Drone News Roundup: The Biggest Drone Stories of 2021 and More!
BY Zacc Dukowitz
31 December 2021Happy new year!
This week we’re doing a special roundup featuring highlights from 2021.
In today’s roundup, we’re covering the top drone stories of the year, the biggest product launches of the year, the best extreme sports FPV videos, our favorite cinewhoop videos of the year, and all the standout drones for good stories from this year.
Now let’s get to those links!
The 9 Biggest Drone Stories of 2021
This was a huge year for the drone industry, with major product launches (including the long-awaited launch of the DJI Mavic 3), a return to in-person events, and some big progress made on the drone taxi front. The FAA also launched the TRUST (The Recreational UAS Safety Test) for recreational flyers this year, and UAV Coach has already had over 35,000 people take the test with us. Read the post to learn more about these stories, and to see the other top drone news stories from this year.
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The 11 Biggest Drone Product Launches of 2021
Credit: Sony
It’s no exaggeration to say that 2021 was one of the biggest years ever for drone product launches. It could be that some drone companies held back their top releases in 2020 out of fears that launching during uncertain times might tank their chances for success, or it could be that companies were just cooking up something special that happened to be ready to launch this year. Regardless of the reason, we saw several major product releases this year, including DJI’s Mavic 3, Sony’s Airpeak S1, Parrot’s ANAFI Ai, and a whole lot more—read the post for all the top product launches from this year.
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The Top 11 Cinewhoop Videos of 2021
In many ways, this is the video that started the cinewhoop craze this year. Since Jay Christensen—the video’s creator—shared this video back in March it’s racked up several million views, drawn the attention of Hollywood directors and big wigs, and even garnered press coverage from places like the New York Times. The flying is top notch, but so is the production itself, with careful planning put into timing things and getting the audio and the choreography just right.
This is just one of the impressive cinewhoop videos featured in our list—check out the post to see all 11 of them.
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Our Favorite Drones for Good Stories of 2021
Credit: Panama Flying Labs
This year saw a big uptick in the instances of drones being used for good, with new applications and inspiring stories pouring in from all over the world. In Panama, drone mapping helped indigenous people make plans for how to deal with a housing crisis. In New Zealand, drones may be a key tool for helping to save an endangered dolphin whose population has dwindled to just 63. And in the U.S., drones helped bring the internet to students in rural Wisconsin, were used as lifeguards in California, and helped protect the endangered golden eagle in Utah. Read the post to learn more about these and our other favorite drones for good stories from 2021.
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The Top 10 Extreme Sports FPV Drone Videos
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This video from Instagrammer @NIKOFILMZ ranks among some of the craziest things we’ve seen captured by a drone. As if base jumping off a bridge weren’t extreme enough, these jumpers decided to ride on the top of a moving car, doing forward and backward flips into the air before releasing their parachutes. Not only are the stunts impressive—and terrifying—the piloting can’t have been easy to pull off, given the factors of the moving vehicle and the need to avoid hitting the base jumpers while they’re rocketing through the air.
This video is just one of the top 10 featured in our list of the best extreme sports FPV videos we could find—check out the post to see all of them.
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