Category Archives: Non-Military & Commercial UAS

FAA Exemptions for Commercial UAS Movie and TV Production

U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx announced on September 25th that the Federal Aviation Administration has granted regulatory exemptions to six aerial photo and video production companies, the first step to allowing the film and television industry the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System. Secretary Foxx made the announcement on a conference call with FAA Administrator Michael Huerta and Chris Dodd, chairman and chief executive officer of the Motion Picture Association of America, Inc. Continue reading →

DroneDeploy Raises $2M in Seed Funding

DroneDeploy, a startup that makes it possible for just about anyone to fly small drones and analyze the images they capture using a tablet or smartphone, has raised $2 million in seed funding. Investors included SoftTech VC, Data Collective, Red Point Ventures, Draper Fisher Jurvetson and AngelPad.

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Queensland University UAS in Biosecurity Research Programme

A new three-year project will see Queensland-based university QUT joining an international biosecurity research programme involving unmanned aerial systems (UAS). The project will see UA (unmanned aircraft) fitted with new high-tech imaging equipment to test how effective they are in identifying pests and diseases in horticultural and grains industries. Continue reading →

Truck-Based QuadCopter Delivers the Last Leg

The battery-powered Horsefly can carry a 10-pound package 20 miles in almost any weather. It costs just two cents a mile to operate, compared to 50 cents for a typical diesel-powered step van. Most of its deliveries would be less than two miles because it flies from the roof of the company’s battery-powered delivery van, known as the Workhorse. Continue reading →

FAA Issues Requirement for All UAS to Show Aircraft Registration Number

The FAA UAS Integration Office issued an email to the industry outlining the requirement for all commercial UAS to bear an aircraft registration number when applying for a COA:

UAS, other than those owned by the Armed Forces, intended to operate under a new COA must be registered and marked prior to COA application. The aircraft registration number (N-number) must be entered into the “Aircraft Registration” field, of the System Description section in COA on-line.

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DHL’s ‘Parcelcopter’ Flies to German Island

Logistics firm DHL is using a quadcopter to fly parcels to the German island of Juist, in what it says is the first time an unmanned aircraft has been authorized to deliver goods in Europe.

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FAA to Announce Approval for UAS Use In Filming

The FAA will approve Hollywood’s request to use UAS for filming, government and industry sources familiar with the process have told Forbes. On Thursday afternoon the FAA will announce its decision, and explain the procedures under which production companies will operate and the aviation rules which they are exempted from, the sources say. Continue reading →

Indian Students Develop QuadCopter with Facial Recognition

A group of students at SRM University in Chennai, India, led by Sobin Santhosh, final year student in the Aerospace department have designed and implemented an autonomous copter equipped with an automatic face and person recognition system in a day. They have trained their intelligent software to detect a person irrespective of his/her attire, face orientation, posture and/or background. Continue reading →