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
More and more people and businesses around the world feel the impact of the spreading Coronavirus and so does DJI. The Chinese drone maker is impacted by the virus in a number of ways and has also closed their offices in China as a precautionary measure.
An open letter to AMA leadership concerning FAA’s NPRM for Remote ID for Drones, in which professional drone pilot and photographer Vic Moss points out why it so important to write your own personal stories, feedback and concerns when you submit your comments to the FAA concerning their strict, overreaching, costly and privacy invading NPRM for Remote ID for Drones. Please do not copy/paste pre-written comments. Vic also points out that a large organization, such as the AMA could have a very strong voice in this debate when their members are instructed properly and are urged to take action. Please read this letter and make yourself heard! Thank you.
Ahead of Super Bowl LIV, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is done warning and confiscates drones from operators who violate the temporary flight restrictions (TFR) around the Super Bowl venues in Miami.
Yesterday, DJI already release this statement in reaction to the Department of the Interior’s new drone order. Today the Chinese drone maker elaborates further and explains why the DOI drone order is an “an alarming, politically driven decision that puts lives and property at risk.”
On many fronts within the drone industry, people have been taking action to try and stop or change the current proposed rules for remote identification for drones, better known as the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) NPRM for Remote ID for Drones.
Today we learned that after delaying Remote ID for drones three times themselves, the FAA has denied a request from commenters to extend the 60-day commenting period that ends on March 2. The agency states that “subsequent delays in promulgation of a final rule implementing remote identification of UAS would not be consistent with the safety and security objectives of the proposed rule.”
Today the U.S. Department of Interior issued an order that basically grounds their entire Chinese-made drone fleet except for in a few special situations such as fire fighting and search and rescue missions. Understandably, DJI is not at all pleased with this order and responds to the U.S. Department of Interior drone order issued the following statement.
After temporarily grounding its fleet of drones last year, the U.S. Interior Department grounded its drone fleet after issuing an order today to formally adopt a no-fly rule aimed at drones made in China or with Chinese parts. Exceptions will be made for those situations in which drones are needed to respond to natural disasters or other emergencies.
A police drone captured a crack cocaine deal live from 3,100 feet in the air in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The drone footage was approved beforehand by a judge, and it marks the first time that the Miami-Dade Police have used an unmanned aerial vehicle to get real-time evidence in a criminal investigation.
Are you, like so many, unhappy with the FAA’s NPRM for Remote ID for drones? Well, the Drone Advocacy Kit can help! The Drone U and FPV FC have worked together to create this comprehensive guide that explains what’s wrong (hint a lot!) with the FAA’s NPRM and more importantly what you can do to help protect our hobby and for many our work.
Drone hobbyists are to blame for most drone sightings, says Senator Deb Fischer (R-NE). According to Fischer, more than half of the drone sightings that have been reported over the last few weeks can be attributed to hobbyists flying their drones.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released drone video footage of NBA legend Kobe Bryant’s helicopter crash site near Calabasas, California. The video, released on YouTube, includes both drone footage as well as on-ground video. NTSB personnel are using a DJI Phantom series drone to map out the scene of the wreckage.
Ahead of AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL 2020, which will take place from May 5th through 7th in Boston, the organization is calling for entries for the 2020 AUVSI XCELLENCE Awards.
Grab a cup of coffee and watch the video below in which Yahoo Finance interviews U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao about the latest developments in the transportation sector. Of course, drones are discussed as well for a good part of the interview. However, it seems that U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao fails to understand that the FAA’s NPRM for Remote ID kills the consumer drone hobby by severely restricting it and making it more expensive.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) NPRM for Remote ID for drones is exactly the kind of top-down, command and control policy that the Secretary states the U.S. government is not into. The interview took place during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
Today, we received another confirmation that the DJI Matrice 300 release is planned for the end of February. This enterprise drone will have a new feature in its transmission system, and two of these new unmanned aircraft have already arrived in DJI’s offices in California.
A recreational drone pilot assisted in a police-organized search and rescue operation and found a missing girl with his drone in the UK. The hobbyist drone operator has received a Chief Constable’s Citizen’s Commendation Award from the police for his help.
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In a Tweet from a few days ago, a photo and video are shown of what seems to be a weaponized DJI Matrice 210 that was allegedly seized by the Taliban from Afghan security forces during a night raid in the Garamsir district of the Helmond province in Afghanistan.
Correction: an earlier version of this article erroneously said it was a DJI Matrice 200 when it is in fact an M210
In the UK, the police have warned criminals, “You won’t be able to hide from our new drone,” which can track suspects fleeing crimes such as burglary and robbery. As part of a new drone team at the Nottinghamshire Police, 15 officers are being trained as drone pilots. Once the officers arrive at the scene of a crime, a drone can be deployed within eight minutes.
A drone helped a hurt hiker rappel 400 feet during a daring rescue at Snow Canyon State Park in Utah on Sunday. It was the first time an unmanned aircraft was used this way by the Washington County Search and Rescue team.
Update: we just got confirmation from the Washington County Sheriff Search and Rescue that the drone in question was a DJI Mavic 2 Enterprise Dual with an aftermarket drop system. Impressive!
New DJI Matrice 300 (or M300) specifications and information has been leaked exclusively to DroneDJ before the launch of this new enterprise drone late February. The M300 will be accompanied by a brand new hybrid thermal camera called the DJI Zenmuse H20.
While we were all in shock of the FAA’s NPRM for Remote ID for drones, DJI quietly slipped this piece of news by us. It even seems that the Chinese drone maker forgot about the DJI Zenmuse XT-S themselves because the information is not yet up on their website, even though they do provide a link to it.
The police shot a reporter’s drone out of the sky in the municipality of Ciudad Cuauhtémoc, Mexico, on Monday morning.
Leave it up to DJI to surprise us with a special promotion, the DJI Spring Sales Promotion. Right in the dead of winter, the Chinese drone maker offers discounts as high as $300 on the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, Zoom, and other products such as the DJI Osmo Pocket and DJI Osmo Action. The DJI Spring Sales Promotion started today and runs until the end of the month. You can find all the details below.
Here are our updated DJI rumors. We will share with you all the info we currently have on the DJI Matrice 300 (M300), the DJI Mavic 3, the DJI Mavic Air 2 and even other DJI aircraft.
