We’re also covering a futuristic—but super sketchy-looking—drone bike, a beautiful FPV shot from the Dolomites, experiments with flying a drone inside a moving truck, and Cyberhawk’s nationwide BVLOS waiver.

Now on to the links!

FAA’s BVLOS Rule Will Be Released Next Month

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The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024—the recurring bill that funds the FAA for five years, reauthorizing the agency and setting its goals and priorities—mandated that the FAA draft a BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) rule by September of 2024. This means that we’ll see the new rule next month. Since the FAA released the Part 107 rules back in 2016, flying BVLOS has been a kind of holy grail for the drone industry. The FAA knows this, and it has been testing BVLOS operations for years, most recently in the BEYOND program (which takes its name from the first word in BVLOS).

So far, we know that the FAA’s BVLOS rule will:

• Establish operating rules for BVLOS operations.
• Streamline the acceptance process for BVLOS drone ops, replacing the current system of individually applying for waivers or exemptions.
• Define standards for remote pilots or UAS operators for BVLOS operations.

After the FAA releases the draft rule it will be open for public comment, at which point you can submit your thoughts on the rule to the FAA. Once the public comment window closes the FAA will collect feedback, finalize the rule, and release it. Follow the link below for more information on the rule’s timeline.

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Would You Ride This Drone Bike?

 

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Call me a worry wart, but I don’t see a seatbelt on this thing—though we have to admit, it looks pretty cool. This video was shared to an Instagram account called Upscale Luxury, but riding one of these flying bikes looks more like an extreme sport than a high-end transportation offering. Either way, I guess we’ll have to wait a few more years until we can try one for ourselves, since the post says “drone bicycles coming in 2026.”

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Tricky FPV Flying in the Dolomites

This short FPV shot was captured by YouTuber SirM Productions in the Dolomite Mountains, a famous mountain range in northeastern Italy. But the video doesn’t just feature stunning natural beauty. It also has some pretty tricky—not to mention gutsy—flying. Against a gorgeous backdrop, the pilot flies across a bridge and then under another one, with the space between the bridge and the water looking like it’s barely big enough to fit the drone. Said one commenter, “At first glance, I thought it’s kinda a video game trailer. Awesome shot and unrealistically beautiful place.”

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What Happens When You Fly a Drone Inside a Moving Truck?

If you’re standing in the back of a U-Haul, you’ll be pushed backward as the truck accelerates. This happens because of inertia. Newton’s First Law of Motion states that an object at rest tends to stay at rest, and an object in motion tends to stay in motion unless acted upon by an external force. Since your body is at rest it wants to stay at rest—until the force of the truck’s movement causes your body to move. But what happens to a drone hovering in the air? Does it also follow Newton’s First Law, or is it more complicated because it’s in the air? Watch this video to find out.

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Cyberhawk Secures Nationwide BVLOS Waiver

Credit: Cyberhawk

The FAA has granted drone inspection company Cyberhawk a waiver that allows it to operate drones BVLOS without the need for a visual observer—and the waiver applies throughout the U.S. This kind of sweeping BVLOS waiver is rare, and a big win not only for Cyberhawk, but also for the drone industry at large. These kinds of waivers are great for the drone industry because they expand the capabilities of commercial drone ops, opening not only new use cases but also expanding the vision for what drones can do to support work. According to the company, the waiver will “significantly enhance Cyberhawk’s ability to support critical infrastructure sectors, including utilities, oil and gas, and capital projects, with robust high-precision aerial inspections and data analytics.” With the waiver, Cyberhawk anticipates it will be able to increase efficiency, enhance safety, gain greater coverage, and get access to innovative data solutions.

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The post Drone News Roundup: FAA Will Release Major BVLOS Rule Next Month, Futuristic Drone Bike, and More! appeared first on UAV Coach.

We’re also covering upgrades to HoverAir’s X1 selfie drone ahead of the competing DJI Neo launch, Walmart ending drone delivery programs in three states, big improvements to Drone as First Responder programs through a new partnership between BRINC and Echodyne, and news about the schedule at Commercial UAV Expo, which is just two weeks away.

Now let’s get to those links!

Rolling Mountains with the Mavic 3 Pro

Need a moment of zen? Take a few minutes to watch this video expertly shot and edited by YouTuber @genki_drone92‬ entirely on the Mavic 3 Pro. According to the video’s creator, the Mavic 3 Pro’s triple-camera system elevated his entire approach to shooting, allowing him to “capture different viewing angles from the same drone, elevating my creative process to a whole new level.” He went on to say that “the 3 x tele camera was ideal for capturing jockeys, lambs, and cows . . . [and] the 7 x camera was great for shooting wildlife and other animals from farther away.” 

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HoverAir’s Selfie Drone Gets Big Upgrades ahead of DJI Neo Launch

Leaks about the DJI Neo have been all over the internet recently. Although its exact launch date is unknown, it’s clearly coming soon. And that is probably why the HoverAir X1—a popular selfie drone seen by many as the inspiration for the Neo—may be getting a major upgrade. Zero Zero Robotics, the company that makes the HoverAir X1, has put out two new versions:

• The HoverAir X1 Pro. Comes with a 1/2″ CMOS sensor and 17mm wide-angle lens, and can capture 4K videos at 60fps.
• The X1 Pro Max. Comes with a 1/1.3″ sensor and 16mm wide-angle lens, and captures 8K video at 30fps in 10-bit HDR.

When you look at the leaked Neo specs, it looks like these new HoverAir’s will beat the Neo in terms of video resolution. But the Neo has a lot of other compelling features, including voice control—stay tuned for news about its launch.

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Walmart Stops DroneUp Drone Delivery Services in Three States

Credit: Walmart

Walmart is ending drone delivery programs run by its partner DroneUp in Phoenix, AZ, Salt Lake City, UT, and Tampa, FL. The reason? The programs are just too expensive. At the moment, it costs $30 to make a drone delivery—more than it would cost to use other methods. DroneUp CEO Tom Walker recently said he wants to bring the cost down to $7, which would make it more viable. But for now, three of the delivery programs the company was conducting with Walmart will stop, which means that 18 Walmart delivery hubs will close, resulting in layoffs of 17% of DroneUp’s workforce (70 employees). You may remember that a Florida man recently shot down a DroneUp delivery drone making a test delivery for Walmart in Lake County, FL—apparently that program, which was just getting started, is still active.

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BRINC Partners with Echodyne to Automate DFR Programs

BRINC and Echodyne are partnering to bring “true BVLOS” to Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs, allowing these programs to operate without the need for visual observers. In a DFR program, a drone is deployed automatically to the scene of a 911 call, giving first responders early and ongoing intel to inform their response to the emergency. Through the partnership, Echodyne’s cutting-edge radar technology will be integrated into BRINC’s DFR solution, which includes the Responder Drone. This addition allows the drone to fly automated DFR missions, enabling automatic grounding or rerouting to avoid air traffic as well as alerting pilots to potential dangers.

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Commercial UAV Expo Is Just Two Weeks Away

Commercial UAV Expo is just two weeks away! The conference will take place from September 3-5 at Caesar’s Forum in Las Vegas, NV. Register here if you’re not already signed up.

Wondering what the schedule looks like? Here are the broad strokes:

• September 3: Outdoor flying demonstrations (6:15 AM – 12:00 PM)
• September 3: Exhibit hall opens (5:30 PM – 7:30 PM)
• September 4: Full day of keynotes, exhibits, and sessions (8:00 AM – 6:30 PM)
• September 5: Keynote, exhibits, and sessions continue (8:00 AM – 3:30 PM)

Daily features include exhibit hall hours, theater presentations, and breakout sessions, as well as networking events, including a welcome reception and happy hour. Learn more about the conference and why we’re so excited to attend here.

Planning to attend? We’ll be exhibiting—make sure to come see us at Booth 1226!

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Make sure to sign up for our free weekly newsletter using the button below so you can get our weekly newsletter every Saturday, with this roundup and our other featured stories from the week.

The post Drone News Roundup: Beautiful Cinematic Mavic 3 Pro Video, HoverAir Upgrades Selfie Drone ahead of DJI Neo Launch, and More! appeared first on UAV Coach.

We’re also covering an FPV drone video of the famous Transfăgărășan road in România, a story about a drone pilot using his Avata 2 to help rescue seven people aboard a sinking ship in Utah, a plan to use heavy lift drones for dangerous work on Mt. Everest, and news that the secret service will increase the use of drones following its failure to prevent the assassination attempt of former president Donald Trump.

Now on to the links!

New Leaks Reveal Launch Date, New Feature for the DJI Neo

Todays second #DJINEO promo text leaked, this time via #amazon: “The NEO captures stunning 4K ultra-stabilized video, delivering professional-quality footage. Safety is paramount, with full-coverage propeller guards protecting both the drone and its surroundings during flight.” pic.twitter.com/ynruIJspy6

— Jasper Ellens | X27 (@JasperEllens) August 11, 2024

A recent post on the DJI subreddit by user stipsVEVO revealed a possible new feature for the DJI Neo: voice control. The post shared a draft webpage for the Neo on the DJI site, which included a reference to the drone having voice control. (The webpage has since been taken down.) As for the launch date, drone insider @Quadro_News shared a list of dates in a recent tweet, which has the Neo coming out on August 20. It also has the Action 5 Pro coming out on August 28. Check out the post linked below to learn more about the DJI Neo.

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Epic FPV Drone Video of the Windy Transfăgărășan Road in Transylvania

The Transfăgărășan road in Romania is often touted as one of the best roads for sport driving in the world. This drone video from YouTuber Drone Supremacy takes us on an up-close tour of this windy road, making for a video that’s “full of adrenaline, action & of course drones” as its creator put it. The video was shot in just 24 hours and features establishing shots of wildlife and the scenery surrounding the road, which runs through the Fagaras mountains in Transylvania.

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Drone Pilot Helps Rescue People Aboard a Sinking Ship in Utah

A drone pilot named Stefan Ceciu recently used his drone to help rescue seven people from a sinking boat in Utah. Ceciu had shown up at the Utah Lake to fly his new Avata 2 when he saw first responders from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office gathered at the edge of the water. Ceciu approached emergency personnel to find out if he could fly and they asked about the range of his drone, wondering if he might be able to locate the sinking boat. He quickly put his drone in the air and was able to locate the boat within 15 minutes, sharing the GPS coordinates with police so they could rescue the people, including two toddlers. Unfortunately his drone didn’t make it back—the battery died, and it fell into the lake. Ceciu set up a GoFundMe to replace it, which has already raised almost $2,500, well over the cost of the drone.

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Drones to Help Sherpas on Mt. Everest

Credit: DJI

Last spring, DJI partnered with authorities in Nepal to test its FlyCart 30 delivery drone for transporting trash and climbing gear on Mt. Everest. After evaluating the results, Nepalese officials have decided to make drones a regular part of the work required to scale Everest. Using drones to haul gear from Camp 1 and Base Camp on the mountain will allow sherpas to avoid life threatening treks through the Khumbu Icefall, where over 50 people have died. Using drones for this work does mean that the work of hauling supplies may diminish for locals, but authorities have pointed out that sherpas will always be needed to guide climbers—jobs that pay more than the grueling work of hauling gear—they just won’t have to do the dangerous work of carrying supplies up the mountain.

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Secret Service Will Increase Use of Drones after Trump Assassination Attempt

When Thomas Crooks tried to assassinate former president Trump on July 13, the Secret Service didn’t have a drone on site. It’s been reported that they were also offered the use of a drone by local law enforcement to surveil the rally site, and turned it down. But now they’ll start using drones, says Ronald Rowe, the new Secret Service director. According to a recent statement from Rowe, “We should have had better coverage on that roofline”—and a drone could have provided that coverage. Going forward, the Secret Service plans to use drones for surveillance, both before and during major public events like the rally in Butler, PA where the assassination attempt took place. Crooks did use a drone to surveil the site before he attempted to assassinate Trump, presumably using the drone’s live feed to find the best place for him to try and take his shot.

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Make sure to sign up for our free weekly newsletter using the button below so you can get our weekly newsletter every Saturday, with this roundup and our other featured stories from the week.

The post Drone News Roundup: New Leaks Reveal Launch Date and Enticing New Feature for the DJI Neo, Epic FPV Drone Video of Windy Road in Transylvania, and More! appeared first on UAV Coach.

We’re also covering news that the man who shot former President Trump flew a drone over the site of the rally before the shooting, Disney snagging a Guinness World Record for a drone light show, a video from Zipline showing how its drones can fly safely alongside crewed aircraft using a proprietary UTM system, and news that the Blue UAS designation isn’t permanent.

Now let’s get to those links!

Follow Mt. Everest Climbing Route with the Mavic 3 Pro

DJI has shared a lot of great drone footage from Mt. Everest in the last few years. Recently, we saw the first drone delivery made there with the DJI Flycart 30. And last year DJI put out a video featuring footage shot high above the famous mountain. Shot by YouTuber @liulangCooki, this new Everest drone video from DJI follows the route climbers take up this famous mountain. Starting at Base Camp at an elevation of 3.3 miles, you go through four different camps, ending on the top at 5.5 miles in the sky. If you’re curious about what’s required to go up Mt. Everest, and what it looks like along the way, this footage is a great overview of that epic journey.

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Trump Shooter Used Drone to Fly Over Rally Site Two Hours Before Assassination Attempt

Credit: Gene J. Puskar / Associated Press

Thomas Matthew Crooks, the shooter who attempted to assassinate former President Trump at a rally on July 13, used a drone to surveil the site beforehand. The rally took place at the Butler fairgrounds in Prospect, Pennsylvania. Around 4 p.m. the day of the rally—just two hours before the shooting—Crooks flew a drone over the fairgrounds, flying about 200 yards from the stage on which Trump would shortly stand. He was in the air for about 11 minutes, and it seems like the goal of the flight was to identify the best position for him to shoot from. It’s now widely acknowledged that the assassination attempt is one of the greatest failures in security that’s ever taken place under the Secret Service’s watch. This drone flight can be seen as part of that failure, since the Secret Service doesn’t seem to have known about it until some time after the shooting. These days, security at high profile outdoor events must include securing the skies. And that means not just during an event but also beforehand, to try and identify those doing this kind of reconnaissance.

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Disney Earns Guinness World Record for Drone Light Show

 

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Disneyland Paris recently broke a Guinness World Record for a drone light show for “Largest aerial display of a fictional character formed by multirotors / drones.” The fictional character in question? Mickey Mouse himself. The giant Mickey was created out of an incredible 1,571 drones in a light show put on to celebrate Bastille Day. The light show was produced in collaboration between Disneyland Paris and global drone light show company Dronisos. Disney is no stranger to drone light shows. It uses them regularly at all of its locations, and has been making some of the biggest and best drone light shows in the world for several years now, with shows that continue to push the boundaries of what the medium can do.

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How Zipline Flies Drones Safely Alongside Other Drones and Crewed Aircraft

UTM (Uncrewed Traffic Management) is air traffic control for drones in the sky. It’s not a new concept—companies have been talking about UTM and making UTM systems for years. And yet actual implementation isn’t so common. But Zipline, the drone delivery company that has made by far the most deliveries in the world, is doing it. This short video explains how Zipline safely gets its delivery drones from one place to another, even in crowded airspace. In Zipline’s approach, its drones break up the flight path into small blocks called “volumes,” then request permission to be in that specific section of airspace at a specific time. UTM reserves the drone’s placement in that airspace at a specific time automatically, allowing it to reroute the path of other drones that may conflict with the original drone’s path.

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Blue UAS Designation May Have Renewal Requirements

The Skydio X2D | Credit: Skydio

Trent Emeneker, DIU Blue UAS program manager, recently shared that getting onto the Blue UAS list doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll stay there. According to Emeneker, there are some Blue UAS platforms that have been on the list for around four years without evolving or remaining competitive in the marketplace. To address the need for innovation and staying current, the DIU (Defense Innovation Unit)—the wing of the DOD that oversees the Blue UAS program—is planning to hold a competitive refresh for Blue UAS this year. The Blue UAS list has continued to expand since launching. Recently, it grew to include three new drones—the Skydio X10D, the Anduril Industries Ghost/Ghost X and the Freefly Systems Astro—as well as growing its list of approved drone components from five to 36.

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Make sure to sign up for our free weekly newsletter using the button below so you can get our weekly newsletter every Saturday, with this roundup and our other featured stories from the week.

The post Drone News Roundup: Full Mt. Everest Climbing Route by Mavic 3 Pro, Trump Shooter Used Drone, and More! appeared first on UAV Coach.

This month marks UAV Coach’s 10th anniversary.

To celebrate the anniversary, we’ve released a newly updated Drone Pilot Ground School, our test prep course for the FAA’s Part 107 exam.

We’ve completely reimagined the course with:

• Brand new videos
• Virtual flashcards
• Personalized study plans
• Spanish subtitles

And a lot more, which we’ll cover below in this article.

To celebrate the new version of the course, we’re offering $100 off thru August 14th.

Sign up now to get the discount.

Celebrating Ten Years by Doubling Down on Our Commitment to Drone Pilots

When UAV Coach first started in 2014, the FAA’s Part 107 certification didn’t exist. From 2014 to 2016, the only way to operate drones commercially was to obtain a Part 333 exemption.

In 2016, the FAA released the Part 107 rules.

On the same day the rules came out we launched Drone Pilot Ground School, our online test prep course to help drone pilots pass the Part 107 test.

Since then, we’ve trained over 65,000 drone pilots to become Part 107 certified. Our students have over a 99% pass rate on the test, and we’re trusted by nationally recognized organizations like Tesla, the NYPD, and NBC Universal to train their pilots.The journey to get to this point has been incredible. And all of our success has come from you, our students.

That’s why we wanted to celebrate UAV Coach’s 10th anniversary by creating a completely up-to-date version of Drone Pilot Ground School.

[Want to see what the course looks like? See inside one of our lessons!]

The original course was made in 2016, just before the FAA released the Part 107 rules.

After a few years, we felt like we could do better. So we completely redid Drone Pilot Ground School, reshooting videos, creating new lessons to address notes from our students, and making the learning experience more seamless.

Now, we created a completely new, up-to-date version of Drone Pilot Ground School to provide the very best resources for our students—keep reading to learn more about the updates we made.

What’s New in Drone Pilot Ground School

Here’s a closer look at the updates we made in the new version of Drone Pilot Ground School.

NEW Most Updated Industry Content

We guarantee that you will be getting access to the industry’s most up-to-date content so that you can have confidence in passing the FAA exam.

Our videos are NEW as of July 2024, no outdated videos here!

Here’s a look inside the new course:

NEW Personalized Study Plans

Complete the course in one week or spread it out over the course of two weeks or one month. With our study plans, you’ll be able to pace your training to your ideal completion time.

NEW Virtual Flash Cards

Our course now includes digital flash cards to provide even more study tools to help you pass the exam the first time. Guaranteed.

NEW Spanish Subtitles

Although you need to be able to read, speak, write, and understand English to become a certified drone pilot; we now offer Spanish subtitles for more accessible learning.

Ready to become a commercial drone pilot?

Get $100 off the newly updated Drone Pilot Ground School now.

The post Want to Become Part 107 Certified? Get $100 Off Our Newly Updated Test Prep Course, Drone Pilot Ground School appeared first on UAV Coach.

We’re also covering a Shark Week video that features drones testing the agility of great whites, the potential dangers of Remote ID for drone pilots, DJI’s annual report on drones in agriculture, and Wing’s latest innovation in drone delivery.

Now on to the links!

DJI Ban Won’t Get Passed—For Now

 

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The Countering CCP Drones Act—commonly called the DJI ban, since it calls for banning all DJI drones in the U.S.—is not moving forward. The law was included in the House version of the 2025 NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) and sent to the Senate last month. Last year, the ASDA (American Security Drone Act) was included in the 2024 NDAA, and became law that way. (The ASDA implemented a Chinese drone ban for federal agencies.) The Senate hasn’t included the Countering CCP Drones Act in its version of the 2025 NDAA, which it released last week. Assuming no changes get made, this means the DJI ban isn’t moving forward for now.

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Drones Hang Food in Front of Great Whites to Test Their Agility

We’ve heard of using drones to keep people safe from sharks. But have you heard of using drones for testing sharks’ agility? That’s the use case featured in the video above, which the Discovery Channel put out recently during its annual Shark Week. In the video, researchers use drones equipped with a bait line to test the agility of great white sharks (which, no surprise, is pretty incredible). Jump to 00:42 in the video to see what we’re talking about.

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Is Remote ID Dangerous for Drone Pilots?

A commercial drone pilot in Texas recently shared a disturbing story about someone using Remote ID to locate and threaten him while he was doing agriculture work with his drone. According to the pilot, a stranger figured out “exactly where I was using the remote ID broadcast” and then drove up and almost pinned “me between their car and my trailer and in the middle of my landing zone.” The stranger had a gun and “started screaming at me to get the damn drone off his . . . land.” The pilot goes on to clarify that he wasn’t on the man’s land, and was in fact working for the land’s owner.

This is exactly the kind of situation drone pilots worried about when the FAA first proposed the Remote ID rule. At the time, the FAA addressed these concerns by saying that only authorized authorities would be able to use the Remote ID broadcast to locate pilots. Clearly, that’s not been the case. And with more and more people shooting at drones and harassing drone pilots, these concerns seem more valid now than ever.

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Annual Report Shows Major Growth for Agriculture Drones

Credit: DJI

Speaking of drones in agriculture, DJI just put out its annual report on the subject. The report’s findings are impressive, showcasing the big, positive impact that drone technology is having on farming—and on the environment. Here are some standout stats from the report:

• Ag drones are operating in 100 countries and regions.
• Ag drones have helped save 210 million metric tons of water (the equivalent of the annual water consumption of 390 million people).
• Ag drones treated 500 million hectares of farmland in the last year (that’s 1.9 million square miles).
• Ag drones have helped reduce carbon emissions by 25.72 million metric tons (the equivalent of saving 1.2 billion trees).

The report also details the legislative progress made for ag drones throughout the world, taking a close look at many of the countries where they operate. Follow the link below to read the full 35-page report.

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Wing’s Latest Innovation in Drone Delivery

We’ve all seen drones use a wire to lower packages to the ground. But have you wondered how they actually hold and release the package from the line? There are different ways to do it, and Wing has created an innovative “pill” package hook that is a crucial part of how its deliveries get made. The pill is designed to be aerodynamic and be stable in flight—even when going as fast as 65 mph. Watch the video above to see how it works.

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Make sure to sign up for our free weekly newsletter using the button below so you can get our weekly newsletter every Saturday, with this roundup and our other featured stories from the week.

The post Drone News Roundup: DJI Ban Not Moving Forward, Feeding Sharks from Drones, and More! appeared first on UAV Coach.