Pilot Reports of Close Calls With Drones Soar in 2015

2015-08-13

Pilot reports of unmanned aircraft have increased dramatically over the past year, from a total of 238 sightings in all of 2014, to more than 650 by August 9 of this year. The FAA wants to send out a clear message that operating drones around airplanes and helicopters is dangerous and illegal. Unauthorized operators may be subject to stiff fines and criminal charges, including possible jail time.

Pilots of a variety of different types of aircraft – including many large, commercial air carriers – reported spotting 16 unmanned aircraft in June of 2014, and 36 the following month. This year, 138 pilots reported seeing drones at altitudes of up to 10,000 feet during the month of June, and another 137 in July.

Meanwhile, firefighters battling wildfire blazes in the western part of the country have been forced to ground their operations on several occasions for safety reasons when they spotted one or more unmanned aircraft in their immediate vicinity.

The FAA will continue to work closely with industry partners through the “Know Before You Fly” campaign to educate unmanned aircraft users about where they can operate within the rules. The agency is also supporting the National Interagency Fire Center’s “If You Fly, We Can’t” efforts to help reduce interference with firefighting operations.

However, the FAA also is working closely with the law enforcement community to identify and investigate unauthorized unmanned aircraft operations. The FAA has levied civil penalties for a number of unauthorized flights in various parts of the country, and has dozens of open enforcement cases.

The FAA encourages the public to report unauthorized drone operations to local law enforcement and to help discourage this dangerous, illegal activity.

Region: USA
Contry: USA and Canada
Category: AUV

2015-10-28

Harvard Scientists Develop Aerial-Aquatic RoboBee

Engineers have been trying to design functional aerial-aquatic vehicles for decades with little success. The biggest challenge is conflicting design requirements: aerial vehicles require large airfoils like wings or sails to generate lift while underwater vehicles need to minimize surface area to reduce drag.

2015-10-28

US Navy Funds Amphibious Drone Research

The Office of Naval Research has awarded Rutgers University a grant to develop a drone – equally adept at flying through the air and navigating underwater – that could speed search-and-rescue operations, monitor the spread of oil spills and even help the Navy rapidly defuse threats from underwater mines.

2015-09-18

Underwater Hobby Drones Are About to Become a Thing

Now, a new Oculus Rift-ready underwater drone called the Trident could make undersea exploration the domain of average families on vacation.

2015-09-08

This underwater drone hunts and kills invasive starfish on the Great Barrier Reef

Crown-of-thorns starfish are literally devouring Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, an overpopulation problem that is threatening the coral that forms the reef. To save it, researchers have developed an underwater vehicle capable of destroying the hungry starfish quickly and efficiently.

2015-08-13

Taiwan Unveils its Biggest UAS

Taiwan unveiled the prototype of its largest ever military drone on Wednesday as it seeks to boost its defence forces in the face of a perceived threat from China.

2015-08-11

The Rising Applications of Drones in Agriculture

The applications of drones are expanding with each passing minute and agriculture is no exception. The technology of unmanned aircrafts can be used for collecting valuable information in the agriculture sector, which can be used to avoid damage caused by pest infestation.

2015-08-11

Drone Researchers Face Restrictions from Federal Authorities

There is a high probability that remotely operated drones could be used to deliver medical supplies to disaster zones and underdeveloped countries, or to deliver packages to homes. Although drones have a large number of practical applications which need to be researched and tested, the restrictions placed by federal authorities do not allow researchers to test these unmanned aircrafts outdoors.

2015-08-07

China Announces Controls on Drone Exports

China’s Ministry of Commerce and General Administration of Customs has jointly issued a notice about strengthening controls on partial exports of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) starting Aug. 15, triggering concerns over UAV producers led by DJI of Shenzhen, reports the Shanghai-based China Business News.

2015-08-06

Lockheed Martin Tech for UAS UTM System

Lockheed Martin has deployed the first components of an Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Traffic Management (UTM) system aimed to improve situational awareness to UAS operators and pilots as unmanned aircraft begin to enter airspace.

2015-08-05

Scientists have developed sensors for drones based on the device the eyes of insects

Scientists from ETH Zurich have developed optical sensors of small size for drones to protect drones from colliding with obstacles.

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Reports

2017-09-11
FAA Small Drone Rule Lets Unmanned Aircraft Soar

A host of new users is changing the world of commercial aviation thanks in large part to the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) small unmanned aircraft rule, Part 107 (PDF), which has now been in place for a year.