UAS Digest #10—the volume of information about this fascinating and expanding form of aviation continues to expand. Here is a collection of articles which pose policy issues, technical developments and news impacting this business.
Bad News
→ Drone hits the Seattle Great Wheel—Some thoughtless, reckless Drone Pilot flies a drone into a Seattle icon, crashes into an outdoor restaurant and damaged a table. These types of incidents may cause Congress to restrict the future use of UASs. Yes, each of us has a right to operate a drone, but with that “right” comes a duty or responsibility.
This would have been an instance, if the drone was registered, that post-accident, the FAA could have traced this UAS to the owner (who might claim that his vehicle was stolen). Here’s the video.
FAA Policy and Authorizations
→ FAA Administrator Opens UAS Registration Meeting—The parameters of the task force’s work.
→ Statement: UAS Registration Task Force Day Two—Update
→ UAS Registration Task Force Day Three Update—Update
→ The FAA is about to require recreational drone registration. Here are the recommended rules.—The Washington Post reports on what the Task Force participants say, without attribution, the registration rules will look like.
→ Rush to Drone Registration—a Reality Check—Some critical thoughts on Registration as a safety strategy
→ The FAA Approves the Tennessee Titans to Record Practice With Drone Cameras—An NFL team gets a §333 exemption for practice, “we’re talking about PRACTICE.”
Insurance
→ Aviation insurer offers ground rules for drones—some of the headlines of the advice:
- Choose the best system for the job…
- Choose a safe operating system…
- Maintain a safe distance….
- Have a qualified drone…
- Manage risk…
- Require routine drone maintenance from third-party operators…
- Require insurance…
- Carry non-owned insurance…
Legislative Information
→ As Drone Use Grows, Reps Eye Threat from Bioterrorism—The House Homeland Security Committee heard from Former Senator Lieberman, former DHS Secretary Tom Ridge, and Dr. Leonard Cole, Director of the Terror Medicine and Security Program from Rutgers Medical School. One of the members in attendance commented:
“If federal law enforcement is having a hard time detecting drones flying over the border with drugs, what makes us think we would have the capability to detect a drone that would carry a bioterrorism agent? Well, we can’t. At least not right now.”
Market Forecast
→ New report shares details about the United States unmanned aerial vehicle market 2015—very detailed assessment and analysis
Operational Developments
→ Aurora Flight Sciences and Stratasys Deliver World’s First Jet-Powered, 3D Printed UAV in Record Time—Israel develops a high speed drone which can be manufactured by a 3D printer. Fast in sky and fact to market.
Here’s the video.
→ BitDrones: These Drones Are Like Floating Lego Bricks—Amazing how drones can be used to help conceptualize new spatial structures!!! Here’s the video.
Privacy
→ In EPIC Lawsuit, FAA Concedes Drone Privacy Risks—report on the litigation by the privacy advocates.
Research—Academic/Business—Teaching
→ Jindal Students Help Get Business Ideas Off Ground with Drone Work—local businesses and university team together to create an incubator of ideas of applying UAS technology to enterprises.
→ With state-of-the-art projects, NED students try to break the market—A university in Karachi is exploring new uses for these aerial vehicles.
→ Drones Go To College: Northwest Universities Add Programs in Unmanned Aerial Systems—
- The University of Washington’s Autonomous Flight Systems Laboratory is working on how civilian drones can safely share the skies with manned aircraft.
- Drones in forestry at Oregon State University and for automating farming tasks at Washington State University.
- Oregon and Washington are standing up vocational UAS operator courses.
- Within the last year, Central Oregon Community College in Bend and Green River College in Auburn, Washington, established Associate of Applied Science degrees in unmanned aerial systems.
Regulatory Policy
No new news to report
Technology Development and Research
→ Robo Raven: A drone that actually does fly like a bird—the Army is developing a bird like drone for potential uses—hovering, quieter, less likely to be detected.
→ DJI opens up drone possibilities with new development platform—taking the Apple approach to developers, DJI allows technologists to use its utility systems.
→ The future of drones is apps—the expansion of the UAS function will be enhanced by new applications.
Restrictions from other than the Federal Government
No new news to report
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