After being granted permission by the FAA, the Department of the Interior recently used a fixed-wing UAS to fly over an active wildfire, according to KOBI5.com.
According to the U.S. Forest Service (USFS), this was the first time that the FAA allowed a UAS fly over a fire, beyond the visual line of sight of the pilot.
A Department of the Interior (DOI) UAS Pilot, Technician, and Wildland Firefighter, Steven Stroud, flew the UAS in the Modoc National Forest in northeastern California over a Parker 2 Fire. The UAS flew over 19 miles and covered more than 500 acres as it flew in a pre-programmed grid pattern.
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FlightWave Aerospace Systems introduces FlightWave Edge UAS
California-based startup FlightWave Aerospace Systems, Inc. has introduced its premier system, the FlightWave Edge UAS, which is a “long-range, high-endurance, vertical take-off aircraft.”
Designed and manufactured in the United States, the UAS offers a variety of unique features, including its ability to perform in various weather conditions and having a wind rejection up to 40 knots; its versatility, as in just seconds, the UAS can automatically transform from a tri-copter to forward flight; and its endurance, as the UAS can fly for more than two hours at a time in cruise and up to 100 km range per charge.
Thanks to these features and more, FlightWave CMO Edmund Cronin says that the UAS can be used for a plethora of missions.
CompassDrone unveils CIRRUAS program for public safety uses
The Elbert County, Colorado, Sheriff’s Department will be one of the first departments in the country to participate in CompassDrone's Complete Incident Response Recovery Unmanned Aerial System (CIRRUAS) program, which is designed for public safety applications.
Based in Centennial, Colorado, CompassDrone, which provides UAS mapping consulting services, says that the CIRRUAS program is mainly designed for accident reconstruction and crime scene mapping, but it can also be used for search and rescue and reconnaissance operations as well.
Daytona Beach Police Department launching aviation program for UAS
In the coming months, small UAS will be used to assist Daytona Beach police officers and firefighters during a variety of tasks, including evaluating hazardous areas following hurricanes or other disasters, and finding lost nursing-home residents.
This will be possible thanks to a new aviation program, called the DBPD aviation program, that the Daytona Beach Police Department (DBPD) is launching in collaboration with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Worldwide and Daytona Beach campuses.
Embry-Riddle is known for launching the nation’s first Unmanned and Autonomous Systems Operations program back in 2011.
ALEA to become APSA at the beginning of 2018
On January 1, 2018, the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) will change its name to the Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA).
The Association says that the new moniker, which was announced at ALEA EXPO 2017, is the result of various changes that have occurred over the last seven years, and will be “more reflective of the entirety of those involved in public safety aviation,” as well as more appealing to potential members the Association hopes to attract.
While the Association’s name will change, its mission will remain the same, as it seeks to “support, promote and advance the safe and effective utilization of aircraft by governmental agencies in support of public safety missions through training, networking, advocacy and educational programs.”
Weekend Roundup
This Week in the Unmanned Systems and Robotics World
Yuneec will offer unlimited manufacturer defect repairs through its new Yuneec Extended Service (YES!) plan. YES! plans, which offer a variety of services from free shipping to non-warranty repairs, are available as a one or two-year plan for the company’s Breeze, Typhoon H and Typhoon H with Intel RealSense UAS. (sUAS News)
AUVSI’s Brian Wynne on UAS panel at the Organization of Black Aeronautics Professionals Convention
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 18, 2017
Contact: Tom McMahon, tmcmahon@auvsi.org, (571) 255-7786
UTA researcher looking to reduce risks of operating UAS over populated areas
Atilla Dogan, an associate professor of aerospace engineering at The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA), is looking to minimize the risk of using UAS over populated areas.
Dogan, along with other UTA researchers, plans on doing this by using a $550,000 National Science Foundation grant to gauge the risks posed by UAS. Following this, Dogan and his team will “create algorithms to reduce those risks while the vehicles perform specific tasks.”
For Erian Armanios, chair of the Mechanical and Engineering Department in UTA’s College of Engineering, the grant is just one example of the university’s “commitment to sustainable urban communities and data-driven discovery within the University’s Strategic Plan 2020: Bold Solutions | Global Impact.”
ULC Robotics develops VTOL UAS for commercial applications in utility industry
ULC Robotics, Inc. has completed successful flight testing of a newly developed vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) fixed-wing UAS.
As a robotics, energy services and research and development company with a focus on the energy and utility industries, UCL Robotics has developed this commercial-grade VTOL UAS to “meet the inspection needs of electric and gas utilities.”
Drone Delivery Canada partners with TECSYS to develop UAS delivery system
After signing a commercial agreement, Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) and TECSYS Inc. will work on designing, developing and implementing a UAS delivery system, in an effort to “expand the logistics capabilities of TECSYS specifically in the healthcare vertical.” TECSYS Inc. provides supply chain systems for health systems and hospitals.
“Working with TECSYS, we see great opportunities to serve the healthcare sector across North America,” says Tony Di Benedetto, CEO of Drone Delivery Canada.