dronelife

A Senate Bill, now on the President’s desk, would require changes in the membership composition of the influential Drone Advisory Committee (DAC). The Drone Advisory Committee was established to provide “independent advice and recommendations” to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation and FAA on drone regulations, according to the DAC charter. S.2730 is titled “Drone […] The post Drone Advisory Committee: Senate Bill Would Require Greater Transparency, Representation appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

There are no Grinches at the FAA. “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced it has granted Santa Claus and his reindeer-powered sleigh special operating authority to engage in interstate air-cargo-delivery services directly to rooftops throughout the United States on Christmas Eve,” says an FAA press release. This year, Santa’s sleigh has been superpowered – […] The post FAA Issues Santa Special Operating Authority to Engage in Interstate Air Cargo Delivery appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

SPH Engineering‘s Drone Show Software (DSS) team initiated the 1st International Drone Show Choreography Competition – and now we have a winner! Angelito D. Jadormeo of the Philippines took 1st place, and you can see his amazing animation below. “Entries were evaluated by an internationally influential jury panel composed of EU, North and Latin American […] The post Drone Show Software Team Initiates 1st International Drone Show Choreography Competition! appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The United States Air Force (USAF) has named Volansi defense subsidiary VOLY Defense Solutions (VDS) to the Skyborg Vanguard Program, a collaboration between best of breed aircraft companies and the USAF to develop next generation experimental aircraft. In a blog post written by Hannan Parvizian, Volansi CEO and Co-Founder, Parvizian says that “the multiple indefinite […] The post Volansi Defense Subsidiary Joins USAF Skyborg Project [VIDEO] appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Want a feel good drone story for the holidays? Check out these videos below – while the delivery went simply from the sidewalk to the front yard, kids receiving stockings by drone got a dual gift: the excitement of a holiday present and exposure to new technology. The Auburn-Hills, MI-based Kids First Initiative is focused […] The post Holiday Drone Drop: Kids First Initiative Delivers Presents by Drone! [VIDEO] appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The next Unmanned Leadership Forum, held January 21, 2021 at 1:00 PM EST will feature leadership from Blue sUAS companies. The Blue sUAS companies have been a hot topic since the list of five “trusted” drone solutions was released by the U.S. Department of Defense. Now, industry leader Randall Warnas of FLIR will meet with […] The post Blue sUAS Companies Come Together for Unmanned Leadership Forum appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Inspection drone provider Flyability has flown into some green skies—scooping up $8.6 million in Series C investment funding. Led by Future Industry Ventures and Swisscom Ventures as well as existing investor, ETF Partners, the infusion will fuel Flyability’s product development and expansion of its indoor drone inspection efforts. Founded in 2014, the Swiss startup specializes in […] The post Swiss Drone Startup Flyability Snags $8.6 million in VC Funding Round appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

DRONERESPONDERS and the Pilot Institute have partnered to provide training and resources on Part 107 for public safety professionals – and help agencies to get a Certificate of Authorization (COA) and build their drone program. DRONERESPONDERS is the leading resource group for public safety and emergency services personnel: providing networking opportunities, working groups, and information […] The post Part 107 for Public Safety Professionals: DRONERESPONDERS and Pilot Institute Partner for Education appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Can you still buy DJI products in the U.S.? Last week, the U.S. Department of Commerce decided to include DJI on a blacklist of foreign companies. Now, the huge community of DJI users in the U.S. has been left unsure of how that will affect them. You can still purchase and use DJI products, […] The post Can I Still Buy DJI Products in the U.S.? The Effects of Dept. of Commerce Decision appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The U.S. Department of Commerce has blacklisted DJI. The world’s largest drone manufacturer has been added to the agency’s “Entity” list along with 76 other companies, including other Chinese technology companies and research institutions. As tensions between the U.S. and China increase, DJI has struggled against fears about the security of their platform, and attempts […] The post DJI Blacklisted by Department of Commerce: U.S. Goverment Adds Company to “Entity” List appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

The drone industry is aware that a functioning Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) system is necessary to integrate drones into the airspace. Beyond UTM, however, there is significant potential for supplemental services that come out of a UTM framework, services that would offer benefits to a wide variety of sectors in the drone industry and beyond: […] The post Beyond Working UTM: How Supplementary Services Could Benefit the Industry appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Royal Mail drone delivery for parcels will soon be available on the Isle of Mull, where a local postman says that the walk to the front door alone can be 30 minutes. In a country-wide first for the U.K., Royal Mail has partnered with a consortium of drone companies: DronePrep, Skyports and what3words “to become […] The post Royal Mail Drone Delivery! Royal Mail is First UK Parcel Carrier to Use Drones appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Skydio autonomous drones stand out because of their ease of use. Now, Skydio is making it even easier with the Autonomy Enterprise Foundation (AEF) for Skydio 2™, and a new training program for certified Skydio pilots. Skydio Autonomy Enterprise Foundation (AEF) is a broad set of advanced AI-pilot assistance capabilities, controlled through the new Skydio Enterprise […] The post Skydio Autonomous Drones: the Autonomy Enterprise Foundation for Skydio 2™ appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Drones manufactured in the U.S. are gaining traction – and a new partnership between U.S. manufacturer Skydio and Arris, a leader in advanced manufacturing of high-performance products, could help to revolutionize drone design and manufacturing. Skydio and Arris “have redefined airframe design leveraging Additive Molding™, Arris’s breakthrough carbon fiber manufacturing technology,” says a press release. Arris’s Additive […] The post Drones Manufactured in the U.S.: Skydio’s New Partnership will Revolutionize Drone Design and Manufacturing appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

Autonomous drone developer Percepto this week announced three regulatory milestones—completing the certifications and a test flight phase that take the Israeli company a step closer to FAA Certification, countrywide EVLOS in Australia and BLOS in Norway. “The completion of the D&R testing phase is a major achievement in the Type Certification process for Percepto and for […] The post Percepto Soars Over Three Drone Regulatory Milestones appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article

At InterDrone, the last big virtual drone show of 2020, FAA Executive Director Jay Merkle engaged in an open discussion with audience members on the future of drone regulation in the U.S. When Will Rules on Remote ID and Ops Over People Be Released? Drone regulation in the U.S. has been focused on Remote ID […] The post What’s Next for Drone Regulation in the U.S.? From the Floor at InterDrone appeared first on DRONELIFE. View the full article