Category Archives: First Responders

AIRT and APSA Collaborate to Support NIST Test Methods for sUAS

The Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization with over 50 years of experience supporting public safety aviation, and the Airborne International Response Team (AIRT), a 501(c)3 non-profit organization supporting the use of drones and robotic systems for public safety and disaster response, have entered into an agreement of cooperation to support the implementation of the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST) Test Methods for Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (sUAS) to enhance safety and remote pilot proficiency surrounding public safety drone operations. Continue reading

Amphibious Drones can Help Fight Wildfires

In the plains of central Spain, just about 90 minutes south of Madrid, a firefighting robot is taking flight. With two engines, a smooth underbelly, and a construction straight out of World War II’s Atlantic theater, the Singular Aircraft Flyox is a drone designed as an aerial workhorse on land and water. It is one of a growing number of drones that may be called to fight forest fires as aerial tankers, augmenting or replacing crewed aircraft in the process. Continue reading