Unmanned Vehicles

The FAA is proposing to issue type certificates for individual unmanned aircraft designs heavier than 55 pounds that will be used for package delivery. In a Federal Register Notice published last week, the agency says it wants to certify drones under the “special class” category that addresses aircraft “for which certification standards do not exist […]

Urban air mobility company Wisk has signed a memorandum of understanding with the government of New Zealand to establish a passenger transport trial in Canterbury, New Zealand. The trials will use Wisk’s autonomous, all-electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxi, Cora. Details regarding parameters and timeframes for the venture are still in development. “We […]

ASTM International has approved a new standard establishing minimum training requirements for unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drone) operators. The new standard, which will be published as F3379, addresses general, field and search-specific knowledge and skills for UAS pilots operating from remote locations. According to ASTM, it was designed to support public safety agencies fielding UAS teams. […]

Airbus has announced that its Autonomous Taxi, Take-Off and Landing (ATTOL) project has reached a significant milestone with the successful completion of its first fully automatic vision-based takeoff. The system being tested is designed to use image recognition technology installed on the aircraft to navigate and detect obstacles during an autonomous takeoff. The test included […]

FAA officials will meet with local law enforcement reps from about a dozen counties in northeastern Colorado to discuss unexplained drone activity that has alarmed local residents and public officials. So far, no one has come forward to give even the slightest hint of why the drones, described as being up to eight feet long, […]

The FAA issued a proposal on Thursday for a rule that would require unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones) to be identifiable remotely. The Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) suggests tying remote identification requirements to UAS registration and would allow drone identification and location information to be received by “people on the ground and other airspace users.” […]

The FAA has selected twelve organizations to advise the agency as it develops test administration requirements for an aeronautical knowledge and safety test for recreational Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS/drone) operators. Among the organizations that will be advising the FAA are Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, DJI, King Schools, the Unmanned Safety Institute, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association […]

A news helicopter operated by KABC-TV in Los Angeles, California, was struck by an object believed to be a drone at approximately 7:15 p.m. local time on Wednesday. The helicopter, a Eurocopter AS350 B2, made a precautionary landing following the strike. As shown in the video below, the tail of the aircraft was damaged, but […]

A California man says he thinks the $20,000 in fines and fees he’s been assessed are unfair after his runaway drone landed next to an active runway at Las Vegas’s McCarran International Airport during a visit by President Donald Trump. In fact, in the caption accompanying the video he posted to YouTube of the flight […]

The FAA has announced two expansions to its Low Altitude Authorization and Capability (LAANC) program, which automates the airspace authorization application and approval process for drone operators. The first adds four airports to the list of air traffic facilities where LAANC is available. The new additions are Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), Dulles International […]