SimActive Inc. has announced a fully-integrated solution with Tianlifa, a major firm in the Asian surveying market for over 20 years. The partnership results in a high-end mapping product featuring the new China Star drone from Tianlifa and SimActive’s Correlator3D. Continue reading
AOPA Membership Spikes After Allowing Drone Pilots
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) has welcomed 55 new members over the past month, after announcing in February the organization would open up to include drone pilots. Continue reading
Israeli Skylark Shot Down by Syria Forces
An Israeli drone was downed in Syrian territory on Monday, the Israeli military said, confirming an earlier report in the Syrian and Lebanese media that the unmanned vehicle was shot down by Syrian aerial defense systems.
$1M Prize for Bridge Inspection by Drones
AutoModality, whose technology allows drones to automatically conduct close-up inspections of bridges, buildings, power lines and other structures, has won the $1 million grand prize in the Genius NY business competition. Continue reading
South Korea to Train 1,700 Drone Operators Annually
South Korea is planning to train 1,700 drone operators a year to meet growing demand in the commercial drone industry, the transport ministry said on Tuesday.
Drone with New Sensor to Inspect Power Lines
Hydro-Québec subsidiary MIR Innovation is developing a drone with state-of-the-art applications for the nondestructive inspection and maintenance of power transmission and distribution lines. Continue reading
US Moves to Limit Drone Surveillance
Senator Edward J. Markey
Bicameral legislation was introduced last week to the U.S. houses of congress by Senator Edward J. Markey and Rep. Peter Welch to protect individual privacy from the growing number of government and commercial drones in use. The Drone Aircraft Privacy and Transparency Act (PDF) has been referred to the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure and Energy and Commerce.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has put together a drone advisory committee, which Recode reports FAA Office of Unmanned Aircraft Systems director Earl Lawrence referred to in response to Markey. Continue reading
Leidos Pilots New Service for UAS
Leidos Flight Service has created an unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) service that helps safeguard the airspace by sending automatic notifications of unmanned aircraft operations to relevant groups. Continue reading