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 New Zealand a drone got dangerously close to an Air Force helicopter. The unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) was spotted less then 200 feet away from the helicopter, which at the time of the incident flew at around 3,000 feet as it was approaching Auckland’s Whenuapai Air Force Base. Operations at the base were suspended for 30 minutes.
Switzerland-based drone manufacturer, Fotokite took home the Grand Prize of $1 million in the Genius NY drone competition. Fotokite has developed a tethered unmanned aerial device that can stay in the air indefinitely. Not too long ago, CNN actually obtained FAA approval to fly this drone over people.
Earlier this week, we reported on proposed drone regulation from the Trump Administration that would allow federal officials to track, reroute or destroy your drone if needed. Now, we receive news from France where similar, but perhaps less drastic, new drone legislation and regulation is in the works as well. If the new rules come into effect, remote drone identification may become a reality for French drone pilots as soon as July 1st, 2018. Luckily, popular (pro)consumer drones such as the DJI Spark, Mavic Air, and Mavic Pro would be exempt.
Good morning! Today we have news about the new Phantom 4 RTK that received FCC approval. We suspect that this new DJI drone aimed at the commercial market will be released before the end of May. We also have news about new Nasca Lines in Peru that were discovered with the help of drones. Lastly, a number of good deals. Grab your coffee and enjoy!
Most people know the desert carvings in Peru, that resemble animals such as a hummingbird, a pelican, a monkey and a lizard as the ‘Nasca Lines‘. They were first discovered by Peruvian archaeologist Toribio Mejía Xesspe in 1927 and have since become a famous tourist attraction. Now, with the help of drones, some 50 more geoglyphs have been discovered some of which are 2,500 years old.
Last Friday, DJI received FCC approval for what seems to be a Phantom 4 controller. Today, the Chinese drone manufacturer receives another FCC approval for the Phantom 4 RTK (FCC ID SS3-WM334R1801). RTK stands for Real-Time Kinematic and enables the drone to map out an area, building or stockpile with a very high level of accuracy (up to 5cm or 2 inches). DJI requested a 45-day secrecy cycle, meaning that this commercial drone may come to the US market soon as part of their big push into the commercial drone market.
Good morning, here we are with the headlines from yesterday. During the NAB 2018 show, DJI released the Master Wheels and the Force Pro but unfortunately no new drones. Unless they still have a surprise in store for us, but I doubt it. Furthermore, new proposed legislation from the Trump administration with greater powers for Homeland Security and Justice Departments for dealing with rogue drones. Lastly, an FCC approval for what seems to be the new controller for the Phantom 4 Pro V2.0. Enjoy!
Governments around the world are becoming increasingly concerned about drone incidents and drone threats. And when you have seen photos or videos of drones being jerry-rigged to drop grenades, you understand why. According to a copy of a legislative proposal obtained by The Washington Post, the Trump administration is seeking authority to intercept drone communications to defend against any possible drone attacks in the U.S. The administration asked Congress to give more powers to the Homeland Security and Justice Departments to track, reroute or destroy drones that are perceived to be a threat.
This morning, DJI ‘officially’ introduced the DJI Master Wheels and the Force Pro at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) show in Las Vegas, although many people had already seen the Master Wheels in action. Both devices are aimed at professional camera operators and are priced accordingly. They allow for very precise and cinematic movement of theDJI’s Ronin 2 and Ronin-S gimbals.
Many drone enthusiasts were hoping to see a new DJI drone at the show this year, but that seems less likely now.
Last Friday, DJI received FCC approval for what seems to be a newer or different version of the controller of the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0. Back in March, we reported on the DJI Phantom 4 Pro V2.0 as well as the controller (version number GL300L1801). The one for which DJI got FCC approval last Friday carries number FCC ID SS3-GL300K1801 and it is unclear at this point whether this is a newer version or a different version of the controller.
Good morning, here are the headlines you may have missed over the weekend. Have you seen the Team Brunel video already? I still can’t believe they were able fly a drone of a racing yacht and were able to get it back on board safely. Crazy! We also have a video today that was shot on the Inspire 2 and the Zenmuse X7 camera of downtown Miami. Makes me want to go back there. Luckily the weather is warming up here in NY. So, grab a cup of coffee and jump in.
Announced by the co-founder and chairman of Airmap himself, Ben Marcus: “you can now fly your DJI drone directly from the AirMap app for iOS and Android.” This is really convenient as Airmap is the app I use all the time, before starting a drone flight. Why? To make sure that I am ok to fly my drone at a certain location and stay clear from any airports or TFR’s.
Many people have lost their drones flying over water. There are plenty of videos on YouTube and Facebook of drone pilots crashing their drones into creeks, canals, lakes, and oceans. So when I saw this video of a crew flying and catching what seems to be a DJI Phantom in strong winds and high waves, from a racing sailboat at full speed during the Volvo Ocean Race, I was beyond impressed.
DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, forwards for your information this news release announcing the establishment of the Alliance for Drone Innovation. Interestingly, GoPro is one of the members, even though the company exited the drone industry only a few months ago.
The use of drones is becoming more prevalent in the study and observation of wildlife. In almost all cases, drones are better suited for the job than traditional airplanes and helicopters. In this example, a team of people from the Cabo Verdean Eco-Tourism Association, who research whales used the very small and affordable DJI Mavic Air to capture photo and video footage of a humpback whale mother and her newborn in the Cabo Verde archipelago.
DJI, the world’s leader in creative camera technology, has updated its Zenmuse X7 camera to support the new ProRes RAW standard from Apple. Enabled through firmware updates, the Zenmuse X7 also gains performance enhancements that deliver improved workflows and image quality. These new features increase the power and efficiency of the Zenmuse X7 and reinforce its role in professional filmmaking as the world’s first Super35 digital camera designed for aerial cinematography.
Good morning, here are yesterday’s headlines as well as a video submitted by one of our readers, Stanly. He submitted the following short movie, called Frozen Romania showing off the beauty of the wintery countryside as well as some special zoom effects. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy Frozen Romania hopefully from a warm place.
Lawmakers in Berlin could soon approve the deployment of armed drone for the Bundeswehr. German defense minister, Ursula von der Leyen is to forward a €25 million EUR ($30.7 million USD) placeholder petition to the defense committees for a program to lease a number of Heron-TP drones from Israel. The entire contract is valued at around €1 billion EUR.
An estimated 10 million drones will be sold globally this year. About 3 million of them will be sold here in the US and among the new drone pilots are many young people. Schools and colleges have taken notice and have started different drone programs and classes.
Good morning, yesterday the Commercial Drone Alliance asked Congress to revoke section 336, which would require all hobbyist and recreational drone pilots to get their drone license in order to fly. We will be following developments in this area closely. Further more we have an amazing drone video showing the beauty of Namibia and Botswana, so grab your coffee and jump in.
Today, the Commercial Drone Alliance asked Congress to revoke Section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, the special rule for model aircraft, that allows drone hobbyists or recreational drone flyers to fly their unmanned vehicles without a license if they adhere to certain safety standards.
We first wrote about Yamaha and their agricultural or industrial drones when they were at CES2018 displaying the YMR-01. Today we learn that Yamaha will begin with limited sales of their industrial multi-rotor drone the YMR-08 aimed at agricultural use starting in June of this year in Japan.
Festo’s Bionic Flying Fox has a wingspan of more than 7 feet and is almost 3 feet long, but weighs only a little more than 1 pound (580 grams). This semi-autonomously flying fruit bat is a bio-inspired drone that has been developed by the engineers of the German automation company.
After the recent patents that were granted to Amazon, the latest drone-related patent has been awarded by the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) to the HorseFly Truck Launched Drone Package Delivery System from the Workhorse Group.