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In this issue
- Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
- Advanced Air Mobility
- Technology, Environment and Legislation
- Autonomy & Electric Vehicles
- Akin Thought Leadership
- Events
Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS)
Biden Picks Longtime Transportation Official as Acting Head of the Federal Aviation Administration - AP
President Joe Biden has picked a longtime government official and current top aide in the Transportation Department to serve as acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The White House said Thursday that Polly Trottenberg replaced Billy Nolen, who indicated in April that he planned to leave the FAA. Trottenberg held a high-ranking job in the Transportation Department during the Obama administration and has most recently been deputy to Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. She headed the New York City Transportation Department from 2014 to 2020 and worked as a U.S. Senate aide and at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.
In Canada, Flying Drones Up to 150 kg and BVLOS Over Sparsely Populated Areas is Coming with the 3Ps - sUAS News
On June 24, 2023, the proposed amendments to the Canadian Aviation Regulations (CARS) that will allow for drones up to 150 kg (medium drones) and Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations in sparsely populated areas without a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) were published for public consultation. With this announcement, Transport Canada - Transports Canada is further enabling the societal and economic benefits of commercial drones. In the proposed amendments, the federal department clearly demonstrated that they know they are going to improve life for Canadian citizens and, it seems, tipped their hat to the future stage of commercial drone growth: "The implementation of a new regulatory framework for medium-sized drones and lower-risk BVLOS operations would support growth and investment in the Canadian economy. It would also allow TC to shift resources towards issuing SFOCs for more complex operations - e.g. in urban centres, at higher altitudes or larger aircraft - and integration with the broader aviation sector."
NASA Backs Project to Make Drones Quieter - Digital Journal
Drone delivery continues to advance in terms of technology and with the take-up by different companies. One of the downsides of the future expansion of drones will be the noise, with the hum generated by rotors filling the sky. To seek quieter drones, NASA has awarded $5.7 million to a multi-university partnership. Leading the discovery of quieter vertical lift air vehicles is Boston University, together with Virginia Tech, Embry-Riddle University, Tuskegee University, and the company Joby Aviation. Electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicles typically have four or more rotors and increased traffic, and industrial activity will make cities louder and louder, adding to the already existing noise pollution. The research will develop methods to better predict low noise operations of such vehicles within the urban canyon. The research team will also explore how much the ingestion of large-scale disturbances during flight, such as gusts of winds, also affect rotor noise.
NYC Drone Permit System Won't Fly, Say Critics Who Deride NYPD Proposed $150 Fee, Strict Rules - New York Daily News
The New York Police Department (NYPD) is test flying a permitting system that will allow drones to buzz about New York City-but commercial drone operators believe the strict rules will effectively put them in a no-fly zone. After years of banning drones from flying in the fiChocve boroughs-except for five public parks in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island-the NYPD on June 2 proposed a new procedure where hobbyists and commercial drone fliers could get a permit to fly drones and take aerial photos and video of the city. But operators of the remote-controlled fliers will have to jump through hoops to get the $150 permits. Applicants would have to request a permit a month before the flights, must be insured, and must already have a certificate of authorization from the FAA.
Choctaw Nation Demonstrates Drone Technology - ABC KTEN
The Choctaw Nation on Friday conducted its first public drone mission beyond the line of sight. The tribe's Advanced Technology Initiatives Department welcomed Oklahoma lawmakers-including House Speaker Charles McCall-to the demonstration. The Choctaw Nation received a unique waiver from the FAA to fly the remote control aircraft beyond the horizon to test drone missions, including package delivery and to establish realistic payloads. Chief Gary Batton explained why the Choctaw Nation was selected for the testing program. "We're one of the only tribes across the whole United States and some other cities ... it's because of where we're located. It's due to our property that we have here," he said. "We have 142,000 acres, so the testing in a safe environment, because again, we have to implement this into mainstream society."
Drone Biz Knocks Out Aerospace Co.'s Patent Claims at PTAB - Law360
The Patent Trial and Appeal Board (PTAB) has found that multiple claims in a drone patent owned by aerospace manufacturer Textron Innovations Inc. weren't valid, saying they were anticipated and obvious. A three-judge panel of the PTAB on Wednesday said nine claims in U.S. Patent No. 9,162,752 were invalid, handing a win to drone maker DJI Europe BV. The panel said most of the claims at issue were invalid over various pieces of prior art, including a paper referred to as Harding covering how to develop aviation controls in a helicopter. According to the panel, all except one of the claims at issue were invalid as anticipated over Harding. But the panel said all the claims were unpatentable as obvious over both Harding and other pieces of prior art.
North Dakota: The Silicon Valley of Drone Innovation - Avionics International
In a conversation with Avionics International, Josh Teigen, the Department of Commerce Commissioner for North Dakota, and Frank Matus, Director of Digital Aviation Solutions for Thales Group, talked about how the state is enabling innovations in drone technology. North Dakota's plans to become the epicenter in the United States for uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) began about 10 years ago, according to Teigen. Two key advantages of the state are its low population and its heavy focus on agriculture and energy-spaces where drones can bring significant value. Over the past decade, North Dakota has made more than $100 million in investments into UAS technology-both for the airspace and for ground infrastructure. "We have the first UAS business park-1.2 million square feet of hangar space that's growing every day," he said. The business and aviation park, called Grand Sky, is used to conduct autonomous drone operations and to develop the necessary ground infrastructure.
FAA Announces UAS Rulemaking Committee Members - AVweb
Fifty-eight aviation stakeholders have been named members of the FAA's unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) Detection and Mitigation Systems Aviation Rulemaking Committee. Established last March, the committee is tasked with ensuring that "new technologies designed to detect and mitigate risks from errant or hostile UAS do not adversely impact the safe and efficient operation of the nation's airspace." According to the committee's charter, the members (PDF) were selected based on their familiarity with aircraft technology and operations, the national airspace system and aviation infrastructure, UAS detection and mitigation technology and operations, and existing FAA regulations and standards.
FCC Votes to Expand Vehicle, Drone Radar Operations - Reuters
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) on Thursday voted to expand the use of vehicle drone and other short-range radar operations. The decision by the U.S. telecommunications regulator will support technologies to detect children left behind in hot cars and driver assistance features like pedestrian detection and lane departure warnings, as well as detecting the breathing of premature infants in intensive care units. The decision will also assist drones in construction, emergency rescue and commercial applications, the FCC said. FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel said it is likely the technology will be "used for real-time traffic management that can reduce congestion and increase safety for the vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians who share our roads."
Drone Delivery Startup Zipline Boosts Valuation to $4.2 Billion - Forbes
In a market environment where few startup unicorns have raised funding at higher valuations, drone delivery startup Zipline is an exception. The South San Francisco-based company is raising $330 million in a new funding round, according to two sources and a filing obtained by Forbes. The funding values Zipline at about $4.2 billion, a 55% increase from its $2.7 billion valuation reached two years ago. In an April 10 filing in Delaware, the company revealed a Series F funding round of that size that priced Zipline at $40.20 per share. The filing also included a Series F-1 extension of up to $20 million that could still be rolled into the round, meaning the exact total raised by Zipline could still fluctuate, according to one of the sources. The filing made no mention of a lead investor, nor could one be identified as of publication.
FAA Expands Airport Counter-Drone Testing with Dedrone - Unmanned Systems Today
Dedrone is expanding its partnership with the FAA under Section 383 of the FAA Reauthorization Act of 2018, which provides for testing of counter-drone and drone detection, tracking, identification and mitigation technologies to develop clearer regulations around the use of these technologies at airports. Dedrone was part of the first round of technologies selected for testing at Atlantic City International Airport and has now been invited to expand to a second airport as part of the ongoing research being conducted by the FAA to make airports safer from disruptions caused by drones.
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