The government has the power to hold drone operators accountable when they operate the remote-control aircraft recklessly, a federal safety board ruled Tuesday in a setback to small drone operators chafing under Federal Aviation Administration restrictions. The National Transportation safety Board, which hears appeals of Federal Aviation Administration enforcement actions, ruled that small drones are […]
Yamaha Demos Agricultural RoboCopter, But Humans Can’t Unleash It Yet
By Evan Ackerman Agriculture is (arguably) where drones are going to be the most useful in the near future. Drones have already proven their usefulness to hobbyists and the military, and agriculture is the next huge commercial frontier. And although commercial drone operation is still waiting for official approval, at least in the United States, […]
McKenna Pursues Federal Regulatory Preemption in Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“UAS”) Arena
McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP (McKenna), on behalf of members of its UAS Advisory Group, has petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) requesting that any Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued by the FAA addressing small unmanned aircraft systems (“sUAS”) include a regulation that expressly preempts state and local regulation of sUAS including design, sale, distribution, use, or operation. […]
One of America’s Biggest Insurance Companies thinks Unmanned Aircraft Could Change the Way It Processes Disaster Claims
BY NEAL UNGERLEIDER One of America’s largest insurance companies has an unorthodox proposal: using unmanned aircraft to speed up insurance claim processing. USAA, which serves millions of U.S. military personnel and their families with financial services, formally petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on October 2 for permission to use drone aircraft to process insurance […]
America can’t lead the world in innovation if the FAA keeps dragging its feet on drone rules
By Larry Downes October 8 at 7:00 AM As the latest revolutionary digital technology takes off, entrepreneurs are finding themselves battling federal regulators for permission just to experiment with new applications. This time, it’s not the FCC (smartphone apps), the FTC (the Internet of Things), the FDA (genetic testing), the Department of Transportation (driverless cars), […]
A Much Greater Hazard Than a Drone
Several ag pilots are killed every year by this hazard which is far more dangerous than a five pound foam drone. If you want a ride in a modern crop duster, click the link below. Be sure to watch out for the met towers. http://www.msn.com/en-us/video/science/flying-low-dodging-towers/vi-BB74SwL
Pigskin Delivery Drone at Michigan Thrown for Loss by FAA
By Alan Levin Sep 19, 2014 11:00 PM CT There was an intentional grounding at the University of Michigan before the Wolverines even opened their football game against the University of Utah today. The Wolverines canceled plans to deliver the game ball to the 50-yard line with a drone after the U.S.Federal Aviation Administration explained […]
Was The Drone Flight Over A University Of Texas Football Game Illegal?
The University of Texas Police are investigating an unauthorized drone flight by a UT student who flew his drone over Darrell K. Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium. The flight took place during the home opener for the Texas Longhorns football team. The flight is the type of seemingly harmless, yet actually irresponsible behavior that irks […]
What UAVs can learn from manned aircraft
By Chris Anderson – 3D Robotics Here’s a very interesting article on Medium from a Marc Ausman, a pilot, on what the lessons in FAA regulation of manned aircraft suggest about the right path for unmanned ones. Excerpt: There are regulations governing how a plane can be operated depending on the weather conditions. Good weather flyers […]