Drone News: Drone Stops NFL Game, FAA Safety Login Changes, DJI Agras T60, Skyebrowse 2D Mapping

Welcome to the Weekly UAS News Update! This week, we have four exciting stories for you. First up, the Ravens vs. Bengals game was halted due to a Drone Incident. Next, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Safety is updating its login process. We also hear rumors about a new DJI Agras T60. SkyBrowse has released a 2D mapping software. Lastly, don’t miss our Black Friday sale!

Before we continue, I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving. I’m thankful for everyone who watches this segment and engages in the comments. What began as a way to inform students about industry news has grown into a video watched by over 20,000 people weekly. I love reading your comments each Friday morning and interacting with all of you.

NFL Game Stopped Because of Drone

Now, onto our first segment. A major league football game was recently interrupted due to a drone flying over the stadium, violating the stadium TFR. While it’s easy to say, “Don’t be that guy,” this incident highlights deeper issues. For one, there’s inadequate notification for these TFRs. A single NOTAM is issued for all stadium TFRs in the country, maybe annually, making it difficult for drone pilots who are unaware of events to know about these TFRs.

Additionally, we must improve drone pilot Education, starting at the point of sale. The FAA requires manufacturers to include an informational brochure with each drone sold in the US, but this rule is not enforced. Better-informed pilots could avoid incidents like the one at the football game.

FAA Safety Login Changes

The FAA is transitioning to multi-factor authentication for non-governmental employee logins. This update should take about 5 minutes. You can use your old credentials until November 30th of this year. FAAsafety.gov is where you’ll find your recurrent training and additional drone information.

DJI Agras T60 Rumor

We’ve got news of a new and larger Agras from DJI. A leaked image suggests the T60 will have a 60L liquid spray capacity. While details are sparse, we can expect improvements over the T40’s specifications.

Skyebrowse 2D Mapping

Our friends at Skyebrowse in Texas have released a free 2D mapping tool. Like their 3D mapping product, this new offering uses videos instead of pictures to create models. It’s fast, efficient, and now free to try.

Black Friday Sale

Our entire catalog of courses is on sale for Black Friday, up to 50% off. This includes the Part 107 course for just $107 and our new “Part 107 Waivers Made Easy” course.

That’s all for this week! Join us on Monday for a live event, possibly with a special guest. Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and see you next week for more UAS news updates.