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Sep 4

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DJI Mini 5 Pro hovering in front of blooming goldenrod with its LiDAR sensors forward

Deal

DJI Mini 5 Pro Amazon Bundle Packs Over $100 In Free Gear For $899

An Amazon bundle pairs the DJI Mini 5 Pro with $100+ in accessories for $899. What's in it, what reviewers say, and the 250-gram registration catch.

Haye KestelooAug 22

Pilot Institute host presenting the week 378 drone news update in a pink and blue lit studio, with headlines for DARPA's Lift Challenge, a drone defibrillator rescue, and the NPRM drone ban

Video

DARPA Hands Out Half Prizes, A Drone Saves A Life In Sweden, And The FCC Weighs Banning Your DJI Drone

In this week's US drone news update, I cover the DARPA Lift Challenge results, a drone-delivered defibrillator that saved a man's life in Sweden, and the FCC proposal that could pull already-approved DJI drones like the Mini 5 Pro and Air 3S off the shelves.

Greg ReverdiauAug 14

A quadcopter drone hovering beside a glass skyscraper with an upward arrow and the text Above 400ft Legally

FAA

Three Legal Ways To Fly A Drone Above 400 Feet, And The One Mistake That Brings Big Fines

Most new pilots think 400 feet is a hard ceiling. It isn't. Greg Reverdiau of Pilot Institute walks through the structure rule, FAA waivers, and CBO fixed sites, plus the LAANC mistake that trips up Part 107 pilots.

Greg ReverdiauAug 12

DJI

Top 11 Tips for New Drone Pilots After 8 Years of Flying

I've been flying drones for over 8 years, reviewed dozens of them, and made my share of mistakes. Here are the 11 things I wish someone had told me before my first flight.

Russ 51 DronesAug 3

Pilot Institute presenter with headlines for FCC drone exemptions, Axon Vision and ParaZero, and avalanche-triggering drones

Weekly UAS News

FCC Clears Two More Drones as ParaZero and Avalanche Systems Advance

Pilot Institute covers two new FCC drone exemptions, ParaZero and Axon Vision’s net-based counter-UAS system, and FAA-approved avalanche drones.

Greg ReverdiauJul 31

DJI Lito X1 and DJI Mini 5 Pro compared in an Air Photography video thumbnail

DJI

DJI Lito X1 vs. Mini 5 Pro: Which Drone Should Beginners Buy?

Shawn from Air Photography compares the DJI Lito X1 with the Mini 5 Pro and explains which first-time pilots need the bigger sensor, stronger wind performance, and true vertical video.

Shawn Air PhotographyJul 25

51 Drones YouTube thumbnail about the FCC's retroactive ban on nine DJI-linked brands

FCC Ban

FCC Opens Comment on Blocking Sales of 9 DJI-Linked Brands, and Russ Says U.S. Buyers Are Running Out of Options

Russ from 51 Drones says he got this one wrong. After arguing that DJI-style drones would keep reaching American buyers through shell companies, he now says the FCC’s latest proposal targeting nine covered UAS brands shows just how far regulators are willing to go, with the Sky Rover X1 and Xtra camera line directly in the crosshairs.

Russ 51 DronesJul 24

Weekly UAS

Drone News: Drone Pilot Faces Charges, Possible Ban on Drone Imports, NPPA Pushes Back on 2209

This week’s Pilot Institute update covers a Colorado drone pilot facing federal charges after grounding wildfire aircraft, a new FCC request for comment that could restrict some military-grade foreign-made drone imports, and the National Press Photographers Association’s warning that the FAA’s Section 2209 rule could create permanent restrictions with no clear way to challenge them.

Greg ReverdiauJul 24

Specialist

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