October 1, 2019, issue of 'AOPA Drone Pilot'


VOL 3, ISSUE 20	October 1, 2019

Top Stories

Candy first to fly

A local confectioner will supply sweet payloads for Wing's delivery drones in Virginia. Locals watched the first public trial. (Photo courtesy of Wing.) Read more and watch a video >

Reality check

The Teal Group's new unmanned aircraft industry forecast predicts far more modest growth than some have suggested. Read more >

Reaper visits U.S. airport ... alone

A military drone logged an arrival to and a departure from a commercial airport without a chase-plane escort. Read more >

Training and Safety

Down-to-earth photography

At or below 400 feet is the rule, but some of your best angles are found just above the ground. Read more >

Recreational LAANC online

Recreational drone pilots can now use the FAA DroneZone portal to obtain electronic airspace authorization. Visit FAA DroneZone >

Safety week

The FAA hopes to grab your attention for a week of drone safety messaging in November. Read more >

Fine points of Part 107: Road rule

Flying drones over moving vehicles is dangerous (and illegal) because a falling drone could do serious damage to any vehicle moving at street or highway speeds. A news video raised our eyebrow. Watch the video >

Gear

Down on the (DJI) farm

A multispectral camera makes an ordinary DJI Phantom more useful for harvesting agricultural data. Read more >

Unlimited mapping

A single Delair monthly subscription now provides unlimited map and digital model generation powered by Pix4D and Agisoft. Read more >

Pass the power

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, have created a battery with four rotors and one job: Replenish a bigger drone in flight. Read more and watch a video >

Lifestyle

Croc spotter

Drones deployed for shark spotting are now keeping an eye on another toothy predator. Read more >

Unmanned land management

The Oneida Indian Nation of upstate New York is working with NUAIR to enhance natural resource management. Read more >

Claim costs cut

Insurance companies are cutting claim costs while keeping workers safe with unmanned air support. Read more >

Public Safety

Drone support for disaster response

A new program gives first responders easier access to DJI hardware and software for disaster response. Read more >

Regulation and Policy

Talking data security

Experts discussed data security during DJI's AirWorks conference. Read more and watch the video >

Legislation limits purchase options

Concerns about data security and privacy drove recently introduced legislation to ban government purchase of a certain brand. Read more >

Photojournalists challenge Texas drone limits

Journalists have filed a First Amendment challenge to drone restrictions in Texas. Read more >

Off-duty flight raises questions

A Louisville police officer flew his personal drone close enough to an apartment building (in controlled airspace) to prompt complaints. The FAA is investigating. Read more >

News

Airobotics slashes staff

Despite raising more than $100 million in venture capital funding, Airobotics has all but shut the doors. Read more >

Drone pilot behaving badly, Exhibit A

A Pennsylvania man faces a long list of federal charges after allegedly using a drone to drop a bomb on his ex-girlfriend's home. (Flying an unregistered drone is the least of these.) Read more >

Drone pilot behaving badly, Exhibit B

Prison surveillance video captured an illegal drone delivery in Ohio. Read more >

Sizing up runways

The Kansas Department of Transportation will use drones to conduct more precise airport inspections. Read more >