an independent online news service for the Unmanned Aircraft Systems world
An MQ-1B Predator impacted the runway because of low-level wind shear and incorrect pilot recovery techniques during a practice landing at Creech Air Force Base, Nev., on April 4, 2014, according to an Air Combat Command abbreviated accident investigation board report released on Monday. Continue reading
A close up of the horsehair used to judge yaw during takeoff and landings for the MQ-9 Reaper (Aaron Mehta/Staff)
Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico is notable as the training hub for the pilots and sensor operators who fly the Air Force’s MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) fleets . Continue reading
Rupert Murdoch has posted a picture on social media of him flying his new quadcopter. In a Tweet sent on October 28, the media mogul posted a picture of himself flying a quadcopter over a beach during the WSJD live technology conference in Laguna Beach, California. Continue reading
Turkish military electronics specialist Aselsan has team up with an American UAS manufacturer and a joint venture to bid for a Turkish contract designed to build integrated security systems for all oil and natural gas pipelines in Turkey. Continue reading
Graduate student Alec Momont of TU Delft has designed an unmanned, autonomously navigating mini aeroplane that can quickly deliver a defibrillator to where it is needed. A network of such drones could significantly increase the chance of survival following a cardiac arrest: from 8 % to 80 % ! Continue reading
Skymark Productions was flying one of its quadcopters in Miami Beach, Florida, when it was attacked by an angry swarm of bees. Continue reading
Unmanned aerial vehicles can collect detailed information in real time at relatively low cost for ecological research. In a new Opinion piece published in the Cell Press journal Trends in Parasitology, experts demonstrate that UAS can be used to understand how environmental factors influence the spread of infectious diseases. Continue reading
Some of the best places for solar power–like the Mojave Desert, where the world’s largest solar thermal farm sprawls over 3,500 acres–also happen to be dry and dusty. Fine layers of sand or grime often stop equipment from stop working well. Now there’s a new way to keep panels clean: quadcopters that fly back and forth carrying little brushes.