Drone Regulations

A group of aviation and drone sector companies in the UK are banding together to work toward increased use cases and frequency of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights across the nation, and propose policies to regulators permitting wider deployment of those missions.

Australian aerial logistics and drone delivery company Swoop Aero is working with its national Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in a project aiming to harmonize and streamline the remotely piloted aircraft (RPAS) certification process of both countries.

The UK government has released a study it commissioned on the effects of drone activity in coming years, with best-case scenarios in it forecasting an additional $54 billion in economic growth and 650,000 potential new jobs by 2030.

Updated analysis from researchers at George Mason University’s Mercatus Center is offering officials across the US an idea of how well or poorly their states rank in terms of preparing for increased enterprise and public service drone use and provides them ways to improve their readiness as activity nears expected expansion.

Conservationists say that a drone flying illegally and recklessly over a nature reserve in the United Kingdom has forced at least 150 migratory birds to flee in panic. At the same time, the drone “noticeably harassed” several sick sandwich terns who had most likely been infected with Avian Influenza (bird flu). The weakest of the terns soon perished thereafter.

As you celebrate the Independence Day holiday, the FAA is sending out reminders to keep safety front and center. The message is simple: drones and fireworks do not mix well together.

Airspace Link is now one step closer to its mission of building a Waze for drone pilots and supporting safe integration of drones into the national airspace.

When it comes to aerial safety rules, Irish aviation authorities don’t kid around. Just ask the man who became the first pilot successfully prosecuted in the country for breaking regulations by flying his drone above a crowd.

The authorities in Italy are nursing a new headache these days, and it looks like one that’s unlikely to go away any time soon. Incidents of tourists crashing (or nearly crashing) drones into historical landmarks are growing fast, with three such mishaps coming to light in the last month alone.

The last few months have seen a spate of new consumer and prosumer drones being launched by industry-leading players such as DJI and Autel. However, the one question that has kept several enthusiasts across the European Union and the UK from loosening their purse strings is: “Where is the class identification label?” If you’ve also held off wondering the same, here’s some good news.

India’s aviation industry regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is sounding an alarm over increasing drone pilot training scams in the country. The agency says several “fake” schools have cropped up across the nation, falsely claiming to have been approved by the DGCA.

Following drone manufacturer Holy Stone’s use of C1 EU class identification label on the HS720E GPS aircraft, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has provided an update on the market availability of drones with C0-C6 labels.

Israel has created aviation history by approving a drone to fly in civilian airspace and not restricting its flight to uncontrolled airspace. Following its certification by the Civil Aviation Authority of the State of Israel (CAAI), the Hermes Starliner UAS by Elbit Systems will now be able to fly at medium altitudes for a multitude of long-range missions, such as securing mass public events, environmental inspection missions, precision agriculture work, maritime search and rescue, as well as border security and anti-terror operations.

India has imposed an import ban on drones with immediate effect. The ban, which was notified by the Ministry of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday, prohibits the import of drones in all forms – Completely Built-Up (CBU), Completely Knocked Down (CKD), and Semi Knocked Down (SKD).

English Premier League soccer fans who still complain about delays created by referees consulting video footage shifted their impatient ire this weekend to a stadium invading drone that caused a long halt in the Brentford-Wolverhampton match.

Less than a week after deadly aerial attacks of an oil refinery and the Abu Dhabi international airport, officials in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) announced an indefinite ban on flights of consumer drones and light sports aircraft.

The growing popularity of drones as a holiday gift has got the agency that leads New Jersey’s counterterrorism and cybersecurity efforts worried. The New Jersey Office of Homeland Security and Preparedness (NJOHSP) is both asking new pilots to familiarize themselves with aviation rules and safety guidelines, and cautioning the public to take heed of suspicious drone activities.

The tumult in the UK over drones live-streaming horse races to provide an advantage to clients in betting rings has reached a new pitch, with clearly displeased and disapproving politicians joining the debate. Their earnest outrage notwithstanding, the desire to thwart the lucrative practice continues to be undermined by a confounding consideration: The activity isn’t illegal under existing laws.

Israel is nearing the halfway mark of its national drone initiative – an ambitious pilot program seeking to test and prepare operational capacities for UAV use in daily life and business, and place participating companies at the forefront of rapidly approaching aerial services.

Many people buy a drone so they can capture their best vacation moments from the air. If you plan to travel with your drone in Europe this holiday season, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) wants you to make sure you have the right permissions and licenses in place. Here’s a quick lowdown on the things to remember…

An initial series of drone test flights over cities has been rolled out in Poland as part of an effort to speed preparations for the introduction of urban air mobility (UAM) services and navigation systems across the Europe Union.