Haye Kesteloo

As Walmart and Amazon are battling it out for supremacy in the fast-changing retail world, Walmart is on track to file more drone patents than Amazon for the second year in a row. According to research by the accounting firm BDO Walmart has filed 97 new drone applications with the World Intellectual Property Organization since July 2018. In the year before, Walmart applied for 57 patents compared to Amazon’s 54, according to an article in the Financial Times. More interestingly though, if you look at the 2017/18 time frame, DJI filed more drone patents that Walmart and Amazon combined.
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New legislation in Japan could land you in jail for up to one year, if you’re convicted of flying a drone while drunk. The new law that was passed by the country’s parliament last week aims to curb the growing use (or misuse) of drones. Pilots convicted of drunk drone flying can also face a fine of up to ¥300,000 which is about $2,763 USD.

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DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 limited inventory at Australian retailer Camzilla. The official DJI reseller has been able to secure a limited inventory of DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 drones. We contacted Justin Hechinger from Camzilla and he told us that they have received a limited number of DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 drones. So, if you are in dire need of a P4P V2.0 drone, I suggest you contact them asap before they sell out again.

Btw – this does not mean that the P4P V2.0 will be back in stock. As we reported earlier it has been game over for the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0, so don’t get your hopes up.

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Are you planning to fly your drone in Canada this summer? Well maybe watch this video from Peter McKinnon before you do so. As you may have read here on DroneDJ, the drone rules in Canada have changed as of June 1, 2019. And they haven’t become any easier. Not at all actually… In another one of his excellent videos, Peter explains how the new Canadian drone rules have made flying your drone in Canada pretty much impossible for anyone. Unless you are willing to study a 300+ page pdf document and sit out a 3-day course and exam. Yes, you read that correctly. Watch the video to learn why Peter and Matti Haapoja have given up on flying their drones in Canada.

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Today, DJI releases its latest product, the DJI RoboMaster S1. An educational robot for techies of all ages. We had the change to play around with it in DJI’s offices in NYC last Friday and these things are a lot of fun! First off, check out those wheels. These guys spin, drift and move in any direction you want. The can also shoot infrared lasers and beads. So yes, you can play your own version of RoboWars with your friends and family. You can build them yourself. Fight against each other. Race each other, and program the S1. It comes with sensing technology and has a camera for FPV mode. The DJI RoboMaster S1 is priced at $499 and is available at the official DJI online store and official resellers as of tomorrow. I know it is not a drone, but you have to give DJI credit for bringing this awesome robot to the market!

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Yesterday, the world’s largest drone maker released another one of their mystery video announcements. The video is titled “DJI – Learn to Win – June 11, 2019.” It is accompanied by a description that does not give us much more information either. The video itself shows some kind of new hardware with a DJI camera visible in a few short frames. It is hard to make out if this might be a new drone. Even though I wish it would be, I have a feeling it might be something else. The video ends with showing 06-11-2019. The date, I assume that we will learn more…

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While we were listening to Sean Cassidy from Amazon Prime Air during a panel discussion on drone deliveries at the FAA UAS Symposium in Baltimore, the e-commerce giant introduced the new Amazon Prime Air drone in Las Vegas. The new drone features a very innovative design that can take off and land vertically but also fly horizontally. It can carry packages of up to 5 pounds in its fuselage and can fly a distance of up to 15 miles for up to 30 minutes. Amazon Prime Air said drone deliveries will start in the US in a matter of months.

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This week is all about the FAA Symposium 2019 in Baltimore. Originally scheduled for earlier this year, the symposium is now in its fourth year and welcomes 1,100 attendees from various parts of the drone industry. It is a must-attend event for any commercial drone business interested in staying up to date and learning about the drone rules and regulations that are currently being made and implemented. We will try to attend as many sessions as possible and bring you highlights and most important news from the event. So stay tuned for more about the FAA Symposium 2019.

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It has happened before, where out of nowhere DJI introduces a new part of their business. Last year DJI quietly launched DJI Pro aimed at aerial photography and videography professionals. Now, it seems that DJI launched a full-service offering for custom aerial cinematography. It is called DJI Studio and they have a special heavy-lifting drone called the DJI Storm. Keep reading for more details on this new custom DJI drone and a video.

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Remember the Aeromexico Boeing 737 that was hit by a drone? Yes? Well, it now turns out that it wasn’t. The Grupo Aeromexico SAB airliner that supposedly was hit by a drone last December was not hit by an unmanned aircraft at all. The damage to the radome or nosecone of the airplane resulted from a poorly executed repair, causing it to ‘likely’ collapse and crack as a result of changing air pressure during its descent near Tijuana, Mexico. Drones are often pointed to as the culprits but so far the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has only confirmed two cases.

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The Tulsa police department posted this warning video on Facebook in an effort to deter hobbyist drone pilots from hindering and endangering first aid and rescue operations in the flooded areas around Tulsa, Oklahoma. Various media also reported on drones getting in the way of rescue efforts in the flooded regions. The message is clear: fly within the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules and please stay out of the way of rescue operations. And, always give way to manned aircraft.

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DJI just announced their annual DJI Summer Sale promotion with discounts on drones such as the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, DJI Mavic Air, and Tello. Other products also receive a discount, including the DJI Racing Goggles, the Osmo Mobile 2, Ronin-S. See below for all the details. Especially after the recent prices hikes for a number of DJI products it is nice to see lower prices as part of this DJI Summer Sale.

The promotion starts on June 7, 2019, 00:01 (EDT) and will run until June 16, 2019, 23:59 (PDT).

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On May 20th, we reported that the Department of Homeland Security warns that Chinese drones might be stealing your data. Today, we learn from the narrator in a special video message from the DHS, that “we’re not being paranoid,” when it comes to the security risk that Chinese-made drones might expose us to. This risk is not limited to just drones. It also includes other Chinese-made product such as the ones from the telecom giant Huawei, and even subway cars made in China to be used by the transit agencies in New York City and Washington D.C.

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French drone maker, Parrot has been selected by the Department of Defense as one of six companies to help develop a short-range reconnaissance drone for the US Army. The development of small commercial drones for the battlefield is t result of a partnership between the U.S. Army Program Executive Officer (PEO) for Aviation’s Project Manager, Unmanned Aircraft Systems, the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) and the Army’s Maneuver Center of Excellence. DJI is not among the other selected companies. The ongoing US-China trade war, which caused price increases for DJI products, and fears of Chinese companies such as Huawei and DJI potentially spying on behalf of the Chinese government have suddenly created new opportunities for American and Western European companies, such as Parrot.

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