Josh Spires

Researchers at Virginia Tech’s impact lab flew a DJI Mavic 2 Pro into the windshield of a car at 62.5 mph to see what damage would be caused. The test was in partnership with Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, the College of Engineering, and State Farm to evaluate drone collision risks with a moving car.

Drone solution company uAvionix has just announced its ping200X drone transponder has received FAA TSO certification, making it the first to do so. The transponder allows drones to meet the requirements of global controlled airspace.

Drone pilot Hugh Pollock was able to capture a double-decker bus on fire earlier this week due to the Belfast riot using a drone. The bus being alighted resulted from a petrol bomb being thrown at it by one of the nearby protestors.

InterDrone has released the list of speakers at the InterDrone 2021 conference, with industry leaders from Skydio, Auterion, NUAIR, Iris Automation, and more set to appear. There are close to 100 speakers in total with backgrounds in energy, infrastructure, public safety, regulation, and construction.

US drone maker Skydio has been named Frost & Sullivan’s 2021 Company of the Year for its world-class performance in the commercial drone industry. The award recognizes companies that demonstrate excellence in visionary innovation performance as well as customer impact.

Drone company SkyTask has announced it has received an FAA waiver to conduct BVLOS flights at the Colorado State University Drone Center. The waiver is a large milestone for the company, allowing it to continue testing its drone-based asset monitoring and inspection programs.

UPS Flight Forward has announced it will be using Beta Technologies’ ALIA-250c cargo delivery drone to enhance its drone delivery network. The drone will deliver goods between UPS facilities, making hardly any noise with its silent props.

A very newcomer in the world of agriculture drones, Guardian Agriculture has launched with $10.5 million in funding from some of the world’s largest agribusiness leaders. The company officially announced its launch yesterday and plans to bring digital farming to the United States with US-built drones.

The Minnesota Interagency Fire Center has sent out a message to drone pilots to remind them not to fly anywhere near wildfires. The fire department shared the reminder in a press release with a great way for everyone to remember it. When you fly, we can’t.

Fire managers across Virginia are turning to drones to help start prescribed burns to save time and ensure the correct areas are burned. The drone drops “dragon eggs” made up of a combustible material that ignites on impact with the ground.

French drone manufacturer Parrot has announced its new bug bounty program in partnership with the European crowdsourced security platform YesWeHack. The company will have access to the platform’s community of cybersecurity researchers to find any vulnerabilities in its drones, mobile applications, and web services.

The NAAA (National Agricultural Aviation Association) asks that all drone pilots be extra mindful of low-flying agricultural aircraft as the industry continues to struggle on the back of the pandemic, making any delay a much bigger issue than it would have been pre-pandemic.

Wireless charging company WiBotic has announced it has received CE approval for two of its charging systems, marking a major milestone. The CE mark assures customers that products traded in the European Economic Area (EEA) meet rigid safety, health, and environmental protection requirements.

Drone manufacturer Pipistrel has selected Honeywell’s Attitude Heading Reference System and Air Data Module for its Nuuva V300 cargo drone. The module will allow for critical navigation and motion-sensing data to be stored and transmitted back to the ground.

After seeing a video of the DJI Air 2S leak yesterday, the cycle continues with new images of what looks to be the DJI Air 2S’ Fly More Combo packaging and the drone. If the image is legit, this means the new drone is just around the corner and will likely release in the next month or so.

NUAIR and Droneresponders have fortified their relationship to get drones into the hands of more New York State agencies. The move comes as agencies are continuing to find ways to save time, money, and resources by using drones.

A woman lost in China’s Tianyuan District was found within 20 minutes after a DJI Matrice 300 drone was deployed to help out in the search and rescue mission. The woman, who has intellectual and mental disabilities, was picking tea with her sister when she wandered off and became lost.

Last week, a couple stranded on the side of a canyon was saved with the help of a drone equipped with a zoom camera. Utah’s Weber County Sheriff’s Office deployed the drone just minutes after arriving on the scene, cutting down the search time.

As a part of car company Genesis’ entry into China, it has turned it up a notch with 3,281 drones in a record-breaking drone show. The company’s entry into China saw it hold a brand night on April 2 at Shanghai’s International Cruise Terminal, with the drone show following shortly after titled “Genesis of Genesis.”

Everdrone has announced it will expand its life-saving drone delivery service after receiving special permission from the Swedish Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). The extra operating service will give 200,000 people access to emergency medical drone deliveries.

At the end of last month and the beginning of this month, Brussels Airport partnered with Skeyes to test the use of drones around the airport to increase the safety, security, and efficiency of operations. The two also tested a drone detection system that will keep it safe from rogue drones entering the airspace.