Drones

Reports of close calls with personal quadracopters and other remotely piloted UAVs are on the rise, with the latest scary story coming from the pilot of a SkyLife medevac helicopter in Fresno, California, who says he came “within about 15 feet” of a drone yesterday afternoon before making a sharp turn to avoid a collision. […]

The FAA has finally had enough. After a sharp rise in close encounters this year between remotely piloted UAVs and commercial aircraft, the agency is now warning drone pilots that they face stiff penalties, criminal charges and even prison time for unauthorized flights. The FAA says there have been 650 reports of UAV sightings by […]

While we haven’t seen evidence of the skies being blackened by drones just yet, the FAA says it has now granted more than 1,000 exemption approvals to commercial UAV operators for everything from film production to pipeline patrol to real estate photography. As of today, the agency says it has issued 1,008 Section 333 exemptions, […]

Amazon is proposing a “drone zone” in the airspace below 400 feet to facilitate high-speed delivery of packages to customers who just can’t wait to get their hands on the latest gadgets from the online retailing giant. The proposal calls for crafting new operating rules in Class G airspace below 500 feet to keep unmanned […]

New drone designs appear to be popping up all over the place. But here’s one we thought is worth checking out. The ARcopter is a newly designed VTOL drone designed by a company called Colugo Systems. Unlike other VTOLs, however, the ARcopter is capable of landing and hovering in windy conditions as its wings are […]

There are increasing numbers of reports of recreational UAV operators wreaking havoc in the national airspace system, getting in the way of airliners and light aircraft alike. And TFR areas are apparently no deterrent for these operators. The most recent report of an offending drone comes from southern California, where a UAV was buzzing around […]

I awoke to the faded pastel orange of a rising sun. The sun’s glow was making a feeble attempt at blending into a dominant gray winter’s overcast. Only seconds into the transition from sleep to reality, my eyes began to track a pair of pinpoint amber lights. The lights moved at a rapid pace from […]

While the FAA is still establishing rules to govern unmanned aircraft systems, the agency continues to deliver materials to educate members of the public about what they can and cannot do with their drones. Most recently, the FAA has launched a campaign to make the public aware of a No Drone Zone in the area […]

In an effort to make drone operators more aware of where they can and cannot take their flying machines, the FAA is in the process of releasing an iOS app called B4UFLY. The app will tell its users whether there are any restrictions or requirements pertaining to UAS flights in the area of intended flight. […]

A new solar-electric aircraft has entered commercial production and is getting ready for its first delivery. Named the Silent Falcon, the UAS is produced by Albuquerque, New Mexico-based Silent Falcon UAS Technologies (SFUAS), a former subsidiary of Bye Aerospace, which specializes in alternative energies for aviation application that is also involved with Aero Electric Aircraft […]