Drones

The FAA says it’s already processed 81 authorizations for drone flights into Class D and E airspace, as well as 36 waivers to Part 107 since the rule became effective August 29. The bad news, however, at least for operators trying to take advantage of the easier access offered by the new rule, is that […]

Yesterday, the FAA’s Part 107 small UAS rule took effect, essentially eliminating the need for commercial drone operators to file time-consuming exemption paperwork to use their machines, as long as pilots abide by Part 107, of course. The agency’s explanation yesterday of efforts to minimize risk to people on the ground and in the air […]

Operators of drones weighing more than half a pound need to earn an FAA remote pilot certificate. The only exception is recreational operators. The FAA begins accepting applications for the new Part 107 remote pilot certificate August 29. The agency’s recreation versus commercial operator decision tree should get applicants headed in the right direction. Remote […]

Gardeners know there’s nothing quite like the feeling of planting a sprout and watching it successfully morph into an object that looks nothing like the original seedling. But that only works with living organisms — or does it? Just ahead of next week’s Farnborough International Airshow, BAE Systems and University of Glasgow researchers might have […]

The FAA announced today it has finalized a set of rules for the routine commercial operation of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) weighing less than 55 pounds, including a provision requiring the operator to obtain a “remote pilot certificate.” Under the new rule, drone pilots must be at least 16 years old and possess such a […]

(function(d, s, id) { if (d.getElementById(id)) return; var js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = ‘//cdn4.wibbitz.com/static.js’; d.getElementsByTagName(‘body’)[0].appendChild(js); }(document, ‘script’, ‘wibbitz-static-embed’)); In the midst of Africa’s poaching crisis, a dedicated group of aviators may have uncovered a solution to ending this illegal practice. Air Shepherd, an initiative of the Lindbergh Foundation, is flying advanced unmanned […]

The FAA has started testing a drone detection system in New York airspace as it seeks high-tech ways to track down “rogue” drones around airports. The FAA and its government, industry and academia partners have joined forces to evaluate the drone detection technology at John F. Kennedy International Airport. Over the last two years, the […]

In an aviation first, an unmanned aircraft successfully tested a cloud-seeding payload in Hawthorne, Nevada, on April 29. The Savant aircraft, coined the Sandoval Silver State Seeder, reached an altitude of 400 feet and flew for about 18 minutes at Hawthorne Industrial Airport under the state’s FAA UAS test site designation. The Desert Research Institute […]

The FAA announced the formation of an advisory committee to guide it on the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) in the national airspace, a group that will be led by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. The committee will help the FAA finalize hotly anticipated regulations for the commercial operation of drones in civil airspace, which […]

Authorities in London are investigating a possible collision between an airliner and a drone last weekend. British Airways Flight BA727 was approaching Heathrow on Sunday afternoon when something the pilot believes to be a drone struck the front of the airplane. The Airbus A320 landed safely, with no significant damage to the airliner, but authorities […]