Drone News Update

Latest Episodes:

Drone News: Drone Crashes at Mine, GA Bill to Ban Drones, ND Rejects Drone Ban, & New DJI Products Feb 20, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you; A Drone Crash into Uranium Mine, GA bill to ban Chinese Drones, ND Senate rejects Chinese drone ban, Sumas Police Rescue, and New DJI Products!

First up, don’t be this guy.

An alleged drone collision with mine equipment at the Pinyon Plain uranium mine here in AZ caused the mine to temporarily cease operations.

While the size and type of the drone are unknown at this time, it supposedly struck a safety wire used to transport personnel into the 1,400’ deep mine according to the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

After crashing into the equipment, the suspect, Bobby Mason, allegedly fled in a Ford F-150 leading to a series of incidents including two hit-and-runs near and inside of Grand Canyon National Park.

The Coconino County Sheriff’s Office has charged Mason with offenses including unlawful operation of an unmanned aircraft, Aggravated DUI, criminal damage, hit and run, reckless driving, and harassment.

So, Don’t be this guy.

Next up, A Georgia bill would require Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security to create an approved drone list for public safety and government.

The bill would give agencies a 3-year compliance window to acquire new aircraft that are on the approved list.

If you live in Georgia, please let your legislators know what you think about House Bill 205.

On the opposite side of the fence is North Dakota.

North Dakota’s Senate rejected a portion of a bill that would act as a replacement program for state-owned and operated Chinese drones.

State Senator Kyle Davison led the motion to strip this text from the bill, citing the significant cost difference between Chinese and American-made drones.

According to Senate Testimony, the M30 currently used by state agencies costs ~$7500 while NDAA-compliant alternatives cost between $20,000 and $50,000.

The Senate preserved an $11,000,000 allocation to support BVLOS Operations in the same bill.

A Drone story for good this week, coming from some Pilot Institute students in northern Washington State!

Multiple agencies responded to a report of an elderly woman who'd gone missing during the night.

After several hours of searching, the Sumas Police Department arrived on scene and an M30T was launched, locating the missing person in under 3 minutes.

The woman had fallen down a steep slope near her residence and was hypothermic.

Luckily, she was able to be rescued and was transported to the hospital.

Shout out to Sumas Police Department, Great work, and thanks for what you guys do!

Last up, DJI has released TWO new gimbals this week!

This week we got a new Osmo Mobile 7, with active track 7.0, hand motion control, 10-hour run time, a built-in tripod, and magnetic mounting for accessories.

The Osmo Mobile 7 entry level comes at $89, with the 7P model costing $149.

DJI also released the RS4 Mini, and we actually got our hands on one to test out.

It’s got a 13-hour run time, a 4.4lb payload, an active track module, and native vertical shooting.

Check out our full review here <Point>

Join us later today for our happy hour in the community, Live Q&A on Monday, and Post Flight Monday in the community! We’ll see you then!

https://dronexl.co/2025/02/18/drone-strike-grand-canyon-mine/#google_vignette

https://dronexl.co/2025/02/17/georgia-ban-chinese-drones-security/

https://dronexl.co/2025/02/18/north-dakota-senate-rejects-chinese-drone-replacement/

https://dronexl.co/2025/02/18/dji-smartphone-stabilizers-tracking/

https://www.facebook.com/wcfd14/

Drone News: Wingcopter LiDAR, Man Accused of Breaking TFR, Pelican 2, Skyebrowse Interior Update Feb 18, 2025

Show notes

First up, this week marks 300 weeks of Drone News… Thanks for tuning in and making this possible! So far we’ve got 390,000 students with over 115,000 in our Part 107 course, 48 drone courses, we’ve shipped over 50,000 stickers, Done FAA WINGs credits, and TRUST Certificates. And this is just the beginning! Soon we’ll be moved into our new building where we’ll be able to start offering even more cool things!Now onto the news! Next up, Wingcopter released LiDAR for its Wingcoper 198. According to the press release at GeoWeek the Wingcopter 198 can survey over 37 miles of linear infrastructure in a single flight, while carrying a 10lb payload. This system can achieve a point cloud density of 570 points per square meter, 10mm sensor accuracy, and 5mm precision. In approximately 42 minute flight, this system can scan 2,560 acres. Pretty cool new tech! Third, a Baltimore man was arrested after allegedly flying a drone over the M&T Bank Stadium earlier this year. The NFL paused the game in the third quarter when a drone, allegedly belonging to Alex Perez Suarez, was spotted flying approximately 400 feet over the stadium.The drone allegedly took 7 pictures before flying away from the stadium. Alex is now facing 3 federal charges for flying in restricted airspace, operation of an unregistered drone, operation of an aircraft without an airman certificate, and willful violation of National Defense Airspace. Please don’t be that guy… Next up, The FAA has authorized the Pyka Pelican 2 to operate in the US! The Pyka is a large, fixed wing spray drone designed for crop dusting.The Pelican 2 has a 300 liter capacity, hot swappable batteries, LiDAR and RADAR, and comes in at $550,000. According to Pyka, the Pelican is the largest drone that has been authorized to operate in the US.Pretty cool, but I’m not sure we’ll be getting our hands on one of these guys any time soon!Next, Skyebrowse announced a major change to indoor map processing.According to the press release, the new processing method uses AI to verify that individual rooms are processed correctly.This verification allows for additional speed, clarity, and accuracy.If you're unfamiliar with Skyebrowse, they're a 3D mapping software that uses video instead of traditional photos to make 3D Models.Their lowest tier plan is free, so if you're interested in 3D modeling, this is a great place to start and make some models!

Drone News: Advanced Notice NPRM, More Drone Show Troubles, and More DJI Flip Leaks. Jan 03, 2025

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you; Department of Commerce Advanced Notice NPRM, More drone show troubles, and more DJI Flip leaks. Story Links: https://www.federalregister.gov/public-inspection/2024-30209/securing-the-information-and-communications-technology-and-services-supply-chain-unmanned-aircraft https://www.wkrg.com/news/nye-drone-show-canceled-on-folly-beach-after-drones-fall-from-sky-at-least-1-injured/ https://dronexl.co/2024/12/28/dji-flip-drone-leak-compact-design-advanced-ai-features/

Drone News: Drone Light Show Injury in Orlando, XTEND Wins DOD Drone Contract, & TFRs in NY and NJ Dec 27, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you: Drone Light Show injures kid in Orlando, Israeli drone company wins big DOD drone contract, and navigating TFRs in New York and New Jersey.

First story this week is a bit of a sad one. A child was injured at an Orlando drone show last week after a drone hit him in the chest during a show near Lake Eola Park. The 7-year old boy was taken to the hospital and it was later reported that he required emergency cardiac surgery due to damage to a heart valve. Approximately 15 minutes into the performance, drones started falling out of the sky, according to a video and witness statements. The show was put on by SkyElement, a very reputable company that has a long-standing of safe operation. SkyElement puts out dozens of shows around the country yearly, and even holds 11 Guiness world records, including flying a show with 5000 drones a month ago during Thanksgiving. It's unclear exactly what happened, but it would be out of touch for me to speculate at the moment. We will follow up when the NTSB concludes its investigation and releases its findings. We wish the young boy a prompt recovery. Second story this week, XTEND, an Israeli defense tech company, has secured an $8.8 million contract with the U.S. Department of Defense. The contract is to deliver advanced AI-powered drones called PSIO sUAS. These tactical drones, capable of operating indoors and outdoors, combine artificial intelligence with real-time precision strike capabilities. The drones are designed for rapid deployment in urban and open-field settings, and reduce risks for soldiers while enhancing operational flexibility. Manufactured in the U.S., these drones align with defense production standards and are set for delivery in early 2025, following extensive testing. XTEND’s systems are already in use globally, including by the Israel Defense Forces, showcasing their value in modern warfare. For our last story, I want to discuss the recent temporary flight restrictions that were put in place in New Jersey and New York. Most of those are 1 nautical mile in radius and around sensitive infrastructures, such as substations, railroad depots, or even nuclear power plants. Part 107 operators who have a valid statement of work and show a need to be in the restricted airspace are eligible to request SGI waivers. SGI stands the Special Governmental Interest and is typically used by public safety agencies, but is also available to "regular" part 107 operators. According to the FAA website, "To apply for a waiver through the SGI process, you must be an existing Part 107 remote pilot with a current certificate OR a public agency with an existing Certificate of Waiver or Authorization or COA." I will put a link in the description for those who are interested in applying (https://www.faa.gov/uas/advanced_operations/emergency_situations) Last note before we go, we have the winner of the Community photo contest for December! Congratulations to Bill Heiser won with this photo titled "Highway to the Pass". And that's it for this week and even this year. I want to thank you all for tuning in every single week. We are getting close to 300 consecutive weeks of news update, and we couldn't do this without all of you. I and the entire team at Pilot Institute wish everybody a Happy New Year. I hope it will be full of growth for your company if that's what you do, but more importantly I hope it is filled with many hours of flying. Please continue to be safe and vigilant, and remember to be a mentor to those who got their first drone under the tree.

Drone News: Skydio Gets Sanctioned, DJI vs. DOD, Michigan Lawsuit, and New Goggles Leak Nov 01, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 4 stories for you; Skydio sanctioned by China, Michigan Coalition of Drone Operators vs University of Michigan lawsuit, More info on the DJI Lawsuit,DJI New Goggles Leaks.

Drone News: DJI Sues the DOD, CNN Drone Crashes Into Crowd, and BRINC Releases Guardian Drone Oct 25, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you; DJI Takes legal action against the DOD, CNN Drone crashes into crowd injuring three, and BRINC releases the Guardian.

Join our community site: https://pilotinstitute.com/community/

Drone News: GAO Report, Officials Say Stop Using DJI, Axon Acquires Dedrone, & Record Drone Show Oct 04, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 3 stories for you; GAO Report on Foreign Made Drones, officials tell Fairfax County to stop using DJI, Axon acquires Dedrone, and new record drone show.

First up, the GAO has released a report on the Department of Interior’s stance on foreign drones. Currently, the DOI does not allow foreign drones to be used except for emergency situations such as search and rescue and wild fires. The GAO studied the effects of the policies after the DOI asked them to, covering the 4 most active departments; bureau of land management (BLM), Fire and Wildlife service (FWS), National Park Service (NPS), and U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Findings from the GAO are predictable; the majority of drones are now nearing their end of life and replacing them with compliant drones is much more expensive. Due to the reduction in fleet size, bureaus haven’t been able to expand their use of drones and some no longer have enough drones even for emergencies. Even for bureaus that have purchased approved drones, the drones aren’t be delivered until 6 months or more later. The GAO gave the example that in April of 2024, the DOI had purchased 98 drones for fiscal year 2024 and only 46 had been delivered. In another example, the National Park Service purchased drones for wild fire management in March and were not expected to have the drones in hand until October, missing nearly all of the 2024 fire season. The GAO goes on to discuss that compliant drones are not as capable in carrying payloads nor are as reliable. Due to these problems, not only have emergency flights decreased but non-emergency flights for research, surveys, training, and post-storm recoveries have become nearly non-existent. Next up, federal law makers John Moolenaar and Raja Krishnamoorthi from the House of Representatives have urged Fairfax County to stop using DJI. In a letter to the county Board of Supervisors the representatives stated “The PRC-made UAS platforms and censors currently used by Fairfax County collect high-resolution imagery of facilities and individuals at risk, putting them at risk of being collected by the CCP,” This is the first time we’ve seen representatives attempting to influence a particular public safety department on what drones to use or not use. Fairfax county sits just south west of Washington DC along the Potomac river. At this time, we don’t know how the county will respond but we’ll keep you updated if we see more. Third, Axon has finished the acquisition of Dedrone. Dedrone is a counter UAS system that uses RF detection, RADAR, cameras and for authorized users can include hammers, drone take over, and kinetic means to stop a rogue drone. An important note is that the DOD are the only ones currently who are allowed to utilize these tools to stop a drone. We’ll keep you updated if we see more from Dedrone and Axon! Last up, Sky Elements broke the record this week for the most drones launching pyrotechnics. The city of Mansfield TX partnered with Sky Elements to break the word record of most drones launching pyrotechnics. Sky Elements used 1164 drones to break the record in a free drone show for residents. Cool use of the drones and we’re sure we’ll continue to see bigger and bigger drone shows! That’s all for this week, we’ll see you later in the community for Happy Hour and on Monday for our Q&A! https://www.gao.gov/assets/gao-24-106924.pdf https://dronelife.com/2024/10/01/lawmakers-urge-fairfax-county-to-end-use-of-dji-drones-due-to-national-security-concerns/ https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/mansfield-texas-drone-show-guinness-world-record-sky-elements-display/287-a03f5178-feea-43ca-9e06-7e5a5ae2a099

Drone News: Drone Ban Update NDAA Bill, Mavic 4 Leak, New Dock Release, & Drone Finds Missing Man Sep 27, 2024

Show notes

Drone News: Action 5, Air 3S Hits FCC, Drone Finds Missing Girl, & Drone Incursions in Wildfire Ops Sep 20, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you, New DJI Action 5, Air 3S hits FCC Database, Pilot Institute Community, a Drone finds missing Louisiana girl, and a press release on drone incursions into wild fire aircraft operations.

First up, DJI has released the new Action 5! The action 5 comes with a new 1/1.3” sensor (the same size as the Mini 4 Pro), 10-bit D-Log M, HLG, horizon steady, subject tracking, a barometer/hydrometer, 47GB of internal storage, magnetic mounting, 4 hour battery life, 113 degree max operating temperature, and connection with the DJI Mic 2s! Whew, lots cool specs, we’ll be getting on to check out and post some content on! Next, the Air 3S has hit the FCC database! We’ve seen quite a few leaks about the Air 3S, including some images with an RC-N3 series controller, what appears to be a larger sensor in a dual camera setup, and potentially larger batteries. Rumors have also included that batteries may be compatible with the current Air 3. We’ve seen some decent images of the Air 3, we’ll have to wait and see if DJI publishes an announcement any time soon! Third up, a big Pilot Institute update. This week we launched the Premium Community with the goal to help part 107 pilots use their certificate to get paid work. In premium you'll find tons of interviews and workshops, we'll be releasing exclusive content every month. And, if you're a fan of News Update, we have an extended version every week called Post Flight. Each episode we discuss News Update stories in more detail and give our personal opinion on the facts. Visit Pilotinstitute.com/community to check it all out! Third up, a drone in Louisiana located a missing child this week. A 10 year old Louisiana girl was reported missing early in the day on Sunday. Searchers were unable to locate the girl, and a company from Arkansas, Drone Management Services, stepped in to assist. Using what appears to be a Mavic 3 Thermal, Co-Owner Josh Kolber located the girl sleeping on the ground. Great use of the drone Josh! Last up, the National Interagency Fire Center has published data this week about 21 incidents where drones have operated near wildfires. In 10 of these events, firefighting aircraft operations were suspended. Generally, firefighting aircraft operate within a TFR, meaning other aircraft including traditional aircraft are not permitted in that area. Be sure to check the TFRs before you take off, especially in wildfire prone areas. Alright, that’s all we’ve got! Greg will be back on Monday, so he’ll see you then for the live Q&A!

Drone News: Drone Ban, Green Day Concert, FLIR & AirData, 3 Suspects Caught by a Drone, & SkyeBrowse Sep 13, 2024

Show notes

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update we have 5 stories for you: Drone ban updates, Green Day concert paused for drone flight, FLIR and AirData partner, 3 men in a stolen vehicle were found using a drone, and SkyeBrowse updates everyone to Lite Processing!

First up, The house has voted to pass the Countering CCP Drones Act. This is a setback that was expected but it changes little. Representative Stefanik stated during her speech “Over the last seven years, the US government has publicly confirmed time and time again that DJI drones are being used to collect information on US critical infrastructure and pose significant risks to US national security,” Not sure where the evidence is, but we’d love to see it. The Countering CCP drones act was also passed with the House NDAA, so the bill has already passed before. Both bills still must still go through the Senate prior to landing on the President’s desk. It doesn’t matter what vertical you’re in, now is a great time to weigh in on this issue, and educate your senators and representatives. If you’re having trouble with where to start, head over to the DAA website, which is linked below. Next up, Green Day rushed off stage this week after security spotted a drone in the stadium. Detroit Police confirmed the interruption to the show was due to a drone and that the operator was located and detained. Currently, it’s unclear what drone was flying or how close it was to the band. An important note was that this did not qualify for a stadium TFR, and no TFR was in place. This brings up an interesting situation where a Part 107 pilot could legally operate over the stadium with a category 1 or 2 drone. We’ll keep you updated when we see more. Third, FLIR and AirData UAV have partnered to provide SIRAS flight tracking. If you’re unfamiliar with the FLIR SIRAS, it’s a quadcopter with a 640x512 FLIR Hadron series sensor designed for industry and public safety. The integration with AirData uses SIRAS’s offline log-export and isn’t connected to the internet. For users of the SIRAS, AirData is a great tool and one that we use for tracking our aircraft’s flights, battery cycles, and determining what when wrong if things do. Fourth, a shout out to some students from Gaston County Police. Gaston County police used a drone this week to assist in recovering a stolen vehicle and arresting 3 men who fled the stolen vehicle after a car chase. The drone was utilized after officers lost sight of the vehicle when it drove into a soybean field. A Gaston County Police Officer was part of the drone unit, and launched to determine where the vehicle went. Once the police officer found the vehicle, they began to track the suspects, locating them in the field attempting to evade police. All 3 suspects were taken into custody without incident. Great use of the drone! Next, SkyeBrowse has updated everyone on the Freemium plan to Lite processing! This will increase the quality of all models from folks with free accounts. If you're unfamiliar with SkyeBrowse, the program uses video from nearly anything to make 3D models. You can sign up for free and start making models immediately. Models can be accessed on any device and can be easily marked up for measurement and shared as needed. And to wrap up, check out this clip for something coming next week… https://dronexl.co/2024/09/10/us-house-votes-to-ban-new-dji-drones/ https://dronexl.co/2024/09/05/green-day-interrupted-mid-song-by-drone-threat-at-detroit-concert/ https://www.flir.com/suas/ https://airdata.com/about https://www.instagram.com/p/C_jIAlFTnbf/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&img_index=1

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected