Drone News: DJI Matrice 3D and Dock 2, Attempted Police Drone Crash, and DSPA Guidance on OOP Waivers!

Welcome to this week’s UAS News Update. We have three stories for you: DJI has released the Matrice 3D and the Dock 2, with all the details provided. In another story, a man was arrested for attempting to crash his drone into a drone della polizia – definitely not a good situation. Lastly, the DSPA has released a guide on submitting an operation over people waiver, which is quite helpful.

DJI Matrice 3D and Dock 2

First up is the DJI Matrice 3D and Dock 2. We’ve discussed these for a few weeks, amid DJI Rumors. The Matrice 3D is essentially a simplified version of the Mavic, designed for use with the new dock. The drone comes with two payload options: one nearly identical to the Mavic 3 Thermal and the other very similar to the Mavic 3 Enterprise.

Essentially, they’ve taken the Mavic’s design and adapted it for compatibility with the new dock. The M3D boasts a 55-minute flight time, obstacle avoidance, and operating temperatures ranging from -13°F to 131°F (or -25°C to 55°C for those using metric units).

It also has a maximum takeoff altitude of 88,200 feet. The Dock 2, smaller and lighter than its predecessor, weighs 75 pounds and has an IP55 rating. It serves as an environmental monitoring system with features like security cameras, a spotlight, air conditioning (crucial in many regions, especially during summer), and 4G and Ethernet connectivity.

Currently, the DJI Dock 2 and the DJI Matrice 3D are available only in the Chinese market, priced from around $9,600 for the Enterprise payload to $10,700 for the thermal option. We’ll keep you updated on any developments regarding their availability in other markets.

Crash drone into police drone

Next, a man in Missouri allegedly attempted to crash his drone into a drone della polizia. During a citywide power outage, the sheriff’s drone was monitoring the area when the other drone tried to attack it. The officers used the IR camera on their drone to locate the operator and subsequently arrested him for obstructing government operations and attempting property damage.

The case has also been forwarded to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for investigation. As always, we urge our readers not to engage in such reckless behavior.

DSPA Guidance on OOP Waivers

Last up this week, the Drone Service Provider Alliance (DSPA) has recently released guidance on obtaining an operation over people (OOP) waiver. The article explains how to apply for both the 107.39 and 107.45 waivers, using the Mini 3 Pro and the DJI Mini 4 Pro, respectively.

These waivers can be challenging to obtain, a fact well-known from comments in our course and feedback from Vic Moss’ presentation to our students a few weeks ago.

The article contains a wealth of information and insights from our group’s experiences. It’s notable how many people wish to fly drones over people and moving vehicles, and how complex the associated FAA regulations are.

Please check out the link below for more details. We urge you to write your own waiver; copying and pasting is discouraged as the FAA’s limited waiver office staff will recognize duplicated content.

If you’re unfamiliar with DSPA, they are an advocacy group focused on Drone Service Providers, ensuring that the FAA and state authorities create sensible laws that don’t unduly restrict operators.

We work closely with Vic and Kenji from DSPA, who have significantly aided the industry. Your support for them is greatly appreciated and beneficial for the industry. That concludes our update for this week.

Join our live session on Monday, where we’ll answer your questions, including many about flying over people, a topic we cover weekly. Have a great weekend, and see you next week.