Drone Blogs

More drone companies in the United States and abroad are beginning to receive expanded authority to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations without the need for remote piloting and ongoing flight monitoring.  This is especially true in the area of commercial infrastructure inspections, which are typically conducted in isolated areas, away from human... Read More

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Nearly every drone industry in the world has enjoyed a significant expansion since 2022.  The Scandinavian industry, especially Norway, though still fairly small, is no exception.  Two major drone companies, Nordic Unmanned, founded in 2013  and a three-year old start-up, Aviant, are poised to make major gains in 2023-2024.  Each is expanding into new commercial... Read More

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Two rapidly growing drone companies – one foreign, one local – are jockeying for position in Ireland’s burgeoning drone industry.  Local yokel Manna, which has made thousands of package deliveries in two Dublin suburbs since its founding in 2019, now hopes to expand its “last mile” operation overseas.  And Wing, a subsidiary of Google’s parent... Read More

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It’s taken beachgoers nearly a half century to get over the traumatizing effect of the horror film Jaws and once again experience carefree play at their favorite vacation spots.  Now, thanks to a shocking new drone study of sharks, many people may find themselves retreating to the shore again. The study, conducted over a two-year... Read More

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While remote aerial package deliveries in the United States continue to face significant obstacles due to regulatory barriers and weak consumer demand, drone deliveries in China are quite literally “taking off.”  Some observers believe that’s likely due to Beijing’s looser regulatory requirements, especially on drone deliveries in heavily populated areas.  But the real reason may... Read More

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“Scalability”– the Holy Grail of drone delivery companies – may finally be in reach for the Mountain View, CA-based drone firm Matternet. Last week, Ameriflight, one of America’s largest cargo delivery companies. received Part 135 approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct its delivery operations nationwide in conjunction with the pioneering drone company... Read More

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Asia is the world’ fastest growing drone market, occupying a 24% share compared to just 12% a year ago.  China, India, South Korea and Japan are witnessing the fastest growth rates but even smaller countries like Vietnam are experiencing significant spurts, owing to a combination of design technology ingenuity and the sheer determination of its... Read More

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Federal law is quite clear that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)  exercises exclusive control over the nation’s airspace, regardless of the state and local jurisdiction involved.  Under the principle of “pre-emption” the FAA’s authority supersedes all other authority – without exception.  In theory, in a legal showdown, federal courts might very well uphold the FAA’s... Read More

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Routine indoor inspections of mines, construction sites and warehouses are critical for ensuring the commercial performance of these sites.  But traditional field inspections conducted by human surveyors are time-consuming, often incomplete (missing inaccessible or difficult-to-reach portions of site) and potentially dangerous.  When drones first appeared on the scene a decade ago, some drone companies began... Read More

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The issue of “scalability” continues to loom large in the US drone industry.  U.S. retailers like Amazon and Walmart that are currently experimenting with “last mile” package deliveries by drone still lack a viable financial mode to support them.  Currently, the companies respond to individual customer orders in a highly circumscribed service area and send... Read More

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