The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) new small drone rule – formally known as Part 107 – is effective from today, August 29. You may also be wondering what happens to your Section 333 exemption grant or petition for exemption. The biggest question is whether you are better off flying under the provisions of Part 107, or should continue using your existing exemption? Continue reading
Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS
Applying for a Waiver under the New FAA Drone Rules
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) new small drone rule effective August 29 – formally known as Part 107 – allows for some expanded operations based on technology mitigations if you can make the safety case for a waiver of some provisions. Operators can apply for waivers to operate at night, beyond line of sight, above 400 feet and other specific types of operation. Continue reading
Domino’s Pizza Drone Delivery Service in New Zealand
Flirtey and Domino’s Pizza Enterprises Limited (Domino’s) announced they have partnered on the first commercial pizza-by-drone delivery model. The two companies exhibited the first stage of their partnership with a demonstration of pizza delivery by drone in Auckland, New Zealand on August 25th 2016. The successful demonstration was also attended by the Civil Aviation Authority and Minister of Transport Simon Bridges. Continue reading
Ohio Turnpike Preparing to use Drones for Inspection
The Ohio Turnpike and Infrastructure Commission in September will complete its first bridge inspection using an unmanned aircraft system, or drone.The drone will be used to inspect the Sandusky River Bridge, a 970-foot-long bridge in Sandusky County on either Sept. 13 or Sept. 14, depending on the weather. Continue reading
The 5 Best Cities for Fliers in the USA
America’s obsession with drones is reaching new heights. Whether we’re using them to film weddings, deliver groceries, or kill those dubiously dubbed terrorists, unmanned aerial vehicles are bigger than ever in the U.S. A new report found that the drone industry could grow tenfold to 67.9 million units shipped per year by 2021. Continue reading
Drone Tested in North Dakota for Use During Disasters
A 20-foot-long drone that was brought to North Dakota to test precision agriculture methods is now part of a trial run to see if can help crews restore power to areas hit by natural disasters. Continue reading
US Department of the Interior Awards sUAS Contract
The U.S. Department of the Interior has awarded a contract to 3D Robotics of Berkley, California for up to 40 small, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The award follows a lengthy process to develop performance requirements and select the most useful type of aircraft. Continue reading
EASA Publishes ‘Prototype’ Commission Regulation on UA Operations
At the UAS Stakeholders Meeting that took place at EASA headquarters on 20 June 2016, EASA announced that it would publish “Prototype Rules” for UAS in the very near future. Continue reading