Rafael Suárez is a drone journalist and content creator with more than 20 years behind the lens. He began in film photography in 1998, moved to digital in 2005, and has been flying and filming with drones since 2016. As a commercial videographer he has produced work for premium brands including BMW, Porsche, and MINI, and his documentary work champions a #flysafe mentality across the industry. Based in Quito, Ecuador, he covers drone news, hardware, and the policy and business shaping the industry for DroneXL, and shares reviews and cinematic flight on his YouTube channel. A dad and a lifelong aviation nerd, he's happiest when something is in the air.
Thermal drone footage has added fuel to a growing controversy in Southaven, Mississippi, where Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence company xAI is accused of operating unpermitted gas turbines to power its expanding datacenter footprint, as reported by The Guardian. An investigation by Floodlight newsroom used aerial thermal imaging (yep, the same that we write a lot…
Michigan is no longer just talking about drones. It just secured the airspace to prove it. The U.S. Department of Defense has officially designated Michigan’s National All Domain Warfighting Center as a National Range for Deep Uncrewed Aerial Systems training, as reported by FREEP. That is a long title, but the meaning is simple. Michigan…
This article has been updated on Feb. 19 2026 In the mountain town of Aspen, where forests press close against homes and ski lodges, wildfire season no longer waits politely for summer. It lingers year round, prowling the tree lines. Now, the Aspen Fire Department is answering with a new kind of strike force that…
A drone pilot in Maryland is now facing federal charges after allegedly flying over one of the most sensitive military sites in the United States and posting the footage to his YouTube channel, as FOX Baltimore reports. According to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court for Maryland, Stuart Dale Bennett was identified by the…
The DJI Osmo Pocket 4 is no longer just a rumor circulating in forums and Telegram groups. It has appeared in the real world. An official DJI retailer in Kuala Lumpur has shared hands on footage of the camera after a customer walked into the store carrying it. The video is now live on Instagram,…
A small college in Harrison, Arkansas just stepped onto a national stage. The Federal Aviation Administration has selected North Arkansas College’s Uncrewed Aerial Systems program for its Unmanned Aircraft Systems Collegiate Training Initiative, known as UAS CTI. The information was released by the North Arkansas College on their website. That puts Northark inside an elite…
The department has partnered with Ponderosa.ai to pilot what they describe as the nation’s first water dropping suppression drones
Flying the mission was Sgt. Michael Matelski, one of three FAA licensed pilots in the department. He deployed a DJI Matrice 30T, a compact
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