Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)

With Hurricane Ida barreling toward the US Gulf Coast, the FAA has issued an Airspace Coordination Area NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) for pilots and drone operators in Mississippi and Louisiana. This NOTAM will remain effective until Sep 1, 2021.

Updated: August 17, 2021, 7:53 am

The FAA has begun near real-time approval of night airspace authorization requests through its Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) platform, negating the need for special waivers. Here’s how you can get LAANC authorization for nighttime drone operations almost instantaneously…

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) receives dozens of uncrewed aircraft sighting reports every month. With incident reports coming in from pilots, citizens, and law enforcement officials alike, the FAA’s database of drone and unidentified aircraft sightings runs into thousands of Mandatory Occurrence Reports (MORs) today. So, now, an enterprising online publication is featuring these reports in an interactive map of the United States – thus making it easier for people to zoom into their neighborhood for details or explore hotspots of sightings more intimately.

Oh, man. Here we go again. Another sighting by pilots near Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) of a Jet Pack Man, close to their flight path. But we don’t think it’s a true Jet Pack – though we certainly understand why pilots describe it as such. No, we’re convinced it’s a drone.

We didn’t think we’d see this today, but it’s cool: Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg flew a drone today. And not just any drone — it was a DJI Inspire 2.

The FAA is trying to raise awareness among drone pilots about NASA’s CALLBACK Aviation Safety Reporting system, which allows drone pilots (and others) to anonymously submit safety-related incidents. The database also allows you to view other submitted incidents, hopefully allowing readers to learn from the mistakes of others.

Flying drones for recreation? The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is now enabling Community Based Organizations (CBOs) to establish guidelines that will help you to fly safely and legally.

The US Chamber of Commerce is leading a coalition of diverse organizations urging the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to move quickly to implement rules designed to protect critical infrastructure facilities from drone threats. As such, the initiative represents an emphatic and very public call by influential business groups for the FAA to get the lead out.

The tragic partial collapse of a condominium complex in south Florida has resulted in the FAA issuing a temporary flight restriction, or TFR, for the airspace surrounding the disaster site.

The Federal Aviation Administration has put flight restrictions into place in an area of Arizona affected by ongoing wildfires. That means no drone flights in the area — unless you are directly involved with operations and/or have a special waiver granting you permission.

As we reported the other day, the FAA’s TRUST test is here. TRUST stands for The Recreational UAS Safety Test, and it’s mandatory for all hobbyists/non-commercial drone pilots. We thought we should give it a spin.

Telecom giant Verizon’s Skyward affiliate and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have signed accords to test cellular communications in drone operations. Their cooperation will seek to advance development of secure and reliable standards for universal traffic management, beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights, and one-to-many missions.

All societies have historically been dominated by males – particularly in business, especially in aviation, and certainly in drone activity. That influence is reflected in commonly used male-specifying terms like “airman,” “unmanned,” and – can we even note this one without wincing? – “cockpit.” Now a panel advising the Federal Aviation Committee (FAA) wants that to change.

If you’re a drone pilot flying in the United States, you’ll want to pay attention to this one: The FAA’s new testing system is now in effect. You can select a testing organization and take the TRUST test free of charge.

Well, we haven’t seen this before: The FAA’s Low-Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability, also known as LAANC, is temporarily down. That’s big news for those who use it regularly.

Thinking about using a drone to film future champions during this month’s 2021 Summer Olympics track and field trials? Bzzzzzzz! (That’s a buzzer.) Authorities strongly urge you think again.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has taken an additional step toward the day when beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operation will be routine. After last week’s announcement it had created a new committee to propose BVLOS regulations, on Monday the FAA tapped safety avionics technology company Iris Automation to participate in that rule-making process.

New York’s Syracuse hospital and its drone industry partners have successfully completed a year-long trial of unmanned aerial vehicle medical deliveries, yet doubts remain about when those operations may become reality.

Last month we told you about a seriously amped-up drone that performed amazing feats while eluding – and ultimately escaping – pursuing law enforcement helicopters over Tucson, Arizona. New information is now in about the mysterious flight, though both the craft and pilot remains a mystery.

The rapid increase of drone use in a variety of enterprise activities has made upgrading their regulation both inevitable and anticipated. One such revamp is now in the works following a National Transport Safety Board (NTSB) decision to expand its criteria for examining accidents involving commercial drones.

Listen closely. Hear that? It’s opportunity – and it’s knocking.