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As drones get smarter, so must their owners
On Sunday, April 17th, British Airways flight BA727 from Geneva to London was coming in for a landing when the pilot saw something -- reportedly a drone -- strike the front of the aircraft. The collision was said to have happened above Richmond Park, an area where drone flying is prohibited (but not because of its proximity to the airport). Perhaps more worrying was that the impact happened at 1,700 feet -- well above the 400-foot height limit for all drone flights in the UK, even in permissible areas. Fortunately, BA727 landed safely and without incident. It was also probably a false alarm. But with more and more amateur drone pilots taking to the skies, how long until it happens for real?
3DR's Solo drone can update no-fly zones in real time
Now that drones are everywhere, pilots keep blundering into no-fly zones, threatening people and airliners alike. Most of the time these are simple mistakes, so drone-maker 3DR has launched a new venture with a company called AirMap to help pilots out. AirMap shows not only restricted areas around large and small airports, but also temporary flight restrictions (TFR) areas like wildfires, public events or visits from the President. 3DR incorporated these maps into its Solo UAV (above), so that if you open the app in a restricted area, you'll see a yellow "warning" or red "don't fly" circle.
