DroneUp’s Post

It looks like a good story, seems like a lot of money, but is it? I’m not so sure. That’s $2.2m per company. If you want the best engineers, the best researchers doing leading edge work you’re competing in a limited pool. Salaries are $200kplus, a slice of the business (albeit small), or some other incentive. You need facilities, the costs of employment (add workers comp, payroll tax liabilities) plus some money to keep the owners going. Still haven’t included tooling and consumables. So, $2.2m might get you 3-4 people plus the ones you’ve got for a year. There won’t be “accelerated” outcomes if we don’t give innovators the freedom and resources to innovate. The money looks too small for “accelerated”. It’s a penny pinching, salami slicing, choke on what could be “rapid development”. It looks like “innovation” the same way we’ve always done it through government. We can’t afford to do it all, nor can we afford to to treat innovation as a slow drip feed. Resource starved, pedestrian, without pressure. Next Friday can’t look like last Friday. This looks a lot like government procurement, and why wouldn’t it? Capability quickly, refreshed, is better than something sometime. This isn’t going to get us inside the speed of development of a potential adversary. We need to start doing this very differently, if we do want a different outcome. We need to challenge the traditional. What would it really take to accelerate some of these into fielded capabilities, where it will make a difference? @kiah

FAA Makes History in Dallas The Federal Aviation Administration has taken a significant step in U.S. aviation by authorizing multiple operators, including Zipline and Wing to fly commercial drones without visual observers in shared airspace. This marks the beginning of routine Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights, leveraging Unmanned Aircraft System Traffic Management (UTM) technology to ensure safety. With these advancements, operators can now manage drone flights collaboratively in airspace below 400 feet, avoiding crewed aircraft. The FAA plans to expand these operations and release a new Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that could further expand drone flight regulation. https://lnkd.in/gWHeSSYz Join readers from companies like Amazon, Boeing and Skydio and sign up for our newsletter: https://lnkd.in/g68Zip-M

Had a chance to participate in the VTT-led AIMO project about all things drones: thinking about the future not just in terms of new technology but also what new operating/business models are emerging and what the future impact will be on logistics chains and city planning. Read more on what we learned and what’s next.

Look at the size of that unit. At that height a parachute isn't going to help if it failed and dropped on your head or car. Imagine one dropping out of the sky with a failed chute deployment. What if the flight failure took out your only safety mitigating procedure for a controlled descent? Could you have other useful options? When the car industry began, seatbelts were not required. When drones evolved, they did not require a parachute to operate over people. As transportation grew, the safety of seatbelts became useful to assist in saving lives. As drones are evolving in many different applications of use, they now require a parachute for safety while operating over our heads, schools, parks, malls, outside events, ect.. Now, airbags are manufactured into automobiles as a requirement for a safety procedure to help save lives. Here's where new patented technology for the UAV industry comes into play! The B.I.R.S. UAV Buoyancy and Safety Recovery Systems proprietary technology covers more than a parachute. It offers other safety mitigating procedures combined with a controlled descent to maximize protection to the UAV, it's payload and living things and property on the ground. We are searching for a U.S. based company to invest in this UAV safety technology to manufacture and market within the next year. Get covered by the B.I.R.S. UAV Buoyancy and Safety Recovery Systems and get recovered! We support the UAV industry by making it safer.

How can BVLOS drone flights become safer and more reliable? In our second panel of day two at Aerial Cities 2024, our expert speakers will discuss the advanced stage of obtaining regulatory approvals for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights and how each company has contributed to enhancing safety while also considering the Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) framework. The panel's primary focus is scaling operations and enhancing profitability in the drone industry by using data-driven proof to demonstrate compliance with safety and risk management standards to regulatory authorities. This session will cover the challenges and solutions to achieving large-scale BVLOS operations and the economic implications of these advancements. To learn more about our expert panels at Aerial Cities 2024, check out the link below to see our new program! https://lnkd.in/dgYsKgE2 A huge thank you to our partners and sponsors for this year, who have helped to make this event possible! Ondas Holdings Unisphere Regionalmanagement Nordhessen GmbH Switzerland Global Enterprise BCN Drone Center DMD.Solutions Consulting GSMA blueflite Murzilli Consulting HHLA Sky GmbH Kongsberg Geospatial AVSS | Drone Parachute Recovery Systems & Guided Delivery Systems Iridium Volatus Aerospace Hansadrone ResilienX ATC Network #AerialCities #UrbanAirMobility #LondonEvents #DroneFlights #Scalability #Safety #London #BVLOS #Authorities

On the Horizon: Shaping the Future of Drone Flight Regulations! Today, we’ve been at the forefront of innovation and regulatory progress with the Department for Transport (DfT), alongside other esteemed drone organisations. We’re engaging in critical discussions on the upcoming regulation and legislation proposals, a collaborative effort by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and DfT. We are diving into the intricacies of the consultation process, preparing the framework for BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) flights, Atypical flights Consultation and SORA (Specific Operations Risk Assessment) to align with EASA European Standards. This is a pivotal step toward advancing drone capabilities and ensuring UK regulations promote safe, efficient, and future-forward aerial operations. Stay tuned as we continue to contribute to these groundbreaking developments! Follow ARPAS-UK for more updates on this journey. #DroneRegulations #InnovationInFlight #FutureOfDrones #BVLOS #EASAEurope #DfT #CAA #DroneTech #S4GDroneServices

The Drone Industry Journey through 2023. A free Infograph from Drone Industry Insights and key headlines recap of market highlights for the industry. "The drone industry in 2023 experienced transformative changes, highlighted by significant regulatory shifts, technological advancements, and a growing global market. Much has already been written about the drone industry’s achievement in 2023. For a recap of the top stories by category, or a closer look at the 11 biggest news, feel free to check out the respective articles from our partners."   "This year, we thought we would do something slightly different than previous years, so we are recapping some of our market data from the entire year while also integrating some of the big headlines from 2023 that are related to our research." #droneindustry #dronetechnology #droneservices https://lnkd.in/e7th4G25?

#SAILIII: The HHLA Sky Integrated Control Center (ICC) powers Germany’s very first drone delivery airline operated by Karl Koerschulte GmbH in Lüdenscheid that got a SAIL III permission for regular flight operations with X25 drones.   What is SAIL III and why is it crucial for the ecosystem?   Compliance with SAIL III is required for drone operations in Europe when the density of overflown people exceeds the limits for a lower SAIL, typically limited to sparsely populated areas.   Achieving SAIL III approval with the appropriate mitigations allows operators to conduct more advanced and complex operations, such as #BVLOS flights over urban areas, which is a great enabler for new business opportunities and operational efficiencies. Compliance with #SORA SAIL III also enhances the credibility and reliability of drone operators, facilitating market access and business development, particularly in industries requiring high safety standards.   “HHLA Sky’s X25 and X11 drone platforms along with its Integrated Control Center, the ICC, are now available for our global customers to launch their SAIL III operations,” says Neeraj Bansal, CRO of HHLA Sky: “Our ICC allows more than 100 drones to be in the air simultaneously - safely and securely -, which is a clear game changer for approvals to start BVLOS flights over urban areas.“

Integrating SORA and U-Space frameworks is crucial for the future of drone operations in Europe. By harmonizing risk assessments and traffic management procedures, this can ensure safer and more efficient skies. Combining these systems into HHLA sky software will provide a unified platform for managing all drone activities, enhancing coordination both in the air and on the ground. This unification will pave the way for seamless, scalable, and secure drone operations, benefiting all industries and communities alike. Governments and authorities should consider the implementation of this idea on national levels to fully realize its potential...

#whatsitwednesday - The low-altitude economy? According to Chinese state planners: "The low-altitude economy refers to a comprehensive realm of industries centred around civil-manned and unmanned aerial vehicles, including manufacturing, low-altitude flight operations and integrated services." Low altitude: "In aviation, there are generally accepted definitions for low, medium, and high altitude. Low altitude typically refers to altitudes below 10,000 feet above mean sea level (AMSL), medium altitude is generally considered to be between 10,000 and 24,000 feet AMSL, and high altitude is typically above 24,000 feet AMSL. These definitions may vary slightly depending on the specific context or aviation regulations, but these are the commonly used distinctions." https://lnkd.in/dWjCgTqi