Unmanned Vehicles

Meigs Field The return of Meigs is a long, long shot but I guess it could happen. The location is perfect. Pete Whelan As a note, the Democratic machine will not be able to reopen Meigs. To many green people in the city will not allow it. As far as even making it a helipad, […]

NASA has selected the hosts for the final phase of its four-year series of small Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS/drones) technical demonstrations. According to NASA, the demonstrations are designed to confirm that NASA’s UAS Traffic Management (UTM) system can safely and effectively manage drone traffic in urban areas and “aim to help the commercial drone industry […]

The FAA has posted a new rule requiring owners of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS/drones) to display an FAA-issued registration number on an outside surface of their aircraft. Previously, drone registration numbers could be placed in an interior compartment as long as that compartment was accessible without using tools. The new rule will not change […]

Poznan, Poland-based Jetson Aerohas completed initial flights of what it hopes will be a personal drone fast and nimble enough to make for entertaining racing. For now, though, the Jetson Speeder is less an aerial go-kart and more an eight-motor aircraft-aluminum H with a carbon-fiber seat in the middle. In the video below, the proof-of-concept […]

Today’s reality quiz: You’re in an airport boarding lounge and the gate agent announces your flight has been delayed because a drone was sighted near the airport. In the improbably fantastical world I’ve created for this blog, the agent asks for a vote: Go or stay on the ground? How do you vote? How do […]

While the actual football game as part of the 53rd Super Bowl might have been less than thrilling even for hardcore Patriots fans, the halftime show got a literal lift from a synchronized drone show during Maroon 5’s “She Will Be Loved.” A total of 150 Intel Shooting Star drones hoisted illuminated lanterns during the […]

Drones Cause Newark Ground Stop For what it’s worth, I am a retired air traffic controller, non-current (as of three years ago) private pilot, and very active drone operator. I find it ironic that when a human being is accused of being a mass murderer, the press gives them the benefit of the doubt by […]

China-based drone manufacturer DJI has discovered that some of its employees inflated costs of parts and materials on some of its products “for personal financial gain,” according to a company statement on Monday. As the result of an internal fraud investigation, an unspecified number of employees have been dismissed for violating company policies. In addition […]

Boeing’s autonomous air taxi prototype successfully completed its first test flight on Tuesday in Manassas, Virginia. According to the company, the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft—which it calls a passenger air vehicle (PAV)—completed a controlled takeoff, hover and landing. The brief flight was designed to test the PAV’s autonomous functions and ground control […]

Flights were disrupted at Newark Liberty Airport on Tuesday evening after two drones were spotted over Teterboro Airport, 17 miles away. The FAA said the drones were flying at about 3,500 feet. The FAA issued a ground stop at Newark and inbound flights were put in holds. The holding aircraft were allowed to land starting […]