TRUST
Pony.ai’s Driverless Taxi Leap: Why this matters to drone pilots
A new chapter in urban transportation Imagine hailing a taxi in downtown Shenzhen and the driver’s seat is empty. No steering wheel to touch, no human voice greeting you—just a clean, humming car waiting to take you wherever you need…
Gangs Deploy Super-Drones to UK Prisons — Is Jailbreak 2.0 Here?
Can you imagine high-tech drones buzzing over prison walls, not just smuggling tiny parcels, but lifting actual inmates to freedom? Sounds like a sci-fi plot, right? Sadly, could become a real headache for security officials in the UK, as The…
FCC Grants Itself Authority to Retroactively Ban Drones, DJI Neo 2 and L3 LiDAR Leak, Plus $300K Fireworks Fine
Welcome to your weekly UAS news update, Halloween edition, where scary politicians create scary laws. I have three stories for you this week: The FCC votes on new powers, DJI drone and payload leaks, and a California homeowner facing a…
Extreme Condition Flying With The Mini 5 Pro: Waterfalls
Hello dear pilots! Today is another day of pushing the DJI Mini 5 to its physical, mental, and emotional limits. I travel all over Ecuador to get the best landscapes, places, mountains, volcanoes, and, why not, waterfalls. This time, I’m…
DJI’s $400 Million Problem: Italy Investigates Drone Giant For Squeezing Retailers
A $400 million fine. Raids on retailer locations. Allegations of supply threats against independent dealers. While DJI battles U.S. security reviews, Italy just opened an investigation into the company’s alleged price-fixing scheme—and the evidence was seized from distributor offices last…
DJI NEO 2 DELAYED – China First. Europe Release Date In November
For everyone outside Asia excited to order a DJI Neo 2 tomorrow…. I am sorry, but you won’t be able to. There are a number of reasons why this might be happening, but one of the more prominent explanations is…
FCC Grants Itself Retroactive Power To Ban DJI Drones, Shell Companies Face December Deadline
The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-0 yesterday to grant itself unprecedented authority to retroactively ban equipment from companies on its Covered List, directly targeting DJI’s rapidly expanding network of shell companies ahead of a critical December 23 deadline. The FCC…
DJI Mini 5 Pro’s 250-Gram Drone Problem: Inside The Last-Minute Design Changes That Broke The Weight Limit
An industry insider has revealed the specific pre-production decisions that pushed the DJI Mini 5 Pro drone over the critical 250-gram regulatory threshold, ending four generations of the company’s success in the sub-250g category. According to the long-time trusted DroneXL…
Get Your Ham, Save Your Bacon
In January 2024, I built a tiny FPV drone from spare parts I had lying around in a box. I wanted to add a small external Video Transmitter (VTX) that was a bit stronger than the stock unit. I managed…
Drone Surveillance Nets $300,000 Fine For California Homeowner Who Says He “Wasn’t Even Home”
A California homeowner faces a staggering $300,000 fine after a city drone recorded illegal fireworks at his property on July 4th—even though he insists he wasn’t there. The case, part of a nearly $1 million drone enforcement crackdown in Stanton,…
China’s Military Deploys Cost-Efficient DeepSeek AI Across Drone Swarms and Robot Dogs
China’s People’s Liberation Army has rapidly integrated DeepSeek artificial intelligence into military weapons systems ranging from autonomous combat vehicles to drone swarms, according to a Reuters investigation that reviewed hundreds of research papers, patents, and procurement records. The development threatens…
7 Reasons the DJI Mini 5 Pro Owns Travel Photography
Hello fellow pilots, how’s your day been? Your week? Your month? How long have you been playing with the idea of getting your Mini 5 Pro, even through… less official channels? Or maybe you just got it and are waiting…