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The FAA on Wednesday announced it was pushing back the compliance deadline for its drone Remote ID rule by six months, to March 16, 2024. Does that mean the agency is giving a free pass to pilots or that all apparent noncompliance in the meantime will be ignored? Not really. Here’s what is happening…

So, the FAA has finally delivered the news that users of DJI Mavic Air 2, Mavic 2 Zoom, Mavic 2 Pro, and Phantom 4 Pro V2 were eagerly waiting for! The agency has extended the enforcement deadline for its Remote ID rule, giving these legacy DJI drones a fresh lease of life until the tech giant drops a compliance firmware package later this year.

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.

Open-source drone autopilot specialist CubePilot is offering an affordable solution to help drone pilots comply with the FAA’s Remote ID rule. The Cube ID Serial add-on module from CubePilot is priced at only $39, making it the cheapest FCC-certified Remote ID broadcast solution for FAA built-in compliance.

Aerial transport and services company Drone Delivery Canada has won work with a Canadian government defense agency for an initial series of trials of the startup’s Canary UAV, which if successful could lead to an extension of the relationship.

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.

In a world where clicks are king, stories about drones deployed to rescue kidnapped puppies are royal – as is the Ashland County Sheriff’s officer who piloted a Hallmark-card-meets-abduction-release operation in Ohio recently. 

Wing, the drone delivery firm owned by Google’s parent company Alphabet, is seeking FAA approval to expand its retail package delivery service in Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas. The company says it wants to establish a network of up to 25 drone nests, with each unit conducting as many as 400 deliveries per day in a six-mile radius.

In spite of the rash of largely protectionist blacklisting initiatives in the US justified by nominal data piracy motives, a new survey commissioned by drone and onboard tech specialist Teledyne FLIR indicates information leak risks remain a middling UAV purchasing criterion for US enterprise and public administrations operators.

H2FLY, the German affiliate of air taxi developer Joby, has passed a major technological and aviation milestone in clear power transportation, with the successful test flights of what it hailed as the world’s first piloted electric aircraft fueled by liquid hydrogen.

With the DJI Mini 4 Pro’s FCC listing suggesting that the product is close to launch, the tech giant has announced discount deals on some of its most popular camera drones, including the Mini 3 Fly More Combo (DJI RC), Air 2S, and DJI FPV Combo.

Though still not officially acknowledged by maker DJI, it’s become apparent through a series of rich leaks by online tech sleuths that the company’s Mini 4 Pro is en route to stores – an anticipated arrival further backed up by rumored prices for the drone that were shared today.

Ahead of Emergency Services Show 2023, UK’s annual showcase of the blue light sector, drone supplier Heliguy, and emergency vehicle manufacturer Venari have teased a new UAS command unit that would come pre-integrated with DJI Dock.

Drone Assist, a popular drone flight planning and approval app in the UK, has received a new update to give users a greater understanding of airspace restrictions and NOTAMs (Notice to Aviators).

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.

Saskatoon, Canada’s most celebrated (and possibly only) drone manufacturer, Draganfly, is taking another step in its increasingly tight relationship and operational cooperation with police, fire, and other emergency aid services by hosting the Draganflyer Xperience: First Responder User Conference in Texas next week.

We already know from FCC filings that DJI is prepping to release a new sub-250-gram, Mini 4 Pro. However it appears that would not be the only drone DJI could launch in North America this month. The tech giant has also completed the FCC paperwork to bring two new Agras agriculture drones, T50 and T25, to the US market.

Recurring drone disruptions – and the political and business fallout produced by them – that plagued Dublin Airport earlier this year may now be drawing to a close, thanks to clearance from Irish regulators for the platform to begin using counter-UAV assets to deal with the invasive craft.

Drone giant DJI has released a series of product firmware updates, including the run-don’t-walk additional features available in new software for the Mavic 3 series of drones, as well as upgrades for the Osmo Action 4 camera and Osmo Mobile 6 handheld stabilizer.

So, DJI has just filed paperwork with the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for a new drone joining the Mini series. The official release of DJI Mini 4 Pro onto the FCC database indicates that the tech giant’s latest sub-250-gram drone could hit the market as soon as this month!

Global air services company Bristow Group is looking to diversify from its historic passenger transport activities by securing preferred delivery of medium-haul Elroy Air Chaparral drones to facilitate its expansion into cargo operation.

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.”