Bruce Crumley

A UK helicopter ambulance came within a few yards of colliding with a drone as it sought to land at a central London hospital, according to an official incident ruling. The finding ranked the near miss as an A category encounter, or one in which “a definite risk of collision had existed.”

After decades of stories in Southern California claiming chemical companies had regularly dumped toxic waste into the waters of the Pacific, a group of marine researchers deployed maritime drones to look for signs of substantiating evidence. They found more than they bargained for: over 27,000 metal barrels on the ocean floor, many if not all of which were originally filled with DDT and other poisonous matter.

A pair of brothers thought organizing illicit drone deliveries into a US prison was a great idea – possibly even super-genius. And it was – if, that is, setting two different legal precedents for convictions on federal drone laws was the objective.

The world’s leading drone delivery specialist, Zipline, has announced a capital infusion of $250 million, which it will use to expand its booming activities in Africa and the US. The investment increases the total funds Zipline has raised to $486 million, and values the instant logistics company at $2.75 billion.

Remember the tragic story of an entire generation of elegant terns being wiped out in California when over 1,500 eggs were abandoned by terrified parents fleeing invasive drones? Lesson learned: Officials in Oregon are now working hard to prevent something similar from occurring in their wildlife reserves.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said it will begin deploying a gamma ray-reading drone to monitor former uranium mining and processing sites in Central Asia. The airborne surveys will permit accurate analysis of the radioactive zones that human researchers have had to wade through until now.

The US Chamber of Commerce is leading a coalition of diverse organizations urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to move quickly to implement rules designed to protect critical infrastructure facilities from drone threats. As such, the initiative represents an emphatic and very public call by influential business groups for the FAA to get the lead out.

German freight forwarding heavyweight Hellmann Worldwide Logistics has announced it will start using drones for deliveries across Europe in 2022. The move is seen in large part as a workaround solution to the major and continuing disruptions in traditional supply chains created by the COVID-19 pandemic.

It’s rare to catch a clear, simple glimpse of how increased drone use could benefit a society. Now a vivid example has surfaced: The state of Ohio is set to rake in over $13 billion by 2046 from advanced air mobility (AAM) services alone if it starts planning for that activity now.

Since the start of 2020, large ships around the world have had to comply with lower maximum carbon and nitrogen emission levels permitted by international authorities. So what does that have to do with drones? Because they’re catching violating vessels out as they chug dirtily around Europe’s waters.

The Australian state of Queensland has said it’s again turning to drones to ensure the safety of its beaches. But in addition to its use of craft to identify and rescue swimmers in danger of drowning, Queensland is also deploying them to protect sharks that may happen to be passing through.

History has its rubbish heap, elephants their graveyards, and aircraft have a last resting place known as “boneyards.” In many countries, those final parking spots are located in deserts. Lacking those large, arid expanses, however, most Eastern European nations must dump permanently grounded craft wherever (and as discreetly as) they can. Now a Russian drone pilot has captured astonishing shots of mothballed Soviet era craft – some of which much of the world has never seen before.

Scores of people were arrested in southern England Sunday after drone-flying police busted revelers at a giant rave violating the country’s continuing COVID-19 restrictions. Footage from the craft showed countless cars parked along roads abutting the pastureland used for the illegal party, aiding them in organizing moves to break it up. 

The US Air Force is clearly serious about combatting the growing threat of small drones deployed for terrorism or hostile military purposes. It has not only developed a weapon capable of taking out scores of drones simultaneously, but it has even named that mighty asset after a fearsome, hammer-wielding Norse god-dash-superhero.

A group of visionary students has devised a system to improve the way urban centers monitor air pollution levels. Their plan calls for fleets of automated drones to patrol sections of city skies, communicate their sample readings in real-time, then return to their docks to recharge for the next flight. 

Telecom giant Verizon’s Skyward affiliate and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have signed accords to test cellular communications in drone operations. Their cooperation will seek to advance development of secure and reliable standards for universal traffic management, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights, and one-to-many missions.

Despite surging tech advances that allow drone makers to both reduce craft size and increase their onboard capacities, one vexing problem remains: The more apped-up uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) are shrunk down, the less able they are to withstand adverse events like wind gusts and collision. That may soon change.

All societies have historically been dominated by males – particularly in business, especially in aviation, and certainly in drone activity. That influence is reflected in commonly used male-specifying terms like “airman,” “unmanned,” and – can we even note this one without wincing? – “cockpit.” Now a panel advising the Federal Aviation Committee (FAA) wants that to change.

There are almost countless options for aspiring and expert drone pilots to get maximum enjoyment and video footage from of their excursions in the skies. The choice is far more limited for people who prefer getting away from it all beneath the waves. Automated marine drone iBubble is one of those – assuring optimal film documentation for all kinds of undersea divers.

It’s hardly breaking news that battery life limitations are one of the biggest brakes on expanded individual drone missions and wider deployment by businesses. But California startup LaunchPoint Electric Propulsion Solutions thinks its hybrid electric generators will soon extend craft operation and increase payload hauls with one simple fix.

Leading players in Europe’s drone sector have banded together to create the Drones4Sec “action tank,” whose objectives include coordinating the increased use of efficient uncrewed aerial systems and automated applications with maximal respect for data protection.