commercial drones News

U.S. Approves Commercial Drone Flights Over Populated Areas With Tracking

Commercial drone use for deliveries and services cleared a major hurdle in the U.S. with new rules allowing the devices to fly over populated areas for the first time and requirements for tracking them to address safety and security concerns. …

Long-Awaited U.S. Drone Safety Rules Call for Extensive Tracking Network

All but the smallest civilian drones would have to broadcast radio tracking data to ensure greater safety and prevent terrorism under a sweeping proposal unveiled by U.S. regulators Thursday. The long-awaited draft rules call for a massive new tracking network …

Ease Up On Commercial Drones, Scientists Advise Safety Regulators

Science advisers to the federal government say safety regulators are hindering the spread of commercial drones by being too cautious about the risks posed by the flying machines. The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine said in a report …

China’s Largest Courier Firm, SF Holding, Wins License to Deliver Parcels by Drone

Chinese courier company SF Holding Co. says it’s won a license to operate drones, opening up a new potential frontier for package delivery in the world’s second-largest economy. SF, the nation’s largest listed courier provider by market value, said late …

Europe Regulator Proposes Hacking, Geo-Awareness Protections for Drones

Europe’s aviation safety authority has proposed anti-hacking measures and geo-awareness technology for small drones to avoid collisions with aircraft or people, taking an important step toward Europe-wide regulation. The reworked proposal published by the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on …

Law Enforcement Must Play Strong Role to Deter Dangerous Use of Drones: IATA

Law enforcement authorities must play a strong role to ensure there are suitable deterrents in place for those flying recreational drones to prevent danger to passenger aircraft, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said on Tuesday. Risks posed by the …

U.S. to Expand Testing of Drones

President Donald Trump launched a program on Wednesday to expand testing of drones to include flights over people, nighttime operations and flights out of sight of the operator, the White House said. The pilot program aims to speed up the …

Insurers Deploy Drone Fleets to Speed Harvey Disaster Recovery

Fleets of commercial drones are primed to hover over the destruction from Tropical Storm Harvey in an unprecedented test of unmanned aircraft’s ability to assess billions of dollars in damage for the insurance industry and accelerate payouts for harried policyholders. …

Through the Roof: Drone Startup Cites Milestone of 6,000 Inspections

BetterView, an insurance technology startup that captures and analyzes data from drones, said it has performed more than 6,000 roof top inspections for insurers since its inception two years ago. San Francisco, California based BetterView has software that streamlines the …

Drone Makers Shift to Commercial Uses as Consumer Market Crashes

The fledgling drone industry is in the throes of change as weak consumer demand and falling prices drive startups to shift their focus to specialized business applications. 3D Robotics – an early drone startup that raised more than$125 million from …