Search Results for: drones

There’s no question that drones are here to stay and we will likely soon see uses for these remotely controlled aerial vehicles that we can’t even imagine. But a growing number of citizens are concerned about their privacy as an increasing number of camera-clad buzzers fly near their homes. As people are looking for solutions, […]

The case of the FAA vs. Raphael Pirker has finally come to an end with a settlement that reduces the videographer’s $10,000 fine to $1,100 after he was charged by the agency for flying his Zephyr drone recklessly to capture aerial shots of the University of Virginia in 2011. In court Pirker argued that the […]

CNN has become the first news organization in the United States approved to use UAVs for reporting after the FAA granted the cable news network a special flight exemption. CNN is partnering with the Georgia Tech Research Institute to test camera-equipped drones for newsgathering and reporting. The FAA will analyze data from the tests to […]

Electric motors open a candy box of new possibilities to jaded aeronautical designers and researchers. As with real candy, however, there is a problem of weight gain. The best commercial batteries today are 30 times heavier than their equivalent in fossil fuels. The $80,000 Tesla Model S sedan uses 1,300 pounds of batteries to store […]

Solar Impulse, the one-of-a-kind solar-powered aircraft designed to fly around the world, is now in Dubai, where it will launch in March. The aircraft was built and tested in Switzerland. It was then disassembled and flown to Dubai aboard a cargo airplane. Andr Borschberg and Bertrand Piccard, who have led the effort, said they are confident in the aircrafts capability and their own training, and they will take turns as pilot. The expedition is expected to take 25 days of flying, and will be completed in stages over four or five months. Some legs above the Atlantic and Pacific will require five to six days of nonstop solo flight. The aircrafts wings measure about 236 feet across, and carry more than 17,000 solar cells.

The year 2014 had dizzying highs and terrible lows, including a tragic mystery that was on everyone’s minds for months. On the positive side, we saw the introduction of some spectacular new airplanes, the continued development of exciting new technologies, the beginnings of solutions to some of the most vexing problems facing general aviation and […]

The FAA yesterday issued another five exemptions for commercial UAS operations to four companies under Section 333 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The new exemptions greatly broaden the spectrum for legal commercial UAS uses, which has previously only been approved for movie making operations operating in controlled environments. The companies that […]

Over the past year there has been plenty of aviation news for us to report on, much of it ranging from horrifying to concerning. From the tragic, baffling and as yet unsolved disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370 to an FAA challenged by a changing landscape, the need for regulatory reform and challenges with ambitious programs […]

With media attention increasingly focused on the safety of UAVs, the House aviation subcommittee will hold a hearing this week on the status of drone integration into U.S. airspace. The hearing will focus on the state of the emerging UAV industry in the United States, including the FAA’s efforts to safely integrate unmanned drones into […]

A look back at our 10 most popular Flying blog posts of the year.