Initial reactions to the FAA Remote ID NPRM, a high-accuracy photogrammetry solution, Apple hires a familiar face to lobby in Washington, an anti-drone system for Heathrow, a stealthy new target drone, and a fixed-wing eVTOL personal ultralight aircraft.

UAV NewsProposed FAA Drone Rules Prompt Industry Pushback

Engineering News-Record reports on some of the statements that are being made about the Remote-ID NPRM that is currently in the public comment period.

Frank J. Segarra, president and CEO of drone photography firm Connexicore said, “It is my personal opinion that drone operators or services should not bear the cost of carrying a specific type of remote identification system that broadcasts over the internet. This should be the responsibility of all drone manufacturers, not the pilots.”

Lloyd Garden, a commercial drone photographer, says the proposed rules only make sense in controlled airspace where connectivity exists. “I think people need to know where drones are. But [these rules] are a little restricting for me.”

Mike Winn, CEO of drone-imaging and software firm DroneDeploy commented, “In the long term, if we’re going have a drone on every construction site, we’re going to need these kinds of regulations on the technology.” He notes that by the time any regulations are in place, a lot of drone technology will have changed.

DJI supports Remote ID but warns against FAA’s “deeply flawed” NPRM

DJI vice president for policy and legal affairs Brendan Schulman posted an article titled, We Strongly Support Drone Remote ID. But Not Like This. Schulman says “DJI wants governments to require Remote ID for drones, but the FAA has proposed a complex, expensive, and intrusive system that would make it harder to use drones in America, and that jeopardizes the success of the Remote ID initiative. Instead, we support a simpler, easier, and free version of Remote ID that doesn’t need a cellular connection or a service subscription.”

The Leica Aibot AX20 Promises High Precision, High Accuracy Photogrammetry

Leica Geosystems offers “a complete UAV solution at the very top end of the photogrammetry use case.” It’s called the Aibot AX20 (pronounced “i-bot”), “a complete UAV solution for land surveying, civil engineering and construction.” Leica says the customized DJI Matrice 600 Aibot features high resolution and high precision photogrammetry, better than one-centimeter accuracy, a high-end survey-grade GN-18 T GNSS receiver, Gimbal-mounted sensors, a Sony aR7ii 42.4 megapixel CMOS and a Sony a6300 mirrorless camera.

Apple Taps Drone Specialist to Lobby Washington on Aviation

Apple has hired Lisa Ellman, a partner at Hogan Lovells, as a Washington lobbyist. Ellman is a co-founder of the Commercial Drone Alliance. Representatives for Apple and Ellman declined to comment.

Heathrow Airport installs anti-drone system that can locate UAV pilots

London’s Heathrow Airport has installed a counter-drone system that will detect and track unauthorized drones. The system will also locate the drone pilots. Designed by Operational Solutions Ltd. (OSL), the system employs a holographic radar system. The Operational Solutions press release [PDF] states:

“This one-of-a-kind Counter Drone system works by detecting and tracking drones in surrounding airspace and alerting airports of unauthorised drone use quickly and efficiently. This new and innovative system also works to locate the drone pilots themselves and can be used to identify their location.

“This technology has been specifically designed for Heathrow Airport by Operational Solutions Ltd, integrating for the first time a variety of leading counter drone technologies from different manufacturers.”

Stealthy UAS Unveiled For USAF Target, Loyal Wingman Needs

Sierra Technical Services has shown photos of its Fifth Generation Aerial Target (5GAT) prototype. 5GAT components cannibalized from other aircraft include engines (the GE J85) and metallic components from the Northrop T-38 trainer and F-5 fighter, and aileron actuators from the Boeing F/A-18. Sierra Technical Services was founded by retired Lockheed Martin Skunk Works engineers.

EVTOL drone developer launches BlackFly with new CEO

Opener calls its BlackFly the world’s first fixed-wing, all-electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) personal ultralight aircraft. Ben Diachun was announced the new CEO. He was president of Scaled Composites in Mojave, California. Founder and former CEO, Marcus Leng, will oversee next-generation manufacturing and international operations as Chairman of the Board.