Search Results for: drones

It’s already illegal to fly your drone over air bases in the United States, but currently, only federal civilian agencies can jam and disable drones. Taking action against drones is a federal matter being addressed, along with drone regulation in general. But the United States Air Force wants permission to act more quickly. Largely due […]

An FAA study released last week concluded that people on the ground are susceptible to three dominant kinds of injuries should they be unfortunate enough to meet up with a drone, especially a unit’s unprotected propellers. Those risks include blunt force trauma, the most significant contributor to fatalities, lacerations and penetration injuries. When queried about […]

Anyone who offers up hard numbers for the drone population in the United States is merely guessing, especially since the FAA’s new Part 107 rule took effect last year. While the precise number isn’t really known, the trend is certainly clear: there will be more and more drones from now on. What worries people who […]

The ever-dwindling population of honeybees in North America and Europe is not a new problem. With a few rare blips on the survival tracking charts, nearly 45 percent of honeybee colonies still die annually. A group of Japanese scientists, however, believe a tiny drone could become a solution to the pollination deficit caused by the […]

Look out, Uber and Airbus, two companies already on record as seriously involved in efforts to offer pilotless drones to transport people around urban areas. Enter the city of Dubai’s transportation agency, which this week announced plans to offer rides aboard computer-operated drones around the Middle Eastern city beginning this July. Dubai’s head of transportation […]

Drone proponents are quick to point to the safeguard of UAVs’ ability to fly safely back to their owners should the communications link between the two be inadvertently severed. A recent incident in Australia shows even these systems are not foolproof if and when a drone heads out on a solo adventure. Luckily, the region […]

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has approved uAvionix Corp.’s Ping200S ADS-B-capable Mode S transponder. The tiny 50-gram unit, measuring just 59 by 57 by 17 mm, is ideal for drones, high-altitude balloons and nonpowered gliders, the manufacturer says. The Ping 200S also combines low-power drain with a powerful transmitter delivering the same safety and situational […]

Octobers article, Where the Drones Are, has no place in Aviation Safety. The very tone of it offends my safety senses honed over 59 years of private, commercial and military flying. Think about where they are. Then dont go there. Silly. The entire article belongs in a Drones Today magazine.

I want to thank you for writing a balanced and fair assessment about the threat of drones to aviation (Where The Drones Are, October 2016). Your article is perhaps the first rational discussion related to the dangers of these little plastic radio-control models. I have been a pilot for the past 22 years, and owned a Cessna 172 for the past 12 years. I would certainly hate to hit one of these things.

Understanding how drones-in FAA parlance, an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) is sometimes called a drone-are used is the first step toward avoiding an unexpected and unwanted encounter. In its recently released Part 107 regulations on commercial use of UAS, the FAA focused on small UAS, craft weighing under 55 pounds. Given their numbers and popularity, this is the class of systems with which we should be most concerned.