March 31, 2020, issue of 'AOPA Drone Pilot'


VOL 4, ISSUE 7	March 31, 2020

Top Stories

Droning the pandemic

Clearing streets is the order of the day for most of the world, and drones are delivering comic relief for the bored, documenting the strange sights, and, perhaps, finding new missions, including essential deliveries. (Photo by Adas Vasiliauskas.)

Winning the 'drone wars' had downsides

Bloomberg Businessweek looks in-depth at how DJI came to dominate the world drone market, and the unintended consequences of that dominance. Read more >

Training and Safety

Storytelling ideas for drone pilots

The Missouri School of Journalism has seven tips for newsrooms seeking new ways to tell the pandemic story with aerial assets. Read more >

One pioneer's journey

Flying the Super Bowl halftime show was a mission nine years in the making. Learn how a Texas entrepreneur turned his side hustle into a career. Read more >

Gear

Distant diagnosis

Medical workers remain vulnerable as they test patients for COVID-19, and one drone maker hopes to automate diagnostic telemetry. Read more and watch a video >

Messaging challenge

DJI's Phantom 4 Pro V2 has been back in stock since January; its "introduction" caused confusion. Read more and watch a video >

Building American

Atlanta-based Skyfire Consulting has purchased a Maine-based drone maker, with an eye on U.S.-made drones for public safety and other applications. Read more >

Lifestyle

Emergency resupply

This San Francisco delivery of a single roll of toilet paper didn't break rules—we hope. Read more and watch a video >

Order up

Not everyone is waiting on the FAA to sanction drone delivery of emergency rations. Read more and watch a video >

Public Safety

Correcting misconceptions

Police in Chula Vista, California, hustled to correct false information about how they are using their unmanned aircraft. Read more >

Impossible dream?

California drone maker Impossible Aerospace aims to make police helicopters obsolete. Read more >

Regulation and Policy

Emergency rules

The pandemic may fast-track FAA approvals for certain advanced drone missions. Retired U.S. Air Force Col. Dawn Zoldi, now a prominent drone lawyer, looks at the possibilities. Read more >

Airspace ownership remains unresolved

A decades-old question about where property rights end and airspace begins, exactly, remains unanswered. Read more >

News

UPS unveils new drone partnership

A 75-mile range, 150-mph top speed, and vertical takeoff and landing capability made Wingcopter's new drone the UAS of choice for UPS. Read more >

Not so fast

While enthusiasm for socially distant drone delivery of pandemic relief supplies runs high in some circles, data and experience suggest widespread and routine missions of this kind remain a long way off. Read more >

The next decade

AirMap co-founder Ben Marcus ventures predictions for what's ahead (after the pandemic). Read more >

Adjusting on the fly

Microsoft is working to take drone autonomy to a new level. Read more >

Featured Video

All quiet on the Midwestern front

Silent streets and empty halls testify to how we have united to defy an invisible enemy by physically separating. Capture Hour Productions checks in from Indianapolis. (Photo courtesy of Capture Hour Productions via Vimeo.) Watch the video >

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Drone Pilot Editor:
Jim Moore

Production Team:
Zach Huffman
Elizabeth Linares
Kristy O'Malley
Melissa Whitehouse

Contributors:
Alyssa J. Cobb
Terry Jarrell
Dan Namowitz
Steve Rhode
Zach Ryall
David Tulis

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