Innehållsförteckning för December 2021 - January 2022 från RotorDrone Pro

This issue’s “Five Best Buys” feature is just what you’ve been looking for to get into the great wide open. Our experts have carefully selected the best drones for the hobbyist or the professional. If you’re documenting your vacation, we have a perfect $500 travel-ready mini-drone for the aspiring photographer. Looking for a rugged airframe with thermal imaging and 32x zoom capability for public safety work? The Parrot Anafi USA is a $7000, weather-proof, military grade drone for professional and commercial use. And we’ve also got you covered if you’re looking for something in between. “Five Best Buys” takes the guesswork out purchasing your next drone so you can get started on your next big adventure. Speaking of getting out there, RotorDrone Pro contributor Patrick Sherman attended this year’s Xponential…

Drones are rapidly transforming industries like package delivery, agriculture, and even real estate. Electric utilities are no exception, and Southern California Edison is setting the pace among California’s utilities. Its drone program is maximizing the technology with its more than 200,000 annual inspections of electrical infrastructure in high-firerisk areas as part of its Wildlife Mitigation Plan. Uncrewed aerial vehicles have become irreplaceable in performing inspections of the more than 400,000 poles, transformers and lines in SCE’s high-fire-risk areas, or about 27% of its 50,000-square-mile service area. Aerial inspections in these areas are now done 75% by drones and 25% by helicopters, when just a year ago it was the exact opposite. Drones are also being deployed outside high-fire-risk areas for dam inspections, with programs planned for other SCE facilities. “Drones…

Effective September 2021, FIXAR will equip all of its outdoor drones with their BlackBox system for UAV flight data logging to increase traceability and accountability of the aircraft and contribute to safer air traffic. The lightweight FIXAR BlackBox is a separate module that records complete and detailed information of onboard flight activities and parameters. This advanced logging system can record and store settings, missions, sensor data, user commands, automatic control, and payload information. The main objective of the BlackBox is to increase safety by providing detailed data for mission analysis, identify faults in case of incidents, and contribute to a more efficient monitoring and problemsolving and overall UAV industry security and development. Apart from the main objective to offer additional safety and flight data storage tasks, the BlackBox is a…

From birds, to kites and airplanes, kids have always marveled at all that flies. They’ll also marvel at Ariel, a small but sturdy flying robot who connects her flying friends with diverse local communities to solve real-world problems. Creatively designed for young minds between the ages of 2 to 8, Ariel & Friends is a series of children’s books that takes its readers all over the globe using Flying Labs projects to show them how local experts are solving problems using science, teamwork, and some really fancy robots. The series will feature stories from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. The first book in the series, “The Magic in the Mangroves,” is based on a real project led by Panama Flying Labs. For more information, check out the Flying Labs project…

This feature-packed drone comes in an ultra-compact package, making it the ideal traveling companion for anyone who’d like to document their adventures. It is incredibly stable and easy to fly, but it does not have obstacle avoidance or object tracking. It has stronger motors than its predecessor and can easily handle a light breeze (but if it’s windy, the Mini 2 should stay grounded). The Mini 2 comes with a redesigned controller that looks like the one that comes with the Mavic Air 2. It holds your smartphone and is comfortable and easy to use. OcuSync, DJI’s lowlatency radio frequency that allows you to transmit 1080p 720p video from the Mini 2 directly to your smart device. To fly the Mini 2, you use DJI’s Fly app, a basic version…

This top-quality platform provides robust capabilities in both its flight and imaging performance. Incorporating an Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) receiver, the S2 will alert you through the DJI Fly app when a crewed aircraft equipped with an ADS-B transmitter is in the vicinity. It has two, forward-facing collision avoidance systems, a rear collision avoidance sensor, and a bellymounted optical flow system and an infrared altimeter. The Air S2 is an aircraft that will go where you tell it and stay put when it gets there, thanks to DJI’s highly refined flight control system technology, assisted by the fact that it incorporates a three-band global navigation satellite system. Its threeaxis gimbal mounts a camera with a one-inch CMOS sensor, capable of capturing 20-megapixel stills and 5.4K video at 30 frames per…

Fifty years hence, history may look back and note that Pendleton played an important role in the development of uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS), leading to their full integration into the National Airspace System (NAS) and the aviation industry. However, this high-desert airfield has already secured a place for itself in posterity. Initially constructed as a small municipal airport, the likelihood that the United States would enter World War II prompted its expansion in early 1941. Over six months, the Army Corps of Engineers added two runways as well as facilities for 2,500 personnel. In June, the 17th Bombardment Group of the Army Air Corps was transferred to Pendleton. Seven months later, the Japanese launched a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and the U.S. entered World War II. With enemy submarines…

Developed for the Department of Defense, the new 300W OC-262 is a passively cooled onboard charger that will benefit operators in the oil and gas, mining, construction, marine exploration, and agriculture industries. The new OC-150 compact and lightweight onboard charger delivers 150 watts of power and up to 10A of current, depending on battery voltage. A compact transmitter, the TR-150 uses the latest highefficiency GaN transistors and is designed primarily for use with the new OC-150 onboard charger. Th new TR-300 is a compact wireless power transmitter using GaN Systems’ technology for maximum efficiency. “When it comes to power delivery for autonomous drones and mobile robots, it’s crucial to innovate with new technologies such as GaN to maximize efficiency,” said Ben Waters, CEO at WiBotic. “These new products not only…

Advanced Aircraft Company (AAC), a developer of longendurance hybrid-electric unmanned aircraft systems, launched of its Hybrid Advanced Multirotor Unmanned Aircraft System (HAMR), a versatile multi-rotor configuration with a hybrid gas-electric propulsion system for extended endurance and multiple, simultaneous payload capabilities. “After four years of development, testing, and validation, we are proud to announce our entry into the unmanned systems market with HAMR,” said Bill Fredericks, founder and CEO of AAC. “Our high-performance gaselectric hybrid propulsion system And aerodynamic airframe designs enable long-endurance operations. This provides a significant competitive advantage to our customers by doubling the productivity of their pilots.” The HAMR has been optimized for a wide range of commercial, defense and public safety applications, including surveying and mapping, critical infrastructure inspection, precision agriculture, public safety and defense applications, and…

ANRA Technologies successfully flew a series of drone delivery demonstrations at Florida Department of Transportation and Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise SunTrax facility. ANRA flew its VTOL drone that can carry a 3-pound payload over long distances with a flight time of more than 90 minutes. The drone was connected to ANRA’s delivery and airspace management software to demonstrate its entire ecosystem comprised of a drone, delivery/order app, and airspace management platform. ANRA’s delivery software provides a network that enables drone deliveries by managing orders, inventory, and provisioning products—then safely operates the drone within the UTM network. ANRA’s delivery software incorporates airspace management technology to enable safe flight routing for the drone while providing tracking and status updates to the customer on a mobile app. The solution provides vital information and data…

The Skydio 2 has six 4K cameras, each with a 200-degree field of view. Together, they create a complete picture of the operating environment in every direction, generating 45 megabytes of data 30 times per second to drive its remarkable collision avoidance system. Its main camera—the one that actually captures video and still images—incorporates a Sony IMX577, capable of shooting 4K video at 30 frames per second (FPS) or HD video at up to 120 FPS in addition to 12 megapixel stills. The images are vibrant, and even without activating the camera’s high dynamic range (HDR) capability, it does a remarkable job of balancing the lighting across a scene. The camera has three-axis stabilization and is slung on a frontmounted gimbal so that no part of the aircraft hangs over…

Parrot’s latest drone provides a powerful aerial imaging tool for professionals who need a clear view of what is happening on the ground when lives or big money are at risk. The extraordinary combination of thermal imaging and a visible-light camera with a 32x zoom capability are going to let you see what you need to see, right now. The Anafi USA has two visible light cameras: one with a 75-degree field of view and the other with a 16-degree field of view, which is the equivalent of 5x magnification. This delivers a smooth and seamless zoom capability from 1x to 32x. From a magnification of 1x to 5x, the imaging system simply crops the image from the wide field-of-view camera. The absolute number of pixels in the image drops—if…

In May of this year, Teledyne Technologies concluded its acquisition of FLIR Systems, the renowned thermal-imaging camera manufacturer that has played a pivotal role in bringing these capabilities to small, civilian drones. The fruits of that partnership were on display at Xponential 2021 as the combined company revealed its MicroCalibir series of camera cores. The smallest thermal camera core in the world with a 21x21mm sensor, MicroCalibir cameras are capable of capturing images up to 640x480 pixels and benefit from an extended range, being able to accurately measure and display temperatures up to nearly 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit, making it particularly well-suited to applications such as firefighting and high-temperature industrial inspection. Weighing as little as 50 grams depending on its lens configuration and requiring minimal power to operate, the MicroCaliber is…

If you have ever listened to crewed aircraft pilots communicating with one another or with air traffic control, much of the conversation may sound almost like a foreign language. Alpha bravo this, midfield downwind that. Niner? Like a forty-niner? What does all this mumbo-jumbo mean? You may be thinking: “Who cares? I’m not a crewed aircraft pilot.” That may be true for many of you, but the fact is that you can glean a lot of information about aircraft activity in your vicinity, especially if you are operating (with permission) in areas nearby manned aircraft. Your situational awareness—the knowledge of what all is going on around yourself—can be greatly enhanced by monitoring aviation radio frequencies in use at nearby airports and other facilities. In fact, it is often advocated that…

DECEPTION Canaries. First among these is the use of small drones as canaries, not as robotic replacements for domesticated songbirds, but rather in the sense of being “a canary in a coal mine.” Until the mid-1980s, it was common practice for miners to bring a canary with them underground. Being more sensitive than humans to the buildup of deadly carbon monoxide gas, the bird’s abrupt silence was a signal to the miners that they needed to evacuate immediately. The drones flown as canaries today serve a similar function: The would-be aerial trespasser sends out a small, cheap drone ahead of a larger aircraft, which will carry contraband. Its mission is to test for the presence counteruncrewed aircraft systems (C-UAS) defenses. If the small drone is jammed, intercepted or exhibits strange…

REVIEWS | ACCESSORIES | GEAR | TECHNOLOGY | NEWS There has been a fundamental change in the relationship between drones and public safety, according to Charles Werner — and he would know. Having spent 45 years in the fire service, he retired as the fire chief for Charlottesville, Virginia, and went on to establish and lead DRONERESPONDERS, a global alliance of emergency-response agencies with more than 1,000 member organizations worldwide. “Over the past couple of years, I’ve seen people come to a realization,” said Werner. “Drones are more than just toys. Once people see what they can do, it quickly becomes part of the normal response in an emergency. Then, when it isn’t available, people are asking, ‘Where’s the drone?’” Along with this shift have come new approaches to how…

This new commercial delivery drone uniquely addresses the most-pressing consumer safety and privacy concerns hampering residential drone delivery. The new A2Z Drone Delivery RDSX is a humancentered design that helps put package recipients at ease with the burgeoning residential drone delivery technology. This dual-payload commercial delivery UAV combines A2Z Drone Delivery’s proprietary tethered freefall delivery mechanism with a proven airframe enabling drone delivery at scale by streamlining multi-destination flights, minimizing delivery time-onstation and mitigating many of the consumer concerns with residential drone deliveries. A2Z’s tethered freefall mechanism has previously been deployed for residential drone delivery trials. Consumers obviously have several concerns about the expansion of drone delivery including the potential for injury and property damage from spinning drone rotors as well as erosion of personal privacy. A2Z’s unique tethered freefall…

The new GE industrial drone line is based on the md4-1000 platform from Microdrones and includes a 10% increase in motor efficiency as well as LED light rings to provide enhanced visibility with configurable color schemes. The systems are also Remote ID Enabled for increased safety and compliance and include a new ground collision avoidance feature. The all-new mdLiDAR1000LR (long-range) UAV features a Velodyne Ultra Puck VLP-32 LiDAR scanner in the payload and a 26-megapixel CMOS APS-C camera sensor for photogrammetry. The mdLiDAR1000HR (high-resolution) has a Velodyne Puck VLP-16, a Sony IMX264 LiDAR scanner, and a 5-megapixel camera integrated for point-cloud colorization. The mdMapper1000DG features a payload with the Sony RX1R II and a 42-megapixel full-frame camera integrated. All of these aircraft are equipped with the Applanix 15 UAV IMU…

This fifth-generation waterproof drone is designed for multipurpose operations in any harsh environments, and its new IP66 Waterproof Remote Controller and 2-inch digital telemetry display is waterproof, too! The drone’s built-in GPS now offers real-time tracking and dynamic return to pilot. Also new is SwellPro’s GC3-S, a fully waterproof, 4K camera stabilized by a 3-axis gimbal, and “boat kit” floats that allow SplashDrone 4 to sail on the water while taking underwater shots. The SplashDrone 4 starts at $1,799.99; the GC3-S is $699 and the boat kit is $99. swellpro.com…

To start the PowerEgg X’s motors, you use a downand-in control input on the joysticks and it climbs and maneuvers with confidence. The controller incorporates a physical switch to change to one of three flight modes. The equivalent of Sport mode is engaged when you move the switch to “P,” for “Professional” mode. You retain GPS position hold and other advanced features, but the aircraft moves along at a brisk 40 miles per hour. Switch over to “N,” for “Normal,” and “E” mode, for “Easy,” which is downright sluggish compared with the other two and is presumably intended for beginners. Flight time is typical for an aircraft of its size in its base configuration: about 18 minutes under realworld conditions. The controller, which is included as part of the basic…

This year, Xponential began under a cloud—literally. As the 2021 in-person installment of the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) flagship show began in Atlanta, Georgia, the remnants of Hurricane Fred were passing over the city, bringing heavy rains and blustery weather. It was a real storm, but also an apt metaphor for what the drone industry—and the world—have experienced over the past 18 months. When COVID-19 arrived in the United States in March 2020, it led to the immediate shutdown of trade shows and industry meetings. Many, including Xponential, moved to online formats, but these were only shadows of their pre-pandemic selves. With the arrival of safe and effective vaccines against the virus in early 2021, the industry looked forward to a better year ahead. Following the collapse…

At most airports, if you walk out onto the tarmac carrying a drone, about the best you can hope for is to be asked, “What do you think you’re doing here?” At Eastern Oregon Regional Airport, however, they ask a different question, “How can we help?” That’s because Eastern Oregon Regional Airport (PDT) is home to the Pendleton Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Range—and drones are their business. “When people come out to do testing with us, they find that our control tower is very familiar with UAS,” said Darryl Abling, the range manager. “They have a lot of experience coordinating multiple, simultaneous UAS operations alongside our manned traffic—commuter airplanes, general aviation pilots, crop dusters, cargo flights, helicopters and the military.” While the full integration of UAS into the National Airspace…

Location: Moab, Utah Pilot: Matthew Marcusen (@arcusen_aerial_photography) Drone: DJI Mavic Air 2 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.…