A drone crash that damaged USS Chancellorsville and injured two sailors was caused by a malfunctioning control system and human error, according to a U.S. Navy report unclassified this week.
FAA Approves First Unmanned Quadrotor
The Instant Eye small unmanned aerial system received approval last Thursday from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to be used by an energy company, which will conduct research, development and training to see if the system is practical for inspecting infrastructure such as pipelines, power lines and insulators on towers. It is the first unmanned quadrotor to receive FAA certification and may be the lightest aircraft ever certified.
UAS Sighted Near Vancouver Airport
Richmond RCMP are investigating after a drone was reported flying dangerously close to aircraft at Vancouver’s YVR airport on Monday. A concerned citizen spotted the drone, a remote-controlled aircraft, adjacent to the glide path of planes landing at Vancouver airport. Continue reading
CybAero Wins $104M Order from China
Swedish firm, CybAero has landed an order guarantee worth $104 million over eight years to China for its unmanned helicopters. The order was placed by a company in the Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) group, which develops and manufactures aircraft and various types of flying vehicles and has over 400,000 employees. Continue reading
Multiple System Failures Caused Reaper Lake Ontario Crash
A series of system malfunctions led to the crash of an MQ-9 Reaper into Lake Ontario, New York, Nov. 12, 2013. The crash occurred approximately 35 miles southwest of Fort Drum, New York according to an Air Combat Command Accident Investigation Board report just released. Continue reading
‘Sense-and-Avoid’ System for Hobby Quadcopters
Panoptes UAV, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based start-up, has created a system that uses echolocation to help small quadcopters avoid collisions. The product, the eBumper, contains acoustic sensors that work outdoors, indoors and in all weather conditions, said Terrence McKenna, chief executive officer. Continue reading
All-Composite ROTORwing Prototype UAV
Established in 2012, Dzyne Technologies (Reston, Va.) has achieved considerable success in engineering innovations, including a patented “roadable” submarine and several long-range, vertical take-off-and-landing (VTOL) flying machines. When the company launches its carbon fiber composite ROTORwing prototype unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in July 2014, it won’t be just another UAV. Continue reading
FAA Will Miss UAS/NAS Integration Deadline
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is in danger of missing a Congressionally mandated deadline for expanding the use of non military UAS in the U.S., according to a report that was conducted by the Department of Transportation’s Inspector General. Continue reading