The 558th Flying Training Squadron ramped up efforts to double the remotely-piloted aircraft pilot ranks with the start of its first 24-person class Jan. 11 at Joint Base San Antonio-Randolph. The larger class sizes are part of on-going initiative announced by the Air Force in 2015 to increase the number of career remotely-piloted aircraft pilots across the service.
Transport Canada to Introduce New UAV Guidelines
Transport Canada is preparing to introduce new guidelines for the operation of unmanned air vehicles similar to those being proposed in Europe. Continue reading
NASA/NOAA Partner to Collect Data on El Niño Storms
Meteorologist Mike Boyce ventured out to Edwards Air Force base to attend a news conference that explores the NASA/NOAA partnership in studying El Nino weather patterns in the Eastern Pacific. Mission scientists and staff were present to tour the flight mission control center and the unmanned Global Hawk Aircraft. Continue reading
Solid Hydrogen Powered UAV Completes First Flight
Cella Energy’s hydrogen-fuelled battery replacement system has successfully powered an unmanned aerial vehicle, replacing lithium-ion batteries with a safer and higher performance technology based on hydrogen storage.
Disney Patents Drone-Based Movie Projection System
In a move that Disney says could advance entertainment as well as advertising, the media powerhouse has filed a patent application for a “projection assembly for use with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV),” according to a copy of the filing.
FAA Reauthorization Act – UAS Provisions
Members of the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee and Aviation Subcommittee announced the introduction of the Aviation Innovation, Reform, and Reauthorization (AIRR) Act (H.R. 4441). The AIRR Act is a six-year reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). While the proposed reforms to air traffic control garnered the most attention in the media, the AIRR Act also addressed efforts to integrate civil unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) into the National Airspace System (NAS). Continue reading
IAI and Hankuk Carbon Team to Develop VTOL Unmanned Systems
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) and Korean composite manufacturer Hankuk Carbon will form a joint venture to new vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) unmanned air vehicles. Continue reading
US Congress Report Details Deficiencies in UAV Testing
Unmanned aerial vehicles, from large, long range aircraft to small tactical drones, have been a reliable tool for the military for years, but they still have weaknesses, according to the annual report to Congress by J. Michael Gilmore, director of the Defense Department’s office of Operational Test & Evaluation (OT&E). Here’s a summary of what OT&E had to say about some of the military’s most common UAVs. Continue reading