The S-97 Raider helicopter successfully achieved its first flight at the Sikorsky Development Flight Center in West Palm Beach, Fla., Friday. Congratulations to Chief Pilot Bill Fell, Co-pilot Kevin Bredenbeck and the entire Raider team.
Over 15 years of news and information. (2010 - 2026)
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Video: US Navy aircraft told to 'go away quickly' by Chinese navy
A recorded audio file of communications received while flying over the South China Sea. Sailors assigned to Patrol Squadron (VP) 45 conducted flight operations aboard a P-8A Poseidon aircraft on Wednesday. VP-45 is on deployment supporting U.S. 7th Fleet operations in the Pacific.
Tuesday, May 19, 2015
Beech twin-engine plane crashes in Saltville, Va.
The plane, a 1965 Beechcraft Baron 55 twin engine (tail number N5816S), is registered to LWF Inc. of Wilmington, Del., according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
Additional information: Missing plane located in Smyth County; no survivors
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Video: Air Force mini space shuttle ready for fourth flight
Friday, May 15, 2015
USGS Alaska using unmanned aircraft to survey walrus herds
The U.S. Geological Survey located in
Anchorage, Alaska, intends to make a non-competitive contract award
to the University of Alaska (Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration) located in Fairbanks for flight services to
acquire data using an unmanned aircraft system (UAS).
The objectives of the services are
related to investigating the potential of using a UAS for
photographic surveys of walrus herds on sea ice in the Chukchi Sea
and coastal haulouts in northwest Alaska.
"The University of Alaska is
the only known source that has the experience with marine mammal
surveys in conjunction with the appropriate UAS type (hexacopter or
other rotary platform) and imaging technology (real-time video in
conjunction with high resolution photography) for the study," USGS officials said in contract documents released Friday.
Realtors flying drones to market property listings
There will be a time when realtors can
legally fly an unmanned aerial system (UAS), or drone, around
property listings to capture images for marketing purposes, but that
time has not yet arrived, at least not completely. That's according
to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) officials who told realtors
Friday during the “When, Where and How can I Use My Drone”
session at the Realtors Legislative Meetings & Trade Expo.
According to Jim Williams, manager of FAA's UAS Integration Office, the agency's administrator Michael Huerta is committed to quickly finalizing the federal rules for the commercial use of UAS in national airspace, which is currently prohibited. Until that time, realtors can apply for a Section 333 waiver, which provides a limited-use permit to the applicant and comes with many safety restrictions on use of the machine.
Panelist Doug Trudeau of Tierra Antigua Realty in Tuscon, Ariz., the first realtor to apply for and receive a Section 333 exemption from the FAA to create marketing videos for property listings, discussed the waiver application process and offered advice to other realtors who are interested in pursuing a waiver.
After contacting an attorney with the FAA, Trudeau said he did several weeks of research on his own and chose to complete the application without hiring a private attorney. The guidelines are fairly clear, Trudeau said, but he could have saved himself some headaches if he had logged his previous UAS flying times and made sure his quadcopter was built in the U.S., because the FAA will not register a UAS that is registered by any foreign government.
From start to finish, the process took Trudeau 170 days, but he said it should go a lot faster for new applicants.
The FAA has received more than 1,200 waiver applications, approved 311, and is on track to approve 20 to 40 waivers each week.
Some of the earlier waivers restrict operators from flying a UAS within five miles of any airport, while other waivers limit it to two miles. Williams said that safety is the agency's biggest concern, and because UAS are so easy to purchase and fly, it's a growing problem.
"A lot of folks out there don't understand the risk they are getting into when they operate near an airport. It's potentially very dangerous," said Williams, who also encouraged realtors to call the FAA and report any UAS activity near airports.
The FAA is working on ways to approve UAS flights over major metropolitan areas and also flights that go beyond the line of sight of the operator. On May 6, National Association of Realtors President Chris Polychron issued a statement in support of the FAA's intention to study the safety of these flights, which could lead to important benefits in the real estate industry, particularly for agents who wish to market rural and large commercial properties.
According to Jim Williams, manager of FAA's UAS Integration Office, the agency's administrator Michael Huerta is committed to quickly finalizing the federal rules for the commercial use of UAS in national airspace, which is currently prohibited. Until that time, realtors can apply for a Section 333 waiver, which provides a limited-use permit to the applicant and comes with many safety restrictions on use of the machine.
Panelist Doug Trudeau of Tierra Antigua Realty in Tuscon, Ariz., the first realtor to apply for and receive a Section 333 exemption from the FAA to create marketing videos for property listings, discussed the waiver application process and offered advice to other realtors who are interested in pursuing a waiver.
After contacting an attorney with the FAA, Trudeau said he did several weeks of research on his own and chose to complete the application without hiring a private attorney. The guidelines are fairly clear, Trudeau said, but he could have saved himself some headaches if he had logged his previous UAS flying times and made sure his quadcopter was built in the U.S., because the FAA will not register a UAS that is registered by any foreign government.
From start to finish, the process took Trudeau 170 days, but he said it should go a lot faster for new applicants.
The FAA has received more than 1,200 waiver applications, approved 311, and is on track to approve 20 to 40 waivers each week.
Some of the earlier waivers restrict operators from flying a UAS within five miles of any airport, while other waivers limit it to two miles. Williams said that safety is the agency's biggest concern, and because UAS are so easy to purchase and fly, it's a growing problem.
"A lot of folks out there don't understand the risk they are getting into when they operate near an airport. It's potentially very dangerous," said Williams, who also encouraged realtors to call the FAA and report any UAS activity near airports.
The FAA is working on ways to approve UAS flights over major metropolitan areas and also flights that go beyond the line of sight of the operator. On May 6, National Association of Realtors President Chris Polychron issued a statement in support of the FAA's intention to study the safety of these flights, which could lead to important benefits in the real estate industry, particularly for agents who wish to market rural and large commercial properties.
During
the session, NAR Associate Counsel Lesley Walker advised the audience
that until the FAA finalizes its regulations, Realtors should refrain
from using UAS technology for commercial marketing purposes.
Thursday, May 14, 2015
NASA to award unmanned aircraft test site contracts
NASA's
Armstrong Flight Research Center in California intends to solicit and
award one or more contracts to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)
authorized Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Test Sites, according to
contract documents released Thursday. The FAA authorized six Test
Sites for the purpose of research, development, and testing of UAS
aircraft to support integration of unmanned aircraft into the
National Airspace System.
The anticipated release date of the Request for Proposal is on or about June 15, with an anticipated offer due date of on or about July 30.
The anticipated release date of the Request for Proposal is on or about June 15, with an anticipated offer due date of on or about July 30.
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