A Senate Bill, now on the President’s desk, would require changes in the membership composition of the influential Drone Advisory Committee (DAC). The Drone Advisory Committee was established to provide “independent advice and recommendations” to the U.S. Dept. of Transportation and FAA on drone regulations, according to the DAC …
Read More »FAA Grants Santa Special Operating Authority
There are no Grinches at the FAA. “The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) today announced it has granted Santa Claus and his reindeer-powered sleigh special operating authority to engage in interstate air-cargo-delivery services directly to rooftops throughout the United States on Christmas Eve,” says an FAA press release. This year, Santa’s …
Read More »Percepto Soars Over Three Drone Regulatory Milestones
Autonomous drone developer Percepto this week announced three regulatory milestones—completing the certifications and a test flight phase that take the Israeli company a step closer to FAA Certification, countrywide EVLOS in Australia and BLOS in Norway. “The completion of the D&R testing phase is a major achievement in the Type Certification …
Read More »Drone Startup Iris Acquires $13 Million in Series B Funding …
Source: Iris Drone startup Iris Automation is gaining financial altitude after announcing a $13 million Series B funding round today. Iris develops advanced detection systems that bolster Detect-and-Avoid (DAA) capabilities which, in turn, enable safer commercial drone operations. New investors Sony Innovation Fund and Verizon Ventures join follow-on investors Bessemer Venture Partners, Bee Partners and OCA …
Read More »Is Your Drone Registration Expiring?
Is your drone registration expiring soon? Here’s what to do. The FAA’s drone registration program went live on December 21, 2015. A lot has happened in the five years following the implementation of regulation: but it still stands. If you were one of the first to step up and register …
Read More »Digital Drone Highways: a Future Transportation Network
Airspace Link builds digital drone highways in the air By DRONELIFE Staff Writer Jim Magill Just as cars and trucks do their jobs better when they have highways to travel on, as the number of unmanned aerial vehicles delivering packages or transporting medical tests expands, those drones will need highways …
Read More »new version of b4ufly app released today
FAA development partner Kittyhawk is releasing a new version of the B4UFLY app. The newest version adds localized advisories and crowdsourcing for the U.S. drone airspace. “Coinciding with the FAA’s Drone Safety Awareness Week, Kittyhawk is releasing a new update to B4UFLY that adds a new layer of localized advisories …
Read More »National Drone Safety Awareness Week Nov. 16-22
Next week, November 16-22 2020, is the second annual National Drone Safety Awareness Week. Sponsored by the FAA, this is a week long opportunity to help create a drone community with high standards of safety and professionalism. This year’s event is completely virtual – and there are many ways that …
Read More »FAA Kicks Off National Aviation History Month
From Wikipedia It has hard to tell where you are going if you do not know where you have been. The FAA has kicked on National Aviation History Month that runs for the month of November. To kick off our celebration of National Aviation History Month, here’s a brief history of …
Read More »Beyond Program will Continue Where IPP Leaves Off
U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao has announced that the three-year Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP) has ended as of Oct. 25. Now, the program will move to a next phase, named Beyond. “The nine state, local and tribal governments that participated in the program have signed …
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