Specialist

News, deep dives, and analysis — every Specialist story, newest first.

785

Articles

Beats covered

Reporters on beat

Oct 26

Last updated

Specialist drone coverage groups together content organized around a skill, a training partner or a specific creator rather than a country, manufacturer or news category, because that content needs its own home to stay findable.

Air Photography is the largest sub-desk, covering camera drone technique, gear comparisons and hands-on advice, including buyer-focused pieces like DJI Lito X1 vs. Mini 5 Pro for beginners and deal coverage such as the DJI Mini 5 Pro Amazon bundle packing over $100 in free gear. Pilot Institute content covers DroneXL’s Part 107 training partner directly: courses, licensing guidance and discount coverage kept separate from general FAA regulatory news.

Drone Supremacy and PIXL Drone Show coverage lean toward events and entertainment, though the line between entertainment and regulation blurred recently when the FCC labeled drone light shows military-grade equipment even as US operators fly Korean and Chinese fleets for those same shows.

Named contributor beats, including Billy Kyle, 51 Drones and DC Rainmaker, cover specific creators and outlets DroneXL works with directly, kept distinct from staff-written news. Every specialist drone story is in the feed below.

Key facts

What this covers: Niche drone content that doesn't fit a geographic or industry desk: aerial photography, pilot training, light shows and named contributor beats
Largest sub-desk: Air Photography, followed by Pilot Institute training content and Drone Supremacy
Named contributor beats: Billy Kyle, 51 Drones, PIXL Drone Show and DC Rainmaker each cover a specific creator's or outlet's drone content

Start here

FCC Labels Drone Light Shows Military-Grade While US Operators Fly Korean And Chinese Fleets — August 22, 2026
DJI Lito X1 vs. Mini 5 Pro: Which Drone Should Beginners Buy? — July 25, 2026
DJI Mini 5 Pro Amazon Bundle Packs Over $100 In Free Gear For $899 — August 22, 2026

Last updated October 26, 2026 — the feed below updates with every new story.

Close-up of a wrist wearing a white Antigravity A1 watch remote showing a live in-flight preview with a green Start button, with the white ring remote on the index finger

Specialist · Antigravity A1

Antigravity A1 on a Watch and Ring, Plus the New RC the US Can't Buy

A month flying the Antigravity A1 from the Follow Me Bundle's watch and ring: gesture control, 12 modes, a wooded trail, and an RC the US can't buy.

Russ 51 DronesOct 267 min read

Pilot Institute

Spray Drone Group Seeks FCC Carve-Out as Westborough Votes to Ban Pads

Greg Reverdiau: spray drone sales fell 59% as dealers seek an FCC carve-out, Pentagon letters join DJI's record, Phantom 4 Pro V2 support ends Oct. 31.

Greg ReverdiauOct 23

DJI RC Pro 2 controller held next to a DJI Avata 360 drone on a forest trail with fall colors

FIRMWARE

DJI Avata 360 Firmware Adds RC Pro 2 Support and Waypoint Missions

Shawn from Air Photography tests the new DJI Avata 360 firmware: RC Pro 2 support, waypoint missions, Focus Track zoom and auto-switching Vision Assist.

Shawn Air PhotographyOct 21

Antigravity A1

Antigravity A1 on a Watch and Ring Tracked Me Through a Dense Forest

I flew the Antigravity A1 with only the new Watch Remote and Ring Remote: palm takeoff, Wave to Track, Drag-to-Fly, and a forest ride with zero crashes.

Mihail SvilenovOct 20

Pilot Institute

FCC Moves to Shut Out Chinese Labs, DroneSense Adds LAANC, DJI Dock 4

Greg Reverdiau: the FCC votes Oct. 29 to cut off Chinese test labs, DroneSense adds LAANC through Aloft, and DJI's Dock 4 swaps batteries in 25 seconds.

Greg ReverdiauOct 16

Greg Reverdiau beside a gray folding drone and the words 90+ day plan

Drone Service Providers

Drone Pilots Who Don't Adapt Won't Last Two Years: A 90-Day Plan

Part 2 with Amy Wiegand: how drone service providers handle regulation they can't control, build a 30, 60, 90-day plan, and what will separate survivors.

Greg ReverdiauOct 13

Pilot Institute

DJI Neo 3 Unboxing Leak, 71,207-Drone Record, FAA $12M, FBI School

Welcome to your weekly UAS news update. We have four stories for you this week: the DJI Neo 3 has a video leak, Sky Elements sets a Guinness World Record, the FAA hands out $12 million to drone test sites, and the FBI doubles its counter-drone school capacity.

Greg ReverdiauOct 9

Two hands holding the DJI Osmo 360 II with its lens and touchscreen facing forward, the screen showing an 8K 30 frames per second preview of a potted plant on a desk.

DJI

DJI Osmo 360 II Beginners Guide: Getting Started With 360

My beginner's guide to the DJI Osmo 360 II: the bundles, the buttons, memory, charging, activation, the menus, four ways to record, mics and DJI Mimo.

Shawn Air PhotographyOct 8

Frequently asked questions

What kind of content lives on the specialist desk instead of a product or news desk?

Content organized around a skill, a training relationship or a named creator rather than a product line or a news category. Aerial photography gear tests, Pilot Institute's Part 107 training material, and drone light show coverage all live here because they don't fit a geographic or manufacturer desk.

What is Pilot Institute's relationship to DroneXL?

Pilot Institute is DroneXL's Part 107 training partner, and content under this desk covers their courses, discounts and drone licensing guidance directly, distinct from general FAA regulatory news covered on the government desk.

Are drone light shows covered as entertainment or as a technology story?

Both, depending on the news. Drone Supremacy and PIXL Drone Show coverage often leans entertainment and event reporting, but recent coverage has also treated light show drones as a regulatory story, after the FCC labeled the swarms military-grade equipment.

Specialist

Key facts

Start here

Frequently asked questions

The drone industry moves fast. Stay ahead of it.