This fall, 50 airports will begin providing Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC), which will give UAS operators the ability to “apply for instant, digital approval to fly in U.S. controlled airspace using the same applications they use for flight planning and in-flight situational awareness.”
Currently, FAA authorization is required for flights in controlled airspace, at certain times of day, or near sensitive locations. Authorization requests are subject to long waiting periods and labor-intensive manual approvals, which can add more time to, or entirely halt, the process of trying to fly UAS commercially.
Commercial
Commercial
NIAS and SkyOp partner to provide West Coast with UAS training programs and courseware
The Nevada UAS Test Site and the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS) are partnering with a New York based training and education provider called SkyOp LLC, to offer UAS training programs and courseware to the West Coast.
Las Vegas will serve as the West Coast affiliate training center, where the next generation of the workforce will be prepared and trained so that it can answer “future demand for highly specialized drone-enabled employment opportunities.”
“UAS workforce development is the engine that will grow the Nevada UAS Industry,” says Dr. Chris Walach, Director of the FAA-designated Nevada UAS Test Site.
The 2017 Bridger Cup
BridgerCup 2017 from Digital Aerial Media on Vimeo.
The 3rd Annual Bridger Cup is a fun event for all, to be held this Sunday, July 23rd at 1:00 pm at the Gallatin County Fairgrounds in Bozeman, Montana -- gateway to Yellowstone Park. The event will take place during the fair itself, so attendees will enjoy access to all of the attractions, rides, exhibits and other amenities of this excellent county fair.
Airspace Integration: How Commercial Drone Operators Can Play a Role and Effect Change
One year after the Small UAS Rule (Part 107) took effect lawmakers and commercial drone operators are still learning to share the National Airspace and integrate drones to their fullest potential. AUVSI's advocacy team strives to educate lawmakers about issues important to the drone community and works in conjunction with the FAA to promote safe flying.
This webinar will highlight important aspects of FAA regulations governing commercial drone use and provide insights into how drone operators can affect regulatory change to support the growth of the industry.
UAS policy expanded in congressional FAA reauthorization bills
Before leaving for the Independence Day recess, congressional committees with oversight of the Federal Aviation Administration approved separate pieces of legislation in the U.S. House and Senate to reauthorize the agency and provide it with funding. The bills included many provisions advocated by AUVSI to expand policy for the operation of unmanned aircraft systems.
Cell phone network takes Delair-Tech beyond line of sight
Delair-Tech, based in both France and California, announced it has used 3G cell phone connectivity to allow its DT18 drone to fly beyond line of sight to inspect power lines in France.
In early June, the company flew the aircraft for more than 50 kilometers (31 miles) for the company RTE, inspecting power lines between the towns of Samur and Poitiers, using only 3G connections to navigate.
“That’s a major step forward for beyond line of sight flight,” says Benjamin Benharrosh, the company’s cofounder.
French airspace regulators were present for the flight, and Benharrosh said the company would like to present the results to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration as well.
Drone Delivery Canada becomes first drone delivery company in Canada to complete BVLOS test flights
After receiving a Special Flight Operating Certificate from Transport Canada, Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) has become the first and only “pure play drone delivery company” to successfully complete beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) test flights under the oversight of Transport Canada.
DDC’s Mission Control Centre in Toronto monitored and recorded telemetry for each flight in real time, from 2,500 kilometers away, as the flights took place in Foremost, Alberta.
The main systems tested during the flights were DDC’s proprietary FLYTE management system, its avoidance technology, and communications platform.
AERTEC Solutions to Present TARSIS UAS at ‘HOMSEC’ International Security Technologies Trade Fair
AERTEC Solutions plans on showcasing its ‘TARSIS’ fixed-wing UAS at the sixth edition of HOMSEC, which is an International Security Technologies Trade Fair that began on March 15 in Spain.
Specifically, AERTEC Solutions will showcase its TARSIS 75 and TARSIS 25 versions, which are built to conduct observation and surveillance missions for the military, as well as civilly.
A real version of the TARSIS 75 light tactical UAS will be displayed on its corporate stand (G01). This UAS has a wingspan of 75 meters, can fly at a maximum speed of 110 km/h, and has a maximum takeoff weight of 12 kg.
With the ability to operate autonomously for 110 hours, the UAS can conduct its missions from both the runway and a catapult, and can land with assistance from a parachute.
Canadian UAVs, Lockheed Martin Conduct First BVLOS UAS Inspections of Pipelines and Powerlines in Canada
Canadian UAVs and Lockheed Martin CDL Systems have conducted the first beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) inspections using UAS in Canada, at the Foremost Centre for Unmanned Systems in Alberta.
Using Lockheed Martin’s Indago 2 UAS, which was compliant with Transport Canada, several pipelines, well sites and power lines were inspected during the flights.
“Canadian UAVs has been focused on creating an end-to-end paradigm in coordination with Transport Canada to conduct these operations outside of Restricted Military Airspace where our customers have a substantial regulatory and logistical needs to acquire actionable data,” says Canadian UAVs Inc. President Sean Greenwood in a press release.
AkitaBox partners with PrecisionHawk to use UAS technology for facility inspections
AkitaBox, which is a facility management software company that automates maintenance, planning and inspections, has announced a partnership with commercial UAS and data company PrecisionHawk, which will result in the two working together to integrate aerial data into the facility management workflow.
Through the partnership, AkitaBox’s customers will have access to PrecisionHawk’s UAS packages and services to improve visibility for inspections, surveys and scans of a worksite. AkitaBox is hopeful that by offering better data capture capabilities, it will advance technology in the facility management space, which can ultimately yield better business outcomes for its clients.