Flying underground; UAS deliver vaccine


VOL 4, ISSUE 26	December 22, 2020

Top Stories

Mapping a gold mine

A husband-wife team of remote pilots mapped a gold mine, much of it underwater, to help expand a historic facility turned tourist attraction. (Photo courtesy of Inspired Intelligence.) Read more >

Unmanned vaccine delivery

Unmanned aircraft may prove crucial to distributing COVID-19 vaccine across Caribbean islands. Read more >

Training and Safety

How to make matters worse

Drone attorney Jonathan Rupprecht explains how a Philadelphia drone operator ignored FAA warnings and wound up with fines running into six figures. Read more >

Is Skydio really that good?

Video of a Skydio 2 flying between power lines might be a marvel of technology, or dumb luck. You might not want to try this. Read more and watch a video >

Season's greetings from the FBI

Flying your drone at 4,000 feet in the flight path of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport is not only a bad idea, it will likely earn you a holiday visit—but not from Santa Claus. Watch the story >

Unwrap those rules, too

Drones remain popular gifts, so state and federal officials continue a tradition of reminding new pilots to check the rules to preserve good cheer in the airspace. Read more >

Gear

DJI upgrades flight thermography

The DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Advanced brings a significant upgrade to thermal imaging capability in this compact quadcopter. Read more >

Commerce Department bans DJI

Days after Congress stripped a ban on Chinese drones from a crucial defense bill, the U.S. Department of Commerce blacklisted 77 vendors including DJI. Read more >

GPS jamming, countermeasures coming

GPS jamming devices are becoming cheaper and more accessible, ratcheting up the risk to unmanned aviation. Countermeasures are being developed. Read more >

Lifestyle

The great koala count

The Australian government is gearing up to count koalas across the country, and they'll be using aerial thermal imaging to track the cuteness. Read more >

Order up

Visitors to Michael Jordan's new golf course will be able to snag a snack from the sky. See the delivery >

Moth hunters

Moths can wreak havoc on crops, so a Dutch team is hunting the insects with tiny drones. Read more >

Public Safety

Aerial responses prompt privacy concern

As drones are increasingly being used as first responders, legal scholars are raising questions about privacy and civil rights. Watch the video >

Good guys with drones

A U.S. Air Force base plans to counter drone incursions with unmanned aircraft of its own. Read more and watch a video >

Structure fire story

Ohio firefighters show us how visible and thermographic images combined to help them douse a warehouse fire. Read more and watch a video >

Regulation and Policy

Quantifying illegal drone flights

A Utah congressman wrote the bill now headed to the U.S. Senate with overwhelming House support that seeks to tally the cost of illegal drone incursions on wildfire operations. Read more >

FAA nixes model aircraft rule

The FAA cleaned up some discrepancies by officially striking the Special Rule for Model Aircraft from the books on December 11. Read more >

Texas candidate shoots drone for television

A Texas state legislative runoff race has heated up to the point that at least one drone made in China was blasted by a shotgun for a campaign ad. Read more >

ICAO posts drone rules

The International Civil Aviation Organization is working to align unmanned aircraft regulation. Read the rules >

News

Gatwick incursion remains unproved

Two years after a reported drone sighting shut down a U.K. airport packed with holiday travelers, doubts and questions remain. Read more >

TV broadcasting thrives above the ground

Media companies have embraced drone technology to the point that some deem UAS capability essential. Read more >