DroneDJ

Dixie Fire, which first ignited around July 13, is now considered the second-largest recorded wildfire in California’s history. It has so far burned close to 490,000 acres and is only 21% contained, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, aka Cal Fire. This has prompted a judge to order an investigation into a drone that appeared over the blaze on the day of ignition, forcing Cal Fire to end air operations prematurely.

The dancing, dazzling drones may paint a picture of perfection and harmony for the audience time after time. But both the PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics and the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games have been the most challenging of all drone lights shows for Intel, Madeleine Ong, Interim GM of Intel Drone Light Shows, tells DroneDJ.

More than 1,800 drones configuring smoothly into a revolving planet Earth was one of the most talked-about parts of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics Opening Ceremony. Fans were expected to be wowed by even more drones at the closing ceremony today. And they did get wowed, but not by a drone light show. The display today was “made for TV” special effects magic.

Drones, as you are likely aware, are tremendously useful in the world of Search and Rescue. There have been literally hundreds of cases reported globally, which DJI tracks here, where drones played a role in getting a human being out of a tough spot. Sadly, this story does not have a happy ending — but it’s still important: A drone deployed in the S&R efforts found the body of a missing tourist in Slovakia.

A witty Australian ocean enthusiast has created a thriving online niche for himself: shooting and narrating drone videos of (very) close encounters between inoffensive sharks, and swimmers and surfers oblivious to the predators’ presence.

We were over on Reddit when we came across a pretty intriguing post. A newer DJI FPV pilot captures a hawk simply by being in the right place at the right time. (No, we don’t mean he actually captured the hawk, just that he got some great footage.)

Canadian drone service provider/consultant RPV Aviation has obtained a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights using the FIXAR 007 drone.

A Dutch company specializing in maritime vessel services has taken to the air in its effort to work faster and more safely at sea. In doing so, it has patented a system in which drones establish the physical connection between tugboats and the ships they’ll tow, reducing the dangers to humans when that is done manually at close proximity.

A month after apologizing for the shipping delay of the Zino Mini Pro, Hubsan is trying to keep things interesting for customers through a flurry of marketing videos. In the meantime, the estimated delivery time of the 249-gram drone has been updated to “early August” on the company website.

A Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) drone has shot video revealing the massive scope of destruction by a mudslide to a section of the I-70 freeway west of Denver. Officials believe the stretch of roadway – a critical artery for Coloradans and entire the economy of the western US – may be kept closed for repairs for several weeks.

Shark frenzy is continuing at New York’s Long Island beaches. And it’s the drone pilots who are making the most of it. But while many are leveraging the clear waters and sunny days to film whatever’s going on under the surface, Tim Regan’s week has been a bit more exciting. After all, it’s not every day you witness a fishing crew fight a 487-pound thresher shark within a quarter-mile of the beach.

The scientists at the US Geological Survey are launching two uncrewed surface vehicles, Saildrones, to conduct a fishery study at Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. Beginning their mission today, these ocean drones will gather fish distribution and density data around the clock for the next 45 days.

This is a two-fold post: First, it’s going to point out some really stellar FPV piloting on BASE jump videos. Second, it’s going to be a refresher about simulators, practice, and passion.

Confined space inspection specialist Flyability has announced the release of Elios 2 RAD – a radiation sensor-equipped drone, developed especially for nuclear station inspections.

Researchers in the Czech Republic have developed a way to make uncrewed aerial vehicles (UAV) more effective in monitoring large groups of people. To achieve that, scientists are making drones smarter by linking them to neural networks that detect when crowds under surveillance show signs indicating trouble.

While it’s important to check out recently flown airplanes for any signs of damages or defects, aircraft inspection is a process riddled with many challenges. The aviation industry wants to modernize this system with smart, automatic drones. And in Europe, one company has achieved a major milestone by completing a fully automated outdoor airport drone inspection of a commercial aircraft at an active airfield.

DHL, the world’s leading logistics service provider, has taken another step toward its goal of reaching emission neutrality by 2050. This week its DHL Express unit announced it has begun assembly of an electric freight network with the acquisition of 12 battery-powered aircraft from Seattle-based Eviation.

Frequent mention of even critical problems can cause them to blur into abstract notions in the human mind – a mental phenomenon often cured by perspective-restoring visual aids. That’s exactly what one drone pilot offered this week with his video laying bare just how grave California’s drought is.

Well, well. We’ve never seen a listing like this before on Amazon. But sure enough, you can buy a drone-jamming gun on Amazon. And while we believe it would be legal to own, we have significant doubts about your ability to legally use it, at least in many jurisdictions.

Well, after more than a year where it seemed pretty much every conference was virtual, here’s a sign things are starting to return to normal: AUVSI is going ahead with an in person XPONENTIAL drone conference later this month.

After operating in relative incognito mode for four years, the Advanced Aircraft Company has announced a new gas-electric VTOL drone. With dual payloads and 3.5 hours of continual flight time, the system is now available on the market, following extensive Beta testing.

It’s been a month since Parrot announced its new commercial drone, ANAFI Ai — an admittedly stylish machine that uses 4G LTE as the primary data link between the drone and the operator. Now, we have more details on how Parrot will make sure operators in the United States are able to utilize this intriguing feature out of the box.

German electric take-off and landing (eTVOL) craft manufacturer Lilium has announced an expansion of its global advanced air mobility activities (AAM) to Brazil through a partnership with local airline Azul. The agreement calls for Azul to buy and operate Lilium eTVOL planes in a deal valued at $1 billion.

It’s Wednesday. And that means it’s time for our live DroneDJ panel!