Drones have been around for many decades, but this latest drone is truly out of this world. The NASA Ingenuity drone is currently tucked away on the bottom of the Perseverence rover that recently landed on Mars. When this drone takes flight, it will be limited to a bit less flight time than we have to deal with. The total ... Read More »

If you are flying under a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA), you should go and look at your COA approval document and see if it has the following statement in it. Most do. “Airworthiness. All aircraft flying in the NAS must be airworthy. Under Part 107.15, the Remote Pilot in Command is responsible for ensuring the UAS is airworthy. ... Read More »

This is one of the most open and honest messages you will see from a thermal camera manufacturer. FLIR says, “Finding a hiker lost in the woods is a challenging mission—if the person is lost in densely forested terrain, then sunlight is largely blocked by trees and other vegetation, and the ground reflects very little light. Because of this, thermal ... Read More »

The FAA has shared a presentation with me that is very informative for law enforcement and fire department staff. They have given me permission to share it with you. The presentation helps to educate people about a number of issues surrounding aircraft crashes but talks specifically about the number of explosive devices that are now on small aircraft that first ... Read More »

Question: We are in Europe and flying a DJI Matrice 600 for delivery of items. I love your ambition and the work you are doing with reportdroneaccident.com! Since I consider you a very well-informed person with great subject matter expertise, I’d like to ask the following: As you know, DJI are more than reluctant to disclose any Meantime Between Failure ... Read More »

Just announced. The new rules for flight over people has a new effective date of March 16, 2021 from March 1, 2021. “The Agency has decided to delay until March 16, 2021, the effective date of the final rule, Operation of Small Unmanned Aircraft Systems Over People (RIN 2120-AK85), including the amendments to §§ 107.61, 107.63, 107.65, 107.73, and 107.74.” ... Read More »

Question: Dear Steve, I am a Part 107 licensed UAS pilot and, like you, have difficulty understanding exactly what is expected of me as a pilot regarding radio communications. I operate mostly in orthomosaic / photogrammetry mapping flights. Some of them are in rural areas near grass strips and uncontrolled airports. I listen on CTAF freqs and have been in ... Read More »

I had a great time doing this drone safety webinar with the great people over at AOPA. “Learn how aviation’s systematic, thoughtful approach to safety evolved since the Wright brothers taught flying by mail, and how checklists and risk assessments can be adapted for drone use to reduce risk (and possibly expense) for Part 107 operators and hobbyists alike. AOPA ... Read More »

As with most things in my aviation world, what began as pulling at a loose thread has resulted in the unraveling of what most people assume about night flight. I’m working on a giant online class with multiple lectures, so I decided to chase the rabbit hole. If you have not subscribed to my email list yet, you should so ... Read More »

I’ve been saying for a long time now that the problem with the current crop of drones flying in public safety is that since they have not obtained an Airworthiness Certification, they are not built to any standard greater than a toy. In writing about some recent drone accidents, I came across this statement by the UK Air Accidents Investigation ... Read More »