Indholdsfortegnelse for January - February 2020 i RotorDrone Pro

In the five years since we first published RotorDrone Pro, UAV aircraft have been gearing up to take center stage in package delivery, surveying and mapping, infrastructure inspection, environmental studies and more. In this first issue of 2020, we asked 10 industry insiders to give us their perspective on how drones and their use will continue to evolve. How will these aircraft and related technologies evolve in five or 10 years? Find the answers to those questions and more in “Future Tech.” In October 2019, a Wing drone delivered a FedEx package to a home in Christiansburg, Virginia in the first FAA-approved door-to-door drone delivery in United States history. Benefits of drone delivery include better delivery speeds, greater accessibility, and even fewer greenhouse gas emissions. David Daly shares the inside…

There is little doubt that the future of drones includes uncrewed aircraft delivery services. From online ordering to life-saving medications, our skies will soon teem with drones. Several of the world’s leading companies have been in a race against each other to be the first to provide a drone delivery service. Over the last few years, giants such as Google, Amazon, UPS, and Uber have poured enormous resources into the dream that is drone delivery. The potential benefits of delivering goods through drones are enormous. Speed of delivery, accessibility, and environmental impact are just a few of the areas likely to see gains. According to an economic study released by the New York-based research firm AlphaBeta, drone delivery has the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 99 percent when…

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is the government organization responsible for the investigation of major aircraft and ground vehicle accidents. As advances in technology have continued to develop, the NTSB has started to add aerial drones to its accident investigation toolkit. Cameras and sensors aboard drones are now being used for aerial terrain mapping at aircraft crash sites, including the October 2, 2019 crash of a vintage WW II B-17 bomber at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut. According to NTSB investigator Michael Bauer, drones have been used by the board since 2016. Bauer, a systems engineer and aerospace engineer, is a member of the NTSB team that was sent to the crash site at Bradley International Airport and has investigated dozens of accident scenes with the NTSB drone. He…

Dremel is one of those brand names that has so throroughly dominated its market that it has become synonymous with the category itself—like Kleenex or Velcro. Although the word brand has been genericized to refer to any rotary tool, the ones with “Dremel” officially stenciled on the side have a reputation for quality that has earned them that privileged position. If you spend any time at all cutting, grinding, polishing, or etching small parts then you’re already using a Dremel (official or otherwise) but for intricate work a standard rotary tool can be a bit of overkill, and being tethered by a power cord can be cumbersome. Dremel has a new model that addresses both, and it comes in at the surprisingly affordable price of just $50. They call it…

Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) Frederick, Maryland aopa.org FAA Part 107 Preparatory Course In-person training Drone Pilot Ground School Nashville, Tennessee dronepilotgroundschool.com FAA Part 107 Preparatory Course Online training Dronitek Formerly Drone University USA Sacramento, California dronitek.com FAA Part 107 Preparatory Course In-person training Eye in the Sky UAS Training Academy, Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems Las Vegas, Nevada Nias-uas.com FAA Part 107 Preparatory Course In-Person Training Indiana State University Terre Haute, Indiana indstate.edu FAA Part 107 Preparatory Course In-person training Kansas State University, Polytechnic Campus Salina, Kansas polytechnic.k-state.edu Test Prep sUAS Commercial Pilot Training (Part 107) In-person training Monroe Community College Rochester, New York monroecc.edu Remote Pilot Ground School and FAA Test Prep In-person training Northwest Michigan College, Traverse City Campus Traverse City, Michigan nmc.edu Test prep Remote…

F-stop: Controls the amount or volume of light that passes through the lens while the shutter is open. The lower the number, the larger the opening, and the greater the volume of light that passes through the lens. This is called “opening up” the lens. The higher the number, the smaller the opening is and the less volume of light that can pass through the lens. This is called “stopping down” the lens. Artistically, the f-stop opening controls the depth-of-field in the photo, which is the amount of sharpness from the front to the back of the image. Shutter speed: Controls the amount of time the light passes through the lens. This represents fractions of a second, such as 1/30 or 1/125 of a second. The smaller the number, the…

When it comes to the world of aerial selfies and personal drones, size is not always relevant to performance. You can now open up your sky with the new, compact yet powerful Mavic Mini. The perfect companion to your creativity, the Mavic Mini captures moments in a way that effortlessly elevates the ordinary. Together with the easy-to-use DJI Fly app, you’ll be able to enjoy a simplified flight experience with a point-of-view simplicity beyond any other combination. Exceptionally portable and almost as light as a smartphone, the Mavic Mini weights only 249 grams (8.78 ounces), so it is below the weight that requires FAA drone registration, which is 250 grams (8.82 ounces). With a satisfying 30-minute flight time, the Mavic Mini includes a 4km HD video transmitter, Vision Sensor +…

More often than not, the professional UAV operator wears many hats. In addition to flying, pilots serve as business operators, editors, geographic information system (GIS) mapping professionals, photographers, videographers, and so much more. Having such a diverse set of skills also means daily use of different platforms. Frankly, the list of software programs needed to complete a given project starts to become overwhelming. For many of us, our careers as commercial drone pilots began with only the very basic of tools. With a drone and a laptop, we quickly started working on projects such as real estate photography and videography. As our businesses matured, we began growing our drone aviary and assembling an impressive collection of various software platforms for data processing and image refinement and analysis. Many professional drone…

FLIGHTWAVE AEROSPACE SYSTEMS JUPITER TRICOPTER This heavy-lift tricopter is no joke! As FlightWave’s press release states, it’s “no nonsense, all muscle, and made for missions where durability, endurance, and precision control are required.” Ideal for indoor use where precision in tight spaces is crucial, its tilt-pod technology provides a smooth, level flying experience. It’s perfect for jobs like warehouse work, security, surveillance, public safety, and mining. Jupiter also takes advantage of FlightWave’s open-source payload integration, which allows pilots to customize their vehicle with new sensors, software, and capabilities. flightwave.com AUTERION/AVY AERO VTOL DRONE Auterion and Dutch UAV manufacturer Avy partnered to develop the Aera, a long-endurance VTOL drone with modular payload capabilities and integrated avionics systems designed for medical delivery, first responder, sustainable logistics, and wildlife conservation operations. It’s intended…

Editor’s note: The Commercial UAV Expo set new records this past October when it returned to Las Vegas for its fifth year, bringing together more than 3,100 people—a 32 percent increase over the 2018 event. Attendees from all 50 states participated, along with 54 foreign countries. Among the 260 booths on the trade show floor were 110 new exhibitors. Keynote speakers included the vice president of the Advanced Technology Group at UPS, Bala Ganesh, who is responsible for the company’s burgeoning delivery drone operation; and NASA Administrator James Bridenstine. Several organizations offered workshops, including Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which provided an opportunity for participants to earn their Trusted Operator Program (TOP) Level 1 certification; and the Sundance Media Group hosted a night flying training workshop. Into the middle of this frenzied,…

Originally developed for military target identification and reconnaissance, multispectral imaging uses specific wavelengths of the electromagnetic spectrum to document environmental features of interest. Early NASA imaging of Earth from space incorporated multispectral imaging technology to map details related to oceans, landforms, and vegetation. More recently, modern weather satellites now produce diagnostic imagery using multispectral sensors. Today, multispectral imaging is used by the U.S. military to detect landmines and underground missiles. By analyzing disturbed soil features with multispectral imaging, different physical and chemical properties can be detected. Likewise, multispectral imaging of the invisible radiation emitted during intercontinental ballistic missile launches can track their trajectories. Multispectral imaging is also used to interpret ancient papyri and other ancient documents by imaging the documents in the infrared range. Typically, writing on these documents appears…

Location: Lake Balaton, Hungary Pilot: Viktor Szabó Drone: DJI Mavic 2 Pro SEND US YOUR PHOTOS If you have an image that you’ve taken with a multirotor that you’d like to see showcased in “Over the Horizon,” please send your high-resolution image, your Instagram handle (if applicable), and information on the location and the drone you flew to capture the image to RotorDrone@AirAge.com. Every photographer we feature on this page will receive a free one-year subscription or extension to RotorDronePro magazine.…

RotorDroneMag.com › Storm Drones Our story about the University of Nebraska-Lincoln leading an ambitious drone-based investigation of severe storms and tornadoes certainly had you folks talking. More than 50 scientists and students from four universities will participate in the TORUS project (Targeted Observation by Radars and UAS of Supercells), deploying a broad suite of cutting-edge instrumentation in the U.S. Great Plains during the 2019 and 2020 storm seasons. The project will exceed $2.5 million, with the National Science Foundation awarding a three-year, $2.4 million grant and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration providing additional financial support. It is the largest-ever study of its kind, based upon the geographical area covered and the number of drones and other assets deployed. Thomas Jenkins: Somehow this reminds me of the movie where the…

Add your unique perspective to our content mix! We’re looking for drone operators to share their expertise and advice in videos and posts. (Original and unpublished content only, please.) If you like taking videos and photos of your newest drones and accessories, are interested in sharing how you created your latest amazing image or video, or would like to give us the inside story on how you’re using drones in your work or for recreation, we hope you’ll consider joining us. Team members will get featured posts on our site and, of course, unlimited bragging rights. If you’d like to contribute, here are a few topics we’re interested in getting articles and videos about, or send us your own ideas! SAMPLE ARTICLE TOPICS Drone and gear reviews: tell us about…

Uncrewed Aerial Systems—from small camera drones to monster heavy-lifters—have become an indispensable tool across industries as far ranging as agriculture and zoning. And just wait until the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has integrated them into the U.S. airspace! Someday soon, will a drone be the first to show up at the scene of an accident? Or will delivery drones crowd our neighborhood skies? Will we have enough drone operators to keep up with demand or will drones be autonomous? To find out what the future of UAS might look like, we interviewed 10 drone experts to see where they think this rapidly evolving technology is headed. Here are their predictions.…

Once you become a drone pilot—having fun shooting aerial videos and photos with your drone—tempting thoughts of earning some money with your drone will probably pop up. To do this legally, you have to become a commercial drone pilot. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has several regulations pertaining to drones and drone pilots, and just like driving an automobile, wherein you need a driver’s license and must obey the rules of the road, you also need a drone pilot’s license and must obey the rules of the sky. Before you can start your own drone business and sell aerial photos and services, you have to obtain an FAA Part 107 certification. WHERE TO START As a recreational drone user, you first have to know some basic rules. Unmanned aircraft systems…

Camera drones are available from many sources and the quality of their control systems and their onboard digital optics are at an all-time high. Often you can purchase a brand name camera drone for about the same price you would have paid several years ago for a digital sport camera. This combination of high quality and consumer-friendly pricing has driven a mini revolution in the production of aerial photography and videography. So with simplified camera setup and drones getting easier to fly, what are you waiting for? Let’s take a look at what’s involved in getting the best results from your airborne digital camera platform. FLYING MODES Any flying mode will work well when shooting still images from the air. Photographs can be taken just as easily while the drone…