UAV/SUAS

Chicago Law Firm Secures Federal Approvals for Commercial Drone Use Under Firm’s Section 333 Filing Service

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jeffreyantonelli

Growing number of commercial players in the emerging drone industry seek Antonelli Law’s drone law services to help secure clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration to conduct drone flights The attorneys of Antonelli Law, a leading Chicago-based drone law firm that specializes in federal commercial drone law, have secured a total of 11 Section 333 Grant of Exemptions, which allow operators of unmanned aircraft vehicles to conduct aerial surveillance for data collection and for a variety of other commercially-driven purposes.

The leading drone lawyers at Antonelli law offer a full spectrum of commercial drone law services that have helped clients in the real estate, engineering, and cinematography fields clear the FAA’S legal hurdles to be able to start flying drones in just a few months.

During July 2015 alone, the law firm’s team of legal and aviation experts have successfully secured four Section 333 approvals. Camera and video-equipped drones are increasingly being used by companies large and small to conduct aerial surveillance. And while thousands of U.S. commercial users want to seize on the potential of drones to leverage their businesses, only about 820 total petitions have been approved by the FAA as of July 2015.

The FAA is expected to finalize its laws for commercial drone operators within the next year, but until then, laws dictating commercial drone use will continue to evolve. Obtaining FAA approval for certain types of drone use has become easier in 2015. Recent changes that took effect earlier this year have allowed Antonelli Law’s Drone/UAS Practice Group to secure Section 333 approvals faster than ever—in as few as 90 days. Previously, every petition filed for commercial drone use had to be reviewed by the FAA on a case-by-case basis with full regulatory analysis and publication in the Federal Register.

Kansas City, Missouri-based engineering firm, Burns & McDonnell Engineering Company Inc., is one of Antonelli Law’s latest clients to receive FAA approval. The company—which provides engineering, architecture, construction, environmental and consulting solutions—received clearance on July 14 to operate a variety of small drones, including the DJI Inspire 1, Draganflyer X4-ES, and SenseFly eBee. Burns & McDonnell is one of several clients of Antonelli Law to obtain FAA approval within 90 days.

“The opportunity for Burns & McDonnell to start deploying drones for 3D aerial utility corridor mapping and infrastructure inspections will not only quicken our ability to deliver quality-driven results to our clients, but drones will undoubtedly increase the safety, productivity, and remote sensing options of our existing aerial data gathering operations,” said Steven Santovasi, department manager, geospatial services for Burns & McDonnell. “Federal drone law is not easy to navigate, however. Securing FAA approval to fly required us to engage the services of the drone law experts at Antonelli Law.”

While drones are showing their positive value in fields such as agriculture, architecture, construction, and real estate; smaller business owners interested in launching commercial drone operations often discover the pursuit to be anything but a low-cost, small-investment decision.

This summer, Antonelli’s Drone/UAS Practice Group launched “Drone Democracy,”—a lower-fee Section 333 service intended to help potential operators of commercial unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) obtain expedited legal clearance from the FAA—as a way to help more commercial users be able to fly drones. Created as a division of Antonelli Law’s Drone/UAS Practice Group, “Drone Democracy” exclusively serves commercial UAS users seeking FAA approval to operate drones for small-scale uses like residential real estate and nature photography.

The firm also now assists clients with obtaining the FAA-required N Number registration, a required step in the process to be able to fly a drone also referred to as the “tail number,” which identifies each drone by a serial number.

Obtaining an N Number for drones obtained from outside the U.S. can be particularly difficult, but for a fee of $250 Antonelli Law will handle the lengthy, bureaucratic process of obtaining N Number registration for commercial drone users.

As an avid drone-user himself, Antonelli’s passion for the law intersects with his interest in flying unmanned aerial vehicles for fun. On his Drone Laws Blog, Antonelli regularly highlights updates in the FAA’s changing regulations for drone users and keeps followers updated with the latest Section 333 exemptions his firm has secured.

“We’re still on the brink of unearthing the many ways drones can aid in so many facets of society—from aiding in search and rescue missions to speeding-up survey work—we haven’t even begun to tap into the full benefits of drones,” Antonelli said.

For a full list of clients that have successfully secured Section 333 approval with the help of Antonelli Law, visit http://dronelawsblog.com/antonelli-law-clients-receiving-section-333-aproval-faa/.

Franklin, TN startup at heart of drone industry’s cutting edge

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snaproll

Jordan Buie

The collective buzz of the octocopter’s tiny rotors was about as loud as a lawn mower.

The camera mounted beneath the small, unmanned aerial vehicle focused on Spencer Valdez, and the copter turned casually and flew above the treeline before returning and hovering in front of him.

Valdez’s fingers were on the controls, but he says one day they might not be.

The co-founder of Franklin-based Snaproll Media believes unmanned aerial vehicles, more commonly known as drones, will change the world in the next 10 years, taking on several jobs once completed by humans in person.

“We are only tapping into a portion of what drones can do,” Valdez said after a drone demonstration on July 11, “just a few of their uses.”

The predictions of the 25-year-old Valdez and his Snaproll co-founder Preston Ryon might not carry much weight if the company they founded in Williamson County six years ago were not now at the forefront of the emerging commercial drone industry.

In September 2014, Snaproll Media LLC became one of the first six companies in the United States to receive an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly drones for commercial use in public airspace, a strong headstart given that companies like CNN and Amazon only have exemptions to test them.

Just before the demonstration in Franklin, Valdez reclined on a sofa in an unassuming warehouse on Mallory Station Road and discussed the future.

Ryon phoned in from a movie set in Atlanta. The new members of their team, former Oracle executive Steve Brugman and former Hospital Corporation of America executive Robert England sat beside Valdez.

For Valdez and Ryon, 30, they say a unique set of circumstances led them to put a camera on a remote-controlled helicopter when few others were doing it.

“It just made sense”

Brugman, now Snap-roll’s CEO, recalls pulling out a notebook during the first meeting he and England had with Valdez and Ryon and asking them to go over who they had worked for in the past. He said that by the time they finished, he had filled the page with a who’s who list of production companies.

“I was shocked at what these two young men had accomplished in so little time, and at the progression of it,” he said.

Brugman and England were not long ago the new owners of a struggling internet service provider in Nashville, the Nexus Group, where they partnered, remodeled and sold the company to a private equity firm in October 2014.

They heard about the “two young men they should know about” through an accountant in Franklin, and a meeting was arranged in January 2015, where the two founders shared their story.

Valdez and Ryon met at a Lewisburg, Tenn., airport in 2006 and hit it off. For the next three years, they bonded over flying.

Toward the end of that period, Valdez had taken on a photo hobby that earned him extra cash and toyed with remote-controlled helicopters on the side.

“I was taking RC helicopters and building camera mounts for them,” he said. “I was taking video and working on it to make it smoother and more stable.”

Meanwhile, Ryon was a corporate pilot and project manager for a development company. He was taking pictures from the air for developers while he flew over their sites in a full-sized helicopter. When he compared the images he captured with those Valdez took, Ryon said saw an opportunity.

“I realized the cost difference for him to put a camera on a drone,” Ryon said. “I saw that we could do the same thing with a 10-pound helicopter. We could get crowds, do shots of buildings. That was key for me.”

In 2009, they started Snaproll Media LLC.

The gigs came in mainly by word of mouth.

First they were doing real estate, then low-budget music videos, then bigger names — Rodney Atkins, Josh Thompson, Taylor Swift, Tim McGraw.

As the jobs got bigger and the equipment fancier, so did the warehouse. Valdez purchased welding equipment and remodeled the drones and camera mounts for more stability.

By the time they had started flying with $20,000 worth of cameras on board, they were in a league of their own.

“We started realizing, ‘We’re the only ones doing this,’ ” Ryon said. “There were maybe two or three other companies flying cameras for a while.”

This led to four years of globetrotting for Valdez and Ryon, jumping from continent to continent for high-profile productions.

“They had this kind of courage to stand up to immense pressure, and I think they had youth to thank for that,” Brugman said.

England agreed.

He recounted that one of their first major productions for a country music video, they flew a $20,000 camera over a lake for an aerial shot of the boat.

“I don’t think they even knew if the camera was insured,” said England, a business partner in Snaproll. “That’s more of a risk than I would have taken.”

The FAA and a changing world

In the years since the advent of affordable drone technology, the do’s and don’ts of personal and commercial use has been a veritable mine field for the Department of Transportation administration tasked with policing the skies.

Stories of drones interfering with law enforcement investigations, crossing paths with police helicopters or other aircraft and invading privacy have become more common. In Southern California, for instance, drones have flown over wildfires and interfered with air tankers battling the blazes. There’s even a $75,000 reward in one county for information on who was behind the drone flights.

But drones offer a compelling alternative for many dangerous jobs.

Brugman said that even in the film industry, Snaproll has replaced cranes as much as helicopters.

“When you think about how you have to risk human life to do some of these jobs, it’s hard not to see they are the way to go,” he said.

In February 2015, the FAA proposed a framework that would allow certain small unmanned aircraft to fly legally, for both personal and commercial uses. The restrictions for personal use were lax and said basically don’t fly over people, into restricted airspace or in areas that may be hazardous.

For those wishing to make money flying drones, the bar is higher. The rules require a pilot-in-command to possess a private pilot certificate and have logged 25 hours flying drones. The rules also mandate an additional visual observer.

In June, FAA Deputy Administrator Michael Whitaker said new rules would likely be finalized in the next year that would open drone use to a broad spectrum of companies, so long as regulations are followed.

http://www.tennessean.com/story/news/2015/08/01/franklin-startup-heart-drone-industrys-cutting-edge/30912757/

Two airliners fly within 100 feet of drone above New York

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jfk

NEW YORK: Two airplanes flying near one of America’s busiest airports each came within 100 feet of a drone on Friday, according to audio from each flight’s radio calls.

The first, JetBlue Flight 1843, reported spotting a drone at 2:24 pm while approaching John F. Kennedy International Airport here, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

In the audio recording, the cockpit says that the drone passed just below the planes nose when the jet was flying at an altitude of about 800 to 900 feet.

Then at about 5 pm, Delta Flight 407 — which had 154 people on board — was preparing to land when the cockpit reported seeing a drone below its right wing.

Neither plane needed to take evasive action, the FAA said.

Facebook builds drone for internet access

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facebookdrone-1

By Dave LeeNorth America technology reporter

Facebook has built its own drone that will bring internet connectivity to remote parts of the world, the social network has announced.

The drone – which has a wingspan of a Boeing 737 – will operate as high as 90,000 feet in the air, and can stay airborne for 90 days at a time.

Facebook said the drones would be able to offer internet speeds of 10 gigabits a second.

They will be tested in the US later this year.

It was designed in the UK by Facebook’s aerospace team, said Jay Parikh, Facebook’s vice president of global engineering and infrastructure.

“Our goal is to accelerate the development of a new set of technologies that can drastically change the economics of deploying internet infrastructure,” Mr Parikh said.

“We are exploring a number of different approaches to this challenge, including aircraft, satellites and terrestrial solutions.

“Our intention is not to build networks and then operate them ourselves, but rather to quickly advance the state of these technologies to the point that they become viable solutions for operators and other partners to deploy.”

Laser

It is the social network’s latest initiative in its Internet.org scheme, a project designed to bring connectivity to the developing world.

The strategy will help the network continue to grow users, a key requirement of keeping investors happy.

Mr Parikh said the drone’s technology should be regarded as a “significant breakthrough”.

“They’ve designed and lab-tested a laser that can deliver data at 10s of Gb per second – approximately 10x faster than the previous state-of-the-art in the industry – to a target the size of a dime from more than 10 miles away.

“We are now starting to test these lasers in real-world conditions.

“When finished, our laser communications system can be used to connect our aircraft with each other and with the ground, making it possible to create a stratospheric network that can extend to even the remotest regions of the world.”

However, Facebook’s expansion beyond its current markets has raised eyebrows, and accusations of cynical intentions.

Internet.org angered many in India’s technology community when it launched there, offering free mobile access to a small handful of sites, but not the internet as a whole.

Internet companies in the country said it was giving those free services an unfair advantage in the market, and noted that Facebook is able to track what users on the free service were doing.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-33728704

Safe UAV Operations Around Low-Flying, Manned Aircraft

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NAA

Its this weeks spot the group running scared campaign.

Let’s Be Fair About Sharing The Air…. Come on chaps really. What about get out the way you massive polluter?

Can you tell the National Agricultural Aviation Associations press release today has got my goat! I think primarily because they call unmanned systems UAV’s and anybody that is serious knows that term went out of fashion several years ago.

Also it sort of tells farmers that they know better and that they are safe hands.

I guess they are stuck between a rock and a hard place. For the association welcoming unmanned aircraft with open arms would be a good thing. Stacks of new members. I suspect there might be a similar if not larger amount of Ag drones out there already. For the current fee paying membership of NAAA this not a good thing.

I personally don’t think UAS are as much of a threat as surveys would suggest. The big numbers you hear have been extrapolated from a different country with a different need and scaled. They make no sense and were a sabre rattle from another dying association. Satellite data will replace what most folks are rushing to do right now.

The EU Copernicus project will map the entire planet every four days and hand out the data for free. Try doing that with a Phantom. Low res to start with but getting ever better. The real money will be in taking that free data and making it actionable. Then Mr Farmer might well use his local RPAS crop sprayer to do the job more efficiently in just the areas required.

Perhaps instead of sharing the air this could really read, Ag pilot transiting my farm get above 500′ and stay out of my way.

I think I am qualified to look at both sides, I am a licensed helicopter pilot and also don’t want to be hit by a Phantom in flight but I think crop dusters are overplaying their hand here.

To ensure that farmers are fully informed before making decisions to operate or contract with a UAV operator, NAAA encourages members to participate in our UAV Safety Education Campaign. The purpose of the campaign is to raise awareness, foster communication and prevent accidents between UAV operators and low-altitude manned aircraft.

The first public outreach tool in the UAV safety campaign is a specially designed “safety stuffer” that gives aerial applicators the means to make a simple yet bold statement. Use it to educate your customers about the safety concerns agricultural pilots have about hard-to-see UAVs, and to share NAAA’s recommendations for safe and responsible UAV operations in rural areas.

Similar to NAAA’s Wind Tower Safety Stuffers, the new UAV Safety Stuffers are designed to fit into a No. 10 envelope. You don’t have to advertise to get the message out. Simply slip an insert in along with the invoices you normally send to your aerial application customers.

The double-sided safety stuffers are printed on glossy, four-color paper and available in packs of 100. Best of all, the UAV Safety Stuffers are free to NAAA Operator Members. Non-members can get them, too, for $25 per 100-pack. NAAA encourages aerial applicators to order as many packets as they can reasonably use. We will continue to give them away to NAAA Operator Members while supplies last. (Additional postage fees may apply for large orders.)

Let’s Be Fair About Sharing The Air

The UAV Safety Stuffers build on the “Let’s Be Fair About Sharing The Air” campaign NAAA launched in 2010 to promote wind tower safety education.

Crop-sensing and aerial imaging stand at the top of many lists of the most popular uses of civilian UAVs. The fervor among farmers champing at the bit to purchase their own UAV to use for crop monitoring and other purposes has been well documented. What gets lost amid all the rosy projections for UAVs’ commercial uses is the safety concerns of pilots, and in particular the concerns of aerial applicators and other pilots operating near ground and the lower reaches of the airspace.

It’s up to everybody—NAAA, its state association partners and aerial applicators—to educate farmers, crop consultants, ag retailers and the public about safe and responsible UAV operations in rural areas. NAAA’s UAV safety stuffers are one component of that. Each ad ends with a simple plea to UAV operators: “Fly with care.” We invite you to get the conversation started in your area by using NAAA’s UAV Safety Stuffers.

Drone Competitors Take to the Skies as Part of Unmanned Challenge Hosted by Embry-Riddle at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh

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20150723_Oshkosh_Day2-4034

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015 attendees gained hands-on experience at the controls of unmanned flying machines as part of the Small Unmanned Aerospace System (sUAS) Challenge during this year’s fly-in at the 63rd annual Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA) convention held July 20-26 in Oshkosh, Wis.

The sUAS Challenge, which featured an obstacle course for the unmanned flying vehicles commonly referred to as drones, was sponsored by EAA and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s aviation mobile interactive exhibit, the Embry-Riddle Experience.

“Not only were the challenges educational for the participants, they served as informative demonstrations for the thousands of fans there at Oshkosh of unmanned capabilities and technology,” said Embry-Riddle Worldwide Assistant Professor David Thirtyacre, who oversees the unmanned demonstrations and challenges for the Embry-Riddle Experience. “Our students get this hands-on experience every day, so it’s really exciting to bring that and what we do best to those who share our passion about aviation and the future of unmanned.”

The competition pitted more than 80 competitors ages 12 to 62 against each other daily with qualifying and elimination rounds resulting in four final competitors racing head-to-head each day. In addition to the daily competitions, more than 200 spectators gathered at the drone cage for “The Manufacturers Cage Match,” featuring professional pilots from UAS manufacturers and hobby stores. Embry-Riddle Daytona Beach, Fla., campus student Kendall Clutts finished first.

“As with traditional manned flight training, Embry-Riddle is positioning itself to provide the highest quality of sUAS flight training available once the FAA certification criteria are established. Our sUAS challenges are another example of our commitment to excellence in flight,” said Embry-Riddle Worldwide Dean of Aeronautics Dr. Ken Witcher. “We are committed to supporting the growing UAS industry through educational programs related to the design, operation, and application of this remarkable technology.”

The Dromida Ominus and Blade 180QX HD systems used in the competitions were supplied by Hobbico and Horizon Hobby LCC. Etched Memories provided the trophies.

Winners:

Monday, July 20 – Nicholas Crofoot of St. Johns, Mich.

Tuesday, July 21 – Bjorn Vasenden of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Prescott, Ariz., campus

Wednesday, July 22 – Daniel Wilewski of Poplar Grove, Ill.

Thursday, July 23 – Kyle Rickert of Antioch, Ill.

Friday, July 24 – Robin Mox of St Johns, Mich.

Saturday, July 25 – Kendall Clutts of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Fla., campus (NOTE: Clutts broke the course record with a 19.44-second qualifying run and swept the final round with three back-to-back victories).

About the Embry-Riddle Experience
The 53-foot trailer known as the Embry-Riddle Experience includes unmanned aircraft demonstrations, aviation and unmanned simulators, a virtual crash lab and degree information that demonstrates how Embry-Riddle students, staff and faculty are leading the way into the future of aerospace and aviation. Simulators in the Embry-Riddle Experience provide a variety of fixed-wing, rotary and multirotor aircraft models in realistic operational settings such as airfield and steep soaring slope locales in the bayou, desert and mountains. Another unique feature of the Embry-Riddle Experience is the Virtual Crash Lab (VLAB), which was developed in conjunction with the university’s Aircraft Accident Investigation curriculum and is designed to allow participants to interactively inspect a crashed commercial aircraft. Operators can move and survey the crash site, inspect the fuselage and debris and take photos with the use of Oculus Goggles. The Embry-Riddle Experience travels throughout the country to aviation and engineering shows as well as schools and special events. For more information on the Embry-Riddle Experience, go toerau.edu/follow.

About Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, is a nonprofit, independent institution offering more than 75 baccalaureate, master’s and Ph.D. degree programs in its colleges of Arts & Sciences, Aviation, Business, Engineering and Security & Intelligence. Embry-Riddle educates students at residential campuses in Daytona Beach, Fla., and Prescott, Ariz., through the Worldwide Campus with more than 125 locations in the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East, and through online programs. The university is a major research center, seeking solutions to real-world problems in partnership with the aerospace industry, other universities and government agencies. For more information, visit www.embryriddle.edu, follow us on Twitter (@EmbryRiddle) and facebook.com/EmbryRiddleUniversity, and find expert videos at YouTube.com/EmbryRiddleUniv.

 

D.A.: Operators Will Be Prosecuted For Murder If ‘Intentional Act Of A Drone’ Were To Cause Death

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sanbernado

SAN BERNARDINO (CBSLA.com) — Authorities in San Bernardino County issued a stern warning Wednesday for anyone caught flying an unmanned aerial vehicle over dangerous situations, such as wildfires.

“If an intentional act of a drone was to cause one of these wonderful men and women fighting fires to go down and be injured or worse scenario killed or another civilian on the ground, we will … we will prosecute you for murder,” San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos said.

The warnings come in wake of the North fire in the Cajon Pass, where firefighters had to break off their air attack because of drones.

“If we see one, we have to break off,” explained Capt. Ryan Hales of the U.S. Forest Service, detailing the evasive maneuvers he has to take when and if he sees a drone. Hales pilots a 90,000-pound plane used across the state to battle fires.

“To do an evasive maneuver at that speed, that low, it could present problems,” he said.

Officials also announced a total of $75,000 in rewards for information leading to the capture and conviction of anyone who flew drones above the massive fire, and two other recent fires.

“We don’t want to put our firefighters in harm’s way,” San Bernardino County Sheriff John McMahon said. “A collision between a drone and a firefighting aircraft could be devastating.”

CBS Los Angeles asked McMahon if they would consider shooting a drone out of the sky in a worst-case scenario. He said they would rule nothing out.

http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2015/07/29/d-a-operators-will-be-prosecuted-for-murder-if-intentional-act-of-a-drone-were-to-cause-death/

Amazon and Google aren’t the only ones with a delivery drone

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http://www.computerworld.com/article/2953977/robotics/amazon-and-google-arent-the-only-ones-with-a-delivery-drone.html

 

horsefly

By 

In the race to develop a drone that delivers packages, don’t count out Workhorse, a truck maker based in Loveland, Ohio.

Workhorse isn’t as high profile as Amazon or Google, but on Tuesday it demonstrated an eight-rotor delivery drone designed to work with its electric trucks and use some of the same battery technology.

“Our concept is, you have a package-delivery drone that rides on top of a truck as the driver goes about his day, and helps to pick off outliers on his route to help cut down on the cost of delivery per package,” said Elliot Bokeno, a mechanical engineer with Workhorse, who demonstrated the drone at a conference at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

If a driver had four deliveries in one part of town but only one in another, the drone might be able to handle that single, less convenient delivery.

The technology combines autonomous and manual control.

GPS is used to determine the delivery location, and the drone flies there without any human input, Bokeno said. But when it gets to the address, a downward-pointing camera switches on and an operator at a remote center takes over.

The operator guides the drone down, making sure to avoid people and obstacles, and releases the package. The drone then resumes autonomous flight and makes its way back to the truck.

In tests, the drone has flown as fast at 55 mph and has a maximum flight time of 30 minutes. The company is working with Panasonic, which provides batteries for Workhorse’s electric vehicles, on more advanced battery technology that will increase flight times to 45 minutes.

Bokeno said his company has already talked to several package delivery companies about using its technology.

“It seems that Amazon, with their drones, has kick-started a revolution and some of the more traditional companies are scrambling to keep up,” he said.

There are other potential uses for the technology.

“With a 10 pound payload, you have a lot of scientific interest for carrying instruments to remote locations,” he said.

For now, tests of the technology over relatively short distances continue. Workhorse is collaborating with the University of Cincinnati and hopes to begin multi-mile delivery tests soon.