an independent online news service for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems world
The Federal Aviation Administration has responded to Disney’s request for an exemption under Section 333, permitting the company’s use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for theme park entertainment. After a period of time soliciting comments from the public — 12 in all, most decidedly against granting Disney the exemption — the FAA has responded, but with a series of questions seeking more clarification on Disney’s intents and implementation. Continue reading
Drones are already making headlines about how they can dramatically cut costs for one-off inspections. Replacing $2000/hr helicopter surveys, accessing hard to reach areas, inspecting hazardous locations or rapidly surveying large areas have all provided huge time and cost savings through the use of drones. However, the cost of deploying 100 drones each with a trained & certified operator is around a $10M/year excluding logistics costs.
The Portuguese Ministry of National Defence (MND) has authorised the country’s army to launch a procurement programme for tactical mini-unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Continue reading
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) is testing unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), commonly referred to as drones, to enhance the safety and reliability of its electric and gas service. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized PG&E to use drones to assist with inspections of electric and gas infrastructure. Continue reading
With so many Predators deployed to hotspots overseas, the U.S. Air Force is having trouble keeping up with the increasingly high demand for drone support staff because they have few aircraft available for training. In 2009, officials brought a proposal to the Civil Air Patrol, the all-volunteer branch of the Air Force that provides support through education, training, and emergency services. Could the Patrol offer up some of its Cessna fleet as surrogate Predators in live training exercises—at least until the real thing returned from war?
Scientists from Duke University and the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill have undertaken a research program exploring the potential for drones to detect bonnethead sharks lurking in the shallows. The project is designed to test out exactly how reliable this approach could be when dealing with different water conditions and habitats. Continue reading
Ten years after the first delivery of CAMCOPTER S-100 to the launch customer, the Vienna-based Schiebel company proudly celebrates the anniversary of its world class product. Continue reading