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Ever since the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) hinted its position for the means to approve pilots and aircraft certification for eVTOL aircraft, stakeholders have been waiting for an example of how this would work in practice.

In a statement to Avionics International this week, the Federal Aviation Administration confirmed that it will be modifying its regulatory approach for certification of powered-lift operations and the pilots that operate these aircraft. In the short-term, the FAA plans to use its "special class" process in 14 CFR 21.17(b) to type certificate powered-lift aircraft, in order to address the unique features of emerging powered-lift models.

Manufacturers of electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) aircraft are working closely with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to establish a path to certification and make progress towards achieving certification for these new types of vehicles.

The Many Flavors of BVLOS – an explanation of the different types of BVLOS flight, and what they mean for regulators and industry.

The U.S. Air Force and Drone Racing League (DRL) share a passionate interest in showcasing drone pilot skills and encouraging new entrants into the drone industry.

Imagine you're a family of 4 heading to a ski resort in the region. You take an electric Uber to your local small airport. You're in the air in 15 minutes. You land near the resort and another electric Uber takes you to the hill. You fly quietly over the often dangerous mountain roads, enjoying the scenery from the air. All for the cost of getting there by other means, but in a fraction of the time.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently released its Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) final report. Weighing in at almost 400 pages, the document is full of surprises – including a hat tip to the need to increase accessibility in the drone industry.

The Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (CRASAR), the world leader in robotics for disasters, is partnering with Women and Drones for 3.5 days of drone pilot training. The purpose is to introduce female pilots to the missions, skills, and regulations applicable to different types of disasters and enable them to work with local agencies. The training will take place during the highly realistic Public Safety Interoperability Institute (Interop 22) exercise with Texas emergency management agencies, Texas National Guard, and other groups at Disaster City® and surrounding facilities.

Women and Drones breaks down the latest Remote Pilot numbers released by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Most small autonomous fixed-wing aircraft are guided by a commercial controller, which works well for simple paths. But high winds, for instance, can cause a pilotless aircraft to go off course and crash. Demanding paths for demanding applications require new innovations for suitable performance to expand uses of such drones.

A bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers this week introduced legislation designed to help pave the way for the development of infrastructure to support the emerging advanced air mobility (AAM) sector.

From George Jetson to Prof. Brown in the Back to the Future movies, the dream of owning one's own flying car has captured the public imagination.
However, in recent years, planners envisioning urban air mobility solutions have focused largely on the creation of fleets of air taxis. Challenging this conventional wisdom is the CEO of an Israeli start-up company that has developed an electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle, who believes that small personal flying machines will be the wave of the future.

CAE will demonstrate a new Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) desktop simulator based on the company's Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Mission Trainer at the Dubai Airshow from November 14 to 18, 2021. 
 
Increasing advanced air mobility (AAM) and UAS operations over the next decade will create a surge in demand for pilots, which by some estimates could be close to 60,000 pilots needed by 2028. However, training solutions geared specifically towards VTOL operations are currently limited.

As soon as he impacted the ground, he knew something was seriously wrong. In December 2016, a freak fall while snowboarding left U.S. Air Force veteran Rob Corbett, a decorated non-commissioned officer and Air Force Office of Special Investigations (AFOSI) agent with more than a decade of active duty service to the nation, paralyzed from the neck down.
Ever since, he's dedicated his life to bringing inclusion into the drone community by advocating for and training others with disabilities, including veterans and their families.

Current drone regulations can be difficult even for experienced pilots to understand.  In his new DRONELIFE column, Steve Rhode works to help bridge the knowledge gap between passing the Part 107 test and requirements of the most current drone regulations.
The following is one of an educational series for drone pilots by Steve Rhode, Chief Pilot with the Wake Forest Fire Department and the North Carolina Public Safety Drone Academy, and founder of Public Safety Flight, a website dedicated to information about the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), UAVs, aircraft, and drones in public safety. (Not to be contrued as legal advice: please see details at the FAA government site.  Opinions are the author's.)

"Drone racing is ahead of the curve," says Drone Champions League CEO Dr. Michael Kostka. "And now DCL intends to advance the sport even further with a hybrid format that enables fans to immerse themselves in both physical and virtual events at spectacular new locations."

The Ohio Department of Transportation is extending a unique opportunity to people who want to get their official license to fly their drones. They will now be offering free online courses for the Remote Pilot Certification Exam.

Up until now, drone legislation across the European Union has been inconsistent across member states, making it more confusing for photographers traveling through Europe. However, the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) has now produced a set of rules and tiers for several categories of drones, making EU drone legislation more consistent and easier to understand. 
Since drones exploded in popularity, countries across the world have been racing to keep up with this new technology. For a period of time, there were a series of incidents involving drones that could have been avoided with the proper care and attention of the pilot.

Vodafone is working with Ericsson to use mobile network data to help map flight paths for connected drones

A Chattanooga-based company is using satellite technology to help farmers in the Sequatchie Valley.

To meet the growing demand for drone use in business, the University of Wyoming Board of Trustees this past summer approved the launch of geospatial information science and technology programs. New programs, which began this fall, are offered in the areas of geographic information system, remote sensing and UAS, better known as drones.

Under the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration Pilot Program earlier this week, Iris Automation conducted a live drone flight demonstration for the City of Reno Fire Department of its Casia onboard Detect-and-Avoid collision avoidance system, which enables safe beyond visual line of sight drone operations.

Section 2209 of the FAA Extension, Safety and Security Act of 2016 hasn't been implemented yet.  But a group of drone industry advocates urge the FAA to act quickly, in a letter sent to the FAA.

A missing 93-year-old Missouri woman was found safe thanks to a drone and thermal cameras.

A multi-agency task force of public safety drone teams has been supporting local agencies and residents impacted by California wildfires with high-resolution aerial imagery of damaged areas.

The potential uses for drones or unmanned aircraft systems in agriculture have been discussed extensively in the past 10 years. One of the potential uses that hasn't been fully fleshed out in the U.S. is pesticide applications.

Manatee County, Florida, may become the first local government entity in the country to use its emergency 9-1-1 system to dispatch the delivery of emergency medical supplies by drone for people suffering from heart attacks or other serious medical emergencies.

Skydio recently announced that it will work with EagleView to deploy automated residential roof inspections using Skydio drones.

Small unmanned aircraft systems are helping agents track more undocumented immigrants, a division chief with the U.S. Border Patrol's Rio Grande Valley Sector said recently.

Walmart announced recently that it will pilot drone delivery of at-home COVID-19 self-collection kits, which is a new way to provide additional, and contactless, testing options.

The People's Republic of China is one of 66 individuals and organizations commenting on an FAA Federal Register Notice on the certification of some drones.

Manatee County officials are partnering with a private drone company to become one of the first government agencies in the nation to use autonomous drones as part of a 911 emergency response.

The unmanned aircraft systems flight and operations program at Kansas State University Polytechnic has been selected for the Federal Aviation Administration's Unmanned Aircraft Systems-Collegiate Training Initiative.

A new offshore service opportunity for an already proven mini-helicopter UAV, a possible alternative to flying cars, and bulking up UAVs to carry cargo – just a few of this month's new developments in unmanned aircraft.

North Dakota and the Northern Plains UAs test Site are working together to build out their commercial drone infrastructure by creating a statewide BVLOS network.

For decades, government led the way on the development and use of new technologies. Today, there is a similar emphasis on government "spinning in" commercial technologies to improve its own operations. However, the transformational benefits of new technologies may not come solely from either a spin-in or spin-off alone. Rather, "spinning on" may be the key.

In an effort to safely and humanely rescue marine mammals, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University has partnered with marine biologists and a Verizon drone-management platform to monitor animals in distress using unmanned aircraft systems. 

Gulf Coast State College plans to use a new $7 million grant to expand its drone program and address lessons learned in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.

Visitors from the Lone Star UAS Center of Excellence & Innovation at Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi and HSU Educational Foundation are forming a master research partnership to develop the HSU Unmanned Aircraft System Center of Excellence in Okaloosa County, Florida.

Aerial ignition to fight wildfires used to be done by helicopters. Now, as part of an increasingly progressive firefighting strategy honed by the Bureau of Land Management and adopted by the Forest Service and National Interagency Fire Center, drones are handling airborne firebombing and more.

When you hear about people looking at "the big picture" before making a decision, it might mean looking at 21,200 pictures in Dyer, Indiana. That's how many images are compiled using unmanned aerial vehicle technology to give town officials a single clear picture of the lay of the land.

With mass layoffs at US air carriers expected this fall, airline pilots like Michelle Bishop are anticipating the unwelcome reality that pilots like herself may soon be left without stable work. One opportunity piqued her interest: Piloting drones.

Whether it's for examining high-voltage power lines and natural gas pipelines, or seeding and spraying crops in a field, drones are getting a lot of attention, in Iowa and elsewhere.

In hopes of being on the cutting edge of technology, the city of Monroe, Wash., is now operating an Unmanned Aerial System program. The drones are available for a wide variety of uses in the city.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced 26 schools from 20 different states have been selected so far to participate in the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative.

 Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus's Applied Aviation Research Center has received a new waiver from the FAA that permits K-State Polytechnic to fly unmanned aircraft beyond visual line of sight in all Class G airspace nationwide

If you are lost in a rural area or simply attempting to hide from police, the Moose Jaw Police Service now has new technology to find you either way.

For the first time in department history, Santa Maria Police used a drone, or unmanned aerial vehicle, to seek out a suspect hiding in the riverbed over the weekend. 

In an interview, the Air Force acquisitions chief explained that Skyborg will bring "intelligent mass" to air battles by integrating artificial intelligence with piloted aircraft to maintain the United States' competitive advantage in the air.

In a recent webinar hosted by AUVSI NC, a panel of experts gave their best advice to state agencies preparing to use UAV for hurricane response.