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Commercial drones are way more popular than the FAA expected
The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has unveiled its predictions for the future of drones, and the findings came as a surprise, even to the FAA itself. Non-commercial drone growth has greatly exceeded expectations, increasing by 170 percent last year, despite officials thinking that it would only grow by 44 percent. This also forced experts to race back to the drawing board and re-write its predictions for the entire industry as a result.
Senators urge FAA to complete remote drone identification rules
There's no question that drone sightings can be disruptive. In December, a drone spotted at Gatwick Airport in London led to the grounding and diversion of hundreds of flights, and similar disruptions have happened at Dubai International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport. With those incidents in mind -- as well as a flyover of Fenway Park -- Senators Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and John Thune (R-SD) are calling on the Federal Aviation Admission (FAA) to complete guidelines on remote drone identification.
Wing receives the first FAA certification for drone deliveries
Today, Alphabet's Wing division became the first drone delivery company to receive its Air Carrier Certification from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The certification means Wing can begin a commercial drone delivery service, and the company hopes to launch its first delivery trial later this year. Over the next several months, Wing will work with the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program (UAS IPP) in Southwest Virginia. It will soon begin reaching out to residents and businesses in the Blacksburg and Christiansburg, Virginia, areas to demonstrate its technology and to gather feedback.
Boeing's 737 Max update is still 'weeks' away from FAA approval
It's going to be a long while before the FAA officially approves Boeing's 737 Max software update. The regulator said it expected the update to arrive in the "coming weeks," as Boeing needed extra time to guarantee that it had "identified and appropriately addressed" the problems that may have led to crashes in Ethiopia and Indonesia. After that, the FAA still intends to conduct a "rigorous safety review."
UPS launches a drone 'airline' to deliver medical samples
Autonomous delivery drone networks are coming to the US in earnest. UPS and Matternet are launching a drone "airline" that will use the robotic aircraft to carry medical samples between WakeMed's health care facilities in Raleigh, North Carolina. The drone of choice (an M2 quadcopter) can only carry up to 5lbs at distances as long as 12.5 miles, but it should still be faster, cheaper and more consistent than the current system of driving samples across town using cars. They won't have to deal with traffic snarls, after all.
FAA 'tentatively' approves software fix for 737 Max jets
Boeing may be close to delivering its fix for the 737 Max's anti-stall system and preventing future tragedies. The Wall Street Journal has learned through documents and sources that the FAA has "tentatively" greenlit software and training updates pending some final simulation and real-world flight tests. They could make their way to airlines within a few weeks, according to the insiders, although there's still the possibility of last-minute revisions and changes to the timeline.
Report: Boeing's crucial 737 Max safety analysis was flawed
Boeing's original 737 Max safety analysis, used by the FAA to certify the aircraft, may have had several serious flaws, according to a report from the Seattle Times. The problems revolved around a software system called MCAS, suspected to have contributed to the Lion Air and Air Ethiopia crashes that killed 346 people in total. Investigators are also looking at possible maintenance lapses and potential pilot error. The situation may have been compounded by FAA rules that allow aircraft manufacturers to do some of the certification themselves.
US grounds all Boeing 737 Max planes
Less than one day after expressing confidence in Boeing's 737 Max fleet, the US government has decided to ground the plane involved in two recent crashes. According to CNBC, President Trump told reporters that the US was issuing an emergency order to ground both Boeing's 737 Max 8 and 737 Max 9 aircraft, following similar prohibitions in the UK, France, Germany, Australia, Indonesia, China and elsewhere. Trump made the decision in concert with FAA acting director Daniel Elwell and US transportation secretary Elaine Chao and had spoke with Boeing CEO about the move as well. "They are all in agreement with the action," he said. "Any plane currently in the air will go to its destination and thereafter be grounded until further notice."
Boeing will release software updates for 737 Max jets by April
Following two air disasters months apart, Boeing has promised to release software updates for all of its Boeing 737 Max aircraft by next month at the latest. The updates were developed in the aftermath of the Lion Air Flight 610 disaster that killed 189 people, the company said, and include changes to flight control systems, pilot displays, operation manuals and crew training.
US bans cargo shipments of lithium-ion batteries on passenger planes
The US government just added a new wrinkle to receiving lithium-ion batteries. The Department of Transportation and the FAA have issued an interim rule banning the transport of lithium-ion batteries and cells as cargo aboard passenger flights. It also demands that batteries aboard cargo aircraft carry no more than a 30 percent charge. You can still carry devices (including spare batteries) on your trips in most cases, but companies can't just stuff a passel of battery packs into an airliner's hold.
NASA is close to finalizing its drone traffic control system for cities
NASA is ready to put its drone traffic management system to the ultimate test and has chosen Nevada and Texas as its final testing sites. The agency, together with the FAA, has been developing an Unmanned aircraft Traffic Management (UTM) system over the past four years in an effort to figure out how to safely fly drones in an urban environment. Now that the project is in its last phase, it has teamed up with the Nevada Institute for Autonomous Systems in Las Vegas and the Lone Star UAS Center for Excellence & Innovation in Corpus Christi, Texas to conduct a final series of technical demonstrations.
FAA will require drones to display registration numbers externally
Drone owners will soon need to display their device's registration numbers on the outside of the craft, the Federal Aviation Administration has declared. The agency, which last month proposed looser restrictions on drone night flights, posted the rule on a Federal Register preview site. The directive is set to take effect on February 23rd -- you'll need to mark the ID number on your drone's body by then.
Amazon's Scout is cute but it won't bring humans and robots closer
With the introduction of its latest delivery drone iteration, the Scout, Amazon is once again reassuring the shopping public that automated package delivery services are just just around the corner. Just as they've been promising since 2013, when founder Jeff Bezos went on 60 Minutes and claimed that the technology would be commonplace within 5 years. But unfortunately for his predictions, the march of progress rarely sticks to a set schedule.
Newark Airport temporarily halted flights after drone sightings
Just a month after reports of drone activity repeatedly closed Gatwick airport in the UK, Newark Liberty International Airport temporarily halted arrivals on Tuesday. In a tweet after it reopened, Newark said there were reports of drone activity "to the north" earlier. Reuters reports on an FAA statement saying that two drones were sighted at about 3,500 feet above Teterboro Airport, which along with Newark is operated by the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. In the UK, EasyJet said that the Gatwick closings grounded 1,000 flights, caused 400 flight cancellations and cost it 15 million pounds in passenger compensation, calling the incident a "wake up call" for the industry. Gatwick and Heathrow purchased anti-drone systems after incidents, although police still have not identified anyone behind them after arresting and releasing two people.
Proposed FAA rules loosen restrictions on drone flights at night
Right on the heels of Canada introducing new, stricter regulations for drone operations, the US Department of Transportation proposed a new set of rules for drones that would allow the unmanned vehicles to fly over populated areas and operate at night. The proposal also includes a pilot program for drone traffic management that would help to integrate the aircraft into the nation's airspace.
The first global drone standards have been revealed
As drone use grows, rules and regulations remain in flux and vary among jurisdictions. Last month, for instance, the Federal Aviation Administration granted operators of certain drones approval to fly them in controlled airspace in the US, but the UK has an outright ban on using them within a kilometer of airports. To help establish best practices, the International Organization for Standardization has released the first draft set of global standards for drone use.
FAA warns drone operators to steer clear of high-priority naval bases
The military is authorized to shoot down drones flying over bases, but at least two naval bases are still struggling to get operators to stop getting too close. Now, the FAA has issued a stricter warning against flying drones too near Naval Base Kitsap (Washington) and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay (Georgia) in order "to address concerns about potentially malicious drone operations over certain, high-priority maritime operations." More specifically, the FAA is restricting drone flights near the US Navy and US Coast Guard vessels operating in those bases. Kitsap is one of Navy's strategic nuclear weapons facilities, while Kings Bay houses the country's nuclear missile submarines.
Senate passes bill that lets the government destroy private drones
This week, the Senate passed the FAA Reauthorization Act, which, among other things, renews funding for the Federal Aviation Administration and introduces new rules for airports and aircraft. But the bill, which now just needs to be signed by the president, also addresses drones. And while parts of the bill extend some aspects of drone use -- such as promoting drone package delivery and drone testing -- it also gives the federal government power to take down a private drone if it's seen as a "credible threat."
FAA clears DJI and other drone companies to fly near airports
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given nine companies permission to fly in controlled airspace, such as airports, as part of its Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC) initiative. One of those nine companies is DJI, along with Aeronyde, Airbus, AiRXOS, Altitude Angel, Converge, KittyHawk, UASidekick and Unifly. It doesn't mean operators can fly those brands' drones over airports anytime they want, though -- it only means that professional drone pilots can now get authorization to enter controlled airspace in near-real time instead of waiting for months.
Regulators want drones to have visible 'license plates'
When you register a drone with the FAA, you'll get a government-issued ID number you can put as a note inside the battery compartment or any other internal part of the machine. In the future, though, you may have to make sure that number is perfectly visible -- sort of a like small license plate for your UAV. Bloomberg has discovered a proposed rule filed earlier this month that would "require small unmanned aircraft owners to display the unique identifier assigned by the FAA upon completion of the registration process on an external surface of the aircraft." If it becomes an official rule, you'd no longer be allowed to keep that number hidden.
