Tabla de contenidos para August 2017 en Drone 360

JUST CHILLIN’ Come on in, the water’s freezing! This little otter was floating in Kasitsna Bay, south of Anchorage, AK, when research group ACUASI snapped this aerial shot. To learn more about the role drones play in Alaska, flip to Page WING’S THE THING Multirotor helis get all the press. But fixed-wing drones have been around for as long or longer and have capabilities that their multirotor cousins don’t. Leaf to Page 72 and see what these unsung UAS heroes can do.…

THE TRUMP administration has created a new draft bill to clear the way for counter-drone initiatives and technologies. Obtained by the New York Times, the draft outlines the potential for the federal government to monitor, track, seize, and destroy drones perceived to be threatening public safety and security. The draft bill would enable individuals designated by the head of a federal department or agency to interfere with the operation of drones “to evaluate whether [the drone] poses a threat to the safety or security” of covered facilities or operations. This would include medical evacuations, prisons, wildland firefighting, or law enforcement operations. If the draft bill gains traction, counter-drone technology companies like Droneshield and Dedrone stand to benefit immensely. But, as the proposed legislation explains, counter-drone measures currently face legal hurdles.…

AFTER DOING a quick hover test in my yard with the Vortex 150 quadcopter, I was excited to get it to the park so I could get behind the goggles. Once I did, my jaw dropped. I actually found myself laughing out loud as this little quad zoomed off. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. BEFORE YOU FLY This drone is extremely compact and comes nested safely inside an equally compact box, protected by foam padding. Also, it is fully assembled, except for the receiver and props. The frame consists of carbon-fiber top and bottom body plates, as well as carbon-fiber top arm plates. The quad also has plastic sides to protect the arms and FPV camera. Although this is not the smallest quadcopter with 3-inch props, it is…

THE DROMIDA KODO FPV is an all-in-one set with the essential gear needed to fly this tiny drone out of the box. Download the app on your smartphone, connect it to the Wi-Fi camera, and fly line-of-sight or with the included FPV goggles. The controller has a preprogrammed flip button built into the 2.4GHz radio system so you can start stunt flying right away and impress your friends! The LiPo battery comes with a USB fast charger, and the FPV goggles adjust to accommodate any Android or Apple smartphone. Gotta love versatility. HIGHLIGHTS 2.4GHz radio with smartphone holder Sunshade FPV goggles LiPo battery and USB charger $89.99…

RISK MANAGEMENT: You may not think about it, but we all do it. From how fast you drive your car to how high you fly your drone, you’re assessing and managing risk. If you’re going to fly drones commercially, you’ll have to manage risk for your business, too. A robust risk management program — the process of analyzing your organization’s risk exposure and determining how to best minimize the probability or effects of negative events — is the only thing that helps ensure, no matter what happens to your drones, your business can thrive. While compliance with FAA rules governing commercial drone use is a must, that’s just a start. You need to think about and, what’s more, understand your risk profile when initiating drone operations. What regulations affect your…

DRONE RELAY Many people are hesitant about the concept of drone delivery — understandable, considering the safety and reliability issues that surround drones. A recent IBM patent throws another safety variable into the mix. The IBM patent outlines a system wherein drones would be able to extend package delivery distance, which sounds nice. However, the drones would accomplish this feat by handing off packages in midair — most likely not the way you’d like your precious cargo to be handled. I commend IBM for the innovative spirit, but this seems just a touch too ambitious. Even if he handoff system is effective 99% of the time (and that’s being generous), there will still be that 1% when something inevitably goes wrong. And that customer won’t be happy when the box…

CHANGE SOMETIMES COMES AT YOU HARD ... and fast. For anyone who wasn’t keeping up with the court battle over the FAA hobby drone registration rule (aka the Taylor case), it must have seemed like a bolt from the blue when the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals vacated the requirement. The decision even shocked many of us who have been keeping an eye on the case. It still remains to be seEn how the decision affects the real world, other than not having to worry about registering your drone anymore. But we can feel the effects of other changes more swiftly. For instance, since Jan. 20, 2017, there has been practically a complete regulatory freeze at the federal level. Specifically for us, that means that rules for flying drones in…

PARROT, maker of popular and lovable consumer drones, is moving further into the commercial drone market. This news comes after its March announcement of the Parrot Bebop-Pro 3D Modeling bundle. The new offerings include the Disco-Pro AG and the Bebop-Pro Thermal. The Disco- Pro AG will use Parrot’s Sequoia multispectral sensor, and the Bebop-Pro Thermal will use FLIR infrared sensors. Parrot describes these items as “complete and multi-purpose decision-making tools designed for professionals.” The packages are designed as “all-in-one” solutions with moderate price points for “prosumer” customers in industries like agriculture, construction, and insurance. Chris Roberts, Parrot’s chief sales and marketing officer, says the Parrot Professional line is meant to cater to the needs of “small and medium enterprise businesses.” Parrot’s endeavors into commercial drones should come as no surprise,…

Martha Stewart is many things: former model, bestselling author, television personality, lifestyle blogger, and America’s most fabulous grandmother. Everything she does is glamorous, stylish, or delicious. But when we heard Martha is also a drone pilot, we had to ask her — how do drones fit into the lifestyle of a homemaking business mogul? A drone for all seasons You may have a hard time picturing her flying a drone — women, especially women of a certain age, are drastically under-represented in the drone hobby. But from Martha’s perspective, it’s the perfect tool for managing her sprawling estate. “If you saw my properties, you would immediately understand how using a drone helps me plan the landscape of each property and organize the vibrancy of each unique design,” she says. Since…

AZORES ISLANDS, PORTUGAL CAPTURE: Jagged shores, lush and green farmland, man-made pools built into natural rock, volcanoes. TIP: Terceira Island is sparsely populated, so I found it easy to fly without bothering anyone. All the islands are small, so make sure you’re not flying near any airports. And no matter where you go, make sure you read up on local laws and regulations. You never want to travel and find out your drone isn’t welcome. — Renée Lusano PEGGY’S COVE, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA CAPTURE: Famous lighthouse, granite bluffs, fishing villages, epic sunsets. TIP: At first it might seem like there isn’t a lot going on in Nova Scotia, but it’s a great place to take drone photos and dronies. Get creative with your angles, movements, and compositions. I also suggest…

Every time you step onto an airplane, you fully expect to get from point A to point B. Despite the complexity of the systems designed to get you safely to your destination, you probably take them for granted. Safety may be an afterthought for airline passengers, but aviation authorities around the world have made it their top priority. As a result, air traffic control systems and technologies that support the aviation framework function reliably and consistently to ensure safe flight. Radar, air traffic control systems, and automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) transponders all make sure that millions of people arrive safely at their destinations every day. While the pieces are still moving into place, the birth of a different type of aviation is making its debut. Experts anticipate the future of…

In Alaska, assembling a flight plan is like playing whack-a-mole with uncontrollable variables. Forget about accurate GPS and cellphone reception — most of the state is a dead zone. Battery life is reduced, and biting cold makes plastic brittle and shatter-prone. Expanses of blazing white snow confuse sensitive instruments. And, of course, there’s another uniquely Arctic variable to keep in mind. “If you’re out on the ice, you need a polar bear guard. That is a person whose entire job is to make sure nobody gets eaten,” says Cathy Cahill, director of the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI). And she’s only half joking. “It’s an existence that’s simultaneously enchanting and terrifying.” Polar potential The daily struggle between the plans of humans and the whims of Mother Nature…

THE U.S. COURT OF APPEALS for the District of Columbia Circuit reached a ruling on the Taylor v. FAA case regarding hobbyist drone registration . The ruling, filed on May 19, determined that the FAA was outside its rights in enforcing a new rule requiring hobbyist drone operators to register their drones. As such, the D.C. Court of Appeals determined the requirement was unlawful and is no longer in effect — in what appears to be the first federal court ruling on drones. The ruling does not affect commercial drones. THE CASE In an effort to promote safety and accountability among drone operators, the FAA promulgated a rule in 2015. This rule, known as the Registration Rule, required drone hobbyists to register their aircraft through an online portal on the…

VICTORY! That was the reaction from a Standing Rock drone pilot, and his supporters, who on May 26 was found not guilty on all three charges brought forth against him by the state of North Dakota. On Oct. 19, 2016, drone operator Aaron “Shawn” Turgeon (Prolific The Rapper) was charged with two counts of reckless endangerment (one was a felony) and one count of physical obstruction of a governmental function. He had been flying his drone during the ongoing protests at Standing Rock, which took place in Morton County North Dakota. Morton County law enforcement accused Turgeon of flying a drone at an airplane, over unprotected people, and above moving vehicles. But cell phone and drone footage helped Turgeon prove otherwise. “It’s a call for other judges here in Morton…

GENERALLY, PEOPLE think the word drone refers to the multirotor aircraft sold at Best Buy and hobby shops. But as a commercial drone operator, I can tell you that large, fixed-wing drones still have their place in the world. The combination of flight endurance and payload capacity of a fixed-wing aircraft cannot be beat by multirotors. Many drone service providers are using these platforms for mapping or surveying missions (read more on fixed-wing drones on Page 72), but they often carry a hefty price tag. The E-Flite Opterra is a large, delta-wing aircraft that dwarfs most such planes offered in the hobby market. With a wingspan of over 78 inches, there is plenty of surface area — 1,033 square inches, to be exact. That means longer flight ranges and increased…

THE FAA’S RULES for the use of commercial drones are now a year old, but there’s still a lot of confusion about safely and responsibly operating a drone business. In this environment, there is no shortage of self-styled internet drone-law experts offering free advice. But as aviation attorney Jonathan Rupprecht warns, “Getting aviation-law advice off Facebook forums is like getting medical help off Craigslist — it’s dumb.” The commercial drone market, worth $2 billion in 2016, is expected to reach $127 billion by 2020, according to a May 2016 report from PricewaterhouseCoopers. For the safety and security of their citizens, governments at the federal, state, and even municipal levels have been scrambling to establish an effective regulatory framework for drones. These laws must account not only for what technology exists…

REAL ESTATE “SEEING IS BELIEVING.” This is the new adaptation of the old saying in real estate that “selling is telling.” For realtors, the rapidly expanding use of drones in real estate marketing is a perfect venue for successfully showing — and selling — a property. As recently as two years ago, taking video or still photos of properties from the air typically involved hiring a helicop- ter pilot. Of course, this method was both time-consuming and expensive. In some cases, agents could cobble together electrical components, solder wires, set up a flight computer, and mount a camera on a drone for aerial footage. But that, too, had its downfalls — not to mention that such a process was outside of most agents’ skill set. But aerial imagery can sell…

Picture a perfect summer day on a sandbar just off of Australia’s Central Coast. As beachgoers eat and drink, rapidly shifting tides transform the water around the sandbar into a deathtrap, with strong rip currents that will drag anyone trying to return to the beach out to sea. Then a drone approaches, alerting the sun-seekers to the danger and that help is on the way. The multirotor remains overhead as rescuers arrive in boats, providing a real-time overview for emergency coordinators. The drone pilot also stands on the shore, ready to deploy the vehicle’s floatation device if needed. Before long, all of the tourists are safely ferried back to the beach. BAYWATCH, UNMANNED The drone in this scenario is real, and it’s courtesy of The Little Ripper Group in Australia.…

THEY’RE SETTING THE STANDARD for how UAS businesses should operate. In 2014, Tyler Currier, Beau Bivins and Ryan Marlow founded Alaska Aerial Media (AAM), and they’ve doubled their revenue every year since. Drone360 spoke with Marlow for a glimpse inside AAM’s world. WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST OPPORTUNITIES IN YOUR HOME STATE? Alaska is the least surveyed state in the country — in fact, it’s never been fully surveyed at a high quality. There’s a huge opportunity for high-resolution mapping for the state. We were the first UAS-focused company in Alaska to bring a public land survey professional on staff to seal all of our maps and products to ensure their quality, and accommodate regulations. WHAT WAS A UNIQUELY ALASKAN CHALLENGE FOR YOUR COMPANY? We worked on the SnotBot with NOAA…