Husch Blackwell has announced the introduction of its Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) group, which will assist commercial business users and manufacturers in navigating the requirements for unmanned aircraft systems and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). Continue reading
FAA Publishes Guidelines for Hobby Fliers
The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has published a Federal Register notice on its interpretation of the statutory special rules for model aircraft in the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The guidance comes after recent incidents involving the reckless use of unmanned model aircraft near airports and involving large crowds of people. Continue reading
McCain Foods to Deploy UAS to Monitor Potato Crops
The world’s largest producer of French fries is using the technology to pick up information from its potato fields. “We can integrate a lot of different data streams from drones and field sensors and package it into a system to help benefit growers and companies like McCain,” says Peter Goggin of Resson Aerospace.
French Harfang Completes Command Handover Tests
A French Air Force-led team has demonstrated the mid-flight handover of the command and control of a Mali-based Harfang to the aircraft’s base in Cognac, France, during an hour-long demonstration on 17 June.
US Military UAS Crashes Worldwide
More than 400 large U.S. military drones crashed in major accidents worldwide between Sept. 11, 2001, and December 2013. By reviewing military investigative reports and other records, The Washington Post was able to identify 194 drone crashes that fell into the most severe category: Class A accidents that destroyed the aircraft or caused (under current standards) at least $2 million in damage. Continue reading
Solar Impulse 2 First Flight
Solar Impulse 2 performed its First Flight on June 2 in Switzerland. It successfully landed after a maiden flight of 2 hours 17 minutes. The pilot was Markus Scherdel, test pilot of Solar Impulse. Continue reading
47 US Military UAS in Domestic Class A Accidents Since 2001
Shortly after the day’s final bell rang and hundreds of youngsters ran outside Lickdale Elementary School with their book bags and lunch-boxes, a military drone fell from the sky. The 375-pound Shadow reconnaissance drone skimmed the treetops as it hurtled toward the school in Jonestown, Pa. It barely missed the building, then cartwheeled through the butterfly garden and past the playground. The aircraft kept rolling like a tumbleweed and collided with a passing car on Fisher Avenue. People called 911. The rescue squad arrived in a hurry. Luckily, no one was hurt.
UK Royal Navy Completes First Flight of ScanEagle UAS
Just 7 months after the Ministry of Defence ordered the system from Boeing Defence UK, ScanEagle took off from HMS Somerset in the Gulf. The system, which can be launched by a pneumatic catapult from Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels, is unarmed and used for real-time intelligence-gathering and reconnaissance only.