FAA makes drone history in Dallas area

In a first for U.S. aviation, the FAA has authorized multiple commercial drone operations in the same airspace. The authorizations for Zipline International and Wing Aviation allow them to deliver packages while keeping their drones safely separated using Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) technology. In this system, the industry manages the airspace with rigorous FAA safety oversight.

Typically, when operating drones, the drone pilot must be able to always see the aircraft. However, new advancements in air traffic technology and procedures are providing a key step toward making these Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights routine. Using UTM services, companies can share data and planned flight routes with other authorized airspace users. This allows the operators to safely organize and manage drone flights around each other in shared airspace. All flights occur below 400 feet altitude and away from any crewed aircraft.

This comes as the FAA works to release the Normalizing UAS BVLOS Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), which would enable drone operators to expand operations while maintaining the same high level of safety as traditional aviation. We are on track to release the NPRM this year, following strong Congressional support in the recent FAA reauthorization. www.faa.gov

Wales Air Ambulance deploys Altitude Angel’s Approval Services platform

Altitude Angel, a UTM (Unified Traffic Management) technology provider, has announced Wales Air Ambulance is the latest organisation to deploy its Approval Services platform allowing drone operators the ability to request and pay for operations which involve taking-off and landing from a landowner’s property.

Wales Air Ambulance delivers advanced medical help to people across Wales and relies on charitable donations to raise £11.2 million every year to keep its helicopters in the air and rapid response vehicles on the road. Every year, it’s four helicopters and fleet of rapid response vehicles attend thousands of missions, covering rural countryside, towns, and cities, along the Welsh coastline and across vast mountain ranges. https://developers.altitudeangel.com

Saildrone fleet goes on-mission

For the fourth year, Saildrone and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) are sailing a fleet of uncrewed surface vehicles (USVs) into hurricanes to better understand how these dangerous storms form, track, and intensify.

The mission started with 12 vehicles stationed in six operational areas identified by NOAA as having a high probability of intercepting a storm. With near-record warm ocean temperatures in the Atlantic Ocean, La Nina conditions developing in the Pacific Ocean, reduced Atlantic trade winds, and less wind shear, all of which tend to favor tropical cyclone formation, NOAA is predicted an 85% chance of an above-normal season.

Saildrone Explorer USVs are 23 feet long and carry a payload of sensors to measure air, surface, and water temperature and humidity, barometric pressure, wind speed and direction, salinity, and wave height and period. To withstand major hurricane conditions—winds over 110 mph and waves that exceed 50 feet—they have a shorter and stronger “hurricane wing,” similar to a reefed sail on a sailboat. www.saildrone.com

UAVOS gimbaled camera launched

UAVOS has launched the Gimbal 155, a new gimbaled camera purpose-built for the UAS Survey Mission program. It was designed to meet the UAV requirements for surveillance and rescue missions. It’s features include embedded video processing with electronic stabilization and object tracking, integration with external GPS/INS with real-time target location at 20 meters across multiple environments, and around 5 meters using UAVOS’ Ground Control Station software. www.uavos.com