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

Kevin Gallagher is President and CEO of Simulyze, a provider of operational intelligence and technology applications for both federal and commercial organizations.

He has more than 30 years of experience in system engineering and operational support. Kevin co-founded Simulyze to specialize in operational intelligence, situational awareness, and traffic management technology for the Department of Defense and intelligence operations. Now Simulyze has entered the commercial drone space.

Their platform enables commercial UAS operators to process and analyze large streams of data from disparate sources in real-time and achieve a common operating picture in real-time in a customized graphical interface.

Simulyze is the only company that has exercised with every build of NASA’s UAS Traffic Management platform. In 2018, Simulyze completed the deployment of its Mission Insight application during NASA’s Technical Capability Level 3 (TCL 3) National Campaign testing of its UTM research platform. Simulyze will serve as a UAS Service Supplier for two Integration Pilot Program projects awarded by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration.

Kevin began his career in General Electric’s Space Division where he held a number of analysis, engineering and management roles. In 1993, Kevin joined Aegis Research Corporation and started the company’s Information Technology group, which provided system engineering and programmatic support to a variety of customers, including the U.S. Air Force and the U.S. intelligence community.

Kevin earned his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Pennsylvania State University and his master’s degree in computer science from Villanova University.

An Intel Shooting Star drone formation spelled out “ONE” and “LOVE” during Maroon 5’s halftime performance. Meanwhile, Skyfire Consulting co-founder Matt Sloane and a team of pilots were on a nearby rooftop with a tethered DJI Matrice 210 quadcopter. Skyfire’s video feeds were shared among various agencies using a platform built by DroneSense to enhance situational awareness. The tether system was provided by Drone Aviation Corp.

At least six drones in the exclusion zone before game day were confiscated. Three drone-hunting drones operated by Fortem Technologies were reportedly on-site, although it is unclear if those systems with nets captured the rogue drones in flight.

A FLIR Systems acquisition and a nano-UAV contract, proposed drone rules for Australia, testing UAS in the wind, a market forecast for drones, and Amazon tests UTM.

UAS Magazine reports that FLIR Systems has acquired drone developer Aeryon Labs Inc. for $200 million. FLIR wants to be more than a sensor supplier and Aeryon develops quad-copters that integrate multiple sensors.

FLIR Systems was awarded a $39.6 Million order to deliver FLIR Black Hornet Personal Reconnaissance Systems (PRS) to the United States Army. This is a follow-on order to the first phase award in June 2018. These nano-UAV systems were bought for the Soldier Borne Sensor (SBS) Program and will support platoon and small unit level surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities. FLIR has delivered over 8,000 Black Hornet nano-UAVs around the world.

Video: Introducing the Teledyne FLIR Black Hornet 3

The Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has proposed requirements for remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) registration and operator accreditation. These apply to RPA more than 250 grams operated recreationally and all RPA operated commercially, including excluded RPA operations, regardless of weight. Excluded from the RPA registration and accreditation requirements are RPA 250 grams or less operated recreationally, model aircraft at CASA-approved model airfields, and RPA operated recreationally indoors. There is an online response form for comments.

Windshape is a Switzerland based company that developed a drone flight testing environment that can be installed indoors. TruWeather Solutions works with highly precise weather data for analytics applications. They and the NUAIR Alliance have been testing the impact of wind on different UAS platforms.

In 2016, Goldman Sachs produced a webpage titled “Drones Reporting For Work.” Between 2016 and 2020, they expected a $100 billion market opportunity for drones. The military remains the largest market for the foreseeable future with $70 billion of the $100 billion. The company expects $17 billion for the consumer market and $13 billion for the commercial and civil government market.

Amazon wants to deliver packages to customers in 30 minutes or less, and drones are part of that strategy. Amazon Prime Air is working Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) and NASA to develop an autonomous UAS traffic management system. Amazon Prime Air is building teams in Seattle, Tel Aviv, Cambridge, and Paris.

Flights at another major airport were halted due to drone reports, but some experts question the accuracy of the reports. Also, Boeing and Airbus advance their urban air mobility projects, multispectral camera-equipped drones and crop health, a drone that launches and lands like a bird, Facebook and it’s drone project, U-Space for harmonized UTM, and a bladeless drone.

Flights at Newark Liberty International Airport were suspended for a time due to drone activity in the area. One pilot told air traffic controllers that a drone passed within 30 feet of his plane. Were the sightings really drones? Some experts are dubious.

DJI says they are “monitoring recent reports of drones flying in close proximity to various airports, and has offered assistance to investigators and airports where these sightings have occurred. To date, none of these reports have been confirmed, and there is no proof that any of these alleged incidents occurred. Despite the lack of evidence, new sightings have been reported at more airports, raising the prospect that new reports are being spurred by publicity from past incidents.”

University of Florida scientists published research that says multispectral cameras can detect laurel wilt on avocado trees. An otherwise “time-consuming, labor-intensive and costly” traditional process could be replaced with an unmanned aerial vehicle.

Passerine Aircraft Corporation has a fixed-wing drone that can take off (and land) using a pair of legs. It’s VTOL without the rotors. The drone also utilizes a “blown wing’ to generate more lift than would otherwise be the case.

Videos: Sparrow Jumper — March 2018 Showcase and Early onboard flight footage from the Sparrow test flights.

According to the German publication, NetzPolitik in Facebook and Airbus hold secretive drone tests in the Australian bush, Facebook is proceeding with a drone program in conjunction with Airbus. NetzPolitik published a document [PDF] they say supports the claim. The document is dated March 14, 2018, and was obtained from the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) under the Australian Freedom of Information Act.

CORUS (Concept of Operations European UTM Systems) has a concept for a European system for drone management called U-Space. Aviation stakeholders are being brought together to develop a concept of operations for U-Space in a workshop 2-5 April 2019 in Italy. Click for more information.

The first flight of the Boeing NeXT passenger air vehicle (PAV) prototype has taken place. Boeing subsidiary Aurora Flight Sciences designed and developed the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Boeing NeXt leads the company’s urban air mobility efforts for on-demand autonomous air transportation.

Besides the PAV, the Boeing NeXt portfolio includes an unmanned fully electric cargo air vehicle (CAV) designed to transport up to 500 pounds (226.80 kilograms) and other urban, regional and global mobility platforms.

The prototype flying taxi is called CityAirbus. The four-seat model for urban environments is undergoing tests at the Airbus helicopter plant in Germany. Initial flights are planned to be unmanned, with an entry into service for the autonomous vehicle planned as early as 2023.

Bladeless Drone: First Flight

The FAA has released a draft of the NPRM that proposes rules for night flying and flights over people. Also, three UAS UTM Pilot Program projects awarded, drones survey Africa and identify illegal activity in India, Japan will issue underwater drone guidelines, and NASA contemplates a quadcopter for Titan.

Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao released a draft NPRM [PDF] that removes waiver requirements for flying after dark and flying over people. It expands the activities permitted under Part 107.

Night flying for small UAS would be allowed without a waiver or exemption. Drone operators would be required to “complete knowledge testing or training, including new subject matter areas related to operating at night.” The sUAS would have “an anti-collision light illuminated and visible for at least 3 statute miles.”

Flights over people would be allowed without a waiver or exemption under certain conditions. The FAA proposes three categories of permissible operations over people based on the risk of injury they present.

The NPRM is to be published in the federal register soon, followed by a 60-day open comment period.

The FAA-designated State of Nevada UAS Test Site was awarded a project under the UAS UTM Pilot Program. The Smart Silver State project will focus on urban drone operations using advanced airspace, drone, and sensor technology. The Nevada UAS Test Site proposal included over 20 partners and the project will be demonstrated in the City of Reno with additional testing in other areas.

Many areas in rural Africa are poorly mapped and having GPS doesn’t help disaster relief agencies and local authorities. Now people in Tanzania are volunteering to survey unmapped areas with drones. In Zanzibar, a mapping initiative was started in 2016 to survey about 900 square miles with senseFly eBee drones taking high-resolution images.

Eight months ago the Indian government started a UAV surveillance project targeting illegal riverbed sand mining. Forty-six UAV missions were flown with a 48 percent success rate. Now the Geology & Mining Department is looking at fixed-wing drones with infrared for night surveillance.

The Japanese government plans to issue guidelines for underwater drones by fiscal 2020. This is a response to increased private sector use for missions such as inspecting offshore wind power plants and underwater pipelines. Expected guidelines include collision avoidance mechanisms and collection of drones after their batteries are depleted.

The proposed Dragonfly mission to explore Saturn’s moon Titan is one of the options NASA is considering. Titan has a thick atmosphere (four times as dense as Earth) which allows for a flying vehicle instead of a rover. The quadcopter would fly to multiple sites to conduct experiments, recharging its flight batteries via nuclear power. The project is led by the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab.

From Rupprecht Law: Drone Sprayers: Uses, Laws & Regulations, Tips to Save Money

A fuel cell drone flies for over an hour, new drone laws for Canada and the UK, another airport incursion, terrorists and UAVs, the world’s smallest and lightest weather station, and using drones to insert sensors in the soil.

Project RACHEL is an attempt to develop a hydrogen fuel cell powered multi-rotor UAV with a flight target of 60 minutes carrying a 5kg payload. Project RACHEL is supported by Innovate UK, and led by venture engineering company Productiv on behalf of UK UAV filming specialists BATCAM. The fuel cells come from Intelligent Energy which is commissioning specialist hydrogen fuel systems supplier NanoSUN to develop a portable refueling solution.

Further information about the project and video of the flight test can be found at The Hydrogen Drone.

Video: Fuel cell footage V2

Secretary of state for transport, Chris Grayling MP, has told the House of Commons that new drone laws will be introduced in the coming months, likely May 2019. The new rules increase airport exclusion zones to 5km (now 1km), and give police the right to interfere with the movement of drones and inspect devices to ensure safety features had not been tampered with. In November, owners of drones weighing between 250g and 20kg must register and take an online drone pilot competency test.

A drone was reportedly sighted at Heathrow Airport. As a “precautionary measure,” flights were halted for about an hour. A BBC cameraman was driving on the M25 past Heathrow airport when he saw what he believes was a drone.

The MI5 intelligence agency fears drone attacks against civilian and military targets. Reportedly, they have documents showing terrorist plans. MI5 believes they are from ISIS, and worries that up to a dozen weaponized drones could be used.

Transport Canada has new rules for remotely piloted aircraft systems that apply to drones between 250 grams and 25 kg, operated within the drone pilot’s visual-line-of-sight, and flown for recreation, commercially, or for research. The rules include drone registration, an exam and pilots certificate, a minimum age, flight below 122 m (400 feet) AGL, and a requirement to stay away from air traffic. Flying outside the rules requires a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC). For more information, see the government Drone Safety website.

Specialized meteorological instrument design firm Anemoment LLC has announced the availability of the TriSonica Mini Wind and Weather Sensor that cen be integrated with drones.

They call the 50 gram device “the world’s smallest and lightest 3D ultrasonic anemometer.” It can measure wind speed, direction and temperature, magnetic heading, relative humidity, air pressure, and dew point wind.

The NIMBUS Lab at the University of Nebraska has developed a two-drone system that can fly to a designated location, land, drill a hole and deploy a sensor, then fly away. The UAS can deploy sensors in locations that are otherwise difficult to reach. The sensor is inserted into the soil using an auger attached to the drone. The UAS identifies the proper target location, breaks the ground surface, removes the soil, and places the sensor.

Video: Unmanned Aerial Auger for Underground Sensor Installation

Video: Parachute and Digging UAS

Recent drone news and a few predictions for the unmanned aircraft industry in 2019.

What’s the best anti-drone technology? Rain, it turns out. The New York Police Department had planned to utilize drones with cameras for the Times Square New Year’s Eve party, but inclement weather prevented their use.

With Gatwick and the Aeromexico 737 incident, safety is on people’s minds. State and local governments are likely to continue to legislate drone rules that address safety and privacy.

The Sussex Police department’s chief constable says some of drone sightings might have been police surveillance drones. However, 92 of the 115 reported sightings have been confirmed.

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed that the “military capability” has been withdrawn from Gatwick. That capability is believed to include the Israeli-developed Drone Dome system. Also, Gatwick said it had spent £5m to prevent future attacks.

A bipartisan Senate inquiry into drone safety regulations reported out in July 2018, but the Australian federal government didn’t respond. Until now.

On Dec 31, 2018, the M48 motorway crossing the Severn River between England and Wales was closed for a time until the drone operator came off the tower. He was arrested and is out on bail.

A fleet of drones will monitor 50 beaches along a 1,300-mile coastline for sharks. The drones will use “SharkSpotter” software developed by the University of Technology Sydney. From the Press Release:

Video: Little Ripper Lifesaver Drones Spot Sharks Electronically

See SharkAttackData.com for worldwide shark attack data.

David and Max offer a few industry predictions for 2019.

The Lego Sky Police Drone Chase.

The UAV Digest is pleased to be a media partner for Counter UAS Conference 2019 aimed at the defense industry and to be held April 16-88, 2019 at the Hilton London Kensington, 179-199 Holland Park Ave London W11 4UL, United Kingdom.

Counter UAS 2019 addresses the key questions being asked by joint forces about the nature of the growing UAS threat and the appropriate tactics, techniques, technologies, and procedures to counter it.

The UAS industry has grown considerably in recent years and our ability to counter these new threats is becoming more strained. These rapidly developing systems are becoming harder to identify and track, as well as being capable of carrying larger payloads. Their potential is devastating and the consequences of inaction are growing larger.

The third annual C-UAS Conference provides a platform for military and industry to discuss the current developments in C-UAS capabilities, emerging technologies, and the latest case studies to give a real-world context to the conceptual and theoretical discussions. The proliferation of inexpensive commercial UAS democratises capabilities previously held by militaries and enhances asymmetric threats.

Attend this conference to:

• Gain understanding of what the future C-UAS operating environment will look like and how to prepare your forces for it.
• Align your current plans for C-UAS capabilities with the latest solutions and recommendations from leading experts.
• Make the correct decisions in this rapidly changing space in order to equip your force by examining new concepts and approaches to emerging technologies.
• Acquire the knowledge of how to better protect your forces be they static, on the move, at home or abroad.
• Implement cost-effective solutions to defend against the increasing number of UAS threats by learning how to use the latest C-UAS technologies effectively.

Speakers:

• Lieutenant General Thomas Sharpy, Deputy Chief of Staff Capability Development, Allied Command Transformation, NATO.
• Dr. Juanita Christensen, Director, US Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Centre, US Army.
• Brigadier General Brian Gibson, Commandant, Air Defence Artillery School, US Army.
• Colonel Giles Malec, Commander Joint-GBAD, British Army.
• Colonel Cornelius Kliesing, Head of Capability, Situation, Analysis and Development Branch, German Army HQ.
• Colonel Claudio Icardi, Chief of Concept Development, Centre for Defence Innovation, Italian Armed Forces.
• Full speakers list can be found on the event website.

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