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

FAA progress in meeting the UAS mandate, an update on plans at the Griffiss International Airport UAS test site, a former United States governor is hiding from the drones, a system to monitor river environments, maintaining UAS control in the airspace with satellites, and drones at the Olympics.

The News:

FAA reports on drones and NextGen

Hearing reveals FAA behind on NextGen, UAS, consolidation

A Congressional hearing was held to check on the progress made by the FAA in meeting the roughly 200 mandates of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012. The FAA is behind schedule on the Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and integration of UAS into the national airspace system.

Experts explain drone plans at Griffiss

A panel has described the activities expected at the UAS test site at Griffiss International Airport in upstate New York. This site is a partnership between Griffiss and the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance (NUAIR) based in Syracuse.

Testing at Griffiss will begin around April 1, with a focus on agricultural, not military applications. Flyterra (@Flyterra on Twitter) will be the first commercial flyer of drones at the base, and they expect to test for about eight months.

Jesse Ventura Freaks Out CNBC: I’m ‘Off the Grid’ So ‘Drones Can’t Find Me’

Jesse Ventura is a former professional wrestler, Minnesota Mayor and Governor, actor, and current host of the Conspiracy Theory television series. He says he’s “gone off the grid” down in Mexico. Why? So the drones can’t find him.

Marsupial robotic system enables environmental monitoring of rivers

A system that combines a multi-rotor UAV with an autonomous surface vehicle (ASV) has been developed for environmental monitoring of rivers. The “Riverwatch” system automatically measures conditions above the water, below the water, and on the surface.

The six-rotor UAV is based on the VBrain from the Italian company Virtualrobotix. It uses open-source control software and hardware, and has a FLIR Quark 336 thermal imaging camera equipped with a GoPro Hero 3 WiFi camera, and a webcam.

Europe To Demonstrate Space-Based UAS Airspace Integration

The DeSIRE project (Demonstration of Satellites enabling the Insertion of Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems in Europe) looks to test UAS control via satellite communications. The European Defense Agency (EDA) and European Space Agency (ESA) will cooperate to demonstrate that UAS can operate commercial and government missions beyond radio line-of-sight using satellite-based command-and-control data links.

Drones Buzz Sochi

UAVs are providing HD video of Olympic events for television broadcast.

Video of the Week: DJI Phantom – Niagara Falls

From the Listener Mail:

Andreas Raptopoulos: No roads? There’s a drone for that

Renault unveils mini-SUV equipped with a QUADCOPTER DRONE

Security camera captures National Corvette Museum sinkhole as it forms

Drones for defense says Navy, the CPB Predator B russels up a conviction, drones go nuke, a quadcopter that thinks its a Falcon, the AMA and FAA come together, and spotting a fire.

The News:

Bring on the Countermeasure Drones

Rethinking the drone as a defensive weapon rather than offensive. The UCAV can be used to protect the Carrier Battle Fleet while manned systems take on the offense. Also, the drones can act as deception device to fool sea skimming missiles. This is not a new idea – the ADM-20 Quail decoy would be dropped from a B-52 and to radar would look like 3 B-52s in formation.

Predator drone helps convict North Dakota farmer in first case of its kind

After an armed standoff over cattle rustling, the County Sheriff requested that Customs and Border Protection monitor a 3000 acre farm. The Predator B ( CPB Reaper) gathered enough evidence to arrest and convict the suspect.

Drones used to measure radiation in Fukushima nuclear plant

The tsunami that devastated Japan and killed thousands of people also took out the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The resulting radiation leak exceeds levels that are safe for humans. The Japanese Atomic Energy Agency and the Japanese Space Exploration Agency have developed a fixed-wing drone to monitor radiation levels.

Drone with legs can perch, watch and walk like a bird

Multicopters generally don’t have sophistocated landing gear. After studying bird landings, Vishwa Robotics in Brighton, Massachusetts has developed legs modeled after the American Kestrel.

AMA/FAA sign memorandum of understanding

The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have agreed to collaborate on safe operation of model aircraft in the national airspace.

Fire In Branford Quarry; Evacuation Order Lifted

Firefighters use a quadcopter to evaluate a fire near a dynamite stockpile.

A proposal for licensing and permitting small UAV operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection grounds their fleet, quadcopters filming whales, and drinking and droning don’t mix.

Proposal for UAV/sUAV Licensing/Phased Permitting Plan

Listener Tim Trott submitted a proposal for a collection of UAV classes, each with requirements for airframe type (multi-copter or fixed wing), weight, altitude, operation in private or public areas, VLOS or FPV, logging, observer requirements, safety and flight testing, insurance, and collision avoidance capability:

Class E – Experimental/Photographic

Under 5 pounds, VLOS only, under 100 feet above terrain, private property only (no public areas). No spectators within 25 feet. Observer required. Multicopter (sUAV) only. Insurance required (AMA or better). Airframe Certification form, logging required. Written safety test, Level E Proficiency flight test. Interim 1 year temporary permits pending full rule implementation.

Class D – Motion Picture/Corporate/News/Journalist

Under 20 pounds, VLOS only, limited to 400 ft above terrain unless flight plan filed and approved. Insurance required, private property only (no public areas without permit). Observer required. No spectators within 25 feet. Fixed wing and multicopter sUAV. Airframe Certification form, logging required. Written safety test, Level D Proficiency flight test.

Class C – Agricultural/Industrial

Under 25 pounds, FPV supervision, limited to 400 feet above terrain. Insurance required, private property only (no public areas). Observer required, no spectators within 25 feet. Fixed wing and multicopter UAV. Observer required. Airframe Certification form, logging required. Written safety test, Level C Proficiency flight test.

Class B – Public Safety/Utility (Fire, rescue, public safety, pipeline and waterway monitoring)

Under 30 pounds, FPV supervision. Under 400 feet above terrain, above 400 feet with filed flight plan. No spectators within 25 ft. Public and private airspace. Fixed wing and multicopter UAV. FAA Review. Collision Avoidance System required. (LIDAR) Airframe Certification form, logging required. Written safety test, Level B Proficiency flight test. Commercial/Private Pilot Rating accepted in lieu of written test.

Class A – Heavy Class (State, Municipal, Federal Agency)

Over 30 lbs, FPV supervision, under 400 feet above terrain, above 400 feet with filed flight plan, Insurance. Tracking or visual observer required, no spectators within 25 feet. Fixed wing and multicopter UAV. FAA Review. Collision Avoidance System required. (LIDAR) Airframe Certification form, logging required. Written safety test, Level A Proficiency flight test. Commercial Pilot Rating accepted in lieu of written test.

Class O – Observer

Requires written Basic Safety test.

Proficiency Flight Test may be administered by designated certification instructor or licensed flight instructor.

Safety Test would be comprised of questions relating to 400 foot height limits, knowledge of 500 foot limits for manned aircraft, restrictions related to airports and heliports, spectator distance, VLOS requirement, observer requirement, minimum flight distance from utilities, highways, railroads and buildings, other rules.

Find Tim at Tim Trott Productions and Flying Eye Video.

The News:

U.S. Border Protection Agency Grounds Drone Fleet

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection Predator B experienced mechanical failure and was unable to return to base. So the flight crew ditched the Predator in the Pacific Ocean and has grounded the fleet. The Predator B is flown by the CBP Office of Air and Marine.

Is whale watching with drones next big trend?

A California whale-watching organization used a quadcopter to create video of a whale at sea. This has created new questions about this type of UAV application. The Marine Mammal Protection Act makes it illegal to harass or alter the behavior of marine mammals. NOAA has whale-watching guidelines that suggest boaters keep 100 yards away from whales, and planes and helicopters stay 1000 feet above. What about a sUAS fifty feet above a whale?

FAA Stops Beer Drone Delivery

Lakemaid micro brewery was delivering 6 packs to ice fishermen via multi-copter, but the FAA said, “No!”

This Episode:

Commercial use of drones, what the FAA plans to deliver by 2015, sites developing UAS technology other than the selected six, and a common operating system for drones.

The News:

Federal ban on drones doesn’t stop photography

The FAA has a ban on commercial use of use of unmanned aircraft. Yet some people seem to be pulling it off. How? According to the website of Phoenix real estate photography company Aerial Raiders, they “fly for free.” They do, however, charge for editing and consulting.

FAA: ‘Demonstrations,’ Not Integration of Unmanned Aircraft in U.S. Skies in 2015

The U.S. Congress mandated that the FAA fully integrate unmanned aerial vehicles into the national airspace by 2015. When asked by the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee if the FAA would meet that date, FAA chief Michael Huerta didn’t exactly say “yes.”

Weeks After FAA Test Site Designation, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi Conducts Drone Research

The FAA picked the six UAS test sites, and activity is starting right away. Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi is testing the American Aerospace RS-16 UAV over ranchland.

New UAS testing, training facility proposed

But others are also taking action. The Arizona Sierra Vista Economic Development Foundation (SVEDF) says they will provide a 160-acre testing and training facility to businesses for commercial UAS applications. The Tucson-based Cyclone Autonomous Design Group is one of the companies planning to test its UAS ISR product (intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance) for safety applications, to assist firefighters, police, soldiers, etc.

Ohio, Indiana push for place in drone industry

Duane Embree, the executive director of the Indiana Office of Defense Development, says “Companies and others will need places where they can test a little, design a little, and then test more. We can essentially do everything we were going to do — just without the FAA designation.”

US Army to install ground-based UAV radar at five sites by 2016

The Ground-Based Sense and Avoid Network or GBSAA is designed to meet the FAA requirements for full size drones in domestic airspace. The sites (at Army installations) were chosen were because they currently have a mission using MQ-1C Grey Eagle, the largest UAS currently operated by the US Army.

Windows for drones? One start-up is dreaming big

The Defense Department would like to see some standard, cross-platform, off-the-shelf software. LA-based DreamHammer has created the open Ballista OS.

From the Listeners:

• Drones Monitor Student Exams as Campus Sky Spies
• First weekend in May 2013 (Eric’s video from a DGI Phantom and GoPro)

Guest Manie Kohn is the Owner and Creative Director of DontTellMeSHOWME.com, and a trained, certified, and insured civilian drone operator.

Manie tried using helicopters for real estate shoots, but found those lacking in some important aspects. After trying alternatives, nothing satisfactory, he turned to UAVs. Manie found those better, but not perfect for his needs.

He began to share his experiences and advice with the manufacturers and also the insurance underwriters, focusing on safety and drone capability, With the accessibility of drones, there is a need for training and certification to help ensure safe operation. That includes minimum training standards, such as FAA ground school or other approved training programs.

Manie considers four important components for his ideal drone: the flight characteristics of the aircraft itself, the gimbal that stabilizes the camera, the camera itself (still, video, or both), and the FPV and data link.

Mentioned:

Draganfly

DJI Phantom

XProHeli

Guest Lawrence H. Brinker is Executive Director and General Counsel for the Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research (NUAIR) Alliance, the New York and Massachusetts UAS research and test site. Larry is also a former Air Force and commercial pilot.

We talk about the formation of the NUAIR Alliance as the managing UAS site operator for New York and Massachusetts, where the main test objective is going to be air and ground borne sense and avoid radar.

Larry tells us about the facilities at Griffis and Joint Base Cape Cod, and the corridors that will be instrumented for collection of data to establish sense and avoid protocols. Manufacturers and other parties who will use the test range will have the ability to test their technology. The FAA is but one customer of the range. They'll analyze the data to come up with regulations.

Besides collaboration with the other UAS test sites, NUAIR sees public education as part of their mandate. They intend to take a lesson from early commercial aviation where World War One pilots barnstormed across the country, thus introducing airplanes to a population concerned about safety. Larry says public perception and public demand are keys to commercial success.

Visit the NUAIR Alliance website and follow them on Twitter.

This Episode:

At the end of December, the FAA announced the six congressionally-mandated UAS research and test sites that are a key part of the U.S. roadmap integrating UAS into the national airspace. These sites, operated by public entities, will perform research, and develop operational experience and needed technologies.

• FAA selected Six Drone Testing Sites

The Sites:

The University of Alaska

Geography: seven climatic zones, and locations in Hawaii and Oregon.

Mission: standards for unmanned aircraft categories, state monitoring and navigation, safety standards for UAS operations.

• University of Alaska, Frontier Scientists, Alaska’s Unmanned Aircraft Research
• Drone test sites spell opportunity for companies
• Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI)

State of Nevada

Geography: geographic and climatic diversity.

Mission: UAS standards and operations, operator standards, certification requirements. Also, how air traffic control procedures will evolve with the introduction of UAS into the civil environment, integration with NextGen.

• Nevada Selected as UAV Development Center
• Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems (NIAS)

New York’s Griffiss International Airport

Geography: The congested, northeast airspace.

Mission: Test and evaluation, verification and validation processes under FAA safety oversight. Sense and avoid capabilities for UAS.

• Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance

North Dakota Department of Commerce

Geography: Temperate (continental) climate zone

Mission: UAS airworthiness essential data, validate high reliability link technology, human factors research. (Local officials are hoping to also look specifically into agricultural applications.)

• UND Aerospace, Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Research
• North Dakota Pitches Itself As a Utopia for Drones
• FAA Selects Grand Forks to Be UAS Test Site

Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi

Geography: geographic and climactic diversity.

Mission: System safety requirements for UAS vehicles and operations, protocols and procedures for airworthiness testing.

• FAA accepts Texas A&M-Corpus Christi’s unmanned aircraft test site proposal
• The Vehicle Systems & Control Laboratory

Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech)

Geography: locations in Virginia and New Jersey.

Mission: UAS failure mode testing, operational and technical risks areas.

• Virginia Center for Autonomous Systems (VaCAS)

This Episode:

A successful first sense and avoid flight, a Russian drone killer, UAS test site selection approaches, and a drone hunting proposal is going to the voters.

The News:

General Atomics tests UAV that can “sense and avoid” other aircraft

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. has had a successful first test flight in California of a prototype Sense and Avoid (SAA) system, using a Predator B. Developing SAA is key to allowing UAS in the U.S. airspace. Radar, transponder, and traffic alert systems all worked together for the first time to detect other aircraft. This is not an optical system. Instead, it integrates three systems:

1. BAE Systems’ AD/DPX-7 Identification Friend-or-Foe (IFF) transponder with Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver
2. 
   
3. the General Atomics Due Regard Radar (DRR)
4. 
   
5. Honeywell’s TPA-100 Traffic Collision Avoidance System or TCAS.

Russia upgrades Pantsir-S systems to create “UAV-killers”

With unmanned aircraft playing an increasing role in military operations, it was only a matter of time until we began to see UAV-specific countermeasures. The Russians are modifying their Pantsir-S (SA-22 Greyhound) gun-missile system to make it more effective at bringing down UAVs.

Freight-Drone Dream Has U.S. States Vying for Test Sites

Twenty-four States are vying to become UAS test sites where private researchers can study how unmanned aircraft can be integrated into the airspace. The FAA plans to announce the six sites before the end of 2013.

Colorado judge rules in favor of holding drone-hunting vote after legal fight

Remember Deer Trail, that Colorado town that is looking at a proposal to issue hunting permits for drones? A District Judge rejected a legal challenge and so now the town’s 370 voters will decide the matter April 1, 2014. The FAA maintains it’s position that shooting down aircraft is a criminal act.

An annual license would cost $25, and hunters would receive a $100 bounty for “identifiable parts of an unmanned aerial vehicle whose markings and configuration are consistent with those used on any similar craft known to be owned or operated by the United States federal government.”

This Episode:

Guest Bob Schmidt is President, UAV Propulsion Tech, a U.S. technical sales rep firm that markets German and Australian technology into the U.S. Unmanned Aerial Vehicle market. We talk about A Mexico Mayor buying drones, the secret RQ-180, a sub-launched stealth, and drones that heal themselves.

UAV Propulsion Tech solutions include consumer off the shelf (COTs) and custom propulsion and servo solutions, as well as rescue/recovery parachute solutions that protect high value air vehicle and payload assets. Companies represented are: Orbital Australia and Hirth Motors for propulsion systems, Volz Servos for actuators and Skygraphics for rescue/recovery parachute solutions.

The News:

Tijuana Mayor to buy Drones

Tijuana plans to buy 3D Robotics RTF quadcopter drones to monitor traffic, evaluate accident scenes, detect landslides, and control wildfires.

Secret New UAS Shows Stealth, Efficiency Advances

An AviationWeek exclusive describes the secret RQ-180 designed for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Developed by Northrop Grumman and now flying, this stealth UAS could be operational in 2015.

U.S. Navy Fires “XFC” Drone from Underwater Submarine

The XFC UAS is an all-electric, fuel cell-powered, unmanned aerial system

Drones learn how to keep flying when damaged

Aircraft maintain flight stability based on a fixed vehicle configuration. When something breaks on a drone, like a rotor blade, it crashes. Unless the control software is intelligent enough to detect the changed configuration and adaptively react.

In this video, the vibrating propellor on a quadcopter breaks off. Without the adaptive software, it drops like a stone. With adaptive software, it starts to tumble, reacts and becomes partially stable, and lands itself quickly and safely.

Max’s Quadcopter:

No flights this past week as Max was taken out by a bad cold.

This Episode:

Using a drone to smuggle contraband into a prison, learn to fly unmanned vehicles at a University, UAV privacy laws carve out drones as a special case, drones are blocked even for humanitarian purposes, the Amazon.com vision for UAS, and how to hack a drone.

The News:

Drones used to try to smuggle contraband into jail

Prison guards, probably among the most perceptive people, noticed a hexacopter over Calhoun State Prison in Georgia. Four people were arrested after the drone was found in a car with some tobacco and mobile phones – desirable items for the incarcerated.

So you want to FLY Drones

After becoming interested in this field, the author joined a Drone Pilot Training Certificate program at the Unmanned Vehicle University (UVU), which was founded in 2012. The three-phase Certificate has students complete an online “ground school” from home, then computer flight training simulation, and finally actual flight school.

Flightless Drones

We think about privacy concerns associated with Unmanned Aerial Systems, but what makes drones so different? Shouldn’t we be looking at privacy from a general surveillance perspective, regardless of the technology? What about other robotic or autonomous devices that can snoop on you?

Civilian Drones Movie

This documentary presents compelling examples of actual search and rescue operations (SAR) where drones played a critical role. These are real people with lost loved ones. The non-profit search team of volunteers has been declared by the FAA to be in an official capacity, not essential, and therefore forbidden.

The Texas Equusearch SAR team featured in the documentary uses a variety of resources (divers, searchers on horseback, etc.) and has conducted 1300 searches across the U.S. They found the RP Flight Systems Spectra to be invaluable in locating missing persons.

Two producers of the documentary were interviewed on Episode 280 of the “All Things That Fly” podcast, about 14 minutes in. Their mission is “Spreading the word about the humanitarian use of civilian drones” and you can find them on Twitter as @CivilianDrones.

Amazon’s Hopes For Drone Deliveries

Amazon.com has produced a concept video showing an octocopter load a package and deliver it to the front walk of the purchasing family’s home. While limited to 5-pound packages, Amazon says that covers 86% of the packages shipped. They say such a service could be deployed within five years.

Flying hacker contraption hunts other drones, turns them into zombies

Well known hacker Samy Kamkar has released the specifications needed to turn a Parrot AR Drone into “SkyJack,” which can hijack nearby Parrot drones.

Max’s Quadcopter:

Max now has a Blade Nano QX quad-copter that he’s learning to fly, although not very successfully so far. The “buy small and don’t spend a lot of money” strategy for the first multi-copter is proving to be a good one since Max crashes the thing a lot.