July 21, 2020, issue of 'AOPA Drone Pilot'


VOL 4, ISSUE 15	July 21, 2020

Top Stories

A bird James Bond might love

Animal impostors with unblinking eyes may soon patrol borders, sensitive facilities, and other locations. (Photo courtesy of The Drone Bird Co.) Read more >

Training and Safety

The hardest decision you will have to make

Under pressure, the most fundamental question in aviation—Is it safe to fly today?—can be difficult for any pilot to answer. Read more >

Wildfire warning

Drones shut down firefighting efforts in Denver's East Plum Fire. This is why it's important to keep unmanned aircraft well away from fires. Read more and watch a video >

Enterprise advice

Skyward offers a webinar today (July 21) at 2 p.m. Eastern time with advice on starting an enterprise drone program. Registered attendees can watch a recorded version at their convenience. Read more and register >

Public safety solution

GE Aviation subsidiary AiRXOS will demonstrate a situational awareness, streaming, and data security tool created for public safety professionals in a July 23 webinar at 2 p.m. Eastern time. Read more and register >

Opportunity knocking

A company in the United Kingdom is offering recent manned aviation graduates (whose opportunities may be more limited than expected) training for jobs in the unmanned aircraft industry. Read more >

Gear

FLIR unveils new dual sensor

Touting light weight and compact size, FLIR has released the Hadron, a combined visual-thermal sensor designed for easy integration. Read more >

Beyond the selfie drone

Skydio entered the drone market focused on selfies, but shifted the pitch to public safety with the Skydio II release that helped police in Chula Vista, California, earn a new FAA waiver.

Lifestyle

Green Mountain tranquility

Photographer Caleb Kenna found beauty in the Vermont countryside. View a photo essay >

Public Safety

Overdose response

A Michigan medical school student has demonstrated that drones can shave precious time off the delivery of lifesaving medication to those who have overdosed. Read more >

UPS, Matternet expand delivery ops

Matternet drones are shuttling protective equipment and other supplies across the Wake Forest Baptist Health campus in North Carolina. Read more >

Preparing for a busy hurricane season

Florida Power and Light has partnered with an Israeli maker of a drone-in-a-box to conduct hurricane damage assessments. Read more >

Spraying for jobs

As Florida grapples with a COVID-19 outbreak, one local company reconfigured a window-washing drone to spray disinfectant. Read more >

Bathing suit policing prompts pushback

Police in Golden Valley, Minnesota, used unmanned aircraft to enforce clothing requirements at a local beach, and that was not a good fit for one cited individual. Read more and watch a video >

Regulation and Policy

Drone conference goes virtual

The FAA discussed an initiative to reduce the cost of maintaining remote pilot currency during a virtual edition of the FAA UAS Symposium. Read more >

Mystery drone documents released

A newly released tranche of FAA documents sheds light on the spate of mysterious drone sightings in Colorado back in January and February, mostly about what we still don't know. Read more >

Politicians call for protest surveillance halt

Some members of Congress are calling on federal agencies to stop surveillance of protesters with drones. Read more >

News

Way beyond visual line of sight

Satellites could help oil rig operators leverage drone technology over open water. Read more >

Defense dollars for next generation of drone

The U.S. Department of Defense has contracted with Draper to build small, unmanned aircraft with advanced collision avoidance and navigation capability. Read more >