Spain

An interdisciplinary research team from the University of New Mexico (UNM) has become one of the first in the world to sample uncontaminated gases from an active volcanic eruption. The data – a treasure trove that can help to predict when a volcano will erupt – were collected during the recent spewing of the Cumbre Vieja volcano at La Palma in Spain’s Canary Islands.

Spain’s La Palma island is expanding. As the red-hot lava from the volcano that erupted on the island on September 19 reached the Atlantic Ocean this week, it triggered plumes of white steam. The molten rock cooled rapidly on coming into contact with the water, binding itself to the cliffside, enlarging the island’s territory. A drone captured the historic moment.

As a volcano on La Palma, one of Spain’s Canary Islands, continues to spit out lava and ash for the fifth day, thousands more have been forced to flee. The volcano first erupted on Sunday around 3:15 p.m. local time. Since then, a continuous stream of black lava has been advancing slowly westward, destroying everything in its path. Live cam and drone footage from the region show the extent of the damage.

When it comes to rescuing a panicking swimmer, every second counts. Lifeguards mentally urge victims to “hang on” as they rush through the heavy waters toward them. In such a scenario, if a drone flies above the distressed swimmer and drops a flotation device, it offers more than just hope for the victim to hold onto. This is exactly what Spain’s eastern coast has been witnessing these past few days.

As seashores start to get packed with sun-worshippers, a coastal town in northeastern Spain is using drones to monitor beach crowds in real time. The drone trials in Sitges come at a time when COVID-19 cases are rising dramatically across Spain.

A police raid in Spain has busted a ring of criminals using a muscled-up drone to transport drugs into Europe. It’s not impossible the suspected organizers in Morocco are lamenting the arrest of their four gang cohorts less than the loss of their impressive craft.

Spanish Quaternium sets a drone flight time record of eight hours and ten minutes, almost one hour longer than the previous record. Watch the short video below in which the police from Benidorm, Spain explains the value of such long flight times.

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Ten days ago, we reported on the drone sighting that led to a temporary closure of Madrid’s Barajas Airport. The Spanish Civil Guard, however, has yet to find any proof of the ghost drone that was spotted by pilots and a falconer, according to Spanish newspaper El Independiente.

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Madrid-Barajas Airport was forced to close on Monday for two hours when two pilots spotted a drone flying near the takeoff and landing area just east of the city center. The closure left passengers stranded, planes grounded, and forced incoming aircraft to divert to other airports.

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In Spain, researchers from the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid work together with telecommunications corporation Telefonica, drone start-up Divisek Systems and drone operations company Dronitec to test the use of autonomous drones to fight wildfires. The drones to fight wildfires are part of a firefighting system that consists of a number of communication towers. Each of the towers is outfitted with a thermal camera and an autonomous drone that is stored in a special hangar.

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Drug gang used drones to spy on Spanish police. The gang allegedly used the drones to spot possible police presence before bringing in shipments of hashish. Police arrested the 12 suspected gang members in the town of La Linea de la Concepcion, Spain.

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You are an avid drone flier and you have booked a trip to Spain. Can you bring your drone along? Are you allowed to fly your drone in Spain? What about any insurance requirements and permits? What are the drone regulations in Spain? Do you know?

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