Haye Kesteloo

Earlier today, DJI sent out this message to all rescue and recovery drone operators urging them to get ready and prepare now for post-storm operations. In the same statement, the Chinese drone maker warns all other drone pilots to follow the FAA guidance and to not fly in affected areas. You do not want to be that person that is responsible for halting a rescue operation, because you thought it was a good idea to get some aerial footage of the aftermath of Hurrican Dorian. Drone pilots who interfere with emergency response could face fines as high as $20,000.

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A photographer with a drone captured great white sharks circling oblivious surfers in California. This is not the first time we have reported on shark sightings. The aerial perspective that a drone provides makes these predators much easier to spot than from the beach or water, as is the case in this example as well. The surfers only seem to realize at the very end that they had company.

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Last week, we reported on Prairie Village, Kansas trying to restrict the recreational use of drones. This time it is the University of Arkansas that wants to stop people flying drones over their property. If you want to fly your unmanned aircraft over the university grounds you will now have to ask for approval first. How this is legal is not clear as the Federal Aviation Administration said not too long ago that they are the only government body that controls the airspace in the US.
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To fly your drone over people you need a special waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which you will only receive if you can, among other things, prove that your drone operation is safe for the people on the ground. What happens if a drone does come down from the skies? Or more specifically, what happens when a DJI Phantom or Mavic Pro crashes on your head? An 18-month-long study from the Alliance for System Safety of UAS through Research Excellence (ASSURE) has tried to answer this question.

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Do not attach weapons to your drone, FAA warns. This week the Federal Aviation Administration sent out a message in which the agency warns the general public that “it is illegal to operate a drone with a dangerous weapon attached.” Over the years, we have seen our fair share of drones with shotguns, flame throwers, and fireworks mounted on them. Mostly for fun, but the FAA and other government officials worry that weaponized drones might be used for other purposes. If you think that sounds farfetched just see how drones have been used in the MiddleEast. Using a drone with a dangerous weapon attached to it is in violation of Section 363 of the 2018 FAA Reauthorization Act. And, unless the drone operator has received special authorization from the FAA, he or she is subject to civil penalties up to $25,000 for each violation.

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Drone U Flight Mastery graduates receive lower drone insurance rates from SkyWatch.AI. This means that if you successfully graduate from the Drone U Flight Mastery training course you will receive a 15% discount on any SkyWatch.AI insurance policy. However, it doesn’t stop there. If you increase your safety score through the SkyWatch app you can increase your discount even further.

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Are you looking to work in the drone industry, but maybe not as a commercial drone pilot? Well, check with Skydio. As you probably know, Skydio made its name in the drone world when they launched the autonomous Skydio R1 drone in early 2018. The California-based drone maker is about to launch the successor to the R1, which for now goes by the name Skydio 2, and they could use some extra hands. A quick look at their website shows that they have at least eleven open positions.

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A prepared photographer, Vic Moss with his DJI Mavic 2 Pro shot this amazing drone photo of an NFL Stadium and here is his story of how it all went down legally!

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I’ll cut right to the chase, the best drones of 2019… haven’t been launched yet. Yes, of course, we still have our all-time favorites such as the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, which should be available again soon, and the DJI Mavic 2 Pro that is becoming more and more difficult to buy. But apart from the launch of the Parrot ANAFI Thermal back in April, it has really been a quiet year so far when it comes to new drones. However, we think that this will be about to change soon.

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The San Pablo police have purchased three US-1 drones from Impossible Aerospace to “keep our community safer and our officers much safer,” says Capt. Brian Bubar. The battery-powered drones from Impossible Aerospace are known for their incredibly long flight times.

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Here we go again… To prevent ‘window peeping,’ Prairie Village, Kansas, advances an ordinance that restricts drones. If the law is approved next month, violators can face up to a $500 fine or one month in jail. Just to be clear, current privacy laws already cover ‘window peeping’ concerns. Whether the camera is handheld or attached to a drone makes little difference. Furthermore, the FAA is the only body in the US that controls the airspace, as per their own words. However, time and time again, we see towns making up their own drone restriction rules, and the same goes in Prairie Village, Kansas.

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Apart from the amazing autonomous flying ability, one of the standout features of the Skydio R1 drone was the frame around the propellers and body of the unmanned aircraft. A few of our readers had pointed out that the shadow of the new Skydio drone in the video that the drone startup recently released shows us the new “frameless” design of the Skydio 2.

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Never mind that most drones from DJI are unavailable at their own online store, this image shows how the DJI Mavic Mini fits into the DJI product lineup.

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The world’s largest drone maker, DJI, has almost no drones available at their official online store in the US. We just checked their website and put together a little overview to show that almost all DJI drones are out of stock at the official DJI online store.

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The night before DJI releases a new product, we learn that the DJI Mavic Mini specs might have leaked. The new DJI mini-drone may only weigh 245 grams (!) and may officially be part of the Spark Series. Will the Chinese drone maker call it the Spark 2 after all? Let’s take a look at the DJI Mavic Mini leaked specs.

Update 8/16/’19: We received confirmation from another source (unrelated to OsitaLV or Aero X) that the Mavic Mini specs mentioned below are correct. Our source told us when asked about the Mavic Mini that “All of those specs are accurate.” However, he also said that we are still at least two months away from an official announcement and that DJI has yet to decide whether this new drone will become an ‘Air’ or ‘Spark’replacement. Regardless of the Mavic Mini’s small footprint, the drone will almost certainly have No-Fly Zones incorporated through the app. Lastly, the Mavic Mini is not expected to have Lightbridge but rather a new and enhanced Wi-Fi connection. Currently, DJI is working on a multi-charger for the mini-drone. That’s all the info we have for now and no, this does not come from OsitaLV.
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Every year, it seems, DJI runs a promotion during the summer. This year is no different. Today, DJI announced the 2019 DJI Summer Story Sale event with discounts on both the DJI Osmo Pocket & Expansion Kit Combo and the DJI Osmo Action. The Osmo Pocket & Expansion Kit Combo has been discounted by $30 from $458 to now $428. And, the DJI Osmo Action is now $50 off and retails for $299 instead of $349. Both deals are available on the official DJI online store.

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