A model aircraft enthusiast has turned a passion for flying into the business of his dreams by starting a filming and photography company which specialises in the use of drones. While they may be more familiar to fans of spy dramas, Newdigate resident Ben Sheppard has used the flying cameras to make films for production companies and estate agents, and has even conducted a flight inside Buckingham Palace. Continue reading
Author Archives: The Editor
Ukrainian Soviet-era Drone Captured by Donetsk Militia
An old Soviet Tu-143 reconnaissance drone allegedly deployed by the Ukrainian army has crashed near Donetsk, with local militia, initially not aware of what that monstrosity was, suspecting in the video to have downed Kiev’s “weapon of mass destruction.”The YouTube video of the downed drone claims the archaic unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was shot down “at approximately 13:30 local time near Shahtersk.” In the video, the representatives of DPR anti-Kiev forces say that the “object will be further identified.” Continue reading
Reapers to Join UK’s Core Equipment Programme
Brazil Sells UAS to Africa
Ex-Insitu Employee Gets 3 Months Jail
A 49-year-old Kentucky man was sentenced last Thursday by a federal judge in Yakima to three months in prison for selling trade secrets involving drone aircraft. Stephen Martin Ward of Owensboro, Ky., was arrested in November 2011 in Indiana after giving a digital copy of an unmanned aircraft maintenance manual to an undercover agent for $10,000, according to a news release issued by Michael C. Ormsby, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Washington in Spokane.
Further Flight Testing for Seeker 400 and Hungwe
Italy Considers Hammerhead as Predator Replacement
Italy is evaluating the Piaggio Aero P1HH Hammerhead unmanned air vehicle (UAV) as a likely replacement for its air force’s fleet of GeneralAtomics Aeronautical Systems Predator as from later this decade. The medium-altitude, long-endurance type is being developed by Piaggio as an unmanned variant of its twin-pusher P180 Avanti II business aircraft, but is yet to attract a launch customer. Continue reading
FAA Extends Public Comment Period on UAS Special Rule Exemption
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted a 60-day extension for the public to comment on its interpretation of the Special Rule for Model Aircraft established by Congress as part of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (the Act). The new deadline for comment is September 23, 2014. Continue reading




