Man Arrested for Flying Over SpaceX, 2 New Drone Rumors, & Drone Spying at the Olympics

Welcome to your weekly UAS News update. You may notice Greg is absent. I’m Ben. I usually edit these news updates for you every Friday, but today I’m filling in as most of the team is in Oshkosh.

We have three stories for you this week: A man was arrested for flying a drone over a SpaceX launch facility (not good), we have two new Drone Rumors with leaked pictures, and possible drone spying at the Olympics. Let’s get to it!

Drone Incident at SpaceX Facility

The first story this week is not the best one. A man was arrested for flying a drone over the SpaceX launch facility in Cameron County, Texas. The man was identified as 32-year-old Reynold Daniel Chavez, who admitted he was flying his drone to see the rockets and said he didn’t know the airspace was restricted. At this stage, we’re unsure what Legal ramifications Chavez will face, but he was charged with operation of an unmanned aircraft over a critical infrastructure facility. The incident highlights the importance for all UAS pilots to know the rules and regulations, as well as the airspace they fly in. Whether flying under Part 107 or recreationally, flying safely helps protect the industry we love. We’ll share updates on this story as more information comes in.

New Drone Leaks: DJI Air and Mavic 4

All right, in our next story, some more exciting news: we have some new leaked photos and even a video of two new drones. First, what looks like a new DJI Air. It was first speculated to be an Air 4 and then later as a DJI Air 3S. Either way, these new leaks appear to show a much larger gimbal and dual cameras. Could we be getting a 1-inch sensor? Fingers crossed on that one. The original DJI Air 3 came out almost exactly one year ago today. It was actually on July 25th last year, and it’s a great drone we still fly today. So we’re excited to see what kind of upgrades we’ll get with a newer model.

In addition, we’ve seen several leaked pictures of a possible Mavic 4 prototype. What is clear is the very visible Hasselblad brand name and the design that looks similar to the current Mavic 3 series. The leaks seem to show a larger gimbal with a three-camera setup, which could indicate bigger image sensors. You can also see sensors on the top and bottom of the drone. Another possible upgrade could be to the obstacle avoidance or tracking features. Again, we’ll have to wait and see, but the possibilities are exciting.

Drone Controversy at the Olympics

And last up, an accusation involving drones at the Olympics. A drone was seen flying over the New Zealand women’s soccer team during practice. The New Zealand Olympic Committee stated team support members immediately reported the incident to Police, leading to the drone operator, who has been identified as a support staff member of the wider Canadian women’s football team, to be detained. A formal investigation has been launched to Review the event. The Canadian Olympic Committee responded: “The Canadian Olympic Committee stands for fair play, and we are shocked and disappointed. We offer our heartfelt apologies to New Zealand Football, to all the players affected, and to the New Zealand Olympic Committee.” We’ll have to wait and see what information is uncovered from this story, but we will report back with any updates.

Closing Remarks

And lastly, as mentioned, Greg is at the EAA AirVenture Show with a lot of the team this year. We have Booths 209 and in Hangar B Booth 2141. I can say from experience the best part of these shows is getting to see you all in person, so if you’re in the area, stop by one of our booths to say hi. I know Greg would love to see you.

All right, that’s it. No live on community today and no live on Monday, but Greg will be back for next week’s news update, and we’ll see you then.