Around the Commercial Drone Industry: License Plate Recognition, Spray Drones, Powerline Inspection
Vancouver Police will become Canada’s first force to field six drones that augment live surveillance with license‑plate recognition, linking the aircraft to officers’ body cameras for instant backup. In Illinois, recent graduate Peyton Fallen launched Deadeye Drone Services, spraying roughly 10,000 acres of corn, soy and wheat at $14.50 per acre and repaying most of a six‑figure startup loan in the first season. Pacific Gas and Electric is scaling its drone inspection program, using high‑definition and infrared imaging to scan four to seven miles of power lines per day, aiming to spot faults before outages occur.
Electra Aero’s Charleston Demonstration: A New Chapter for Ultra Short Regional Flight
Electra Aero showcased its EL2 ultra‑short takeoff and landing (USTOL) demonstrator in Charleston, South Carolina, completing a passenger‑carrying flight that touched down in under 150 feet. The flight, observed by airline executives and policymakers, highlighted the company’s blown‑lift architecture and hybrid‑electric...
How the Drone Industry Can Help Shape Its Own Future
The commercial drone market is increasingly fragile, relying on a single dominant platform that leaves operators vulnerable to supply‑chain shocks and regulatory shifts. Chris Raabe of ACSL argues that collaboration across manufacturers, software firms, payload developers, and allied nations is...
Why Detroit Is a Natural Home for America's Drone Manufacturing Push
Detroit is positioning itself as the hub for the United States’ drone‑manufacturing resurgence, highlighted by the recent AUVSI XPONENTIAL conference held downtown. Federal policy now prioritizes onshoring UAV production for national‑security and economic reasons, and the city’s legacy auto‑plant infrastructure...
Learn the Ins and Outs of Drone Thermography From Pilot Institute
Drone thermography is expanding beyond emergency response into construction, energy, agriculture, and livestock monitoring. Pilot Institute will host a free webinar on June 2 at 1 PM ET, led by Level 3 Master Thermographer Jason Wood, to teach fundamentals and best practices....
How Drone Companies, Public Safety Agencies, and Individual Pilots Can Thrive Under Part 108, Part 146, Section 2209, and the...
The FAA’s upcoming Part 108/146 BVLOS rulemaking, Section 2209 site‑restriction proposal, and the DETER enforcement policy are moving the U.S. drone market from waiver‑based experimentation to organization‑centric, telemetry‑backed regulation. This shift raises compliance complexity, fixed and recurring costs, and expands restricted airspace...
Around the Commercial Drone Industry: Cargo Delivery, Mine Mapping, Drone Booth
Elroy Air’s Chaparral heavy‑payload drone has been chosen for the U.S. DOT’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, positioning it to deliver 300 lb cargo over 300 mi across the Gulf Coast. In mining, Estrella Resources is using a DJI FlyCart 30 to conduct electromagnetic...
Divergent Paths in the Race for Autonomous Cargo Aviation
The autonomous cargo aviation race is crystallizing around three distinct models. Pakistan’s Zelta AeroSystems proposes an amphibious VTOL with hybrid or fuel‑cell power and a licensing‑focused strategy for sovereign markets. U.S.‑based Elroy Air is building a certifiable hybrid‑electric VTOL, the...
Beyond GPS: How ANELLO Photonics Is Building Navigation Resilience for Commercial Drones
GPS has become the backbone of commercial drone navigation, but its signal can be lost in tunnels, orchards, or under intentional jamming, leaving many UAVs unable to fly. ANELLO Photonics’ SiPhOG—an optical gyroscope built on a silicon‑photonic chip—offers vibration‑immune inertial...
Rising Threat From Rogue Drones Frames Section 2209 NPRM Conversation
The FAA has issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) under Section 2209 to curb the rising threat of rogue drones targeting critical infrastructure such as refineries, chemical plants, and prisons. The proposal creates two tiers of Unmanned Aircraft Flight Restriction...
Around the Commercial Drone Industry: NOTAM Rescinded, Technology at AUVSI’s XPONENTIAL, Heavy-Lift eVTOL
The FAA has withdrawn its controversial NOTAM that barred drone flights near federal buildings, replacing the blanket ban with a caution‑advice while litigation over First Amendment rights continues. At XPONENTIAL 2026, TECO Electric & Machinery showcased a new 10‑100 kg payload...
What Is a Drone? And an eVTOL? Are They the Same?
Joby Aviation recently conducted experimental flights over New York City, marking the shift from prototype demos to FAA‑approved certification testing with a pilot on board. The FAA’s evolving AAM framework emphasizes remote‑pilot and autonomous operations to handle future urban traffic...
How to Launch a Successful Drone Service Business: Advice From Operators Who've Done It
Commercial UAV News hosted a webinar where seasoned operators—Robert Hart of Lidar Drone Services, Dan Tartaglia of DroneAbility LLC, and Matt Young of Aerial Ashes—shared a step‑by‑step playbook for launching a profitable drone service business. The panel emphasized four pillars:...
Around the Commercial Drone Industry: Program Testing, FIFA World Cup, Amusement Park Restrictions
Leander, Texas, is piloting a two‑week drone‑first‑response program using Skydio X10 units that can launch in 20 seconds and reach incident sites in under 90 seconds, delivering live video and thermal imaging to police and fire crews. The drones can...
ACSL and Draganfly Strike Exclusive Distribution Deal to Bring SOTEN Platform to Canada
Japanese drone maker ACSL has signed an exclusive master distributor agreement with Vancouver‑based Draganfly Inc., bringing the SOTEN multi‑mission quadcopter to Canada. The SOTEN platform features a swappable payload architecture with four camera options, including a 20 MP sensor and a...