Latest Drones Headlines
All the headlines from our Drones Topic Page, ordered by recency.
N.Y. Sen. Schumer: Near Misses Show Need for Drone Regulations
Nov 24 2014 // U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., says recent near misses between aerial drones and aircraft at New York City’s Kennedy Airport show the need for federal regulations on the small, remote controlled aircraft. The New...
Safety Board Upholds FAA Regulation of Drones
Nov 18 2014 // The U.S. government’s ability to regulate drones was upheld today by a federal safety board, which overturned a judge’s decision that aviation regulations don’t apply to small unmanned aircraft. The...
Drone Use Takes Off Despite Safety Concerns, Restrictions
Nov 17 2014 // The government is getting near-daily reports — and sometimes two or three a day — of drones flying near airplanes and helicopters or close to airports without permission, federal and industry officials told The...
State Farm Seeking Approval to Test Drones in Illinois
Nov 3 2014 // State Farm Insurance is seeking federal approval to test drones in evaluating property damage and responding to natural disasters. The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reported that the Bloomington, Ill.-based company has filed an...
State Farm Seeks to Test Drone Use for Damage Response in Illinois
Oct 27 2014 // State Farm insurance company is seeking federal approval to test drones in evaluating property damage and responding to natural disasters. The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reported that the Bloomington-based company has filed...
Louisiana Agriculture Officials Seek Drone Rule Changes
Oct 6 2014 // Louisiana agricultural officials have asked the federal government to loosen restrictions on the use of pilotless aerial vehicles. The Advocate reported the Federal Aviation Administration is modifying drone regulations...
Insurer USAA Seeks OK to Test Drones for Claims Service
Oct 3 2014 // United Services Automobile Association (USAA), the insurer that specializes in coverage for military families, has filed for permission from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to use unmanned drone aircraft at...
NOAA Hopes Drones Get Data from Hurricane Edouard
Sep 18 2014 // U.S. government scientists are launching winged drones into Hurricane Edouard, hoping to collect data that could help forecasters understand what makes some storms strengthen into monsters while others fade away. This...
N.Y. Sen. Schumer Calls for Federal Rules on Private Drones
Aug 4 2014 // U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-NY) says privately operated drone aircraft are posing a threat to safety and privacy and should be regulated by the federal government. The Democrat says New York has become “the wild...
Drone Nearly Blocks Firefighting Planes in California
Jul 30 2014 // A private drone trying to record footage of a Northern California wildfire nearly hindered efforts to attack the flames from the air, but firefighters made enough progress to allow most of the 1,200 people under evacuation...
FAA Drone Regulations Bar Hobbyists Near Airports, Crowds
Jun 24 2014 // To corral a surge in incidents of reckless, recreational drone use, the U.S. government barred flights of small unmanned aircraft near airports and crowds. People who want to fly drones as hobbyists should take lessons on...
National Parks Service Temporarily Bans Drones Over Its Lands, Waters
Jun 23 2014 // The National Park Service last Friday temporarily banned the launching, landing or operating unmanned aircraft or drones on lands and waters it administers. National Park Service Director Jonathan B. Jarvis said the ban...
UPDATE: Missing Malaysia Jet Search Likely to Take Years – US Official
Apr 25 2014 // The search for missing Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 is likely to drag on for years, a senior U.S. defense official told Reuters on Friday, as an underwater search for any trace of the plane’s wreckage off west...
How Robots, Drones Are Transforming Mining and Mine Safety
Apr 4 2014 // Mines without miners? Not quite. Still, a technology boom in robots, drones, driverless trucks and pilotless trains is beginning to reshape one of the world’s most labor-intensive industries, portending automation of...
Colorado Town Puts Drone Hunting On Ballot
Apr 2 2014 // Voting is underway in a small Colorado community that wants to issue licenses to drone hunters. Deer Trail’s town clerk, Kim Oldfield, said voting was steady after polls opened at 7 a.m. Tuesday, and results are...
Mississippi Extends Trade Secret Protections for Research
Apr 1 2014 // Mississippi lawmakers have extended trade-secret protections to universities and community colleges by exempting materials tied to any commercial, scientific or technical research from the state’s Open Records Act...
North Carolina Report Outlines Government Use of Drones
Mar 11 2014 // State and local governments in North Carolina could use unmanned aircraft for law enforcement, hurricane recovery and monitoring wildlife, a new state report suggests. While the report issued by State Chief Information...
Judge’s Refusal to Fine Drone Operator Seen Spur to More Commercial Flying
Mar 10 2014 // A judge overturned a U.S. regulator’s first fine against a drone operator, a ruling that may lead to more commercial unmanned-aircraft flights in the U.S. before rules are written to govern their use. Judge Patrick...
The Future of Drones in the Insurance Industry
Mar 7 2014 // After a catastrophe hits, mobile units filled with adjusters are on site to evaluate property damage. Flash forward five years and an insured may never meet the property adjuster handling his or her claim. Instead, a drone...
Wake Forest Researchers Use Drone to Measure North Carolina Coal Ash Spill
Feb 27 2014 // A team of academic researchers equipped with a drone estimate that about 35 million gallons of coal ash and contaminated wastewater spilled into the Dan River earlier this month. Wake Forest University researchers released...
