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Oct 26

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White blueflite Cobalt cargo drone on a wooden launch pad with six people standing behind it and a blue water tower in the background

Michigan · Drone Delivery

Michigan Medicine Will Test Drone Organ Flights in $1.7M State Round

Michigan's $1.7M round funds 12 drone projects: blueflite organ flights for Michigan Medicine, Battle Creek police DFR, and eight Detroit pilots.

Haye KestelooOct 265 min read

Two B-52H Stratofortress bombers with LA tail codes taxiing on the flight line at Barksdale Air Force Base

FAA

Barksdale Indictment Alleges DJI Air 3 Flights After the Incursions

A man arrested in Michigan is charged with flying an unregistered DJI Air 3 around Barksdale AFB on March 22 to 26. One count carries up to three years.

Haye KestelooOct 24

Gray blueflite cargo drone hovering low over a mown field with its winch hooks hanging beneath the fuselage, tree line behind

Drone Delivery

Munson Medical Drones Fly Again Oct. 6, Five Months After DroneUp Quit

Munson Healthcare and blueflite fly phase two of Michigan's medical drone trial Oct. 6 to 30 in Traverse City, five months after operator DroneUp quit.

Haye KestelooOct 5

Three-panel sequence of an Amazon Prime Air MK30 drone releasing a package over a suburban Arizona backyard

Drone Delivery

Amazon Drones Drop Packages Where State Law Calls It a Crime

Ten states restrict dropping objects from aircraft more tightly than the FAA. Amazon's MK30 is the only delivery drone that releases packages in flight.

Haye KestelooSep 20

Render of a blue blueflite tiltrotor cargo drone with four rotors and fixed wings

Drone Delivery

Michigan Ford Dealer Flies Auto Parts By Drone On $740,000 Grant

Jack Demmer Ford launched a state-funded drone parts delivery network in metro Detroit, flown by an aircraft that cleared both the FAA and the FCC Covered List.

Haye KestelooAug 26

Detroit City Council President James Tate

Detroit DFR

Detroit Police Drone Grant Went To Washington Without City Council Approval

Detroit filed a $2.2 million DOJ grant application for a police drone as first responder program without City Council approval. Six members voted no, the city may withdraw it, and DPD still has no approved drone policy.

Haye KestelooJul 30

Skydio

Kent County Wires Deputy Body Cameras to Drone Docks

The Kent County Sheriff’s Office in Michigan has wired its deputies’ body cameras into its drone fleet. When a deputy presses a button on the camera, the nearest rooftop-docked Skydio X10 launches and flies straight to that officer’s location. The agency stages three of the drones on rooftops across West Michigan, in Cutlerville, Comstock Park…

Rafael SuárezJul 7

Amazon

Amazon’s Prime Air Drones Head for the Omaha Suburbs

Amazon has confirmed that its next drone-delivery market is the Omaha area, with Prime Air aircraft set to fly out of the company’s warehouse in Papillion, Nebraska. The service will carry items under five pounds (2.3 kg) that fit in a shoebox, to homes within a 7 to 8 mile (11 to 13 km) radius…

Rafael SuárezJul 3

Michigan

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