Commercial
Some of Africa’s first commercial drone startups are beginning to generate clients and income. South Africa’s Rocketmine and Ghana’s Aeroshutter are completing services such as 3D volumetric image processing, aerial advertising, and music video production for multinational mining companies, global telecoms firms, and African pop stars. This
Accidents
An Air France Airbus A320 jet narrowly avoided colliding with a drone while descending for an approach to Paris Charles de Gaulle airport last month, the French aviation investigation agency BEA said. The aircraft had been operating a service from Barcelona on February 19 and was flying at 5,500
Business
Empire Holdings, Inc., has announced that one of its operating units, Empire Unmanned, LLC, has acquired Advanced Aviation Solutions (ADAVSO) of Star, Idaho. Empire Holdings is the primary owner of Empire Unmanned, LLC, and also owns 100 percent of Empire Airlines, Inc. This acquisition combines Empire's nearly 40
Commercial
Postal deliveries by drone could be coming to Cyprus within two or three years, according to Director of the Cyprus Post, Andreas Gregoriou. Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Gregoriou said that in order for this to be an option for Cyprus Post users, drone manufacturers need to resolve
Law Enforcement
Rhino protection efforts in Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife reserves in South Africa received vital support this month with the launch of the Air Shepherd UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) project – a partnership between the Lindbergh Foundation, Peace Parks Foundation (PPF) and the provincial conservation agency. This project funds and co-ordinates an
Events
Exhibiting amongst the world’s largest helicopter manufacturing companies at the HAI Heli-Expo in Louisville, Kentucky this week, Olaeris unveiled AEVA, a new unmanned aircraft with a 4-5 hour flight time. AEVA represents a pivot in the world of VTOL aviation, being described by the industry as the
Propulsion
H3 Dynamicshasunveiled DRONEBOX, developed by one of the three H3 Dynamics Group entities (HUS Unmanned Systems), a revolutionary system that converges professional drone-enabled service activities with the Industrial Internet of Things. DRONEBOX is an all-inclusive, self-powered system that can be deployed anywhere, including in remote areas where
Commercial
Facebook will begin test flights of its solar-powered Internet UAV later this year, according to CEO Mark Zuckerberg. The Aquila aircraft has the wingspan of a Boeing 737 but weighs about the same as a car. Its wings are covered in solar panels that provide enough energy to keep
Testing
A team of Nevada scientists and unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) engineers have successfully flight tested the first-ever autonomous cloud seeding aircraft platform. Cloud seeding flare tests were deployed from Drone America's DAx8 UAS aircraft flown at a remote desert location outside of Reno, Nevada in early February.
Commercial
DJI has announced DJI Care, a protection plan that provides customers with peace of mind and an enhanced after-sales experience. New and existing DJI drone owners will have the option to purchase either a six-month or one-year DJI Care protection plan that will cover damage to their
Commercial
On Tuesday, Feb. 16, a member of UK-based UAS company Ocuair became the first person to fly a drone across the English Channel. That morning, Richard Gill spent 72 minutes flying a UAS across the 35 km (about 22 miles) English Channel. Not only is this the first drone
Commercial
Production has started on a Southern African-designed and built unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Eagle Owl, which is aimed at coping with African conditions. South Africa is one of the most progressive countries in the world in the implementation of regulations for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles. Adam