello drone

A Baltimore suburb is swapping police helicopters for drones. Read more >

Good drone, bad drone

A sign of the times: Cops and crooks alike have quadcopters. Read more >

Vermont police add aerial capability

Vermont State Police plan to use drones for accident investigation, and search and rescue. Read more >

Regulation and Policy

Feds ground Chinese drones

The U.S. Department of the Interior will allow Chinese-made drones to continue emergency response missions, but otherwise has grounded them over data security concerns. Read more >

Out of sight in upstate New York

The FAA has approved an 8-mile stretch of upstate New York airspace for unmanned flights beyond visual line of sight, the beginning of a 50-mile corridor. Read more >

Faster than the speed of rules

As drone technology advances, some fear that FAA policy is falling behind. Read more >

Hard time

A drug drop over a Georgia state prison landed the pilot a four-year sentence. Read more >

News

Home health visits

UPS and CVS are evaluating options to deliver medicine to your home with drones. Read more >

A little altitude, please

Whales may not mind so much, but drones zipping just above the waves seem to upset bottlenose dolphins. Read more >

Fly by fingers

Astronauts may one day patrol the moon, and beyond, using drones flown with "smart gloves." Read more >

The buzz goes on

We featured a story in January about Dropcopter pollinating crops with drones. They're still going strong, an industry publication reports. Read more >