Accidents
A police investigation is under way after a passenger plane approaching Heathrow Airport was hit by what is believed to have been a drone. The British Airways flight from Geneva, with 132 passengers and five crew on board, was hit as it approached the London airport at 12:50 BST
Accidents
Drawing upon its work integrating unmanned air vehicle use into the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch’s (AAIB) wreckage assessments, Cranfield University is in discussions with international bodies exploring the use of the technology for post-crash analysis. The accident laboratory at Cranfield has been working on safely integrating UAVs into
Business
Sharper Shape has announced US$3.25 million in new funding (€2.9 million) led by Straightforward Capital, a European venture capital firm with thorough experience in the energy sector. In addition to financing from Straightforward Capital, the funding includes strategic investment from partners of an Australia-based global performance improvement
Commercial
Government-owned Australia Post has announced its plans to trial the use of remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) -- or drones -- to deliver small parcels around the country. According to the postal service, the closed-field trial, which is slated for later this year, is an important next step in testing the
Commercial
The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) has released an interactive analysis that finds 38 types of business operations have been approved by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to fly unmanned aircraft systems commercially in the National Airspace System (NAS). According to the report that analyzed more than 3,
Commercial
Airbus Group and Local Motors have launched a global co-creation challenge to identify the next generation of commercial UAS (drone) technology. The two companies are inviting amateurs and professionals alike into a joint project that includes a series of co-creation activities, online competitions, open-source projects, and hackathons all focused on
Commercial
The Property Drone Consortium (PDC), a collaboration that consists of insurance carriers, construction industry leaders and supporting enterprises announced its roster of charter members that includes: Allstate Corporation, American Family Insurance, Auto-Owners Insurance, EagleView Technologies, Inc., Erie Insurance and Pilot Catastrophe Services. The consortium is pleased to include the Insurance
Commercial
The Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) initiated a concerted effort into the application of unmanned aerial systems (UASs) for transmission research in 2012. The effort has accelerated and grown as UAS have increased in their capability and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations have relaxed. The first challenge was defining
Commercial
Drones are being used by councils in England to fly over the homes of people making planning applications, the Daily Telegraph has learned. A Freedom of Information survey of hundreds of councils found that a dozen had admitted to using or hiring drones. Two councils – Epping Forest and Moray – said
Commercial
The Volocopter, the world’s first helicopter drone that anyone can fly, even with no pilot experience, has received the green light from German aviation authorities to fly as an ultralight aircraft. e-Volo, the German-based creator of the aircraft, has now begun conducting manned flights. The world premiere Volocopter flight
Commercial
Drone sales are soaring in Germany, but so is the number of potentially dangerous near-miss incidents around airports. The authorities have now decided that it's time to reel in the flying robots. Germans have developed a taste for drones. Sales are climbing and prices are dropping. Some are
Commercial
The Delaware River and Bay Authority (DRBA) recently conducted an inspection of the Delaware Memorial Bridge Twin Span using an Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) or drone.