Tabla de contenidos para February 2017 en Drone 360

HAPPY NEW YEAR! I don’t know about you, but I ate and drank my fill over the holidays. I’m kind of glad they’re over. Don’t get me wrong; I love the music and lights and cheer and everything about that time of year. I like the cold. I love snow. And while time away from the office offers plenty of time to fly drones, it also makes getting a magazine out on time a little more difficult. Nevertheless, I (and this issue) made it through. So let me share some random thoughts — which is, as you know, what we devote this section of the magazine to. I’ve devoured more shows than I can count on Netflix in the last year, and one of the things I’ve started noticing with…

Let’s get this out of the way: While I know my way around the drone racing world, I’m far from an FPV expert, and I’m not a drone racer. Not yet, at any rate. However, like many people, I find FPV flight fascinating and exciting (plus, you have to admit,the little guy is pretty cute), so I jumped at the chance to review the Blade Inductrix FPV. You may be familiar with the Tiny Whoop, a popular, modified version of the original Blade Inductrix (explained more by FPV racer Zoe Stumbaugh on Page 20). It’s little wonder that Blade developed an official version to capitalize on the interest, especially for consumers and hobbyists like me who aren’t confident with their ability to mod their quad. BEFORE YOU FLY I’m reviewing…

Not long ago, the only way to get a multirotor aircraft was to build one from a kit or completely from scratch. While the rest of us were satisfied to shoot video with little thought about flying the craft, others were seeking the thrill of flying fast — racing. Now, drone racing has evolved from small groups of drone builders competing within the R/C community to flying in NFL football stadiums and appearing on ESPN. And thanks to drones like the HiTec QuadRacer 280, almost anyone can get in on the fun. Before You Fly For those unfamiliar with the numbering for racers, “280” refers to the farthest distance in millimeters between two motors on the vehicle (usually on the diagonal). The QR280 is not a large aircraft: The entire…

When the FAA announced the addition of Part 107 to Title 14, Aeronautics and Space, of the Code of Federal Regulations, much of the drone industry hailed the rule as a major step forward for the commercial applications of drones. And those applications are many, including (but certainly not limited to) photography, advertising, real estate, filmmaking, journalism, construction, security, agriculture, education, and infrastructure inspections. The former system for receiving commercial drone certification, the Section 333 exemption process, was expensive and time-consuming for would-be commercial drone operators. It was no secret that many industry professionals believed the process was overly prohibitive to legal commercial drone use — but it remained the standard as the FAA worked on specific rules for remote pilot certification and non-hobbyist small UAS flight. Finalized just this…

NASA’S “OUT OF SIGHT” TESTS in Reno, NV, resulted in many groundbreaking accomplishments. The NASA tests presented the first demonstrations of: Multiple drones flying BVLOS with paths separated by altitude. Prioritizing airspace access for emergency response drones through UTM airspace management combined with notification of other UAS operators to clear the area. System detect-and-alert capabilities. Live radar and weather systems provided alerts to UTM operators based on real data measurements. Dynamic rerouting that allows a UAV to request flight plan changes. This allows operators to update missions in response to changing airspace conditions or new mission objectives. Source: NASA…

THE SECOND ANNUAL Drone World Expo was hosted at the San Jose Convention Center in downtown San Jose, Nov. 15-16, 2016. The event focused on commercial unmanned aerial systems (UAS), their uses, case studies, and regulatory information. The 2016 event drew nearly 100 industry exhibitors, 120 speakers, and 2,711 attendees. Gretchen West, senior advisor at Hogan Lovells and cofounder of the Commercial Drone Alliance, served as the conference’s master of ceremonies for the second year in a row. West moderated keynote panels discussing the future of drones and the reality of drone deliveriesin the U.S. with noted UAS experts from companies and institutions as diverse as NASA, Virginia Tech, IBM, X (formerly Google X), and Zipline International. More than 100 speakers for more than 30 conference sessions attended, and companies…

All you need to start FPV drone racing is the right drone, goggles, transmitter, batteries, and charger. Sound overwhelming? It’s not. Let’s pick your drone first, ‘cause that’s always the most fun. Off-the-shelf airframes The biggest little thing to hit the FPV market is the Tiny Whoop — a modified Blade Inductrix ducted-fan quadcopter.Popularized by FPV racer Jesse Perkins and members of Team Big Whoop, the little quad demonstrates the fun and versatility of a micro racer. To create the Tiny Whoop, the 3.3-inch-long Inductrix frame is retrofitted with a micro FPV camera and video transmitter attached to the body via a 3Dprinted mount. Overall, the FPV community is in love with the Tiny Whoop’s small size — andsimply how much fun it is to fly. Not to mention that…

SYSTEM SPECS BLADE ZEYROK BNF Available: Horizon Hobby (horizonhobby.com) Rotor type: Quadcopter Diameter: 9.45 inches Weight: 3.77 ounces Flight time: 8 minutes Price: $69.99 Designed for and targeted toward beginners and the drone-curious, the Blade Zeyrok hits the mark dead on. Available in both ready-to-fly (RTF) and Bind-NFly (BNF) versions that come either with or without a 720p 1.3MP camera, the Zeyrok allows customers to jump into the pool at their exact comfort level. I received the BNF version without the camera for review. The Zeyrok’s unibody fuselage screams that it’s ready to kill alien invaders — or maybe that it is one. Available in bright yellow or green, the airframe ismade from light, durable plastic that didn’t seem all that strong when I took it out of the box.…

One of the best ways to improve the quality of your aerial photos and videos is to use lens filters. While there are a variety of lens options available, PolarPro’s professional-grade line of filters for the DJI Phantom 4 has to be one of the most comprehensive filter sets currently on the market. Whether you are shooting aerial footage under the harsh midday sun or at sunrise and sunset, there’s a filter that will fit any situation you may encounter. PolarPro’s premier filter collection, the Cinema Series, is divided into two sets of three: the Vivid Collection, which includes rotatable ND4/PL, ND8/PL, and ND16/PL filters; and the Shutter Collection, featuring ND16, ND32, and ND64 filters. But these premier filters aren’t for everyone: If you are just looking to get started…

If you’re anything like me, you have your own system for packing up your drone and its related supplies. My system usually involves a case and backpack. Whatever doesn’t fit in one goes in the other. It can make for a lot of kit to haul around,especially if you’re hiking into an area that’s a bit out of the way. I’ve used jackets and cargo shorts in an effort to minimize or better distribute weight, to varying degrees of success. Needless to say, I’ve never found a satisfactory solution. Then SCOTTeVEST came along with the Q.U.E.S.T. As a rule, I’ve never been a fan of sportsman vests. They tend to be bulky and don’t feel quite right. And, if I were to choose between a vest and a light jacket,…

Model aviation pilots were around long before quadcopters lined the shelves at your local Target or Best Buy. But just because they were flying small UAS before the drone craze began doesn’t mean they aren’t within the FAA’s regulatory reach — or does it? On Dec. 14, 2015, the FAA issued the Small UAS (sUAS) Registration Rule, an emergency proviso requiring all U.S. drone owners to register aircraft weighing between .55 and 55 pounds with the Department of Transportation. The announcement came after estimates that up to 1 million drones would sell over the Christmas holiday. This speculation fortified the FAA’s concern that the legions of new, inexperienced fliers would endanger manned aircraft. The mandated registration ruling created an uproar in the drone community,especially within the ranks of the Academy…

The biggest advantage of unmanned aircraft (UA) is that they’re unmanned ? shocking, right? Imagine the possibilities. A fleet of UA could crop dust a predetermined number of fields, reducing the number of man hours and the dangers associated with the sometimes hadrone. The collected data would help an operator identify problems long before a train encountered them, possibly avoiding derailment, environmental catastrophe, and loss of life. But before we can get to the point where drones fly independent, predetermined routes, we have to get comfortable with the notion of flying UA beyond visual line-of-sight (BVLOS). Ultimately, this means removing human pilots — at least to a certain degree. What’s the big deal? At their most basic level, FAA regulations assume that every aircraft has at least one pilot aboard.…

When Drone360 Editor Tim Kidwell said I could pick a drone to review, I quickly snatched up the Dromida HoverShot. Its small frame and flight features had me hooked. The HoverShot ready-to-fly package comes equipped witha quadcopter, four spare props, four AAA batteries, screwdriver, LiPo battery, USB charger, and a 2GB micro-SD memory card. DRONEVIEW APP After reading the manual, I downloaded the DroneView app to my well-loved iPhone 5. Thisfree app allows you to experience FPV and take photos and video with the drone’s 720p camera. Not a fan of the generic name given to your drone’s Wi-Fi? You can spice it up in the app. Photos too darn bright? Don’t worry: Adjust both brightness and contrast in the app. All content can be viewed in the app’s gallery,…

Autonomy has become the new buzzword among consumer drone enthusiasts. They want a drone that can capture aerial photos and videos of their party or their epic bike ride without having to control it directly. This sort of hands-off consumer autonomy has led to crowdfunding campaigns that have producednothing but vaporware, but the Orbit may change that. The Orbit, as envisioned by Skye Intelligence, is an autonomous- tracking drone that locks onto a GPS transmitter rather than the controller. This means a truly hands-free experience as you run and the drone follows along, recording videos and photos from the air. The whole idea behind the Orbit is that it makes sharing aerial images easier and allow the subjects to act naturally, not with an R/C controller in hand. I’m not…

These three gnarly nano drones from Rochester, NY-based Aerix Drones (formally Axis Drones) are perfect for both the beginner and veteran drone pilot. Falling in the former camp, I was looking to earn my wings with these little fliers before graduating to a larger class of quads. And earn them I did. TURBO-X After eagerly unboxing all three of these bad boys, I opted to fly the Aerix Turbo-X first — primarily because, as a Broncos fan, I’m a sucker for the color orange. As it turns out, you can order the Aerix Nano Drone for Beginners in orange as well. Like the name implies, that’s probably the better option for the first-time-flyer — but I wassmitten with the orange quad, and so the Turbo-X is where my Aerix adventure…

During the summer of 2014, 22-year-old Houston resident Austin Beaulier was feeling hot, cranky, and a little bored. While restlessly channel surfing one day, he came across an episode of the robot combat series Battlebots. Growing up, he’d loved the show — and looking around his living room, he realized he might be able to one-up the bots on screen. A couple of hours later, his DJI Phantom FC40 swooped around his backyard, a Nerf Combat Attacknid tied onto its frame. “I had no soldering skills at the time, so it’s basically taped together,” he says. At first, instead of 12 foam darts machine-gunning out of the drone,it veered left and crashed into a tree. After a little rewiring, it was airborne again — this time with a lighter load.…

JERKY ON DECK Ever get that feeling that your snacks are just too darn far away? Fear no more, Jerkybot’s here. The Jerkybot is a collaborative effort between Randy Scott Slavin, founder of the NYC Drone Film Festival, and Andy Shen, drone designer and founder of Shendrones. Slavin and Shen collaborated with Thinkmodo, a viral marketing agency, to bring the vision of a hovering snack tray to life. On his website, Shen details the Jerkybot’s design challenges during its months-long development — creating a drone that’s designed to put your hands near it, ensuring the airframe couldcarry some tasty jerky, and designing a drone that looks like a cutting board. Apparently, snack UAVs don’t make themselves. To up the viral factor of the video, former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz…