Drone News Roundup: Orcas Eating Great White Sharks, Hurricane Ian Aftermath, and More!

This week we’re covering aerial footage showing killer whales hunting and eating great white sharks off the coast of South Africa.

We’re also covering drone footage of the wreckage caused by Hurricane Ian, a cinematic video from DJI highlighting the capabilities of its new Avata cinewhoop drone, news that the DJI RC will soon be compatible with the Air 2S, and a statement from AUVSI in opposition to the creation of drone tollways.

Now onward, to the links!

Drone Video Captures Orcas Hunting Great White Sharks

This aerial footage from an organization called Sea Search Research & Conservation shows orcas (also known as killer whales) hunting great white sharks off the coast of South Africa. According to Alison Towner, a senior shark scientist at Marine Dynamics Academy in Gansbaai, South Africa, “this behavior has never been witnessed in detail before, and certainly never from the air.” The footage was used in a paper written by Towner and her colleagues, which drew from both drone footage and helicopter footage to provide “new evidence that orcas are capable of pursuing, capturing, and incapacitating white sharks.”

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Drone Footage from Hurricane Ian’s Aftermath

This footage captured by drone pilot Russell Spurlock of Furious Pugs after Hurricane Ian shows just how devastating the hurricane was, pushing huge yachts together and up onto the dock. The footage was shot with a DJI Avata in Fort Myers at the Legacy Harbor Marina, near where Spurlock lives. Follow the link below to see another video from him showing the damage the hurricane wrought both on land and in the water in Cape Coral and Sanibel.

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DJI Avata “No Limits” Video

Featuring shots of natural beauty, motocross, skateboarding, and mountain biking, this video from DJI showcases the kinds of up-close aerial footage you can get with its new Avata. The Avata is a cinewhoop—a drone made for FPV fly-throughs, which are often used to create intimate, behind-the-scenes tours. Cinewhoops can also be used for capturing stunning, cinematic footage of dramatic scenes and athletic events, as showcased here in this video. If you’re looking for some fun, beautiful drone footage, this video won’t disappoint.

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DJI to Add Air 2S Support for DJI RC Soon

Good news， DJI CS said DJI RC will support DJI Air 2S this month pic.twitter.com/Zlet8fT1Ou

— 航拍世家 打手 (@DealsDrone) October 10, 2022

If you own a DJI Air 2S and you’ve been wondering when you’ll be able to fly it with the DJI RC, it looks like your wait may be over. According to a leak from drone industry insider @DealsDrone, DJI is planning to release Air 2S compatibility for the RC quite soon. The RC lets you fly without a smartphone, instead allowing pilots to use its built-in 5.5″ FHD display screen—follow the link below to learn more.

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AUVSI Releases Statement Against Drone Tollways

Credit: AUVSI

In a recent statement, AUVSI came out strongly in opposition to legislation proposing to “restrict and tax drone operations, dismantle federal authority of the airspace, and create a dangerous and impossible to navigate patchwork of local and state regulations.” The types of laws AUVSI is talking about would essentially create aerial tollways, forcing drone pilots to pay in order to fly over certain areas. These laws fall under the notion of avigation easements—the idea that property owners also have control over what happens in the airspace over their property. None of these laws exist yet for drones, though they do for crewed aircraft.

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