Drone News for Week of

Drone NewsBytes Your Unfiltered Drone News Source

Drone and dirt biker crash midair during massive jump - A drone and a dirt biker crash midair during a massive jump. The motorcyclist suffered an injury to his shoulder after colliding with the drone.

Bloke fined £460 after his drone screwed up police chopper search for missing woman - A Russian-speaking man from Cambridgeshire has become the first person in the UK to be convicted of illegally flying a drone beneath a police helicopter during a search operation.

DHS Seeks Info on Counter-Drone Systems - The Department of Homeland Security has issued a request for information from potential providers of counter-unmanned aircraft systems in a move to address security concerns over hostile drones.

China develops small multi-rotor drone that can climb to 5,000 meters - The X-M20 “Crane”, with the weight only 20 kilograms, is designed to have a service ceiling up to 5,000 metres and wind resistance capacity up to seven level, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Residents weigh in on Hartford ordinance proposing council oversight of city drones - A controversial ordinance that would place the Hartford police department's drones under strict city council oversight — stifling strict oversight, the police chief says — was up for a public hearing Monday night in council chambers.

Why safety is paramount to growth of the drone industry - Regulators are still grappling with how to support commercial drone use while ensuring public and civil safety are first and foremost, with the FAA and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) leading the way.

First ever drone-delivered kidney is no worse for wear - Scalea and his colleagues modified a DJI M600 drone to carry a refrigerated box payload, and also designed a wireless biosensor for monitoring the organ while in flight.

Drones Swarms and AI for Search and Rescue Operations at Sea - A group of authors at the University of Bologna, Italy have decided to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) for search and rescue operations at sea. The relevance of the drone swarm in this case as well as the use of technology is clear – to help the search and rescue missions and yield with more lives saved at sea.

WhiteFox Impresses U.S. DoD At World’s Largest Counter-drone Testing Event - WhiteFox Defense Technologies, Inc., a drone airspace defense and security company, had their flagship product, DroneFox, participate as selected equipment by the U.S. Government for the prestigious Black Dart counter-UAS and Red Teaming exercise last month. It was the first time WhiteFox had performed testing at Black Dart, the largest counter-drone testing exercise in the world.

Drone footage shows aftermath of Camp Fire in California - Since the Camp Fire broke out November 8, it has destroyed more than 11,700 homes and torched an area the size of Chicago.

FAA Processes More than 50,000 LAANC Drone Applications | General Aviation News - The FAA has processed more than 50,000 applications under the LAANC (low-altitude authorization and notification capability) from drone operators to fly in controlled airspace since November 2017—far exceeding the agency’s expectations for program participation. LAANC covers 300 ATC facilities serving 500 airports and it allows UAS operators with near-instant approval, a major flight-planning convenience.

Virginia Man Arrested After Wind Whips Drone Into Barclays HQ - Travel conditions improved dramatically across the tri-state area after last Thursday's microblizzard (by which I mean three to six inches of snow slush) subsided, but still, the skies were not safe for the city's illicit drone pilots. On Friday, police arrested 27-year-old Steven Funes after a rogue wind gusted his drone into the side of Barclays headquarters in Midtown. The building sustained no injuries in the crash, but unfortunately for Funes, it is almost always illegal to fly a drone in New York City.

Menlo Park Fire Drone Team deployed to Butte County to provided aerial damage assessment - The Menlo Park Fire Protection Districts UAS/Drone Team is working for the Butte County Sheriffs Department along with personnel from Alameda and Contra Costa Counties Sheriffs’ Departments and the Union City and San Francisco Police Departments to provide aerial damage

Yellowstone investigating illegal drone photo taken in park - Yellowstone National Park officials say they're investigating after a photo was posted online showing one of the park's geothermal features from a drone, which is illegal. The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported the photo of Grand Prismatic Spring was posted on Instagram and then deleted after criticism from other users. Drones are banned in Yellowstone and many other parks. The National Park Service says drones can harass wildlife and the noise is a nuisance to visitors. Violation of the ban is a misdemeanor with a penalty of up to six months in jail and a $5,000 fine. A Dutch tourist crashed a drone into Grand Prismatic Spring in 2014 and was fined more than $3,000.

Jail bosses nail dozens of crooks using drones to smuggle drugs and mobile phones to inmates - According to new figures, forty-five people have been convicted of illicit drone activity and those involved have been jailed for a total of more than 140 years since 2015

First of its kind Drone Expo comes to the Great New York State Fair - Pilots from New York and Canada visiting the fairgrounds this weekend for a drone racing competition. It's the first of its kind, hosted by a local drone chapter. For some people, it's a hobby they've stuck with for a long time.

Drones and dogs now included in search for Hania Aguilar - The Lumberton Police Department and the FBI say they are continuing to their search for 13-year-old Hania Noelia Aguilar. FBI and SBI agents are using foot and drone searches in their pursuit for a lead. An SBI K9 is also searching for clues to find Hania.

Highland Park police chief says drones could aid in lakefront searches - Some Highland Park City Council members would like to see a city policy on drone use by law enforcement before buying an Unmanned Aerial Vehicle.

Swiss Start-Up Fires Up Laser-based Drone Charger - Lab-grown diamonds can focus laser beams with enough energy to stay stable over long distances – powerful enough to charge recharge photovoltaic cells on a drone in flight.

KCAA says drone regulations will be released soon - Regulation of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), commonly known as drones, is still in limbo, five months after the National Assembly rejected the regulations that had been proposed by the Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA).

Australia Drone News

Australian pair jailed for trying to use a drone to send drugs to prisoner - A man and woman in Queensland have been arrested and sent to prison after attempting to use a drone to drop drugs into a prison.

Your Drone Can Give Cops a Surprising Amount of Your Data - IF YOU'RE A nefarious sort, you might use a commercial drone to smuggle drugs, carry explosives, or to just spy on your neighbors. Drones are appealing to criminals in part because they seem fairly anonymous, flitting through the sky with an invisible digital tether to its owner. But anonymity is no longer a safe bet. In the hands of crime investigators, a drone can reveal a range of personal and financial information about its owner.