Commercial airliners had their safest year ever. There were no fatalities on commercial passenger jets in 2017, according to two groups that track airplane crash data, making it the safest year in modern aviation history. There were two fatal accidents in passenger airliners involving small turbo-prop planes, according to To70, a Dutch aviation consulting firm. These numbers mean that the rate of fatal accidents in commercial flights in large airplanes is one per 16 million flights, according to To70.
Delta flight returned to Atlanta
An unexpected stowaway forced a Delta flight to turn around late Saturday morning. Delta flight 1943 from Detroit to Atlanta had to return to Detroit “shortly after takeoff” because a small sparrow had snuck into the cockpit, airport officials said. The feathered culprit slipped on the plane during boarding and then made its way into the cockpit, where the captain become aware of the nuisance.
Small drone registry to be reinstated
The FAA’s authority to compel owners of small drones to register them is about to be reinstated, thanks to a provision in the NDAA, which passed Congress last week and is awaiting the President’s signature. Specifically, the provision enables the FAA to reinstate the registration requirement for unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds and more than 0.55 pounds. That requirement was struck down by a federal court of appeals ruling in July.
India and Japan plan to explore the Moon
India, Japan aim for joint Moon mission. India and Japan will collaborate to send a joint mission to the moon, which includes landing a rover and bringing samples back to the earth, a feat that was last achieved over four decades ago. An implementation agreement for the collaborative mission will be finalised within the next two months. This is the second time that Japan and India are teaming up for a moon mission. Team Indus, which is aiming by March next will be the first private firm to land a rover on the moon and will carry a Japanese rover by team Hakuto on its spacecraft.
Is it OK to shoot down drones?
Teen Mom 2 Asks an Important Question: Is It OK to shoot down drones? The segment in question begins as (former) teen mom Jenelle prepares for her wedding to David, a very cool and normal dude who we will return to in a moment. David, stalking the property like an ornery bison, calls Jenelle, informing her that “some girls” were attempting to take pictures of the event before it began. “Now they’re, like, flying drones over the house, and driving by taking pictures. Jenelle, indignant, almost immediately settles on a solution. “We will shoot it”. It is technically a federal crime under 18 U.S.C. 32 to shoot down a drone. According to the statute, it’s illegal to damage, destroy, disable, or wreck any aircraft. And because the Federal Aviation Administration treats drones as aircraft, even the most annoying quadcopters should fall under the law’s protections.
Drone and satellite images of Rohingya refugees
The Rohingya refugee crisis is an age-old tale of displacement and suffering, but technology is providing new tools to tackle it, rights groups and charities said on Wednesday. Powerful drone and satellite images are bringing to life the urgent needs of more than 800,000 Rohingya refugees who fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar, while also providing strong evidence of abuses, which could be used to lobby for justice. The UNHCR is using videos and photographs shot with drones to show the scale of the displacement crisis and bring it to life to spur action from the public and donors.
Program to prepare students for drone pilot licenses
Bristol County Agricultural School will soon have its own drone air force with 20 of the craft being purchased. School officials said the equipment will expand its natural resources management program to prepare students for drone pilot licenses. The school is creating a drone program to enable students to take advantage of the job market for operators. There is expected to be a 400 percent increase in the need for employees with commercial drone licenses in the coming years.
Drone may have captured slope damage
Drone pix may have captured slope damage. A buyer of the Tanjung Bungah project that was hit by a landslide may have recorded early signs of trouble months ago. High-resolution drone pictures he took of the construction site on July 12 show signs of damage at the lower slope where the landslide occurred. He said the hole was strewn with boulders, and there was a large puddle of water at the bottom.
Drone footage of California's fires
Drone Footage of California's Devastating Fires. Here are a number of videos taken by drones showing the scope of the wildfires that have ravaged Mendocino, Napa, Sonoma, and Solano counties. The view of an unspecified residential area shows how one neighborhood was burned to the ground, with mounds of gray ash being all that remains of the destroyed homes. Additionally, the footage captures store and businesses completely demolished by flames, surrounded by empty parking lots.
http://fortune.com/2017/10/13/drones-california-fires-footage/
Hagerstown consider drones for emergency services
Washington County, Hagerstown consider drones for emergency services. Drones could help emergency responders find a lost victim or a fire on a mountain. The county's concept plan for a consolidated Washington County Public Safety Training Center, south of Hagerstown, includes a drone-flying area. A drone-response system in the county for emergency responders is wanted.
Bringing drones to the classroom
Bringing drones to the classroom. Dozens of high-school students watched as four-legged drones buzzed past each other like yellow bumblebees in a gym at Kentucky’s Hazard Community and Technical College. More than 70 kids from eight schools had spent hours designing, building, and testing their own remote-controlled quadcopter unmanned aerial devices.
Watch a drone herding cattle across open field
Watch a drone herding cattle across open field. The popularity of drone use in agriculture has increased over the past few years, and drones are now being used around the world to herd animals like cows and sheep. People who move herds over large swaths of land are saying it’s a more efficient and effective way to get the job done, and it allows them to keep an eye on the land and cattle more easily.
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/08/drone-herd-cattle-field-california-video-spd/
Drones used by Madison Police
A Madison Police Department officer operates one of the department's two new drones. The MPD officially launched its new drone team Monday, though the program has been operational since June 1. The team has been called on five times to use the drones to search for missing people, suspects and fugitives. Using a drone that can quickly survey a large swath of area is particularly helpful in searching for missing people. Additionally, the distance a drone provides between an officer and a potentially dangerous suspect is a benefit, Hanson said.
Drone camps for girls
School holidays used to be about playing quoits with the kids down the street, but for around 50 girls from Darwin this mid-year break has been a real buzz. The girls aged between 10 and 17 have been taking part in She Flies drone camps where they learn to pilot and program drones. But the camps were about more than just learning to fly for fun, according to She Flies co-founder and chief education officer Karen Joyce. Dr. Joyce said aside from encouraging young women to get involved in STEM subjects and careers, drone camps also taught them a few life lessons.
FAA is issuing a drone registration refund
Remember that $5 fee you had to pay when you first registered your drone? After a recent court decision, the FAA is issuing a drone registration refund for those who paid the registration fee. If you are a hobbyist drone operator and you didn’t register your UAV, then don’t even worry about this since the FAA recently removed the requirement to register non-commercial drones. When the FAA placed a registration requirement for non-commercial drone operators, the court ruled that the Federal Aviation Administration violated section 336 of the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, which states, “… that the FAA “may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft.
https://www.faa.gov/uas/getting_started/registration_deletion/
Drones to assess Marawi city damage
Drones will be used to assess Marawi city damage. The Lanao del Sur provincial government is planning to use an aerial drone to assess the damage caused by the ongoing conflict and identify areas needing priority rehabilitation. Vice Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. said the capitol forged the drone mapping contract at less than 95 percent of the original price. The aerial mapping will really help assess the damage and what areas will be given priority in the rehabilitation phase.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/914223/drone-to-assess-marawi-damage
Air Canada plane nearly landed on a taxiway
California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones says he was a passenger on an Air Canada jet that nearly landed on a taxiway where four other planes were sitting rather than the designated runway at San Francisco International Airport. Federal officials are investigating why the pilot mistakenly made his approach toward the taxiway Friday night instead of the runway next to it. Jones says passengers were not told about the near-calamity after the plane landed safely. Instead, he says the pilot told the 140 passengers on board that there was more traffic than usual and everything was fine.
China's new heavy-lift rocket launch failed
China's launch of a new heavy-lift rocket, the Long March-5 Y2, carrying what the government said was its heaviest ever satellite, failed on Sunday, official news agency Xinhua said. The same rocket type had been expected to take China's latest lunar probe to the Moon this year and to return with samples. It is not clear how the timetable for that mission could be affected by the failed launch. China's space programme has largely operated without many major hitches, though it still has a way to go to catch up with the United States and Russia.
Rare plant discovered by a drone
A drone discovered a super-rare plant on a steep cliff on the Hawaiian island of Kauaʻi. The discovery wowed botanists — and shows how technology can help conservationists in their fight against extinction. Merlin Edmonds, a conservationist at NTBG was training to be a drone pilot with Nyberg when the plants were spotted. The plant discovered by drone is a critically endangered species called Laukahi that’s being wiped out by invasive goats that love munching on its leaves. The drone footage added about 10 more plants.
Drones used on campus of the University of Wisconsin
A new policy governing the use of unmanned aerial devices at a Wisconsin university allows researchers and instructors to use the drones on campus for research or educational purposes. University of Wisconsin-Madison's new policy will apply to indoor and outdoor spaces connected with the university, both in the United States and abroad, The Wisconsin State Journal reported. Students may apply to fly a drone if it relates to coursework or other academic purposes. The university's new Unmanned Aircraft Systems Ethics and Safety Committee will ensure operators are compliant with Federal Aviation Administration standards.