Drone News Update

By Pilot Institute

Weekly episodes discussing the latest drone news in the United States. Whether you're a hobbyist or a Part 107 Remote Pilot, staying up to date is important, especially in such a fast-changing industr... more

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FAQs about Drone News Update:

How many episodes does Drone News Update have?

The podcast currently has 139 episodes available.

Drone News Update episodes:

November 01, 2024 Drone News: Skydio Gets Sanctioned, DJI vs. DOD, Michigan Lawsuit, and New Goggles Leak
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 4 stories for you; Skydio sanctioned by China, Michigan Coalition of Drone Operators vs University of Michigan lawsuit, More info on the DJI Lawsuit,DJI New Goggles Leaks.
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4min
October 25, 2024 Drone News: DJI Sues the DOD, CNN Drone Crashes Into Crowd, and BRINC Releases Guardian Drone
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you; DJI Takes legal action against the DOD, CNN Drone crashes into crowd injuring three, and BRINC releases the Guardian.
Join our community site:
https://pilotinstitute.com/community/
...more
4min
October 04, 2024 Drone News: GAO Report, Officials Say Stop Using DJI, Axon Acquires Dedrone, & Record Drone Show
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you; GAO Report on Foreign Made Drones, officials tell Fairfax County to stop using DJI, Axon acquires Dedrone, and new record drone show.

First up, the GAO has released a report on the Department of Interior’s stance on foreign drones.
Currently, the DOI does not allow foreign drones to be used except for emergency situations such as search and rescue and wild fires.
The GAO studied the effects of the policies after the DOI asked them to, covering the 4 most active departments; bureau of land management (BLM), Fire and Wildlife service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Findings from the GAO are predictable; the majority of drones are now nearing their end of life and replacing them with compliant drones is much more expensive.
Due to the reduction in fleet size, bureaus haven’t been able to expand their use of drones and some no longer have enough drones even for emergencies.
Even for bureaus that have purchased approved drones, the drones aren’t be delivered until 6 months or more later.
The GAO gave the example that in April of 2024, the DOI had purchased 98 drones for fiscal year 2024 and only 46 had been delivered.
In another example, the National Park Service purchased drones for wild fire management in March and were not expected to have the drones in hand until October, missing nearly all of the 2024 fire season.
The GAO goes on to discuss that compliant drones are not as capable in carrying payloads nor are as reliable.
Due to these problems, not only have emergency flights decreased but non-emergency flights for research, surveys, training, and post-storm recoveries have become nearly non-existent.
Next up, federal law makers John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi from the House of Representatives have urged Fairfax County to stop using DJI.
In a letter to the county Board of Supervisors the representatives stated “The PRC-made UAS platforms and censors currently used by Fairfax County collect high-resolution imagery of facilities and individuals at risk, putting them at risk of being collected by the CCP,”
This is the first time we’ve seen representatives attempting to influence a particular public safety department on what drones to use or not use.
Fairfax county sits just south west of Washington DC along the Potomac river.
At this time, we don’t know how the county will respond but we’ll keep you updated if we see more.
Third, Axon has finished the acquisition of Dedrone.
Dedrone is a counter UAS system that uses RF detection, RADAR, cameras and for authorized users can include hammers, drone take over, and kinetic means to stop a rogue drone.
An important note is that the DOD are the only ones currently who are allowed to utilize these tools to stop a drone.
We’ll keep you updated if we see more from Dedrone and Axon!
Last up, Sky Elements broke the record this week for the most drones launching pyrotechnics.
The city of Mansfield TX partnered with Sky Elements to break the word record of most drones launching pyrotechnics.
Sky Elements used 1164 drones to break the record in a free drone show for residents.
Cool use of the drones and we’re sure we’ll continue to see bigger and bigger drone shows!
That’s all for this week, we’ll see you later in the community for Happy Hour and on Monday for our Q&A!
https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-24-106924.pdf
https://dronelife.com/2024/10/01/lawmakers-urge-fairfax-county-to-end-use-of-dji-drones-due-to-national-security-concerns/
https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/mansfield-texas-drone-show-guinness-world-record-sky-elements-display/287-a03f5178-feea-43ca-9e06-7e5a5ae2a099
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6min
September 27, 2024 Drone News: Drone Ban Update NDAA Bill, Mavic 4 Leak, New Dock Release, & Drone Finds Missing Man
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5min
September 20, 2024 Drone News: Action 5, Air 3S Hits FCC, Drone Finds Missing Girl, & Drone Incursions in Wildfire Ops
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you, New DJI Action 5, Air 3S hits FCC Database, Pilot Institute Community, a Drone finds missing Louisiana girl, and a press release on drone incursions into wild fire aircraft operations.
First up, DJI has released the new Action 5!
The action 5 comes with a new 1/1.3” sensor (the same size as the Mini 4 Pro), 10-bit D-Log M, HLG, horizon steady, subject tracking, a barometer/hydrometer, 47GB of internal storage, magnetic mounting, 4 hour battery life, 113 degree max operating temperature, and connection with the DJI Mic 2s!
Whew, lots cool specs, we’ll be getting on to check out and post some content on!
Next, the Air 3S has hit the FCC database!
We’ve seen quite a few leaks about the Air 3S, including some images with an RC-N3 series controller, what appears to be a larger sensor in a dual camera setup, and potentially larger batteries.
Rumors have also included that batteries may be compatible with the current Air 3.
We’ve seen some decent images of the Air 3, we’ll have to wait and see if DJI publishes an announcement any time soon!
Third up, a big Pilot Institute update. This week we launched the Premium Community with the goal to help part 107 pilots use their certificate to get paid work. In premium you'll find tons of interviews and workshops, we'll be releasing exclusive content every month. And, if you're a fan of News Update, we have an extended version every week called Post Flight. Each episode we discuss News Update stories in more detail and give our personal opinion on the facts. Visit Pilotinstitute.com/community to check it all out!
Third up, a drone in Louisiana located a missing child this week.
A 10 year old Louisiana girl was reported missing early in the day on Sunday.
Searchers were unable to locate the girl, and a company from Arkansas, Drone Management Services, stepped in to assist.
Using what appears to be a Mavic 3 Thermal, Co-Owner Josh Kolber located the girl sleeping on the ground.
Great use of the drone Josh!
Last up, the National Interagency Fire Center has published data this week about 21 incidents where drones have operated near wildfires.
In 10 of these events, firefighting aircraft operations were suspended.
Generally, firefighting aircraft operate within a TFR, meaning other aircraft including traditional aircraft are not permitted in that area.
Be sure to check the TFRs before you take off, especially in wildfire prone areas.
Alright, that’s all we’ve got! Greg will be back on Monday, so he’ll see you then for the live Q&A!
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6min
September 13, 2024 Drone News: Drone Ban, Green Day Concert, FLIR & AirData, 3 Suspects Caught by a Drone, & SkyeBrowse
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you: Drone ban updates, Green Day concert paused for drone flight, FLIR and AirData partner, 3 men in a stolen vehicle were found using a drone, and SkyeBrowse updates everyone to Lite Processing!

First up, The house has voted to pass the Countering CCP Drones Act.
This is a setback that was expected but it changes little.
Representative Stefanik stated during her speech “Over the last seven years, the US government has publicly confirmed time and time again that DJI drones are being used to collect information on US critical infrastructure and pose significant risks to US national security,”
Not sure where the evidence is, but we’d love to see it.
The Countering CCP drones act was also passed with the House NDAA, so the bill has already passed before.
Both bills still must still go through the Senate prior to landing on the President’s desk.
It doesn’t matter what vertical you’re in, now is a great time to weigh in on this issue, and educate your senators and representatives.
If you’re having trouble with where to start, head over to the DAA website, which is linked below.
Next up, Green Day rushed off stage this week after security spotted a drone in the stadium.
Detroit Police confirmed the interruption to the show was due to a drone and that the operator was located and detained.
Currently, it’s unclear what drone was flying or how close it was to the band.
An important note was that this did not qualify for a stadium TFR, and no TFR was in place.
This brings up an interesting situation where a Part 107 pilot could legally operate over the stadium with a category 1 or 2 drone.
We’ll keep you updated when we see more.
Third, FLIR and AirData UAV have partnered to provide SIRAS flight tracking.
If you’re unfamiliar with the FLIR SIRAS, it’s a quadcopter with a 640x512 FLIR Hadron series sensor designed for industry and public safety.
The integration with AirData uses SIRAS’s offline log-export and isn’t connected to the internet.
For users of the SIRAS, AirData is a great tool and one that we use for tracking our aircraft’s flights, battery cycles, and determining what when wrong if things do.
Fourth, a shout out to some students from Gaston County Police.
Gaston County police used a drone this week to assist in recovering a stolen vehicle and arresting 3 men who fled the stolen vehicle after a car chase.
The drone was utilized after officers lost sight of the vehicle when it drove into a soybean field.
A Gaston County Police Officer was part of the drone unit, and launched to determine where the vehicle went.
Once the police officer found the vehicle, they began to track the suspects, locating them in the field attempting to evade police.
All 3 suspects were taken into custody without incident.
Great use of the drone!
Next, SkyeBrowse has updated everyone on the Freemium plan to Lite processing!
This will increase the quality of all models from folks with free accounts.
If you're unfamiliar with SkyeBrowse, the program uses video from nearly anything to make 3D models.
You can sign up for free and start making models immediately.
Models can be accessed on any device and can be easily marked up for measurement and shared as needed.
And to wrap up, check out this clip for something coming next week…
https://dronexl.co/2024/09/10/us-house-votes-to-ban-new-dji-drones/
https://dronexl.co/2024/09/05/green-day-interrupted-mid-song-by-drone-threat-at-detroit-concert/
https://www.flir.com/suas/
https://airdata.com/about
https://www.instagram.com/p/C_jIAlFTnbf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&img_index=1
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6min
August 30, 2024 Drone News: Drone Ban Update, Anzu Investigation, 300k in FAA Fines, Drones for Good, Best Buy Leaks
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you; Updated Countering CCP Drones language, representatives call for Anzu investigation, FAA proposes over 300,000 in fines, two drones-for-good stories about rescue, and Best Buy strikes again with a DJI leak.
Story Links:
https://dronexl.co/2024/08/27/lawmakers-dji-drone-loophole-anzu-robotics/
https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-proposed-341413-civil-penalties-against-drone-operators
https://dronexl.co/2024/08/26/dji-neo-drone-spotted-at-best-buy/
https://dronexl.co/2024/08/26/faa-drone-violations-penalties/
https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/senate-bill/4792/text?s=1&r=1
...more
12min
August 23, 2024 Drone News: More DJI Leaks, DroneUp Layoffs, and a Failed Drone Smuggling Attempt
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you, More DJI Leaks, DroneUp layoffs, and failed drone smuggling in South Carolina.
First up, a bunch more DJI leaks have come out this week including the Air 3S and more Neo Leaks!
New images of the Air 3S show what appears to be a much larger gimbal on an Air 3 frame.
Leaked images also confirm the name of the new drone as the Air 3S.
Images also show specs including a Sony CMOS sensor, 14EV dynamic range, and onboard panorama composition of 13,000x6500 pixels.
The pictures are getting better so we might be getting closer to release!
The Neo has also had a recent leak by an Australian online store.
The store shared specs, some of which we’ve seen before.
Key features include 135g, hand takeoff and landing, 4K video, smart track, direction track, motion control, remote audio recording, and goggles compatibility.
Control methods also include voice control, phone control, or RC control.
For a complete list of specs, visit DroneXL’s article linked below!
Next up, DroneUp is scaling back operations and is closing 18 delivery hubs.
DroneUp ended hubs in Phoenix, Salt Lake City, and Tampa, resulting in 70 job losses or about 17% of DroneUp’s workforce.
Deliveries in the future will be limited to 15 locations in the Dallas area.
You can see DroneUp’s response to DroneXL’s request for comment by saying:
“Layoffs are an unfortunate part of a business that is literally defining its own industry.
Like so many innovators before us, the decision to automate often leads to similar circumstances but we acknowledge that this is a difficult time, especially for those with whom we've parted ways.
While we are deeply grateful for their service, DroneUp remains committed to a strategy that supports our commercial partners and their customers.
The lessons we have learned in the last several years has informed a strategy to reshape the last-mile of delivery with DroneUp's Ecosystem platform that is economically feasible for sellers and scalable for buyers.
It remains our ambition to grow DroneUp, nationwide.
Doing so would rely on a bigger workforce in roles that will be defined by what regulators permit, and what partners and their customers need.”
We’ll keep you updated when we see more.
Last up, deputies in South Carolina confiscated large drones being used to drop contraband into the Ridgeland Correctional Institute.
While responding to known take off locations nearby, deputies found the two men flying the drone and attempted to stop them.
The men ran and escaped into nearby woods.
When searched, the vehicle contained marijuana, tobacco, a cellphone, AirPods, and a large drone.
Don’t be that guy, and don’t fly over prisons.
Have a great week, and we’ll see you on Monday for the Live!
https://dronexl.co/2024/08/21/details-dji-air-3s-drone/
https://dronexl.co/2024/08/19/dji-neo-drone-listing-imminent-release/
https://dronexl.co/2024/08/17/large-drone-contraband-seized-failed-prison-drop/
https://dronexl.co/2024/08/16/mayday-for-droneup-delivery-plans-lose-altitude/
...more
4min
August 16, 2024 Drone News: Mavic 3E Gets CAT 2, Serious Drone Injury, Aloft LAANC Onboarding, & DJI Neo Specs Leak
Join our Community site!
COMMUNITY.PILOTINSTITUTE.COM
...more
7min
August 09, 2024 Drone News: Sacrificed Drone Saves Lives, Autel Evo Lite Enterprise, & Drones Inspect KLM Aircraft
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you, Man sacrifices drone to save lost people, Autel Evo Lite Enterprise, and Drones inspect KLM Aircraft.
First up, 7 people were rescued after their boat started sinking in Utah Lake.
Police were notified of a sinking boat, but were unable to locate them.
While staging rescue crews at the marina, a local man flying his drone for fun overheard and offered to help.
Stephan Ceciu was flying for fun initially, but assisted in the search, locating the sinking boat and sending their location to officials.
The 7 people were successfully rescued and the boat was towed back to the marina.
It’s unclear how far the drone was flown away from the operator or what kind of drone it was.
However, did not have enough battery to return to home and landed in the lake.
Great job Stephan and we’re sorry about your drone!
Next up, Autel has released the Evo Lite Enterprise Series!
The new series weigh 866g, and include thermal and visual payload options.
The Lite Enterprise has a 40 minute flight time, 4K video, and 12km range.
The Lite Thermal has a 640x512 resolution thermal camera, 16X digital zoom, and a temperature range of 0C to 550C.
So far, no pricing has been released but we’ll keep you posted when if we see more!
Last up, a new partnership between Dutch Drone Delta and KLM will use drones to inspect KLM’s aircraft.
The new program will use DJI Matrice aircraft with AI enabled software to perform inspections and report damage to the pilots or other users.
Images of the operation appear to show a Matrice 300 or 350 with a P1, LiDAR, and other payloads inspecting an Airbus A330. This is a pretty cool use for drones that will benefit air carriers by reducing downtime for inspections!
Have a great week, and we’ll see you on Monday for the Live!
https://shop.autelrobotics.com/collections/autel-evo-lite-series
https://kutv.com/news/local/man-sacrifices-drone-in-effort-to-help-find-sinking-boat-with-7-passengers-in-utah-lake
https://dronexl.co/2024/08/06/autel-robotics-evo-lite-enterprise-series/
https://dronexl.co/2024/08/07/drones-aircraft-inspections-schiphol-airport/
...more
3min

FAQs about Drone News Update:

How many episodes does Drone News Update have?

The podcast currently has 139 episodes available.

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