DroneDJ

As of last week we are officially in summer, time for warm weather and vacations around the world, perfect for flying drones. Before you bring out your favorite quadcopter from storage, here are a few tips on what to do before your first flight.

The Paris Air Show broke all records for attendance with its habitual large-draw long-haul passenger planes and military jets, but the main stars of the 2023 biannual event were arguably the next-generation electric takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis making their first appearance.

Editor’s update: DJI Store Day 2023 deals are now live.

Tech giant DJI has announced the official dates of its annual Store Day sale. From exclusive deals and free gifts on new drone purchases to special discounts on action cameras, the 2023 DJI Store Day has plenty to offer.

Activity by US drone operators were critical in saving a trio of lives in recent days, including a youth in Colorado’s whose DJI craft spotted an otherwise hidden vehicle flipped in a sinkhole over the weekend.

Cranston Police in Rhode Island say they have arrested a convicted sex offender on a fresh felony charge of video voyeurism. The accused was reportedly using a small drone to peer inside the bathroom window of a woman in his neighborhood.

While drones are doing wonders across multiple industries and sectors, not everyone uses them with good intentions or with complete knowledge of airspace rules and regulations. The latter has become especially true for sporting events in different parts of the world.

You know a release is right around the corner when we get new leaks every day – so many that we actually missed one that came out on Wednesday. It appears that the DJI RC and RC-N1 controllers will become outdated once the Air 3 is announced.

Students at the University of Arkansas will be able to take a course designed to help drone pilots prepare for careers in the quickly expanding UAV sector through a program it’s providing in partnership with aerial services and delivery company DroneUp.

Southern Company says it has been granted a conditions-based waiver by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct autonomous beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations across its energy network from Georgia to California.

Newly published figures are offering an idea of just how enormous the problem of drone use to deliver contraband to prisons around the world has become, showing nearly 100 suspected UAV drops made to a single Canadian jail last year alone.

Canadian drone hardware and systems developer Draganfly is diversifying its aerial activities in Ukraine through a new, multi-year contract to create a UAV training program destined for agencies under command of the nation’s Interior Ministry, including the National Guard and police.

Editor’s update [June 27, 2023]: DJI has released v1.10.6 of the Fly app following complaints by users in the EU region that v1.10.4 had imposed flight height restrictions on their drones.

Drone maker DJI has released a curious little update for DJI Fly, the app you need to operate popular consumer aircraft including the Mini and Mavic series.

Editor’s update [June 27, 2023]: The new Insta360 GO 3 camera is now available to buy with prices starting at $380. The product is also available to buy on Amazon with next-day delivery in many cities.

Insta360, the maker of highly versatile yet ultra-portable 360-degree cameras, has dropped a new teaser for a product it says will bring about a “tiny revolution.” And it could very well be the GO 3!

Defense and security aerial tech company Red Cat Holdings has announced the night vision-excelling Teal 2 has become the second small aircraft produced by its Teal Drones affiliate to qualify for the Department of Defense (DoD) Blue sUAS list.

The DJI rumor train is back in action, with multiple leakers giving clues that the Air 3 reveal is nearing. While the date hasn’t been officially nailed down yet, it feels close enough to provide you with five features I hope to see when the drone is announced.

A group of Canadian tech sector companies including InDro Robotics, backed by government agencies, have announced the opening of the Drone and Advanced Robotics Testing and Training Zone (DARTT), which is being touted as the nation’s first full-range, cutting-edge center for drone, automated ground vehicle, and diverse robotic craft trials.

XTEND, the developer of XOS human-guided autonomous operating system, is teaming up with edge artificial intelligence (AI) and computer vision experts SightX. The partnership aims to boost the onboard data processing capabilities of drones, robots, and smart devices.

German air taxi developer Lilium has announced a pair of deals providing it a foothold in China to build future business activity in what’s expected to be an enormous and effervescent market for advanced air mobility (AAM) services.

It admittedly isn’t the kind of invention marking a radical departure from its previous drone-related innovations, but a recently published US patent application by the Ford Motor Co. does offer additional evidence the automotive giant is intent on integrating UAVs into its future cars and trucks.

Online leakers of new DJI drones have established an admirable record for reliability in 2023 – a consistency making it hard not to suspect they may again be right in interpreting new visual finds as an indication the company may be about to release a new Air 3.

It looks like Spright, the drone services division of air medical service provider Air Methods, is set to receive what is being called the only universal and fully autonomous drone docking station in the world. Israel-based StrixDrones tells DroneDJ that the first units of its highly advanced Strix2100 DroneDock are now rolling off the assembly line in Dayton, Ohio.

Urban air mobility startup Volocopter is finding additional ways to expand uses for its battery-powered craft beyond its principal air taxi services, most recently through a new deal concluded with fellow German organization ADAC Luftrettung to deploy the planes in emergency medical response.

A UK drone pilot has been fined nearly $4,500 for an illegal flight that, among many other consequences, forced a money-time professional soccer match to be halted after the craft hovered low over players.

California air taxi developer Archer Aviation announced the reinforcement of its relationship with European automotive giant Stellantis at the opening of the Paris Airshow today, notably the tightening of their financial ties and increasing of their production plans for the Midnight electric takeoff and landing aircraft.