Haye Kesteloo is the Editor in Chief and Main Writer at DroneDJ, where he covers all drone-related news and writes product reviews. He also contributes to the other sites in the 9to5Mac group such as; 9to5Mac, 9to5Google, 9to5Toys, and Electrek.
Haye can be reached at haye@dronedj.com or @hayekesteloo
Good morning, Today we bring you the beauty of the Amazon jungle and the Palca Canyon in Bolivia. Beautiful scenery and probably not something many of us will see first hand, so enjoy this drone video. Furthermore, we have news for you about the UAS IPP, a firmware update for the DJI Mavic 2 Pro/Zoom models and video footage from Mexico Beach in Florida where Hurricane Michael made landfall.
The first drone footage is emerging from Mexico Beach, Florida and it shows the widespread devastation that was caused by the Category 4 storm that made landfall on Wednesday. As you can see in this drone video, a large part of the small town is simply gone.
Insitu, a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Boeing Company, and the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) — partners in the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) — have received FAA approval for routine unmanned beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) test flights in Alaska.
Good morning, today we have an aerial perspective on the city of Antwerp in Belgium. All the footage in this drone video is captured in 4K and shows the beautiful old town center. The video was shot with a DJI Mavic Air. In the category news, we have a warning from the FAA to not fly your drone in a way or location that would interfere with emergency response operation related to Hurricane Michael. Furthermore, we have news on the DHL Parcelcopter, the new Teal One drone and a price cut for the Parrot Anafi.
DJI just released a new firmware update for the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom and Pro models. This is version v01.00.01.00. The update promises to improve ActiveTrack 2.0, improved photo quality for panoramas, aircraft stability and will allow you to adjust the flight speed and duration for Hyperlapse among other things. I haven’t had a chance myself to update my drone yet but will do so later today. You can find the official release notes from DJI here.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) warns drone operators not to fly their unmanned aircraft during and after category 5 Hurricane Michael. If drone owners, operators and or pilots do interfere with first responders or emergency response operations in the disaster struck area, they will be subject to fines possibly exceeding $20,000.
They have been at it for a few years now but earlier this month, DHL, GIZ on behalf of BMZ and Wingcopter, flew the DHL Parcelcopter 4.0 over 37 miles in about 40 minutes to a remote island in Lake Victoria as part of the project ‘Deliver Future’. The tilt-rotor drone can perform vertical take-offs and landings. However, once in the air it can transition to a more energy-efficient fixed-wing done that flies a lot faster.
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Today, Teal launches their flagship drone the Teal One. This ready-to-fly done has a top speed of 60mph and features a modular design, making it easy to replace parts if you happen to crash the drone. The done is controlled right from your smartphone with an app called Teal Flight, that also offers five different flight modes, including one-handed and voice control. The drone has been developed by 20-year-old Utah-based founder, George Matus. It is designed and built right here in the US.
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Good morning, today we have a drone video that was shot last summer on both a DJI Phantom 4 Pro and the DJI Mavic Air. The footage is of the German and Austrian Alps in Bavaria and Tyrol. It’s a very nice video and well worth watching. Furthermore, yesterday’s headlines include a firmware update for the Phantom 4 Pro/Pro+ V2.0, an Inspire 2 with X5s camera and all possible lenses, drones replacing bees if needed, India’s drone market and more. So, grab your morning joe and jump right in!
Scientists in Nepal use drone images to count critically endangered gharial and mugger crocodiles along the Babai River. Counting the animals by drone proved to be just as accurate as counting by ground survey teams. However, the drones were able to do it in less time and at a lower cost.
Now here’s a photo you don’t see every day. A DJI Inspire 2 with all the Zenmuse X5s lenses on display. Interestingly, DJI does not even include all these lenses on their website. They just say that “more compatible lenses will be available.” Which seems to be a message that needs to be updated. Including the Panasonic 14-42mm and 45-175mm lenses.
Yesterday, Chinese drone-maker, DJI released a new firmware update for their Phantom 4 Pro/Pro+ V2.0 series of drones. This is firmware version v01.00.20.00 and it includes added support for Ground Station Pro (GS Pro), updating the video transmission system to OcuSync 2.0 and more. Especially the upgrade to OcuSync 2.0 for the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 is a very welcome improvement as it should make for a much better connection in dense urban areas where there is more interference. Have you upgraded already? Let us know what your experience has been in the comments below.
Scientists in the Netherlands say that they can create millions of drones to pollinate plants in case of a collapse in bee populations. Bees around the world are under threat by intensive modern farming methods and the consequences of global climate change. At the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, a team of scientists has worked on a solution. It’s called the DelFly, a drone we reported on earlier.
Like elsewhere in the world, India’s drone market is expected to grow strongly in the coming years. A report from the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) and Ernst & Young (EY) noted that Indian UAS market will touch $885.7 million by 2021.
Good morning, today we have a very nice drone video from Joel, who shows us Oahu, Hawaii from a DJI Mavic 2 Pro’s perspective. Be sure to check that one out! As far as headlines news go, we have quite a bit for you, ranging from the Balloon Fiesta, dragonfly-inspired done, Google Project Maven, police drone finds a girl, President Trump signed the FAA Reauthorization Act into law, the Drone Dominator and a lot more. So, make that an extra large coffee, sit down and jump right in!
Reportedly, it is the most photographed event in the world, the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The festival stretches over nine days in New Mexico, from October 6th through the 14th. With over 500 balloons it is the largest hot air balloon event in the world. With all the colorful balloons and the thousands of people attending, the event naturally attracts many photographers, including aerial photographers. However, you are not allowed to fly your drone at the event location. Even in a four-mile radius around the event drones are not allowed, as a Temporary Flight Restriction (TFR) has been put into place. However, there’s one exception. Jesse Samson is allowed to fly his DJI Matrice 600 with a high-end Canon camera.
It is not the first time that we see a drone that has been inspired by nature when it comes to its design. Earlier this year, the French company Parrot introduced the Anafi drone that was inspired by insects. The Skeeter drone, a military surveillance UAS, was based on a dragonfly. Dragonflies are the most successful predators as they catch 95% of the prey that they target.
During his trip to Washington D.C. last week, Google CEO Sundar Pichai met quietly with military leaders at the Pentagon to smooth over tensions about the company pulling out of a defense contract. The Washington Post reports that Pichai met with a group of civilian and military leaders from the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. This is the defense department that oversees Project Maven, an artificial-intelligence drone system.
During the early morning hours on Saturday, a 16-year-old girl called the 999 Emergency Services to report that she had been raped and was somewhere in the Boston Lincolnshire (UK) area with her attacker. Even though the girl was not able to report her exact location she was quickly found after she had described a leveled factory site and the local authorities deployed a police drone with a thermal imaging camera.
Tests performed at the University of Dayton Research Institute’s Impact Physics Lab show that even the impact of a small drone, like a DJI Phantom can have severe consequences. The tests were designed to mimic a midair collision at 238 mph. A 2.1-pound DJI Phantom 2 drone was launched into the wing of a Mooney M20 aircraft. As you can see in the video below, the drone did not shatter upon impact but tore open the leading edge of the wing. It entered the wing’s structure and damaged the main spar, posing a risk to manned aircraft.
10/8/18: The article was updated with a longer version video about the test.
Today, President Trump signed the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018. In a public statement, the FAA says that this establishes new conditions for the recreational use of drones. It also means that Section 336, the Special Rule for Model Aircraft is repealed effective immediately. Although the FAA admits that the Act ‘cannot be fully implemented immediately’ and therefor advices you to ‘follow all current policies and guidance’ when it comes to flying drones recreationally.
Germany’s financial capital, Frankfurt celebrated its new “Old City” with a drone show. Mayor Peter Feldmann officially opened the project and declared that “we are giving the city its heart and soul back.” In a $234 million project, 35 buildings were reproduced in a part of the city that was destroyed during World War II bombings.
The FAA Reauthorization Act has as many proponents as it has critics. One of the major concerns that various parties have expressed is the government’s virtual carte blanche to surveil, seize, or even shoot a drone out of the sky without first obtaining a warrant.
Take a look at this drone video that was taken last weekend during the RC44 World Championship 2018 in Cascais, Portugal. The race took place on September 30th at the ‘Clube Naval de Cascais‘. The RC44’s are very fast sailboats. Throw in 20 knots of wind and some current and this is what happened. Luckily a drone was in the air to capture the spectacle.