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Wildfire
Niagara College launches defence drone programs
Canada is serious about defence, and not just in speeches or budget lines. With the federal government’s 2025 Canada Strong budget putting fresh emphasis on domestic innovation, Niagara College has stepped forward with new hands-on engineering programs designed to train…
FAA names and shames drone pilots hit with fines up to $36,770 in 2025 enforcement sweep
The FAA posted a public enforcement summary to its social media accounts on February 6, detailing fines and license actions against drone operators for violations spanning 2023 through 2025. The agency’s tone was blunt. “The FAA will take decisive action…
Drone delays LifeFlight helicopter carrying critically ill child at Primary Children’s Hospital in Utah
A surveying drone flying directly above a LifeFlight helicopter at Primary Children’s Hospital in Lehi, Utah forced all air operations to halt while a child in critical care waited for emergency transport to another facility. The Lehi City Police Department…
AVSS completes first live avalanche drone testing in Jasper National Park
Canadian drone safety company AVSS has completed its first round of live, on-mountain avalanche control testing using its Precision Avalanche Management System (PAMS) in Jasper National Park, Alberta. The test used AVSS’s SnowDart hardware and flight planning software on an…
House Homeland Security Chair Calls Drones a “New, Growing Frontier” of Threats to U.S. Critical Infrastructure
The same week DHS announced its permanent counter-drone office and FEMA began distributing $500 million in C-UAS grants, the House Homeland Security Committee held an oversight hearing that spelled out exactly why the federal government is treating drones as a…
FCC Drone Ban Guarantees Higher Prices and Fewer Choices: NBC’s ‘Could’ is Wrong
NBC News published a detailed analysis this weekend examining the FCC’s sweeping foreign drone ban and its likely impact on American consumers. The reporting is solid, the sources are credible, and the conclusion is inevitable. But the headline hedges with…
Illegal Drone Flight Near Lake Louise Highlights Aviation Risk
A man fined $2,000 for illegally flying a drone near Lake Louise has reignited concerns about the growing danger drones pose to helicopters and rescue crews operating in Canada’s national parks, as CBC reported. The incident occurred last year in…
DHS Creates Permanent Counter-Drone Office: What the $115 Million Announcement Actually Means for Drone Pilots
After months of tracking the administration’s counter-drone buildup, the bureaucratic shoe finally dropped. The Department of Homeland Security announced yesterday the creation of a new Program Executive Office for Unmanned Aircraft Systems and Counter-UAS, a permanent office that will outlast…
Congress Wants Counter-Drone Powers at Wildfires, Not Just Stadiums
Three days after the House passed the SAFER SKIES Act authorizing local police to take down drones at stadiums, a bipartisan group of lawmakers quietly introduced the next phase of counter-drone expansion. The Wildfire Aerial Response Safety Act (H.R. 6618)…
FCC Drone Ban Starts Countdown That Will Affect Every American
I am well aware that many people within the drone community have grown tired of hearing about the Federal Communications Commission’s December 23 action that restricted the import of new foreign-made drones into the United States. But today, I want…
How UC Santa Cruz Is Using Drones to Help Communities Read Air Quality Before It’s Too Late
If you live in a community that gets hammered by wildfire smoke, agricultural drift, or industrial emissions, “check the air quality” can be easy advice to give and hard advice to follow. The closest official monitor might be miles away,…
Drone Rescue, XPrize Wildfire Competition, 4-Hour Flight Record, and FAA Waiver Changes
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update. I have four stories for you this week that show just how much is happening in this industry right now, from a life-saving rescue in Kentucky to regulatory changes you need to know…