The Federal Aviation Administration announced six states on Monday that will develop test sites for drones, a critical next step for the march of the unmanned aircraft into U.S. skies. Alaska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Texas and Virginia will host the research sites, the agency said. “This is a HUGE win for citizens action…
With only three highly anticipated days to go, the Economic development offices and major research universities across the nation are waiting with the anticipation of a kid on Christmas Eve for the Federal Aviation Administration to decide where it will station research and test sites for drones. The FAA’s decision, which could be worth billions…
Residents of the back country communities of San Diego County are sounding off about drone testing. They are concerned about their safety, environment and privacy, but mostly about why they say there are no regulations concerning any of those. By 2020, members of citizen advocacy group “Back Country Voices” say there will be 30,000 unmanned…
While it is no big revelation the FAA’s successive FAA administrators have been fiddling while the RPAS/UAS airspace integration Rome has burnt to the ground, but here we will examine how far ahead the rest of the world is and why? The graphic aptly illustrates who is leading the way and how the U.S. as…
The relatively new technology of modern Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) inherently offers potentially great benefits to myriad facets of the U.S. economy. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the lead federal agency responsible for policy, regulation, and oversight of UAS technology and integration outside the military, has been working this issue since the mid- 2000′s—with…
PRIVACY PROTECTION: BAN ON THE USE OF DRONES BY FEDERAL AND STATE AGENCIES Charlottesville, Va., passed a resolution that urged the state of Virginia to adopt a two-year moratorium on drones (which it did), urged both Virginia and the U.S. Congress to prohibit information obtained from the domestic use of drones from being introduced into…
In March 2012, Sandia National Laboratories released a summary of research it had conducted with Northrop Grumman‘s unmanned systems division concerning an “ultra-persistent propulsion and power system” for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV). The conclusion was that UAVs could be built with longer endurance and lower operating cost than with hydrogen or hydrocarbon fuel, creating “unmatched…
Flying robots equipped with 3D gear: better surveillance on the cheap They can be deployed as additional surveillance resources during major events, or as high-resolution 3D street imaging systems. Intelligent swarms of aerial drones are a universally useful tool for police, crisis managers and urban planners. Special 3D sensors developed by Fraunhofer researchers ensure flawless…
The crash of a U.S. drone on the Seychelles Island in 2012 was the second crash of a U.S. drone on Seychelles in four months during a U.S. surveillance missions over Somalia. This underlines the deadly folly of a U.S. collaboration with national laboratory scientists and the Northrop Grumman Corp. for nuclear-powered drones. The use of nuclear power…
Residents of San Diego county are justifiably concerned that new drone technology will soon be tested over their homes and schools. The area has recently been approved as an official FAA drone testing site. The people of Julian, California, in San Diego County, packed a crowded forum on the test site hosted by Back Country Voices. The event brought together a…
Back Country Voices 