Haye Kesteloo

Skydio released their fully autonomous flying R1 drone earlier this year and their unmanned aircraft has surprised may drone enthusiasts. The way the R1 drone is able to avoid obstacles while following you is simply unreal. I had the chance to try it out a number of times now and it truly is impressive. Today, Skydio releases their first major software update for the R1. They have added the ability for the drone to follow vehicles, which I think is a very valuable addition for when you want to show off your adventures. Of course, keep in mind that this is not meant for the public roads! Skydio also added four new cinematic modes and improved the ‘lead’ mode, landing and general user experience of the app. The company promises to keep improving their Autonomy Engine with future updates.

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Good morning, Here are yesterday’s headlines with a very positive outlook from the PwC accountants on the impact drone may have on the UK economy as well as DJI’s release of the Ronin S. Priced at $699 USD we think this is a very attractive gimbal and especially the fact the the LCD screen of your camera remains unobstructed when mounted on the Ronin S is a big plus. Furthermore we have a video that was used during the launch of the DJI Mavic Air in Australia. Enjoy!

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According to a report by accountants from PwC, drones may boost the UK economy by £42 billion ($56bn) by 2030, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs in the process and lifting the GDP by almost 2%. The report predicts that billions will be saved by working more efficiently with drones than with traditional means such as helicopters for instance. Industries that will be impacted by drones are agriculture, mapping and surveying, construction, inspection, stock management and more.

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What a great way to start the week! DJI just introduced to much anticipated DJI Ronin S. I was able to play around with a Ronin S prototype during the AUVSI 2018 conference earlier this year and this single-handed stabilizer surely felt to be the real deal. However, the big question was always, how much will DJI charge for this gimbal? DJI employees told me: less than one thousand US dollars. Today, I’m glad to find out that the new DJI Ronin S will sell for $699 USD, positioning it right below its competitor the Zhiyun Crane 2 which is priced at $749.

The DJI Ronin S is available for pre-orders today at DJI, and exclusively through B&H (saves you sales tax if you live outside NY/NJ). Shipping will start in late June.

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Good morning, and welcome back after a long weekend! Hopefully, everybody had a great time? Here are the headlines you may have missed over the last few days. Starting with some spectacular drone footage from Casey Neistat and also from the Volvo Ocean Race.  But that’s not all. There’s been a drone and helicopter collision in Switzerland that luckily ended well. A homeowner who shot at a drone. Drone sightings over prisons and more. Today’s video is called “Mountains of Peru” and it’s a beauty. Enjoy!

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Let me start off by saying that I, like almost 10 million other people, am a fan of Casey Neistat and his daily vlogs. Casey’s style, creativity and storytelling ability are second to none and his videos are highly entertaining. However, the videos are also very controversial when it comes to his use of drones. Yesterday, Casey uploaded his latest video in which he buys a DJI Inspire 2 and Zenmuse X5S (?). Together with his good friends and drone experts, Elaine and Justin, they get on a boat to fly and test the new drone. The group ventures out on to the Hudson River, East River, and in the New York Harbor and capture amazing drone footage of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. Within the first 24 hours of posting the video, it has been watched almost 900,000 times and a discussion has ignited in the comments section as to whether this video constitutes legal or illegal drone flying. First of all, I am not a drone/aviation lawyer, but after having watched the video a couple of times, there are a few moments that question the legality of the drone operation and at the same time show the complexity around the FAA’s drone regulations. Let’s take a closer look.

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Day 5 of Leg 9 of the Volvo Ocean Race has been one of record-breaking sailing. Both Team AkzoNobel (Dutch) and Team Brunel (Dutch) broke the 600 mile barrier in 24 hours. A feat that up until now had never been achieved with a sailboat. To capture spectacular footage and photos Team Brunel flew their DJI Phantom 4 drone in 30 knots of wind. Check out this video and the landing of the drone afterward. Simply amazing!

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It all started Friday morning around 5 a.m. when 9-year-old Camille Wesley Corbett was reported missing. According to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, the young girl was last seen Friday morning early on the Northside at a home in the area of 8th Avenue and Prospect Street. Boats, dogs, a helicopter, and drone company FlyMotion have all contributed to the search for the girl. Fortunately, she has been found after an 18-hour search party and has since been reunited with her family.

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Various Swiss media have reported a collision between a drone and a helicopter in the Verzasca Valley. The collision happened high above the Verzasca Dam in the canton of Ticino, Switzerland, last Friday, May 25. The Swiss Security Investigation Service (SUST) has identified the drone pilot, a 42-year-old Swiss from the canton of Lucerne.

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A homeowner in Bradenton, Florida did not like that a drone was flying over his house. He told deputies that he was “in fear of his family’s privacy,” and thus tried to shoot the unmanned aerial device out of the air with his handgun.

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Tomorrow is the start of the famous Isle of Man TT races. The motorcycle races will last until June 8 and for that period the Isle of Man’s Civil Aviation Administration has banned drones from being flown. If drones are being spotted in the No-Fly Zone practice sessions and races could be halted.

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Only three days ago did we report on the latest case in which a drone was used to allegedly deliver contraband to a prison. Today we learn that there have been 138 cases of drone sightings at Georgia state prisons since last July. It should come as no surprise now that the Department of Corrections is currently testing drone detection systems.

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Earlier this month U.S. aviation regulators quietly filed a new proposed rule that would require recreational drone pilots to place their government assigned drone identification number on the outside of their aircraft. Currently, the roughly one million recreational drone pilots that are registered with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are already required to identify their drones but the marking can be placed inside the battery compartments for instance where it is not easily visible.

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Check this video out. It was shot this month somewhere in the Swiss Alps and it shows who the real kings of the skies are. Hint it is not your drone!

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Shenzhen-based Simtoo recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to promote and fund their new foldable Fairy Drone, which they call “the ultra-portable full aerial photographer”. Supposedly this is an ideal drone for beginners and the little aerial device offers a 1080p full HD camera, an auto-tracking mode, motion control and up to 16 minutes of flight time.

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One of the final steps in the assembly of the DJ Mavic Air must be to delete any video footage left on the internal memory card. Something that one of DJI’s employees clearly forgot, as this Mavic Air recorded part of the production process and the footage was still on the internal memory card when the new owner took possession of the unmanned aircraft. You can only imagine how surprised and he must have been when he found out a 43-second video clip of DJI’s factory was still on his new drone.

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Good morning, here are yesterday’s headlines with news about the photos of the mysterious silver/grey Phantom drone with interchangeable lenses, a custom-built motorcycle with a place to store your DJI Mavic Pro and the ‘boggling’ news about Amazon and the State of New York not being selected for the UAS Integration Pilot Program. Enjoy!

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If you have ever wondered how to bring a DJI Mavic Pro drone along on a motorcycle, well, in that case, you may want to check this out. Recently Yamaha approached Kevin Murray, founder of Velomacchi in Hood River, Oregon to customize an XSR700. Murray and his team set to work and together with brands like DJI, Yoshimura, Champion and Race Tech they created the ultimate “Goldrush Bike” including a custom solution to carry your DJI Mavic Pro. Velomacchi specializes in creating backpacks, duffel bags and other accessories for adventurous motorcyclists.

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Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve seen various photos pop-up of two grey/silver DJI Phantom drones with an interchangeable lens system. Many people, including us, had been hoping that this was indeed a prototype of a new DJI Phantom drone with interchangeable lenses. Potentially an amazing setup for any serious photographer, who appreciates the flexibility and quality of fixed focal length or prime lenses, but without breaking the bank. Sort of a mini Inspire 2 / Zenmuse X7 combo. However, without saying that such a drone may never be introduced, DJI did state in an email to DroneDJ that these photos do NOT show a new DJI Phantom 5 drone, but a one-off custom built drone for one of their enterprise customers. Bummer, I know…

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Two weeks the U.S. Department of Transportation announced the 10 successful UAS Integration Pilot Program applications. To everybody’s surprise, Amazon and the State of New York, which according to Governor Cuomo is building “the most advanced drone testing in the country,” were not among the lucky few. News that Assemblyman Anthony Brindisi (D-Utica) said was “boggling.”

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Good morning, here are the headlines you may have missed from yesterday. We have news about WorkHorse starting its drone delivery program in Ohio, the police in Orland Park, Illinois using drones to assist in arrests, and a deal on the Parrot Mambo Quadcopter. Enjoy!

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