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
In Australia, scientists of the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries are testing drones to learn more about shark behavior and using this technology as a beach safety device. Australia seems to be much further ahead than the US when it comes to using drones to keep beaches safe. The video below shows you some amazing footage of sharks, dolphins, and whales, that was collected during these tests.
Last night in San Francisco, Audi kicked off the global launch of their new e-tron all-electric, five-passenger mid-sized SUV with an indoor and outdoor drone light show. The show consisted of a total of 850 Intel Shooting Star drones, 300 of which were part of the outdoor show that greeted the 1,600 guests who were brought in by boat from the Embarcadero to Richmond’s historic Craneway Pavilion. The remaining 550 drones put up a second shot that took place both indoors and outdoors to wow the audience.
DJI just announced that the world leader in drones hired David Hansell, an expert on drone security and integration, as Public Policy Manager to help guide the development of drone laws and regulations in the US. David is the latest addition to the DJI’s global team of public policy and standards professionals, that is led by DJI Vice President of Policy & Legal Affairs Brendan Schulman. DJI’s government relations team grew with the hiring of Jordan Gross as Manager of Government Relations.
DJI shows us the first photo of the multilink connector in a tweet of their booth during the IBC Show in Amsterdam. Details of the new device were initially hard to come by but that changed with the release of the FCC filing. The DJI Multilink connector is used to connect the Inspire 2 or Cendence master remote controller to up to three slave remote controllers with a maximum range of up to 1,000 feet. The DJI only works with the Inspire 2.
Good morning, today we have two 4K drone videos for you from the same maker. Last year, Christian Schartner received his “best birthday present ever”, a DJI Mavic Pro drone. Christian didn’t waste any time and got to work over the winter, shooting some really nice drone footage from the Salzburg area in Austria. For the headlines you may have missed, we have the closing down of Airware and an unexpected (and unappreciated) price hike for the DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone from $1,449 to $1,499. Ouch!
Last Friday, Airware, a drone operating system company, suddenly shut down its business. The company informed employees that it would seize operations effective immediately after having burnt through $118 million from investors. The funding came from top firms such as Kleiner Perkins, Andreessen Horowitz, Google’s GV and Caterpillar. First rumors about the shutdown were leaked in a Slack screenshot and later confirmed in a statement. The company does thank its customers on their website and says that a representative will reach out soon. CEO Yvonne Wassenaar acknowledges shutting down the business as well in a series of tweets.
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This morning DJI raised the price on the DJI Mavic 2 Pro drone from $1,449 to $1,499. The price hike comes shortly after a steep price increase on many of the accessories that a typical customer might want to add to their drone. They include the Fly More Kit, batteries, and ND filters. Interestingly, the DJI Mavic 2 Zoom has not changed in price and is still offered at $1,249.
Good morning, I hope you have had a great weekend! Today we have news for you on a mesmerizing drone show during Burning Man 2018 as well as an article on the top six features of the Mavic 2 that are not getting enough attention. You might also have heard over the weekend that drone company Airware went bankrupt after having gone through 118 million in funding. We will have more on this shortly. And lastly, we have a DJI Mavic Pro that was brought along on an epic “Great American Roadtrip’. Check out that video below!
Studio Drift showed off their mesmerizing Franchise Freedom drone light show on Tuesday night during Burning Man 2018. You may have heard of Studio Drift before as they performed another drone show in Miami earlier this year in partnership with BMW. For that show as well as the on during Burning Man, 300 of Intel® Shooting Star™ drones were used.
Good morning, today we start out with a video of Maui, Hawaii that was shot on the DJI Mavic 2 Pro. Both the drone and the location are extraordinary and it shows in the footage. Check out the video below. Furthermore, we have yesterday’s headlines with news about the sudden price hike from DJI on certain Mavic 2 accessories. The completion of the LAANC roll-out. The AMA warning you not to fly your drone during Hurricane Florence, Flirtey and Reno complete UAS IPP test and autonomous drones flying through tight spaces. Grab your coffee and jump right in.
In an unannounced move, DJI raised the price on the Mavic 2 Fly More Kit and many other Mavic 2 Zoom/Pro accessories, such as the Mavic 2 Intelligent Flight Battery and the DJI ND filters. The price of the Fly More Kit was increased from $319 to $379. That is almost a 20% price increase. The new prices are effective today. We reached out to DJI and this is what they had to say.
Last week during InterDrone, Dan Elwell, the Acting Administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) had stated that the Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability or LAANC roll-out would be completed before the end of the month. Well, it seems that the FAA is ahead of schedule. As of today the Central North States have been activated. This is the last region to come on board. LAANC is now available for commercial drone operators nationwide. Allowing pilots to get near real-time approval for their flight plans. In the past, the approval or waiver process used to take weeks if not months. The availability of LAANC throughout the country represents a huge milestone in the development of commercial drone applications.
The Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) has sent out a warning to all their members, urging all UAS operators or drone pilots not to fly before, during and after Hurrican Florence as it will interfere with emergency response and relief efforts.
The City of Reno has completed their first test flights together with Flirtey as part of the Federal Aviation Administration’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP). The program was launched by President Trump late last year to fast-track commercial drone applications. The City of Reno and Flirtey partnership were one out of ten successful applicants for the IPP program.
Good morning, we’re going to ease into things today with this drone video called ‘Possum Town | Mississippi Mornings’. It’s a really nice video that shows the world in and around Columbus in the early morning hours. The video certainly carries the right vibe with the footage and music. The short film was shot by Nico DeBarmore with his DJI Mavic Pro. Be sure to check it out. As far as yesterday’s headlines we have news about a new drone, the US-1 from Impossible Aerospace, a company that was founded by a former Tesla engineer. Check out the article and you will see why that matters. Lastly, we have a drone video that shows Myrtle Beach, SC all dark and boarded up in anticipation of the Hurricane Florence. Please stay safe and remember not to fly your drone during the storm or right after when you might interfere with first responders.
As Florence, a Category 4 hurricane is making its way toward the US East coast, Robbie Bischoff took his drone out last evening to record the deserted town of Myrtle Beach, SC. The video shows many dark and boarded-up buildings. When watching the video you will also notice that there are hardly any cars on the streets anymore. It seems that most people have left the beach town in search of a safer place to stay.
Impossible Aerospace first showed their new drone the US-1 at InterDrone last week. What sets this drone apart from all other quadcopters, is its 2-hour flight time. This unmanned aircraft is uniquely designed with the batteries forming an integral part of its structure. As a result, the drone can fit many more batteries and thus achieve its extra long flight time. A little background information on the company and its founder may explain this radical approach to the design of the drone. The US start-up Impossible Aerospace was founded by former Tesla module battery design engineer Spencer Gore in 2016. The Sunnyvale, California-based company has received $9.4 million in a Series A funding to develop the drone.
Good morning, here are yesterday’s headlines. Did you know there is a college in Florida that teaches you how to fly drones? How’s that for a chance. Billy Kyle is considering to change his studies! I don’t blame him. Furthermore, we have a very dramatic but effective Italian video about drones and the need for pilot education. A camera swap for the Mavic 2 Zoom and Pro drones. A missing woman in the Malaysian jungle who is found with the help of a drone. And, lastly, one of our readers sent us this video of flying Mobulas in the Sea of Cortes. Amazing footage, partly captured with a Mavic Pro, and one the better videos we have seen in some time. So get your coffee and watch this one!
An Italian Drone Academy uses a dramatic video of a very serious staged drone accident to underscore the importance of drone education for pilots of all skill levels. We already know that improved education has helped to reduce the relative growth of drone incidents in Germany. The academy has created this video to drive home that point.
Early rumors indicated that the camera on the DJI Mavic 2 might be swappable. Then when DJI had their launch event of the Mavic 2 Zoom and Pro models, they said that the cameras could be swapped by DJI. You would have to send your drone in and they would swap the camera for you. Apart from the fact that you’d without a drone for some time, you would probably have to pay DJI a fee for the service and shipping as well. However, as it turns out you can actually swap the camera yourself as shown in these two videos on YouTube.
A woman who had been missing since last Friday was found in the jungle in Kampung Nyior Manis, Malaysia with the help of a drone. According to the officer-in-charge of Pekan Fire and Rescue Station Wan Samsul Effendi Wan Mahmud, the 31-year-old woman was found at 4.20pm last Saturday. A member of the public had used his drone to find her in the jungle.
Good morning, here are yesterday’s headlines with a drone crash in San Francisco, near-misses increase in the UK because of drones, army plans to power drones with lasers, and more. We also have an amazing drone video of Burning Man 2018, that we’d love to show you. So, get your coffee and jump right in!
New research from the BBC shows that the number of new-misses in the UK skies has increased by 60% in the last five years. The most serious incidents, classed as Category A airproxes, more than doubles between 2013 and 2017. Half of these Category A near-misses, unfortunately, involved drones.
Last Saturday, during a drone inspection of a cracked window of the sinking Millennium Tower in San Francisco, the aircraft suddenly fell out of the sky. Apparently, the unmanned aircraft system (UAS) had lost its GPS connection and drifted across the street into another building before it came crashing down. It almost hit pedestrians who were walking on the sidewalk below. It is unconfirmed what kind of drone was involved but the footage seems to show a DJI Phantom series UAS.