Category

Drone Industry News

21/01/2019
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Drones vital to superfast broadband rollout

Drones are playing a vital role in the delivery of much-needed superfast broadband to some of England’s most remote areas, as well as helping farmers fight back against rural crime. Northumberland-based technology and communications company Alncom is harnessing the power of UAVs for its ground-breaking work in connecting isolated communities to the internet and providing farms with survelliance cameras.    The Alnwick firm uses drones to carry out wireless broadband and CCTV surveys – an approach which is dramatically reducing the time of each job and yielding more reliable results and... Read More

17/01/2019
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DJI has ‘successfully addressed’ TB50 and TB55 battery issue

DJI has concluded its investigation into the issue concerning some TB50 and TB55 batteries reporting incorrect power levels in late 2018. The Chinese-based technology giant says that the current firmware (v01.02.0301), which was issued in December and adds a redundancy algorithm to the battery management system, has ‘successfully addressed’ the small number of early Return-To-Home (RTH) or Automatic Landing (AL) cases triggered by initial conservative measures DJI implemented during its investigation. ‘No need for another firmware update this month’ After extensive testing and close-performance monitoring, DJI has determined that the... Read More

08/01/2019
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Drone Sighting at London Heathrow

The Metropolitan police apparently received reports of a drone sighting close to the airport at around 17:05 on 8th January 2019. News is reaching us of a drone sighting at Heathrow Airport. Latest Update It looks as though flights have now resumed from Heathrow according to the data provided by Flightradar24. Original Post This has halted flights going in or out of the UK’s busiest airport. At this stage Heathrow have said it’s just a precautionary measure to: Prevent any threat to operational safety…Heathrow Spokeswoman Heliguy will be keeping a... Read More

08/01/2019
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New UK drone legislation announced

New legislation will give police extra powers to tackle illegal drone use, while the Government has vowed to work on ways to detect and repel UAVs in sites like airports and prisons. Under these plans, the exclusion zone around protected airport boundaries is set to be extended from 1km to 5km. However, in an important nod to the industry, Aviation Minister Baroness Liz Sugg has gone on the record to say that drones are ‘already being used to great effect’ by keeping people safe and driving more efficient ways of working. For... Read More

07/01/2019
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PfCO update for renewals and applications regarding the competent observer role

Commercial drone pilots, especially filmographers, should be aware of a change to the standard permission for PfCO applications and renewals. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has tweaked paragraph 3c of the permission of Small Unmanned Aircraft / Small Unmanned Surveillance Aircraft, in line with the Air Navigation Order (ANO) 2016. Under the changes, the remote pilot must now be fully and solely responsible for the drone, keeping it within the ‘direct, unaided Visual Line of Sight (VLOS), out to a maximum range of 500 metres’. The previous permission allowed the UAV... Read More

31/12/2018
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A year in drones: Review of 2018

An award win, new release game-changing drones and updated regulations – 2018 has been a busy and ground-breaking year for Heliguy and the UAV world. With 2019 on the horizon, this special blog post reflects on the past 12 months, reminiscing on the launch of popular products such as DJI’s Osmo Pocket and Mavic Air, industry big-hitters like the Mavic 2 Enterprise and Phantom 4 RTK, and the proud moment when Heliguy received a prestigious prize at the North Tyneside Business Awards. 2018 at a glance DJI Mavic AirDJI Phantom... Read More

20/12/2018
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Gatwick Airport: Drone-detection technology is available

Ground-breaking drone-detection technology is available to monitor and spot UAVs – which could potentially stop major incidents like the recent disruption at Gatwick Airport. The DJI AeroScope system is a sophisticated and comprehensive platform that rapidly identifies UAV communication links, gathering real-time information such as flight status, paths, serial number, speed, direction and home position, as well as the make and model. This monitoring data stream helps AeroScope users make an informed response and security decision as soon as possible. North East-based drone expert Heliguy is a specialist in AeroScope.... Read More

19/12/2018
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Ho-Ho-Go for UK’s first drone delivery over mobile network

Santa Claus has been spotted on a specially-designed UAV, as Vodafone completed the UK’s first drone delivery over a 4G mobile network. Vodafone was able to complete the delivery due to the strength of its 4G network, which covers 99% of the UK population. Drones are traditionally flown using a radio link, with the drone in sight of the operator. However, controlling drones using the 4G network means they can be monitored in real time, reducing the need for drones to be flown in line of sight.VODAFONE The drone is... Read More

18/12/2018
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Drones part of new Airspace Modernisation Strategy

Drones are a key consideration in a new Airspace Modernisation Strategy – a shared objective between the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Government for modernising and integrating UK airspace. The Airspace Modernisation Strategy (AMS) – as it has been named – supersedes the 2011 Future Airspace Strategy (FAS). It aims to deliver quicker, quieter and cleaner journeys and more capacity for the benefit of those who use and are affected by UK airspace. The AMS also seeks to work to accommodate new airspace users, such as drones. The Strategy document... Read More

12/12/2018
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Drones a game-changer, say police

Saving the life of a missing teenage girl, unexpectedly uncovering £200,000-worth of stolen electrical cable and a stash of carefully-concealed weapons at a traveller site and finding a major cannabis farm – police forces across the UK are successfully using drone technology to fight crime and rescue people in need. The real-life stories of how UAVs are helping to keep communities safe were told during a recent Emergency Services Roadshow, staged by Heliguy, in conjunction with DJI, at Lincoln’s Waddington Training Site. The drone was just brilliant. I have absolutely... Read More