UAV

Terra Drone chooses Queensland for home

A major Japanese start-up has chosen Queensland for its regional office after being inspired by the Palaszczuk Government’s drive to advance innovation and entrepreneurship across the state. Deputy Premier and Minister for Trade and Investment Jackie Trad said Terra Drone, Japan’s leading unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) provider, made the decision to come to Brisbane as a result of the Premier’s trade mission to Japan in November 2016. http://statements.qld.gov.au

Unifly is the winner of the ‘Best Emerging Drone Company’

On January 24th, 2017 the first EU Drone Awards were presented at the European Parliament in Brussels. The EU Drone Awards are an organisation of the European Young Innovators Forum (EYIF) and are meant to boost the European drone industry. Unifly was presented with the award of Best Emerging Drone Company. This category awards the most attractive European emerging company taking into account market potential, impact of the solution, team, European dimension and technological innovation.

Aerial photography company hit with large fine for FAA violations

After seeking a record sum of US$1.9 million from aerial photography company SkyPan International, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has accepted $200,000 as part of a settlement. SkyPan International was charged with orchestrating 65 unauthorized flights in congested airspaces, lacking proper certification and registration for flights and not flying with the proper signaling equipment on-board to alert other aircraft to the presence of the SkyPan drones.

The alleged violations took place during 2012-2014 in New York City and Chicago and the FAA opened an investigation in 2015. SkyPan has been in the aerial photography business for 28 years and has regularly utilized full-size helicopters and remote control helicopters during its tenure. The violations took place during a period when the FAA was still developing drone regulations, but nonetheless, it appears that SkyPan got off much easier than it otherwise could have. www.imaging-resource.com

SurvTech selects NEXUS 800 for aerial mapping

A NEXUS 800 UAS powered by HYPACK has been provided to the US southeastern geospatial solutions company SurvTech. The company will use the device to acquire upland data simultaneous with subaqueous data and make a seamless point cloud of upland and submerged data. The integration with the company’s heading RTK GPS, IMU, sonar and HYPACK was experienced as straightforward. When planning to equip a UAV copter with the Puck sensor, heading RTK GPS, IMU and computer processing board, SurvTech aimed for a commercial grade copter that would be extremely robust and have built in redundancy.

IDRA to provide Insurance service to its members

The International Drone Racing Association (IDRA) has come up with some reliefs for drone pilots. IRDA is going to launch the first primary UAV Aircraft Liability Insurance policy to cover drone pilots worldwide. The insurance policy will include the IDRA’s membership where every IDRA member will be provided with a maximum of US$1,000,000 UAV liability coverage. It will cover different mode of operations like UAS training and racing competitions, recreational use of drones all around the world. According to the Founder and CEO of IDRA, Justin Haggerty, “it was a tough time to find the right insurance provider and underwriter to support the organization’s goal. Now IDRA is ready to provide this service to its member all around the globe. The IDRA as a drone community is excited to provide an extra layer of protection to its members.” http://www.dronemirai.com