Month: August 2015

Participating individuals, non-participating individuals, and the 500 ft bubble.

Posted on by mecicon

500ft-bubble-interesting-man-240x300

This area is causing all sorts of confusion for individuals. How close can you get to people? When can I get within 500ft of a person? Can I fly at a concert or football game? Can I fly over people?

Here is a quote from the exemption from one of my closed-set 333 clients.

“26. All Flight operations must be conducted at least 500 feet from all nonparticipating persons, vessels, vehicles, and structures unless:
a. Barriers or structures are present that sufficiently protect nonparticipating persons from the UA and/or debris in the event of an accident. The operator must ensure that nonparticipating persons remain under such protection. If a situation arises where nonparticipating persons leave such protection and are within 500 feet of the UA, flight operations must cease immediately in a manner ensuring the safety of nonparticipating persons; and
b. The owner/controller of any vessels, vehicles or structures has granted permission for operating closer to those objects and the PIC has made a safety assessment of the risk of operating closer to those objects and determined that it does not present an undue hazard.
The PIC, VO, operator trainees or essential persons are not considered nonparticipating persons under this exemption.”

The exemption does not indicate if this is a slant angle 500ft bubble or a  500ft ground circle. Functionally, there isn’t much of a difference here. If you look at the graph I created, at 200 ft (the max height for a blanket COA), the closest ground distance would be 458.3 ft. There is a 41.7 foot difference in interpretation. The two different interpretations only start mattering once you can start operating above the blanket COA.

The 500ft bubble is a pretty big bubble. Here is a graph of a 500ft slant angle bubble.

graph of 500 foot bubble in 333 exemption

 

This bubble is going to prevent many urban and “in town” operations; however, later in the exemption’s conditions and limitations only applicable to operations for the purpose of closed-set motion picture and television filming and production, it says:

“31. Flight operations may be conducted closer than 500 feet from participating persons consenting to be involved and necessary for the filming production, as specified in the exemption holder’s MPTOM.”

Mere aerial data collection operations do NOT have these conditions. Closed-set acts like an “upgraded” version of aerial data collection.

So then who is a participating individual?

The FAA defines Participating Person/Authorized Person as,  “All persons associated with the filming production must be briefed on the potential risk of the proposed flight operation(s) and they must acknowledge and accept those risks.Nonparticipating persons are the public, spectators, media, etc., not associated with the filming production.”

The only way you are going to get within 500ft is if the people are participating people, you are cleared for closed-set operations, and you are abiding by your motion picture manual.

http://jrupprechtlaw.com/

FAA: Local drone near Obama had Coast Guard, Secret Service on alert

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nicequadclose

Mike Stucka

A branch of the U.S. military had to send a warning about a local drone — because it was flying near President Barack Obama as he played golf.

Newly released reports from the Federal Aviation Administration show that local drone incidents are happening at a rate of about once a month now. The March 29 incident with Obama doesn’t say how close the drone was or whether foul play was suspected.

The U.S. Secret Service called the FAA to report that the U.S. Coast Guard had spotted a drone flying “in the vicinity of POTUS,” the President of the United States. A Coast Guard spokesman in Miami said he had no information on the incident. The Palm Beach Post has filed a Freedom Of Information Act request for records on the incident.

According to The Washington Post, Obama spent that weekend playing at the members-only Floridian National Golf Club in Palm City, across the St. Lucie River from Stuart.

Perhaps the most serious threat came on the evening of July 4, when the risk was a drone rather than errant fireworks. A JetBlue regional jet from Boston saw a black and white drone with four rotors flying at 1,500 feet about three-quarters of a mile south of Palm Beach International. He did not have to take evasive action. That kind of jet can carry about 100 passengers.

And less than two weeks ago, on Aug. 15, the pilot of a Cessna 172 said he passed 100 feet from a quad copter as he was preparing to land. Aircraft traffic controllers redirected traffic to steer them away from the area. The incident happened about 2,000 feet up, or nearly half a mile, with both aircraft at the same height.

The FAA report suggests the incident wasn’t an accident.

“Pilot contacted tower after landing,” the FAA notes, “and stated the drone appeared to have a camera suspended under it and maneuvered to follow the Cessna.”

More drones were suspected of being a threat, both at high altitudes and lower, but close to airport flight paths.

In November, the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office launched helicopters several times in unsuccessful efforts to find drone pilots close to runways. In one Nov. 28 call, deputies spent a half hour looking for a drone flying over the approach end of a Palm Beach International Airport runway. In the November incident, drones were spotted by at least four aircraft, who said the drone was about 700 or 800 feet up. Neither the deputies in the helicopter, nor Palm Beach police officers, found the drone or its pilot.

A month later, deputies spent about 25 minutes looking around U.S. 441 for a drone in the final approach path into Palm Beach International Airport. A caller told the FAA that the drone had been orbiting the area, and the FAA said Palm Beach County deputies were also searching the ground.

Another drone was spotted in April by the pilot of a business jet, who was on his final approach into Palm Beach International when he spotted a drone hovering at 200 feet. He did not have to swerve.

One drone was spotted on the morning of June 15, when a pilot in a single-engine propeller airplane spotted a silvery drone just half a mile north of Palm Beach International, flying at about 1,500 feet. Deputies again flew out to search around Okeechobee Boulevard for the drone and its pilot, but didn’t find either.

Another pilot reported seeing a five-foot long black drone at 13,000 feet over Martin County.

Another pilot in a Gulfstream jet flying to New Jersey said he “came within 20 feet of a good-sized, fast-moving opposite direction white (drone) with wings” at 25,500 feet about 50 miles east of Palm Beach International.

http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/news/local/faa-local-drone-near-obama-had-coast-guard-secret-/nnQKN/

Empire Unmanned seeing green with ag industry’s vast potential

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empirelarger

By KEITH COUSINS

Being at the forefront of a new industry gives Empire Unmanned the opportunity to tap into a market teeming with possibility.

It also allows the Hayden-based company to help set the standard for just who can pilot their unmanned aircraft systems as demand for Empire’s precision mapping services continues to increase.

“The biggest customer out there is agriculture, and they’re the one with the most potential,” said Brad Ward, president of Empire Unmanned. “It’s limitless — we will never run out of acreage in the United States to fly over.”

Empire Unmanned is an Idaho company venture between Empire Airlines of Hayden; ADAVSO of Star, Idaho; and Blair Farms of Kendrick, Idaho.

In January, ADAVSO became the first entity in the nation to be granted a Section 333 exemption to fly drones commercially for agriculture by the Federal Aviation Administration.

“Now that we’ve already kind of broken that ice, the exemptions are coming out a lot faster,” Ward said. “You can call it the future, or give it whatever kind of cliche you want, but the fact of the matter is there’s a business opportunity growing in this industry.”

Ward added that capitalizing on the opportunity requires a company with the aviation, maintenance, and management expertise of Empire Airlines. In March, Empire Unmanned began using six FAA-certified private pilots and 10 visual observers to fly drones and capture precise images of farms throughout the Northwest.

Using certified pilots is beneficial, Ward said, because they are familiar with federal aviation regulations and terminology. All of their pilots have flown multiple airplanes, he added, which makes transitioning to a new aircraft easier.

But, with only two of the pilots having an agricultural background, there are challenges in transitioning to the brand new industry.

“The problem is because it hasn’t been available before. We’re having to educate the growers and the ag industry on what benefit it has and where it fits into what they do,” Ward said. “That education is going on as we grow.”

As the company expands, Ward said he’s looking toward a proposed UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System) Operator Certificate. The certificate process would include a background check and knowledge test, similar to the one required for a private pilot certificate, but remove the medical requirements.

“The person who flies this aircraft doesn’t need legs. If they’re not physically qualified to fly an airplane with passengers I don’t really care,” Ward said. “What I really want is a crop advisor that’s already kind of in the industry. I want to hire that guy because he already knows how to talk to farmers and he knows what he’s looking for.”

Ward hopes that the UAS certificate program will open up the pool of available talent to include people with agricultural experience, as well as those who have flown radio-controlled aircraft for years and know the computing associated with it.

Although selecting talent from this wider pool will require more training and a rougher transition, Ward thinks the outcome will speak for itself.

“By the time he’s done and is through that first growing season, he’s ideal for what we need,” Ward said. “Every pilot needs to be a salesman. They’re the ones that are meeting the grower in the field, explaining what the product does and what it can do for them.”

http://www.cdapress.com/news/local_news/article_3a87cf84-47b6-11e5-8b1b-0f85be8b31f2.html

Entrepreneurial spirit takes flight at Broomfied, CO Remote Control Airfield

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"UAS Professionals Drone Demonstration"

By Kimberli Turner

There’s no stopping 9-year-old Jack Bonneau — not only does he have a way with small business, but also in taking on local and state representatives in friendly competition — and smoking his opponents.

Broomfield’s Bonneau is the young entrepreneur who last summer founded Jack’s Lemonade Stands.

Every week, Bonneau and his crew sell lemonade and iced tea at the Erie, Lafayette, Louisville and Westminster farmers’ markets. Jack’s Lemonade Stands teaches area kids about math, money, sales, responsibility and entrepreneurship by putting them to work at one of four stands.

“By the end of the summer Jack’s stands will have helped over 100 kids,” Bonneau said.

On Wednesday, in honor of National Startup Day Across America, Bonneau challenged Congressman Jared Polis, D-Boulder, and Broomfield Mayor Pro-Tem Greg Stokes to a drones dual at the Broomfield Remote Control Airfield at West 144th Avenue and Lowell Boulevard.

Broomfield-based UAS Professionals’ chief operating officer Nathan Ruff and president Joe Falconer provided the drones and created the obstacle course that had contestants traveling the straightaway course, slaloming the aircraft in and out of 25-foot pylons and ultimately flying them through a 30-foot-high goal post.

“The judges had a scorecard — 8, 9, 10 or ‘ouch,’” Ruff said. “It was a great competition, Jack edged the congressman and the mayor pro tem out with straight 10s.”

In a flying feat, Polis maneuvered his drone under the goal post, Ruff said, making some of the UAS officials slightly nervous, while the others flew their drone over the posts. But Polis still came short of the win, giving the lead to Bonneau.

“I had a lot of fun flying with Mr. Polis the congressman, and the mayor pro tem. It was kind of scary flying it, because I thought I was going to crash it,” Bonneau said. “I never flew a drone before. You could hover, turn right, turn left, it was just really, really cool.”

Luckily no one received an “ouch” rating, though Falconer was nearby with a partner control on the drones, in case one went haywire.

UAS Professionals last year founded the company, at 11705 Airport Way, and was the first Broomfield company in April to receive the Federal Aviation Administration 333 exemption waiver to legally conduct commercial unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operations nationwide. Only a handful of waivers have been granted to Colorado companies, with less than 400 companies nationwide receiving the waiver as of May.

Rudd said the “incredible technology” could be used for search and rescue, recalling a Maine sheriff who recently located rafters stranded on a rock in the middle of a river, or to serve farmers tracking chlorophyll levels. He said individuals in Kenya pair the drones with thermal imaging to track animal poachers in restricted areas.

“It’s almost a window into the future,” he said of the technology.

Polis founded Startup Day Across America in 2013 with California Rep. Darrell Issa to recognize innovators and the importance of startups, and for those entrepreneurs to connect with lawmakers to understand how federal policies impact their businesses.

Ruff said Wednesday’s event served as a platform to recognize startups like his own, to shine a spotlight on the growing aircraft industry and to simply have fun.

Ruff aims for UAS Professionals to serve as a go-to for the first time drone flyer hobbyist or someone interested in flying commercially, as the FAA works to finalize rules in how to integrate aircrafts into national airspace.

“We’re trying to make Colorado and the Boulder area a little bit like Silicon Valley was back in the day with the Internet,” he said. “We’re hoping to help lead the way in that.”

http://www.broomfieldenterprise.com/broomfield-news/ci_28680983/entrepreneurial-spirit-takes-flight-at-broomfied-remote-control

Fear of drones crashing into passenger planes is ‘much ado about nothing’ says airline pilot

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DJI Phantom 3 Professional consumer drone review

Drones like the DJI Phantom 3 are unlikely to cause damage, pilot claims(IBTimes UK)

 

A commercial airline pilot with 30 years’ experience claims the threat of drones crashing into aircraft is “much ado about nothing”. He points out how hundreds of mostly harmless annual bird strikes dwarfs the number of drone sightings made by pilots.

Chris Manno, a former US Air Force pilot who is now a captain for American Airlines, published a blog post which blames some media outlets for using drone sightings and the threat they pose to aircraft as a form of fearmongering. Manno explains how bird strikes happen “hundreds” of times each year, but because they rarely cause damage they are no longer considered newsworthy.

“What’s new is the opportunity for media and aviation ‘pundits’ to claim more screaming headlines by overstating the drone hazard…although the media and some wannabe aviation pundits claim there are ‘drones of 50-60 pounds,’ the fact is, the new, popular hobbyist drones are marvels of lightweight miniaturisation, weighing a fraction of that.” Popular drones, like the Phantom range by DJI, weigh around 1.2kg (2.6 pounds).

Bird strikes are so common they ‘are simply no longer news’

Manno says there are so many bird strikes each year that, by contrast to the rare but more interesting drone sightings, they “are simply no longer news,” adding: “Plainly stated, the travelling public – and thus the media – understand the exposure, accept it, and like the National Highway Traffic Safety death toll, ignore it.”

Hobby drones, which can in some cases fly at more than 1,500ft and be controlled through a video link to a smartphone or tablet on the pilot’s controller, have surged in popularity over the past 12 months. So too has the number of incidents where drones (and other model aircraft) have strayed too close to airports; in one case a model helicopter came within 20ft of a plane landing at London Heathrow.

Even if a plane were to hit a drone during takeoff or landing, Manno remains doubtful that any damage would be caused. He recalled how striking a duck weighing 10 pounds (4.5kg) did nothing more than smear his windscreen with “duck guts” and put him off his lunch. “None of the birds went into either engine. No aircraft systems were affected. Nobody (besides Pittsburgh tower) knew until after landing when we filed the required reports.

“This is a pretty good predictor of what might happen if the rare, statistically minute chance of a drone-aircraft collision were to occur: likely, nada.”

‘Misguided drone hysteria’

Manno admits that engine damage is possible when hitting birds or drones, but again argues against the “misguided drone hysteria” saying: “Of all the birds – man made or real – populating the skies around every major airport, drones are a minuscule fraction of the whole group that air travellers sensibly overlook day to day.”

A spokesperson from the UK’s Civil Aviation Association told IBTimes UK: “We, of course, agree that the risks presented by drones to manned aircraft has to be put in perspective. However, we know the potential impact on an aero engine from a collision with a drone weighing in excess of 3kg could be severe. The risks to helicopters is, of course, even greater.”

Recognising the lack of systems in place to prevent some drones from flying near airports, the CAA spokesperson added: “Airports carry out a significant amount of work to mitigate the risks of bird strikes, as a result serious incidents are fortunately very rare. However, at the moment, there are few control systems in place preventing drones flying in close proximity to manned aircraft – other than geofencing. Drone users therefore have to take responsibility and avoid flying close to airports.”

Geofencing uses a drone’s GPS chip to prevent it from flying in restricted areas, such as near airports and sensitive buildings in city centres.

http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/fear-drones-crashing-into-passenger-planes-much-ado-about-nothing-says-airline-pilot-1515001

Drone industry denied government funding

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A scheme to explore how drones could be developed to detect and avoid other aircraft has failed to be granted funding by the Government

Last year there was a near miss between a drone and a plane at Heathrow Airport Photo: Strat Aero

By , Industry Editor

Britain’s hopes of taking a leading position in drone technology have suffered a blow after the Government failed to fund a scheme to explore how unmanned aircraft can fly in normal airspace.

The Astraea (Autonomous Systems Technology Related Airborne Evaluation & Assessment) programme is a partnership between government and industry.

It aims to invent systems and equipment to allow drones to operate beyond the current controls, which limit them to an altitude of 400ft, and visual line of sight of the operator at about 1,500ft.

However, to develop their full potential they need to be able to fly at heights that would see them mixing with conventional aircraft.

This requires the development of systems that allow drones to sense and avoid other aircraft.

However, as Simon Jewell, Astraea’s chairman, has explained, “regulators require an example system to certify [but] industry requires regulations to specify requirements”.

Astraea was set up in 2006 to look into how to do this with a budget of £62m, with half coming from companies including BAE Systems, Rolls-Royce, QinetiQ, Cobham and Airbus, and the rest from the Government through Innovate UK.

Colorado town plans bounties to shoot down dronesMilitary, commercial and small helicopter drones owned by enthusiasts will soon fill Britain’s skies, experts say  Photo: Reuters

However, Astraea’s application for a further round of public funding – thought to be about £30m – has now been turned down.

“Astraea could not make a case that was good enough for the amount they were asking for,” said an industry source.

An Astraea spokesman said: “The UK is widely recognised for its world-leading aerospace sector and it is important that it works to ensure that the appropriate regulations and operating procedures around this new type of aircraft are established.”

A spokesman for the Business Department said: “The Government is continuing to work with industry and the Aerospace Technology Institute on opportunities in this important market.”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/industry/11819554/Drone-industry-denied-government-funding.html

Texas: New drone laws start Sept. 1

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phantomstatue

By Garrett Brnger

SAN ANTONIO – Drone use is taking off around the United States, and the Texas Legislature is among the state governments trying to keep up.

Texas lawmakers passed three laws on unmanned aircraft – more commonly referred to as drones – in the past legislative session, and they will go into effect September 1. The laws restrict use in certain areas and increase the occasions when a drone pilot can take pictures.

FAA guidelines require authorization to use drones for commercial use, and Texas state law already allows the aircraft to take pictures under certain conditions. Lawmakers expanded those conditions to include more broad academic purposes and add engineers and surveyors to the list.

“There are a lot of early movers experimenting with it, learning the technology, so they’re ready when the rules do come in place,” said Mark Paulson, a drone salesman for G4 Spatial Technologies.

Paulson is also a licensed surveyor. Demonstrating the capabilities of an eBee fixed-wing drone, he said the aircraft and their software are more accurate than traditional surveying methods. Instead of a 50-foot square, you get a 3D model every 1.3 to 1.5 inches.

They’re also a lot faster. For example, take a 100-acre aerial photo and topographical survey.

“Typically, that would take a day-and-a-half to three days in the field and a day or two in the office for processing,” Paulson said. “The drone, you can do the complete process in about eight hours.”

With the capabilities of drones expanding, Paulson believes it won’t be long before every engineer and surveyor is using one.

While everyone may be using these drones soon, they won’t be using them everywhere.

Lawmakers also barred drone pilots from flying them too close to “critical infrastructure facilities” like power plants or gas processing plants. Flying less than 400 feet above the ground over these facilities, close enough to interfere with their operations or making contact with it or anybody on the property will earn the drone pilot a Class B or Class A misdemeanor, depending on what number offense it is.

It appears legislators also want some distance from drones. The third law they passed allows the DPS director to either prohibit or limit the use of drones above the Capitol Complex. Those rules need to be in place by Dec. 1.

Any drone operators, commercial or recreational, should keep safety mind. Though piloting an unmanned aircraft near airplanes or helicopters is illegal, the FAA said pilots have already reported 650 drone sightings as of Aug. 9. That’s compared to 238 sightings in all of 2014.

Additionally, David Leal, a technician at Hobby Wireless in San Antonio, pointed out that anything that falls off the drone is coming down, possibly onto the pilot or someone else.

“Some of these things, like the larger platforms can carry up to about a 15 lb load or more,” Leal said. “That’s a lot to rain down on your head.”

============

For more on FAA regulations on drones, click here.

Read the new state laws on drones here:

HB 1481 http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/84R/billtext/html/HB01481F.htm

HB 2167 http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/84R/billtext/html/HB02167F.htm

HB 3628 http://www.legis.state.tx.us/tlodocs/84R/billtext/html/HB03628F.htm

http://www.ksat.com/news/new-drone-laws-start-sept-1

 

Ireland: Only 80 out of 4,000 drones are licensed by users

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Green-Aviation-1-845x684

By Conall Ó Fátharta Irish Examiner Reporter

The figures were revealed as the the Unmanned Aircraft Association of Ireland (UAAI) hosted their inaugural open day at the Meet the Drones’ showcase event at Weston Airport in Lucan in Dublin.

The event, sponsored by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA), highlighted a number of key issues in relation to Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS) – or drones – in use here including safety requirements, new developments in enforcement, regulation, data protection and privacy. It is estimated there are 4,000 drones in use in Ireland and the sector is growing at a significant rate.

Any person who wishes to operate a RPAS for commercial purposes must obtain permission to fly, and an aerial work permit from the IAA, before operating in Irish airspace.

Ireland is currently one of only six EU countries that has legislation governing the use of drones. The vast majority of drones are being used by the hobbyist community and just 80 RPAS users have secured permission to fly from the IAA for commercial operations, such as aerial photography, site surveying or filming.

A recent study carried out by Eurocontrol and EuroCAE on behalf of the director general for enterprise within the EU Commission, has predicted that by 2017 some 70,000 jobs will be sustained by the RPAS industry with an annual turnover of €14bn. Chairwoman of the UAAI, Capt Julie Garland, said Ireland could be a global hub for drone development.

“The UAAI aims to promote the safe and successful integration of unmanned aircraft into Irish airspace. Our organisation is dedicated to promoting RPAS with emphasis on safety, training and regulation. We are really delighted with the support of the IAA as this industry has the potential to position Ireland as a global hub for drone development.

“We’re also very pleased with the strong interest that Minister Donohoe has shown today as a sign of his support for helping to develop this sector as a worldwide centre of excellence for RPAS technology,” she said.

Director of safety regulation with the IAA, Ralph James, said safety was the number one priority in relation to the use of drones.

Safety is the IAA’s number one priority and we want to highlight that there are rules in place to help ensure the safe operation of this evolving aviation technology. At the same time, Ireland is well placed to exploit this sector,” he said.

Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe said the surge in the use of drones meant that privacy was an issue that needed to be examined.

“This whole area is going to experience gigantic growth and while Ireland is well ahead in terms of what needs to be done to regulate drones, there’s a real need for Ireland and Europe to look at what laws we need in relation to privacy and security and how different drones can be regulated,” he said.

Meanwhile, Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos says the online retail giant is still firmly committed to its plan of delivering goods via drone within 30 minutes. However, on the timescale he admitted that “months sounds way too aggressive to me, so the timescale is measured in years”.

http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/only-80-out-of-4000-drones-are-licensed-by-users-349621.html