About this episode
Sense and Avoid by NASA and General Atomics, South African rules by 2015, Amazon’s drone page, package delivery by Flirtey and Google, and cease and desist letters from the FAA. Guest Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden, Jr., (USMC-Ret.), the NASA Administrator since July, 2009. In this clip from a longer interview recorded for the Airplane Geeks podcast, Charlie talks about NASA’s activity to develop autonomous flight technologies with the UAS test sites, focusing on sense and avoid. NASA is looking at low altitude sUAS air traffic control, and they are finalizing an agreement with Google on sense and avoid technology for package delivery systems. NASA wants to help the FAA get out ahead of the developing market. News General Atomics Readies for ‘Detect and Avoid’ Demo General Atomics Aeronautical Systems is developing aircraft detect-and-avoid (DAA) systems for unmanned aircraft. First, they’ll conduct software regression and hardware functional testing on their Predator B at the company’s flight operations facility in Palmdale, California. Then, they’ll move the system to the NASA Predator B Unmanned Science and Research Aircraft System named “Ikhana,” a Native American Choctaw word meaning intelligent, conscious, or aware. Five weeks of collision avoidance trials will be performed where the Predator will be flown against “intruder” aircraft. CAA on track to introduce UAV regulations by March 2015 The South African Civil Aviation Authority says it will finalize UAV regulations by March, 2015. The CAA says until then, UAV operation in civil airspace is illegal and operators could be subject to a fine or up to ten years in prison, or both. Flying on private land or in restricted airspace is also illegal. However, the director and chairman of the Commercial Unmanned Aircraft Association of South Africa (CUAASA) says you cannot be fined by the CAA because there are no laws in place. Guess Which Giant Retailer Has Officially Opened Up a “Drone Store” Amazon.com has officially opened a “ Drone Store ” featuring the DJI Phantom and the Parrot Drone. Coming soon is the TechJect Dragonfly, a “Wi-Fi enabled robotic insect.” Mike Fortin, the CEO of CineDrones thinks selling hobby-grade equipment without emphasizing education or safety is irresponsible. But Amazon’s Drone Store web page has a “Fly Responsibly” link that takes you to more “links for informational purposes only:” FAA UAS website Academy of Model Aeronautics sUAS Flight Safety Guide [PDF] Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) Fly Responsibly webpage Drone Startup Flirtey Partners with The University of Nevada, Reno To Push UAV Delivery Forward In October 2013, Flirtey started drone delivery tests in Australia. They now have more than a hundred successful test deliveries of textbooks, with its partner Zookal , a company that sells textbooks online. Now Flirtey has teamed up with UAS research center University of Nevada, Reno. The University gets equity in the company, and Flirtey gets collaboration with the University’s R&D labs for design, manufacture, and research. Flirtey also gets access to the University’s graduate students and indoor flight-testing facilities. Flirtey is going commercial in New Zealand, which is launching Airshare as a UAV hub where commercial operators can log flight information. 2 Arrested for Flying Drones Near Brooklyn Bridge, US Open: NYPD The first individual arrested was allegedly flying over the Brooklyn Bridge. He was reported to police by transit workers. The man was visiting from Russia. The second arrest was for an overflight of the National Tennis Center , hosting the U.S. Open. The operator, a filmmaker, reportedly stated that he thought he was flying in an “appropriate park space.” The National Tennis Center is a private facility adjacent to Flushing Meadows Corona Park, which is a public space. Undeclared drone batteries sparked plane fire at Melbourne airport We’ve seen stories about how certain kinds of Lithium-Ion batteries get hot and cause fires on airplanes. Here, a passenger’s hard plastic case in the hold contained Lithium-ion polymer batteries intended to power a remote control drone. Just prior to takeoff, the captain of the Fiji Airways plane detected the smoke from the cargo hold and called a mayday. FAA Scans the Internet For Drone Users; Sends Cease and Desist Letters In January, Governmentattic.org made a Freedom of Information Act request to the FAA for “copies of any letters, e-mails, or other written or electronic communications requesting or demanding individuals and organizations cease and desist, stop operating, or stop advertising unmanned aerial vehicles.” The FAA responded with records of 17 “ warning letters and e-mails [PDF] sent out by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regional offices to individuals…” Most of the cease and desist letters went to aerial video companies, but two universities were asked to stop operations associated with drone journalism studies. The FAA communications list 3 ways under which UAVs can be operated: Certificate of Authorization (COA) Experimental Certification Recreational hobbyists None allow commercial operation for aerial photography for hire. Video of the Week Gawk at Richard Branson’s tropical hideaway via aerial drone You can’t afford to vacation at this private island, but Sir Richard is pleased to present this aerial tour. Feedback Paul Braun of TATTS writes to tell us that, “the Taking Autism To The Sky project ( TATTS ) was notified by Timothy Reuter of the Washington DC Drone User Group the other day that we are a finalist for the Social Drone Innovation Award .” Watch their Drone Social Innovation Award Submittal video and give them a “like.”