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Nov 9

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White BRINC Guardian drone in flight above its docking station at a beach, carrying a defibrillator under its body

Utah · Drone as First Responder

West Valley Votes on Free Police Drone Trial With $874,985 Renewal

West Valley City votes Nov. 10 on a free year of BRINC police drones. Unless the city cancels, Motorola's quote adds $874,985 for years two to six.

Haye KestelooNov 95 min read

Kyle Nordfors in a red Weber County Search and Rescue shirt and sunglasses holds a DJI Matrice 30T overhead with one arm against a blue sky, propellers spinning, with a second man in a dark jacket watching from behind.

DOCKET 26-189

Utah Rescue Captain Tells DC the FCC Drone Ban Will Cost Lives

Kyle Nordfors takes the FCC drone ban fight to The Hill: 25 to 30 lives saved, searches cut from 4.5 hours to under one, no US drone that matches.

Haye KestelooOct 2

Captain Kyle Nordfors in a grey Weber County Sheriff's Office uniform stands between two other award recipients, each holding a glass trophy, in front of a blue and white backdrop.

DOCKET 26-189

Utah SAR Captain To FCC: Your Drone Ban Will Cost American Lives

Weber County rescue pilot Kyle Nordfors told the FCC no US-made drone matches what his team flies, and offered to prove it. His full comments, and how to file yours before midnight.

Haye KestelooSep 2

A man stands in a dry mountain valley field beside a large orange-and-black multirotor drone fitted with atmospheric sensors.

Technology

Rainmaker Says Its Drones Made 143M Gallons of Rain. Florida Calls Cloud Seeding a Felony

Western states are spending millions on cloud seeding. The one drone operator in the boom faces two state felony bans and a stalled FAA flare petition.

Haye KestelooAug 24

Firefighters working the Babylon Fire in San Juan County, Utah as drones support containment

Wildfire

Drones Patrol Utah's Babylon Fire As Containment Nears 100%

As Utah’s Babylon Fire nears full containment, incident teams say drones helped locate hot spots, monitor rough terrain, and confirm a fresh lightning strike before it could start another blaze.

Rafael SuárezJul 25

DJI

World Cup Drone TFRs Get DHS Authorization Path, Moab Helicopter Dodges Drone, And AirData Teams Up With LeoSight

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update. We have three stories for you this week. First up, the FAA adds a new DHS authorization path for World Cup NOTAMs. A firefighting helicopter in Utah dodges an unauthorized drone. And AirData UAV and LeoSight are teaming up to bring live drone data to DFR programs. Let’s…

Greg ReverdiauJun 12

DJI

Moab Firefighting Helicopter Dodges Unauthorized Drone, 17 Months After The Super Scooper Collision

A firefighting helicopter working a brush fire near Moab, Utah encountered an unauthorized drone over the active fire area, and state fire managers responded by publishing photos of what past drone strikes have done to aircraft. The warning lands 17 months after a DJI Mini punched a hole in a Super Scooper over the Palisades…

Haye KestelooJun 9

University of Alabama Bans Drones Over Bryant-Denny Stadium on Game Days

FAA

FAA World Cup Drone TFRs Now Cover Boise, Louisville, And Utah, Hundreds Of Miles From Any Match

The FAA has switched on more than 100 drone-only Temporary Flight Restrictions for FIFA World Cup 2026 team hotels and training camps, and a large share of them sit in cities that are not hosting a single match. Boise, Idaho. Louisville, Kentucky. Indianapolis. Sandy, Utah. None of these places appears on the list of 11…

Haye KestelooJun 3

Utah

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