drone safety News

Why Insurance Lawyer Grounded FAA’s Drone Registry

John Taylor didn’t like the idea of being forced by the Federal Aviation Administration to register his drones. The requirement was “authoritarian,” the Maryland attorney said, and wouldn’t deter reckless fliers. So the aviation law novice — he works in …

Amazon’s Delivery Drone Project Focuses on Birds (and How to Avoid Them)

Amazon.com Inc.’s development of package-delivery drones is progressing to the point where the company is now thinking a lot about geese. The e-commerce company said Thursday it has started development of an air-traffic control system to manage its fleet as …

U.S. Court Voids Recreational Drone User Registry

The government’s authority to oversee burgeoning recreational drone use was dealt a setback when a federal appeals court barred the Federal Aviation Administration from forcing hobbyists to register the millions of unmanned aircraft taking flight. While Friday’s decision by the …

Dummies Taking Hits for Drone Safety

Hank sat impassively on a Virginia Tech athletic field, ready to take it on the chin for the future of drone commerce. About 30 yards away, an eight-rotor unmanned copter hovered, buzzing like a swarm of bees. The 21-pound drone …

Report Criticizes FAA Safety Oversight of Drones as Lax

U.S. aviation regulators approved commercial drone applications so quickly in recent years that they missed safety violations and took few enforcement actions, a government watchdog report concluded. The Federal Aviation Administration over a two-year span granted more than 5,500 exemptions …

Amazon and UK Government Form Partnership to Test Drone Deliveries

Amazon Inc. and the British government have announced a partnership to test the e-commerce giant’s aerial drone parcel delivery system after run-ins over the technology’s use. Supervised by the U.K.’s aviation safety regulator, the Civil Aviation Authority, the trial will …

Pilots: Don’t Underestimate Safety Threat Posed by Drones

You’re landing at New York’s LaGuardia Airport on the “expressway” approach—it’s called that because you come in low enough to buzz the Grand Central Parkway and Mets’ Citi Field before dropping down quickly on a runway that perches over the …

Augusta, Georgia Approves Drone Ban Over Crowds

Augusta, Ga., has approved one of the region’s first local drone laws, which bans the unmanned aircraft from flying in areas where 100 or more people might gather. Officials with the Association County Commissioners of Georgia and the Georgia Municipal …

U.K. Eyes Requiring Drones to Fit Anti-Collision Technology for Aviation Safety

Britain is considering whether civilian drones will have to be fitted with technology intended to prevent collisions with airplanes after a series of near-misses around airports. “The U.K. government and the Civil Aviation Authority are talking to manufacturers about implementing …

Georgia City Bans Drones Over City Gatherings

Officials in Augusta, Ga., have voted to ban drone flights year-round over crowded areas. The Augusta Chronicle reports that after having banned the devices during the Masters golf tournament, the Augusta Commission voted 7-2 on March 1 to ban drones …