Drone News: Remote ID Enforcement, Bill to Control Airspace, St. Louis Bill Update, DJI Avata 2 Leak

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, we have 4 stories for you this week: Remote ID enforcement begins, Bill to control airspace in Illinois Senate, St Louis Drone Bill update, and DJI Avata 2 Leaks. First up the FAA’s deferred enforcement of remote ID ends this Saturday. This means that remote ID is now required to operate any drone that is registered or needs to be registered. If your drone doesn’t have remote ID, you can equip it using a broadcast module or you can fly it at a FRIA. FRIA information is available in the UAS Facility maps or on Aloft Air aware. https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-extends-remote-id-enforcement-date-six-months Next up is an update on the St Louis drone bill that would regulate airspace… The bill has passed the city’s legislature and is now on the Mayor’s desk. Like we previously covered, this bill limits commercial operators and attempts to control airspace, including airspace around emergency vehicles, schools, publicly owned buildings, and events. If these laws are violated, a pilot faces fines and the confiscation of the drone. This is a perfect example of a municipality over reacting to a proposed drone operation. We’ll keep you updated if this becomes law. https://www.stlouis-mo.gov/government/city-laws/upload/legislative/boardbills/committee-substitute-amended/BB199CSAA%20Combined%20Final%205.pdf Third this week is an Illinois bill that would also control the airspace. This bill would allocate the lowest 150’ to of airspace to be controlled by municipalities, who could create their own rules around “public” airspace. If you’re in IL, please reach out to Senators Julie Morrison and Linda Holmes to let them know this bill goes against the FAA’s sole jurisdiction of the airspace. It’s also interesting to note that this bill doesn’t specifically attempt to restrict UAS, but instead would apply to all aircraft. Another one we’ll keep you updated on! https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocTypeID=SB&DocNum=2849&GAID=17&SessionID=112&LegID=151674 Ending on a better note, ther's leaks for the DJI Avata 2… Leaded pictures show the Avata 2, which appears to be a streamlined and a bit thinner version of the original Avata. With the leaked drone images come another set of DJI goggles with forward facing cameras, possibly to allow for an AR Experience. Leaked specs for the Avata suggest a 1/1.3” CMOS Sensor, 155 degree FOV, f/2.8, and 4K 60/100/120. Rumors say the drone will be about 480 grams and will fly for 27 minutes in normal/sport mode and 12-15 minutes in manual mode. We’ll have to see what comes of these leaks! https://dronexl.co/2024/03/10/dji-avata-2-goggles-3-specifications/ Alright, that’s it, have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week on Monday for the live!