UAV News Talk – Drone News, eVTOLs, UAS Policy & Air Mobility

A rogue drone repeatedly violated Gatwick Airport airspace with massive consequences. Separately, a drone is suspected of colliding with an airliner. Also, ANSI releases a standardization roadmap, and drones are being used to study peatlands in Australia, deliver items over a mobile network, locate nests of protected birds, and support Mars rover tests.

Gatwick Airport was thrown into chaos as the airport was shut down after a rogue drone repeatedly entered the airspace. Some 760 flights were grounded and 110,000 people were stranded. A drone buzzed the airport many times and the authorities were hard-pressed to remove the threat.

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) announced the publication of the Standardization Roadmap for Unmanned Aircraft Systems (Version 1.0). The roadmap was developed by the Institute’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems Standardization Collaborative (UASSC) “to coordinate and accelerate the development of the standards and conformity assessment programs needed to facilitate the safe integration of unmanned aircraft systems into the national airspace system of the United States.” The roadmap examines 64 issue areas and identified 60 gaps with no published standard or specification.

Researchers in Australia are interested in monitoring peatlands and they are using ultra-high spatial resolution imagery from drones. The researchers want to test the viability of creating hydrological models that monitor hydrological changes and assist in the rehabilitation of damaged peatlands.

Vodafone has made a drone delivery over a 4G mobile network. The Christmas drone made a short 800-meter flight and delivered festive treats.

Video: Vodafone brings Christmas cheer with UK’s first drone delivery over a mobile network

Aeromexico Flight 773, a Boeing 737, was struck in the nose on final approach to Tijuana International. The damage was substantial and the incident is under investigation.

Cardiff University ecologists conducted a pilot study in South Wales using drones with thermal imaging sensors to locate ground-dwelling nightjars without disturbing the birds.

Three autonomous SherpaTT rovers were tested for over two weeks in an environment close to that of Mars. Prior to the tests, ESA used a drone to map the location and create high-resolution digital elevation models.

Drone surveillance systems for your home, around your yacht, and at maritime ports. Also, Intel inspects bridges with drones, a drone down under flies over an Airport, and a former FAA Administrator finds a home with drones.

Sunflower Labs is developing an outdoor home security system with three components: an autonomous drone with a camera called the “Bee,” sensors that also light up the area called “Sunflowers,” and a self-charging station for the done called the “Hive.” The Sunflowers identify people, cars, and animals and determine speed and direction of approach. The Bee flies autonomously to the scene, guided by the Sunflower sensors, and streams live video. When the Bee is done, it returns to the Hive which recharges the drone, protects it from the weather, and houses the system’s computer.

Martek Anti-Drone Systems is providing its M.A.D.S. (Marine Anti-Drone System) in a 4-week trial at the Port of Amsterdam. Port customers are looking at their own legitimate drone operations but there is also the opportunity for illegal drone operations. The Port wants to find out who is flying what, where, and why.

Martek also markets its system to yacht owners. When a threat is detected, M.A.D.S. creates an electronic exclusion zone around the yacht. If a drone enters, the system blocks the drone’s control/video communications signal, which initiates the drone’s fail-safe mode to land or returns to its operator.

Intel’s Falcon 8+ drone hardware and software were used for bridge inspections and the Daniel Carter Beard Bridge over the Ohio River connecting Ohio and Kentucky, and the Stone Arch Bridge in Minnesota, a pedestrian and bicycle bridge.

The 8-lane Daniel Carter Beard Bridge would normally experience lane closures for the inspection. With inspection by drone, this was not required. Inspection hours at the Stone Arch Bridge was reduced by 28 percent, at a cost savings of about 40 percent. Video: Intel Commercial Drones Speed Up US Bridge Inspections.

A drone was spotted flying over Perth Airport, first by a pilot in a plane taking off and then by an airport worker. Air traffic control alerted all pilots and the Federal Police and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority were notified. Neither the drone nor the operator has been found.

Huerta is now on the Advisory Board at ParaZero, the drone parachute system we talked about in Episode #262.

The UAV Digest will be attending the 4th Annual FAA Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Symposium, February 12-14, 2019 at the Baltimore Convention Center. The FAA, industry, academia and other government agencies will discuss the latest topics related to the growing use of UAS and its integration into the national airspace. Registration for the 2019 event is now open.

Drone programs for the public safety sector, post-emergency reforestation from DroneSeed, package delivery from Wing and Amazon, a new Airbus high altitude pseudo-satellite flight base, and a proposed BVLOS infrastructure for North Dakota.

The NYPD Technical Assistance and Response Unit has acquired 14 drones to be used during emergencies such as rescue missions, inaccessible crime scenes, and hostage situations. They stressed that the drones will be unarmed, they won’t carry out routine patrols, and they won’t spy on potential suspects, but the Legal Aid Society and the New York Civil Liberties Union have concerns.

The LAFD created their drone program to provide Incident Commanders with better situational awareness. They spent two years of planning how the drones would be valuable and how they were going to operate the program. Their theme was transparency and communication within the department and with the public.

The recent wildfires in California’s were devastating with loss of life, loss of property, and loss of forests. The forests need to be restored and DroneSeed is planning to assist with their system that creates a 3D terrain map with lidar, uses a multispectral camera for soil and vegetation data, and then determines the best location to plant a tree. DroneSeed “seed vessels” include a nutrient puck with a seed in the middle and capsaicin on the outside to help keep animals from eating them. DroneSeed has FAA approval for multi-craft, over-55-pounds UAVs that can work in swarms of up to five crafts to cover larger areas.

Two UAS Drones Disaster Conferences are planned for 2019: Los Angeles March 8-9 at the Columbia Memorial Space Center, and Miami April 11-12 at Florida International University. These will discuss and showcase the role of UAS in preparing for, responding to, and recovering from major incidents and disasters. The conferences will feature presentations, workshops, and live flight demonstrations.

Wing is the drone delivery company owned by Google’s parent Alphabet. A flight test program in Helsinki, Finland is to start in the spring and they plan to become operational by the end of 2019. Customers will order through an app, packages can weigh up to 1.5kg (3.3lbs), and delivery will be free during the trial period. Wing will use their own UTM system.

Meanwhile, Amazon will miss its 2013 prediction that delivery drones would be operating in five years. Amazon remains committed, but says they are staying away from fixed timelines.

Airbus Defence and Space announced the opening of the world’s first High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite (HAPS) flight base serving as the launch site for the Zephyr UAV in Wyndham, Western Australia. Airbus Press Release: Airbus celebrates opening of the world’s first Zephyr Solar High Altitude Pseudo-Satellite operating site.

The governor of North Dakota announced a proposal to build out infrastructure for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations for unmanned aircraft systems across North Dakota. The $30 million investment would establish a statewide BVLOS network for UAS command and control, and surveillance equipment for safe integration of manned and unmanned aircraft.

Audi and Airbus demonstrate a drone taxi, Piaggio Aerospace goes into receivership, drones map the Great Wall of China, drone recovery by parachute, industry concerns about the pace of drone regulations.

Audi, Airbus, and Italdesign showed a 1:4 scale model of a drone taxi concept during Drone Week in Amsterdam. The drone picks up the cab of an autonomous vehicle and delivers it to its destination. The “Pop.Up Next” is modular and includes a road module, a cabin module, and a flight module. Audi is testing in South America with Airbus subsidiary Voom.

The president of Italdesign said, “Flying taxis are on the way. We at Audi are convinced of that. More and more people are moving to cities. And more and more people will be mobile thanks to automation. In the future, senior citizens, children, and people without a driver’s license will want to use convenient robot taxis. If we succeed in making a smart allocation of traffic between roads and airspace, people and cities can benefit in equal measure.”

Video: AUDI Flying Car prototype – Flying cars are on the way!

Piaggio Aerospace has asked to be put in receivership. Is this the end of the P1.HH Hammerhead, or will the Italian government step in? The Italian Air Force was to be the launch customer for three systems.

Chinese authorities are using drones to map and measure sections of the wall. As much as 30% of the walls are crumbling and in danger of being lost. BBC reports that data collected by the drones are already being used to build support structures.

If one motor of a multicopter fails, a drone goes unstable. Try to launch a parachute and it might get shredded by the other rotors. Indemnis has a solution called Nexus. A tube is inflated at 30 psi in 30 milliseconds with the end away from the rotors. The parachute ejects from that tube with a launch velocity of 90 mph. The company hopes this will facilitate allowing flights over people.

FAA regulations for BVLOS, flights over people, night flying, etc. are taking a long time. Some trade-association leaders think it will be 2022 before this is worked out. Brian Wynne, president and chief executive of AUVSI says, “I’m not happy about it.” George Mathew, chairman and chief executive of Kespry says, “There has been a process of kicking the can down the road.” Meanwhile, an FAA spokesman says, “We have to get this right the first time. We are moving as quickly as possible to address the complex issues.”

Interlocking Brick System MicroQuad

The Festo SmartBird, inspired by the herring gull.

An unbelievable image proves the shape of the B-2 stealth bomber was suggested by Mother Nature

AUVSI creates the Trusted Operator Program (TOP) for professional certification, Aurora Flight Sciences builts the Odysseus HALE aircraft, fast food delivery service generates some complaints, the DRL announces the Alpha Pilot Challenge for autonomous drone racers, the Office of Aviation Services wants information about using drones to fight wildfires, and the Office of the Inspector General conducted an audit of the FAA’s UAS waiver process.

AUVSI worked with industry experts to create the Trusted Operator Program™ (TOP) for professional certification. AUVSI says the program was created “to raise the trust and acceptance of the use of unmanned aircraft around the world. TOP is a professional unmanned systems community initiative aimed at supporting industry accepted remote pilot standards and protocols, which will result in the safe and sustainable advancement of the industry.”

The program features three certification levels where each corresponds to the level of safety precautions required. Level one covers relatively low-risk operations for flights under Part 107. Level two is for companies that conduct flights near expensive infrastructure requiring an FAA waiver. Level three addresses flights in “safety critical” environments, such as near chemical, oil, gas, nuclear or mining facilities, even if they are offshore and no waiver is required.

TOP training providers:

• Consortiq
• DARTdrones
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
• Praxis Aerospace Concepts Inc.

TOP Certification bodies:

• Praxis Aerospace Concepts International, Inc.
• SGS

TOP uses a set of safety protocols and includes aviation regulations from the Federal Aviation Administration, Civil Aviation Safety Authorities, Directorates General of Civil Aviation and others.

Aurora Flight Sciences built the 243-foot span Odysseus, a high-altitude, long-endurance (HALE) aircraft. Odysseus uses lithium-polymer batteries and Alta Devices thin-film gallium-arsenide solar cells. Flight testing is scheduled to begin in 2019 in Puerto Rico. The first aircraft is battery-powered and the second and third aircraft will be solar-powered.

Odysseus uses thin-walled carbon-fiber tubes bonded together into box-section trusses for the wing spar and fuselages, and truss ribs for the wing and tails.

Launched by Wing, an initiative from Alphabet X, Google’s parent company, the trial fast food delivery service in Canberra, Australia is generating some complaints. Some residents find the drones noisy, they scare away local birds, and they are perceived as an invasion of privacy.

The Drone Racing League has announced the Alpha Pilot Challenge for autonomous drone racers. Using the same courses that human drone pilots use, the series is intended to accelerate the pace of innovation. Eventually, the autonomous drone racers will be pitted against human pilots.

The Office of Aviation Services (OAS) wants information about using drones to carry water and fire retardant and conduct heavy-lift cargo delivery during wildfires and emergency situations. See the solicitation: Heavy-lift Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) to conduct cargo delivery during wildfires.

The Office of the Inspector General (OIG) conducted an audit of the FAA’s unmanned aircraft system waiver process between May 2017 and September 2018. In a summary of its findings, the OIG says the FAA has “established processes for reviewing and granting waivers but has experienced difficulties obtaining sufficient information, managing the volume of requests and communicating with applicants, particularly in explaining reasons for denying requests.”

“As a result, FAA’s Flight Standards office has disapproved 73 percent of operational waiver requests (e.g., over people and beyond line of sight), and a significant backlog of waiver requests to operate in airspace with manned aircraft exists,” the audit summary explains.

On the FAA’s “risk-based oversight system,” OIG says, “While FAA has developed guidance for planning annual inspections, few UAS operators have received inspections to verify their compliance with regulations and the terms of their waivers. Moreover, the agency’s ability to perform meaningful risk-based surveillance is hindered by limited access to detailed UAS operator, FAA inspection, and risk data. As a result, FAA does not have assurance of operators’ compliance with regulations, is not well-positioned to develop an oversight strategy, and is missing opportunities to gather information that will help shape rulemaking and policies.”

The audit offers eight recommendations for the FAA:

1. Assess the workforce tasked with reviewing waiver and authorization requests to determine if Air Traffic Organization (ATO) staffing is adequate, and take appropriate action as needed.
2. Assess the performance of the ATO’s non-automated airspace waiver request process to determine if volume and timeliness goals would improve the process, and if so, implement these goals.
3. Implement performance metrics for the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) to evaluate its effect on application processing volume and timeliness, and take appropriate action as needed.
4. Create internal controls to improve consistency in standard template responses used to correspond with applicants regarding requests for information.
5. Update National Flight Standards Work Program Guidelines to require field offices to perform inspections on a sample of commercial drone operators in their area for a two-year period (designed to increase available inspection data for creating a risk profile of UAS).
6. Develop a baseline risk assessment profile of small commercial drone operators to inform inspector surveillance planning decisions, as well as procedures to periodically update this profile.
7. Issue guidance to field offices on how to obtain FAA information on waiver- and/or authorization-holding UAS operators (designed to help inform their inspection planning).
8. Provide clarifying guidance to UAS operators regarding the small UAS rule’s provision relating to operations over people.

‘Lambulance’ drones used to check animal health in lambing season

Australian startup Emesant is using Hovermap technology to map underground environments. Also, drones and wildlife, another PrecisionHawk acquisition, the Chinese CH-7 UAV, remotely recharging drones, and the Robird drone for airport wildlife management.

Australian-based startup Emesant is developing specialized software that autonomously maps mines and tunnels. The Hovermap technology utilizes LiDAR, collision avoidance sensors, and GPS to map underground environments. Hovermap has been tested 2,000 feet underground in Australia generating 3D maps.

Video: Autonomous underground drone flight beyond line-of-sight using Hovermap payload

Video of a mother bear and cub struggling to climb a mountain made national news. After several attempts, the cub was able to climb up and reunite with its mother. However, experts say the video was taken with a drone which was actually terrorizing the bears.

More industry consolidation: PrecisionHawk is acquiring Uplift Data Partners, a provider of drone-based inspection services for the construction and facilities management industry. PrecisionHawk acquired Hazon and InspecTools in September, and Droners and AirVid in February. These after a $75 million funding round in January. PrecisionHawk says they will continue to expand in high-growth industries: energy and renewables, agriculture, construction, infrastructure, and insurance and government.

China is showing a model of the CH-7 UAV at the Zhuhai air show and hopes to begin test flights next year with production in 2022. The 72-foot wingspan, 33 feet long UAV is expected to be sold internationally.

LakeDiamond created a small, square lab-grown diamond which can be used to charge drones in-flight. The diamond is used as the optical component of a low power laser which can recharge photovoltaic cells on the drones’ surface.

A peregrine falcon-shaped drone is chasing birds at the Grand Forks International Airport. Aerium Analytics, Clear Flight Solutions, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture are seeking to reduce the number of bird strikes. Geo-fencing prevents the Robird from flying too high or intruding into the airport.

India releases civil drone regulations, detect and avoid testing begins in Kansas, the future of recreational drone flights, unmanned industry consolidation trends, an over 55-pound UAV approved, and a Chinese HALE drone.

The Director General Civil Aviation’s (DGCA’s) Civilian Aviation Requirements (CAR) for Unmanned Aircraft System, was released August 27, 2018. The CAR takes effect December 1, 2018. Requirements include using the Digital Sky Platform on the DGCA’s website for administrative and procedural control of drones, registration numbers, and filing of flight plans.

The Kansas Department of Transportation is in the testing phase of the Integration Pilot Program, with a focus on new detect and avoid capabilities for drones. Iris Automation will test fly its computer vision and artificial intelligence technology for collision avoidance against a manned aircraft.

Video: Airborne Drone Collision Avoidance Field Trial – Iris Automation

Justin Oakes from Droneworks Studios flies commercially but asks if measures under the recent FAA reauthorization will cause an end to recreational drone flying.

Video: Drone Pilots are FINISHED (New FAA Laws)

Director of Corporate Analysis at Teal Group Philip Finnegan looks at the reasons we’ll continue to see consolidation in the drone industry.

UAV company Homeland Surveillance & Electronics, LLC (HSE) and aviation consulting firm UASolutions Group, Inc. were granted approval from the FAA for the AG-V6A+ multirotor UAS for Commercial Operations over 55 lbs. The AG-V6A+ is fully autonomous and designed for precision spraying.

China has a solar-powered high-altitude, long-endurance drone. Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) has flown the Morning Star UAV. The 20-meter (66-foot) wingspan drone flew at an altitude of more than 20,000 meters (66,000 feet).

This is Fall Foliage in Groton Vermont – October 8th – Green Mountain Drone

Utah Fall Colors at Snowbasin by Drone

A drone based on dragonfly wings, a drone community for women pilots, DJI demands a retraction, Uber wants to deliver food by drone, BVLOS testing in Alaska, a parachute system for flights over people, and a drone-equipped search and rescue vehicle.

Skeeter is a small scale drone based on the dragonfly and developed by Animal Dynamics in conjunction with the Ministry of Defence’s R&D lab in the UK. Research is focused on building and testing vehicles that use flapping wings for propulsion. Initial use envisioned is for short-range surveillance platform and situational awareness.

This online community expands visibility for female drone pilots

Women Who Drone is an online community for female drone pilots, photographers, and videographers. Their “mission is to help close the gender gap in the UAV industry by training women and girls how to fly drones and advance their drone piloting career.” They “do this by educating and inspiring women and girls to join the UAV industry by providing online lessons and workshops, news and reviews, career opportunities and a supportive group of women around the world.” The organization is currently crowdfunding the effort.

Everybody has seen the video of the Phantom 2 slamming into leading edge of a Mooney M20. Now DJI wants the University of Dayton Research Institute to pull the video. DJI VP of Policy & Legal Affairs Brendan M. Schulman says the simulated drone strike was “staged” to “create a scenario inconceivable in real life.” DJI argues that the closing speed is unrealistic.

Addendum: See the following article for a rebuttal of the DJI claims:

An Aeronautical Lesson for DJI’s lawyer, Brendan Schulman

The Wall Street Journal reports that Uber plans to launch a food delivery service using drones by 2021. Uber had a job posting for an operations manager to handle delivery drones but later removed it from its website.

The FAA gave approval to the University of Alaska Fairbanks and its partners to routinely test drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS). The UAF Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) and its collaborators are conducting missions near Deadhorse, Alaska. The first flights are monitoring parts of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.

ParaZero Announces the First Ever FAA Waiver for Flight Over People with a Parachute System

ParaZero Israel Ltd announced that the first FAA Part 107 waiver for flight over people with a parachute system was granted to Botlink. Botlink installed ParaZero’s SafeAir System on a DJI Phantom 4 under the UAS Integration Pilot Program lead by the North Dakota Department of Transportation.

The Austrian Red Cross disaster response team is using a Land Rover Discovery search and rescue vehicle. Designed by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations under “Project Hero,” the vehicle includes a drone that can take off and land while the Discovery is moving. The octocopter features a long-range thermal imaging camera that can detect a person as far away as 440 meters

Congress Passes Bill That Lets the U.S. Govt Shoot Down Drones

• H.R.302 – FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018
• DIVISION H—PREVENTING EMERGING THREATS
• Sec. 1602. Protection of certain facilities and assets from unmanned aircraft 
• Sec. 1603. Protecting against unmanned aircraft.

Skyward urges the industry to think Universal Traffic Management, Ryanair CEO looks to autonomous airliners, Hoverfly introduces a new tethered drone, NYPD eyes drone threats, FAA reauthorization addresses drones, looking for a kangaroo, and testing drone impacts on an airplane wing.

To this point, “UTM” has meant UAS Traffic Management, but Mariah Scott, President at Skyward, A Verizon company, says we should think of “Universal Traffic Management.”

BusinessInsider reports that Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary says that we’ll see autonomous planes in the next 40 to 50 years.

Hoverfly Technologies Inc. a manufacturer of tether-powered drones, introduced their new LiveSky SENTRY, an all-weather, military-grade UAS.

The New York Police Department had in mind the threat of a drone attack as they provided security for the recent UN General Assembly meetings.

The new FAA reauthorization act grants authorities new powers, while the Academy of Model Aeronautics says that under Section 349 [PDF] members should continue to fly in accordance with AMA’s safety guidelines.

A kangaroo in South Florida named Storm escaped and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers used two drones to help in the search.

Even small drones, like a DJI Phantom, pose a risk to manned aircraft

The University of Dayton Research Institute’s Impact Physics Lab conducted tests designed to simulate a drone striking an airplane mid-air at 238 mph. A DJI Phantom 2 drone was launched into the wing of a Mooney M20 aircraft.

Are Drones Dangerous?