A video was posted to YouTube last Thursday exhibiting an exceptionally dangerous move by a drone pilot. The version uploaded to YouTube shows a drone quickly climbing in altitude mere seconds before a Frontier aircraft flies under it. Continue reading
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
Dutch Drone Maps Seychelles National Park
The interior region of Silhouette Island, one of the Seychelles Islands in the Indian Ocean, is a national park, with some of the richest biodiversity in the entire Indian Ocean. It is also home to several, critically endangered, plants and animals. In order to keep track of the different species on the island and gain insights into the unique ecosystem, an up-to-date map is an essential tool. Continue reading
RIEGL Wins MAPPS Geospatial Excellence Award for Technology Innovation

The team of RIEGL USA proudly presenting the MAPPS Geospatial Excellence Award for Technology Innovation. From left to right: James Van Rens, Senior Vice President; My-Linh Truong, ULS/UAS Segment Manager; Joshua France, Mobile Systems/Support Manager; and Susan Licari, Sales and Marketing Director
On Wednesday, January 31, 2018, RIEGL became the proud recipient of the 2017 MAPPS Geospatial Products and Services Excellence Award. This prestigious award was bestowed upon the RIEGL miniVUX-1UAV miniaturised LiDAR sensor for unmanned laser scanning in the Technology Innovation category at the 2018 MAPPS Winter Conference.
Chinese Hybrid Achieves 7 Hour World Endurance Record
A Chinese hybrid multirotor drone achieved 7.3 hours world record endurance. It was a Hexa multirotor with 44 lbs (20kg) all up weight powered by hybrid system and carried 2.8 gallon (10.5 liter). Continue reading
AeroVironment Launches Automated Quantix Hybrid Drone and AV Decision Support System
AeroVironment, Inc. has announced that its automated Quantix hybrid drone and AeroVironment Decision Support System (AV DSS) analytics software are now available for sale through its authorized reseller network. Continue reading
South African National Drone Association Announces Action Plan for 2018
The Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of Southern Africa (CUAASA), an affiliate of the Commercial Aviation Association of Southern Africa (CAASA), hosted its Annual General Meeting on Saturday 27 January 2018 and set out a plan of action for 2018. Continue reading
Skyfire to Develop LA Fire Department’s UAV Program
Skyfire Consulting, a public safety-focused drone company, kicked off 2018 by gaining the FAA’s sign-off on the Los Angeles Fire Department’s in-house UAV program. LAFD, one of the nation’s busiest fire/rescue agencies, put their trust in the four-year-old consulting company, based on their proven track record of success with FAA filings in the public safety space. Continue reading
Polish City Tests Drone in Fight Against Smog
The southern Polish mining city of Katowice has started testing a drone to pinpoint offenders who break anti-smog rules. The machine, supplied by the local Flytronic company, can analyse the chemical composition of smoke emitted from the chimneys of individual houses. Continue reading


