Industry Leaders Collaborate for Safer Drone Skies

Know Before You Fly is a campaign that has been developed to promote safety to drone enthusiasts and is supported predominately by an educational website.

One of the first public initiatives of the campaign was an animated video published before Christmas 2014 in readiness for the correctly predicted upsurge in drone as seasonal gifts. The video promoted best practices which includes the staples of flying less than 400ft, keeping the drone in line of sight, practicing with local flying clubs and not flying near airports or manned aircraft. The video is an approachable introduction to pilot safety.

The campaign was founded by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI) and the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) in partnership with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The AUVSI is the world’s largest non-profit dedicated to unmanned systems and robotics. The AMA is the most prominent community-based organization in the USA for model aircraft hobbyists currently with 175,000 members and growing. The FAA is the regulatory body that governs US airspace.

The regulatory framework for drones is still evolving as the industry is moving at such a rapid pace. The ‘Know Before You Fly’ campaign is crucial in the industry’s development because many new pilots are simply not aware of the rules and regulations governing both the hobby and commercial use of drones.

The campaign website also has useful information for government entities including for first responders, publicly-funded universities and federal entities.

The initiative has a number of ‘heavy hitter’ industry supporters. One of the most prominent of those supporters is DJI, the drone manufacturing industry leader. In alignment with their support for the campaign, all DJI’s drone products are designed with safety as a priority. For example, The DJI Mavic Pro has a range of safety features, including obstacle avoidance and an intelligent return to home capability. The company continues to innovate in the area of safety. A most recent demonstration of this is the release of the DJI Mavic Propeller Guard which ensures overall flight safety by protecting people and objects from spinning propellers.

The ‘Know Before You Fly’ campaign also has a popular Facebook group and an associated app, available for both iOS and Android smart devices. The app helps drone operators confirm if any requirements or restrictions are in effect in their location of flight. It includes a status indicator immediately alerting the pilot of restrictions in their area, a ‘planner mode’ for future flights in different locations, interactive maps and links to other resources.

With these and continued innovations, the ‘Know Before You Fly’ campaign continues to be both a resource for seasoned drone enthusiasts and a welcoming entry point for pilots new to the industry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post Industry Leaders Collaborate for Safer Drone Skies appeared first on Drone Inner.

DJI Partners with the AMA: Unity for Safety

On February 15, 2017, DJI and the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) announced that they were coming together to form a partnership. And is exciting people who want to see the drone industry grow and thrive. As DJI continues to release more incredible aircraft, they are not only filling niches the market needs, they are getting drones in the hands of people that you’d never expect to become part of this developing technology.

Before DJI entered the market and engineered consumer drones that anyone can fly, the sport and hobby of quadcopters and other multirotors was somewhat self-regulating. You needed to build your own aircraft, which was very complicated, and you needed to learn to fly it with little to no automated stabilization. The AMA helped this, bringing pilots together at AMA airfields and allowing them to share their knowledge with each other at local Charter Clubs.

Now that almost anyone can fly a drone thanks to companies like DJI, people often overlook the need to practice and get an in-depth knowledge of their aircraft and safety. Early adopters of multi-rotor technology see the consequences of this and often express their fears that new pilots can get too eager and fly their drones in an unsafe manner without understanding why.

It’s great to see DJI and the AMA working together to address these potential issues. According to a media advisory released by the two organizations “DJI and the AMA will develop and promote a joint AMA membership offering; advocate for the accessibility, affordability and safety of personal drones; offer dedicated online support for pilots; and develop youth programs to nurture interest in pathways to aviation and technology careers.” The focus on young pilots is particularly promising. It’s clear that drones are letting young imaginations take off as they will have the passion that drives the industry forward. “Recreational and educational operations are a key source of innovation in technology, and model aviation in particular inspires many to pursue careers in sciences, robotics, aviation, and beyond,” said Ryan Tong at DJI.

DJI being directly involved in the education and mentorship of young, up and coming RC pilots who may have never had an opportunity such as this is an admirable program. It will help the future of the drone industry to progress in a positive and publicly responsible future. In the recent past, drone pilots have been painted in a dark and negative light, if only from the few pilots who have been flying without consideration of regulation and common courtesy.

It will be interesting to see how this relationship actually changes the hobby. Some things to look forward to in the near future are the promotion of the AMA Public Safety course which stresses actual piloting skills in real life scenarios and a discount on DJI products to support AMA educational efforts.

The post DJI Partners with the AMA: Unity for Safety appeared first on Drone Inner.