Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

After comments stated by the FAA’s chief of aviation safety last week, the administration formally announced the “relief” that is coming to remote pilots still trying to come into compliance with Remote ID rules.

German air taxi developer Volocopter has inked a deal with international aviation services company Bristow Group, covering 80 of the startup’s VoloCity aircraft for services planned in both the US and UK.

US President Joe Biden has announced his intent to nominate Michael G. Whitaker to serve as chief of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Whitaker’s nomination comes days before the September 16 deadline for operational compliance with the FAA’s Remote ID rule for drone pilots.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a trio of significant decisions late Wednesday, including issuance of type certification to Ondas Holding unit Airobotics’ Optimus-1EX automated drone platform, in what’s being touted as the “first non-air carrier drone designed for autonomous security and data capture.” 

In a case of disruptive technology promising transformative disruption of disrupting business practices, Florida drone company Sustainable Skylines says it will transform what many beachgoers consider the annoying activity of aerial banner advertising – and, somehow, make it better.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized Phoenix Air Unmanned to operate a Swiss-made drone weighing up to 191.8 pounds beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) for certain types of aerial works. This is the first time a drone of this size has received an exemption for commercial BVLOS operations by the FAA.

With enforcement of new Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) rules imposing UAV identification less than a month away, Red Cat Holdings says its Teal 2 defense and security drones have obtained certification as remote ID compliant with an onboard communications system that surpasses minimal requirements.

The North Carolina Department of Transport (NCDOT) has earned its second Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver to operate routine drone inspection missions in beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) mode, and will use that with craft from docked stations it plans to deploy near construction sites around the state.

Last year, DJI became the first drone manufacturer in the world to submit and earn US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for Remote ID protocol compliance. At the time, as many as seven of its popular drone models secured the FAA nod for adequate compliance with the Remote ID rule. Today, that list is much longer. But now, in another first, DJI has also become the only drone maker to have a previously-approved compliance status rescinded by the FAA.

In an effort to fly two major event kites from the same string – and encourage comingling of aerial activities at their heart – the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and Association for Uncrewed Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) are pairing up to host twinned drone and advanced air mobility (AAM) conferences next month at the same time and venue.

Electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft developers Joby and Lilium have announced completion of important steps in their respective work to obtain air taxi certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).

German electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) manufacturer Lilium announced it has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for its proposed basis of air taxi certification, making it what the company says is the first power-lift aircraft developer to obtain that all-clear by both US and European Union regulators.

Archer Aviation, one of the companies driving the nearing launch of air taxi services, has announced its hiring of former top Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) official Billy Nolen to oversee safety operations in the continued development of its electric vertical takeoff and landing plane (eVTOL).

The US House of Representatives has added to Washington’s flurry of legislative initiatives in recent months surrounding future airline, drone, next-generation aircraft, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) activity, with a new committee proposal that – among many, many other things – sets deadlines for creating new rules on beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations by UAVs.

A new bipartisan push to ban US government agencies from operating Chinese-made drones, including DJI, is currently underway in the Senate. This time, it’s the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that’s under the scanner for using more than a dozen drones that were manufactured in China.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking public comment on requests by four companies to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations at or below 400 feet. These companies are Zipline, UPS Flight Forward, Phoenix Air Unmanned, and uAvionix.

Czech UAV tech startup Dronetag is helping pilots in the US stay regulation complaint, save money in doing so, and also show their true feelings about new rules coming into force in September with the company’s new and evocatively named Dronetag BS remote ID  product.

In another sign that the advent of urban air mobility (UAM) services like air taxis is near, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued its latest blueprint on how those new, largely battery-powered aircraft will be phased in during early operation.

Leading instant logistics specialist Zipline isn’t just turning heads with its increasingly innovative drone delivery activity around the globe, but it is now also causing jaws to drop with fundraising effectiveness that has reportedly almost doubled its valuation to $4.2 billion.

Airspace monitoring and security tech company Dedrone is expanding its work with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in testing its drone detection and identification systems at an increasing number of airports, where it will also demonstrate its mitigation solutions for invasive craft.