45 Wide World of UAV Sports

The third FAA test site goes live, UAV’s to compete at Reno Air Races, drones spying at the World Cup, watching swim competition through the eyes of a quadcopter, hockey fans celebrate their victory by smashing a quadcopter, TV coverage of American football by drone, and mixing manned and unmanned flights in Japan. The News FAA: Nevada unmanned aircraft systems test site goes live UAS test site number three of six is now operational. The FAA granted the State of Nevada team a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) to operate an Insitu ScanEagle at the Department of Energy airport at Desert Rock. The airport is closed to the public, the ScanEagle will not fly above 3,000 feet, and the COA is good for two years. The research topics are UAS standards and operations, operator standards, and certification requirements. They’ll also look at how civil UAS will integrate with NextGen . Reno Air Races to Have Festival Atmosphere This Year The Reno Air Racing Association is planning to make some changes for the 2014 National Championship Air Races, including a competition between drones. They also intend to transmit live race coverage to the jumbotron from a drone. Someone Used A Drone To Spy On France’s World Cup Team The World Cup draws out the sporting passion in many people, so it’s no surprise that a drone flying over the French team practice created a furor. HPA students use drone technology at Hapuna Roughwater Swim Hawai’i Preparatory Academy students are demonstrating good uses for UAVs. Two graduates used a DJI Phantom for FPV as 300 swimmers set out on a one-mile race in the ocean. Other Academy projects include land survey projects, mapping hard to reach parts of the island, virtual reality tours, and inspecting wind power and solar panels. Many of the students are employed by local farmers to have the drones inspect their land. Celebrating Kings fans send a message to LAPD: No drones As L.A. Kings fans celebrated the team’s Stanley Cup win, they observed a camera-equipped UAV overhead. The frenzied hockey fans threw trash at the copter, brought it down, and wrecked it. NBC Sports: NFL Network Considering Use of UAS to Cover Training Camp An unnamed source says that the National Football League is making plans to use UAVs for the Inside Training Camp series on the NFL Network. They intend to use “hovercraft” to film practice. U.S.A.F.—A First For A Global Hawk (RPA | UAV | UAS) For the first time, a UAV has flown from an airfield that supports both military and civilian operations. The Misawa Air Base in Japan is home to the U.S. Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as the Japan Self-Defense Forces. The partnership between the U.S. military and Japan should provide experience operating manned and unmanned aircraft together with very different mission profiles. Video of the Week Can a paper plane turn into a drone? A former Israeli Air Force pilot has developed a kit that you connect to a paper airplane and control with a smartphone app. The “ PowerUp 3.0 Smartphone Controlled Paper Airplane ” was a Kickstarter project that raised $1.2 million (they were only looking for $50,000). The kit should be available at retail in August. Mentioned The folks at Flite Test are starting up a How to Fly a Multirotor video series. AOPA: Unmanned Aircraft and the National Airspace System is an interactive online course from the Air Safety Institute, with support from the Department of Defense.