California
Drones Take on Mosquitoes in California’s Coachella Valley
The Coachella Valley Mosquito and Vector Control District has begun using drones to locate mosquito breeding sites and stop outbreaks before
Rafael Suárez
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.
1,178
Articles
144
Beats covered
2025
Writing since
Aug 13
Latest story
Zipline
Drones vs Spoiled Vaccines: Rwanda Finds a Fix
In many rural parts of Africa, vaccines face an enemy more dangerous than misinformation or logistics, heat. Nearly one in four doses are thrown away simply because they fall outside the narrow temperature range they need to stay effective, a quiet tragedy when every vial represents protection that never reached an arm. Now Rwanda is…
EVTOL
Hong Kong may get passenger drones by 2027, keep arms inside the aircraft
Hong Kong has been easing into the drone era politely. First medical deliveries. Then a few food runs. Very civilized. No airborne chaos. No dystopian sky traffic jams yet but the city is clearly done with baby steps. At the Airspace Asia Pacific 2025 event at AsiaWorld Expo, Hong Kong’s Secretary for Transport and Logistics,…
Skydio
FCC Foreign Drone Ban Could Hit US Farmers Where It Hurts Most
When the FCC quietly added foreign made drones and components to its Covered List last week, the move was framed as a clean national
Oklahoma
Oklahoma Prisons Step Up Drone Defenses After 6,000 Phones Smuggled In
Drones have become a serious and persistent security threat inside Oklahoma state prisons, fundamentally changing how contraband enters correctional facilities, as Koko 5 ABC reports. According to the Oklahoma Department of Corrections, drones have been used to deliver illegal items into prisons for at least the past four to five years, steadily replacing older smuggling…
Search & Rescue
Drone Helps Rescue Lost Hiker in Oregon Woods
A lost hiker was safely rescued in the McKenzie Bridge area of Oregon on December 26 thanks to a coordinated search effort that included drone technology, infrared imaging, and ground crews navigating difficult terrain. The operation highlights how unmanned aircraft systems are becoming a standard tool in modern search and rescue missions, especially in rugged…
DJI
DJI Avata 360 Price Leak: Cheap in China, Emotional Damage in the US
The Avata 360 is FCC approved, under 250 grams, and brings true spherical 360 capture into an FPV platform. That alone puts it
Drone Light Show
Stranger Things Drone Show Turns Vegas Upside Down
Las Vegas officially slipped into the Upside Down this week, at least according to Netflix, after a massive drone show brought the world of Stranger Things to life above the Strip, as USA Today reports. The Hawkins inspired spectacle took place on Sunday, December 28, using an eye watering 5,000 drones to recreate iconic moments…
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8,400+
Articles published
340+
Beats & desks
2020
Covering drones since
100%
Independent