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
Today, DJI releases a firmware update for one of its most important enterprise drones the DJI Matrice 200 series (DJI), which includes the M200 and M210. There are two firmware updates one for the battery and one for the aircraft. See below for details.
DJI is named as one of the partners to advise and make recommendations to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) concerning the UAS Aeronautical Knowledge and Safety Test. Together with partners such as Unmanned Safety Institute, Drone Racing League, Horizon Hobby, Academy of Model Aeronautics and others
Maybe you’ve spent ‘all your money’ on the DJI Mavic Mini (from DJI or Amazon) when it came out a few weeks ago and now you realize you also would like to have a DJI Osmo Pocket? What do you do? First, you could ask Santa of course. I mean you never know, right? Or you could go ahead and buy this little Fantaseal Ergonomic Smartphone Holder for $13.99 and transform your DJI Mavic Mini into a handheld gimbal-stabilized camera!
DJI Aeroscope is now approved by the UK’s Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure (CPNI). DJI’s drone detection system was first introduced during a DJI event in Washington DC back in 2017 as both a mobile and fixed detection system that can spot both DJI drones and their pilots within a certain range.
The crew from Seven Worlds One Planet used drones to show the wonders of the seven extraordinary continents. The unmanned aircraft were deployed in some of the most beautiful and hostile environments on earth and include the ice of Antarctica and the scorching heat of the deserts of Africa.
Along the south coast of England, drones will monitor for migrant boats trying to bring people into the country illegally. The unmanned aerial systems (UAS) will cover a large area of the Channel, from Eastbourne to Margate.
According to Skydio’s COO, Tom Moss “drones are the next generation of what cameras should be.” Moss, who previously worked in the smartphone business for Google, joined Skydio in 2018 after realizing that “phones have gotten kind of boring.”
An AIR7 HD helicopter was struck by an object, believed to be a drone, at 1,100 feet over downtown Los Angeles Wednesday night. The chopper had to make a precautionary landing.
At around 7:15 p.m., as the helicopter was flying over the downtown LA area, pilot and reporter Chris Cristi said that he and the crew heard and felt a bang as an object hit the tail of the chopper. ABC7 Eyewitness News reports the incident as the helicopter being struck by a drone, even though that has yet to be proven. The initial photos show significant damage to the AIR7 HD helicopter.
Update: it seems that ABC7 Eyewitness News has changed the title of their news story to: “AIR7 HD struck by suspected drone over downtown LA, makes precautionary landing.”
Update 2: NBC News reports: “Two FAA inspectors examined the helicopter this morning, the FAA said, and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) requested that affected parts of the helicopter be removed and sent for analysis. The investigation into the incident is ongoing.”
When the 10 sites for the US Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP) were first announced, it always struck me as odd that DJI (and Amazon!) were not mentioned as partners in any of the test setups, even though their drones were widely used by others in the program. Finally, about one year into the UAS Integration Pilot Program, DJI officially joins it as one of the partners at Memphis International Airport.
Today, DJI released a new firmware update for the DJI Mavic Mini (DJI, Amazon). The Mavic Mini firmware update is version v01.00.0300 and it delivers a number of improvements that make the drone operate even more smoothly. DJI states that it has increased flight stability, optimized the performance during take-off at high elevation, and optimized gimbal control among other things. All the release notes are listed below as well as an additional video from Billy with his first impressions and thoughts of this new Mavic Mini firmware update.
The Chula Vista Police Department (CVPD) is the first in the world to use the Skydio 2 drones that are made in Redwood City, California. Eight CVPD officers have been trained, licensed, and FAA certified as pilots and have been using the Skydio 2 drones for the last four weeks. From early reports, we know that the American drone manufacturer has been targeting first responders, fire, and police departments with the Skydio 2 drone.
Remember the modified DJI Mavic 2 Zoom with the FLIR Boson thermal camera, that we covered earlier this year? Well, that was a prototype said Sheldon Holy from UK-based Drone Doctor and now also Revolve Drones. Now they’re back with a new and production ready version, the Revolve Thermal MK.III. The Boson 320 sensor has double the resolution of the sensor in the Mavic 2 Dual (320×240 resolution vs. 160×120), and a much narrower field of view (34° vs 57°). This allows the MK.III to detect a given heat signature at up to five times the distance that the Mavic 2 Dual is capable of, according to Revolve Drones. Keep reading for all the details but this may very well be the best drone for first responders right now, although it seems that new competition may be around the corner with the new Evo Autel 2 and Skydio 2 drones.
On Monday, scientists said that they had used a drone to observe an ice sheet in Greenland fracturing in real time. A team of researchers witnessed the rapid fracturing and draining of a lake on the ice sheet.
It is expected that this phenomenon may become more frequent as climate change worsens. Greenland’s ice sheet is the second largest in the world, and the single largest contributor to global sea-level rise.
Drones help map Puerto Rico’s coastal heritage. Indigenous sites along Puerto Rico’s coast dating back thousands of years are being mapped by U.S.-based scientists using drones. The researchers hope to identify which historic sites are most vulnerable before hurricanes and rising sea levels linked to climate change destroy a large chunk of the island’s history. Over the last two years, we have seen more and more researchers turn to drones to help them with their archeological research.
A new IMechE poll has found that only 23% of adults living in the United Kingdom support deliveries by drones. This was highlighted in a report titled: Public Perception: Drones. The surprisingly low level of support comes from concerns that include package theft and accidents.
AUVSI to host a webinar on unmanned systems industry outlook. Industry experts look at what’s ahead next year in innovation, research, testing, and deployment.
Parrot announces the new SDK Partner Program for its popular ANAFI drone platform. Kittyhawk to bring its Air Control Drone Fleet Management Platform to ANAFI users in 2020.
The French Postal Service has started to use drones to deliver parcels to remote Alpine villages. A subsidiary of La Poste, DPD states that delivering packages by drone is more reliable, quicker, and safer than driving a van up a narrow mountain road in the winter when these roads are often icy or blocked by snow.
Here’s a new service that drones can help provide. Drone for hospice, one last flight to remember. At first glance, this may come across as a crazy idea but in a way it makes sense. Drones can capture beautiful aerial footage of locations that are meaningful to people and that they may want to see one last time. Tom and Ashley Davis realized this need and are now offing such drone flights through their non-profit organization, The Flight To Remember Foundation.
As I’m sure most of our readers know by now, DroneDJ has been working together with the Drone U. One of the things that have come out of our partnership are out weekly news podcasts that you can find here. Today, The Drone U has launched its largest sales event ever. The Drone U Black Friday Promotion with discounts of up to 40% on their online training courses that include things like Part 107, Mapping and general drone business practices. Check out the details below, but hurry up as they will only last for another 9 hours or so as of the publication of this article.
In this video, two of DJI’s smallest drones go head-to-head: the DJI Mavic Mini (DJI, Amazon) versus the DJI Mavic Air (DJI, Amazon). Definitely worth watching as the outcome may surprise you. And especially, if you’re considering getting one of these drones during this Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend.
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Right before the start of Thanksgiving, the Chinese drone maker added the DJI FPV System to their DJI Black Friday Deals. The new HD DJI FPV Fly More Combo has been discounted from $929 to $799. The DJI FPV Experience Combo sells now for $699 instead of the normal price of $819.
Every year DJI runs a number of special promotions as we get near the Holiday Shopping Season and this year is no different. Earlier this month, DJI announced their 2019 DJI Black Friday deals and holiday promotions with discounts for products such as the DJI Mavic 2 Pro for $1,379, and deals on DJI’s Osmo Pocket, Osmo Action, Osmo Mobile 3, Ronin S, Ronin SC, and the Ryze Tello. The Black Friday sale will run from today (November 24, 2019), to December 4, 2019, and the holiday promotion will run from December 13, 2019, until January 1, 2020. See below for all the details!
Update: DJI added the DJI FPV System to their DJI Black Friday Deals. The new HD DJI FPV Fly More Combo has been discounted from $929 to $799. The DJI FPV Experience Combo sells now for $699 instead of the normal price of $819.
Amazon is littered with cheap drones. Here’s a list of what we think are the best drones that are available on Amazon today. They include all-time favorites such as the DJI Mavic 2 Pro, DJI Mavic 2 Zoom, DJI Mavic Air, DJI Mavic Mini, Parrot Anafi, Autel Evo, and even the Ryze Tello. Check it out below, before or after you have had your Thanksgiving dinner.
