Drone News Roundup: Taxi Drones in Miami, Stunning Drone Tour of Paris, and More!

This week we’re covering news that Eve UAM has formed a consortium to develop taxi drone operations in the city of Miami.

We’re also covering an eye popping drone video of Paris, news that Canon seems to be working on a camera made for a drone, Joby Aviation’s successful completion of FAA compliance reviews for its taxi drone, and the FAA’s request for input on creating vertiports in the U.S.

Now let’s get to those links!

Eve UAM Creates Consortium to Provide Drone Taxi Flights in Miami

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Credit: Eve UAM

Eve UAM is working to make drone taxis a reality in Miami. The first step has been to form a consortium with several other Urban Air Mobility (UAM) organizations, including Skyports and L3Harris Technologies. Together, these partners will work to create a Concept of Operations for conducting regular drone taxi flights between the Miami International Airport and the Miami Beach Convention Center. One of the first steps the consortium is taking in this work is to hold “listen and learn” sessions throughout the city to gather community input.

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Stunning Video Tour of Paris by Award Winning Drone Videographer

We really enjoyed this video tour of Paris made by YouTube creator Sergio Mota. The video features footage shot with a DJI Mavic 2 Pro as well as several handheld cameras. We heard about Sergio’s work when he won the Grand Prize in Skypixel’s first annual Creative Video contest for his video “Tuscany through Art.” Follow the link below to see that video as well as all the other category winners from the contest.

SEE THE CREATIVE VIDEO WINNERS

Is Canon Getting into Drones?

Canon recently submitted a patent for a camera that can be mounted on a drone. The patent describes the ability for the camera to tilt, pan, and track subjects automatically. Canon is one of the biggest, most well-established camera manufacturers out there, and it will definitely be big news if they decide to break into the drone industry. The patent only describes the camera system, but not the drone on which it would be mounted, indicating that the camera could be used on various drone models. C

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Joby Aviation Completes FAA Compliance Reviews for Its Taxi Drone

Credit: Joby Aviation

Drone taxi company Joby Aviation has completed its first Systems Review and Compliance Review with the FAA. After completion, the FAA subsequently approved the reviewed systems. They included assessments of the company’s plans and process for developing complex, safety-critical, aerospace-grade systems and equipment, including systems such as flight controls, propulsion controls, battery management, and others. Joby Aviation has an ambitious plan to launch an aerial ridesharing service in 2024—these reviews and approvals represent one more step toward achieving that goal.

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FAA Asks for Input on Vertiports to Help build Taxi Drone Infrastructure

Credit: Urban-Air Port

The FAA is currently collecting input on the development of vertiports, which are airports made just for taxi drones. In a recent tweet, the FAA wrote: “Flying taxis are coming, but where will they take off and land? The answer is called a vertiport, and we want your feedback by April 18 on safety standards and design requirements.” Specifically, the FAA would like information on safety standards and design requirements (you can find more information on what the FAA needs here). Input can be sent via email to vertiports@faa.gov.

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