On January 1, 2018, the Airborne Law Enforcement Association (ALEA) will change its name to the Airborne Public Safety Association (APSA).
The Association says that the new moniker, which was announced at ALEA EXPO 2017, is the result of various changes that have occurred over the last seven years, and will be “more reflective of the entirety of those involved in public safety aviation,” as well as more appealing to potential members the Association hopes to attract.
While the Association’s name will change, its mission will remain the same, as it seeks to “support, promote and advance the safe and effective utilization of aircraft by governmental agencies in support of public safety missions through training, networking, advocacy and educational programs.”
Airspace
Airspace
Kansas Department of Transportation deploys first statewide UTM initiative in the United States
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) is partnering with AirMap, Inc. to deploy the first statewide Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) initiative in the United States.
Kansas will implement an “airport notification and awareness system for drones,” using AirMap’s UTM technology, providing airports across the state with access to the airspace management system.
Airports that participate in the initiative will be able to accept digital flight notices, communicate with UAS operators, and prepare for UTM milestones that are coming down the pipeline, such as authorization for commercial UAS flights and automating airspace notification.
For Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer, this initiative shows how committed the state of Kansas is to the UAS industry.
Virginia’s Danville Life Saving Crew to use UAS for search and rescue missions
The Danville Life Saving Crew (DLSC) in Danville, Virginia will begin using small UAS to help them during search and rescue missions.
Through Piedmont Virginia Community College, five members of the DLSC spent 40 hours in UAS ground school, where they learned about FAA regulations, flight operations, human factors and radio communications, which prepared them for their FAA Remote Pilot Certificate exam.
Students participated in the field section of the UAS flight training on July 28. The five DLSC members, alongside Pittsylvania County Sheriff Mike Taylor and five members of the Pittsylvania Sheriff’s Office, demonstrated their flight skills at Dan Daniel Memorial Park.
Bossier Sheriff’s Office utilizes UAS to help bring suspect into custody
In Bossier Parish, Louisiana, the sheriff’s office is crediting a UAS equipped with an infrared camera in helping to locate a suspect in a burglary on July 26.
The UAS was deployed in response to “low moon visibility,” and within two minutes, the UAS’ thermal camera spotted the suspect “walking in the tree line.”
The K-9 team then went to the suspect's exact location, and the 51-year old man was taken into custody.
For Bossier Sheriff Julian C. Whittington, this technology is extremely beneficial, and can be used for a number of different tasks.
3DR integrates Site Scan with DJI’s UAS, also launches Enterprise Atlas platform
3D Robotics (3DR) has announced that its Site Scan software platform is integrating with DJI’s UAS.
Through this partnership, Site Scan customers will now be able to use DJI's UAS for their jobs while maintaining the same workflow as before, as they continue to use 3DR’s mobile app, Site Scan Field, to collect data.
DJI’s UAS will work seamlessly with Site Scan and all of its capabilities, including autonomous flight modes, multi-engine cloud processing, and its suite of tools designed for construction, which includes those used for performing topographic surveys, measuring stockpiles, and exporting native Autodesk file formats.
Microdrones conducts BVLOS test flights in Quebec
Via Unmanned Aerial, it has been announced that Microdrones completed a series of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) test flights on July 13 and 14 in Alma, Quebec, using the company’s md4-1000 UAV.
Using the md4-1000 UAV with a variety of payloads attached to it, Microdrones conducted a total of 10 flights, which were flown by Microdrones’ Jocelyne Bois, flight operations manager; Jeremy Jung, research and development engineer; and Yannick Savey, UAS pilot.
“We are very excited about the results,” Bois says.
North Carolina Governor signs new UAS bills into law
According to the Courier-Tribune, North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper has signed two bills regarding drone use in the state. One of the bills is a new law that is meant to make sure that UAS operations remain safe, while the other bill revises existing laws.
The first bill, known as House Bill 128, prohibits UAS use near prisons, with near being defined as “a horizontal distance of 500 feet or a vertical distance of 250 feet.” The law will go into effect on December 1, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation will mark the boundaries using signs.
AeroVironment to supply Australian Defence Force with its Wasp AE UAS
On July 25, AeroVironment, Inc. participated in a signing ceremony for the formal execution of contracts to deliver its Wasp AE UAS to the Australian Defence Force (ADF), starting on July 1, 2018.
The UAS will be delivered over a three-year period, and AeroVironment is enlisting the help of several Australian partners, including XTEK, General Dynamics Mediaware and Sentient Vision, to provide the UAS.
To serve the immediate needs of ADF, and expand AeroVironment’s global support capabilities, XTEK and AeroVironment will provide local maintenance, training and field support.
To meet the needs of ADF and the Australian industry, the Wasp AE will be modified with Australian content.
Pioneer Aerial Surveys signs UAV-MAG contract to perform survey for Quantum Pacific Exploration
Starting in August, Pioneer Aerial Surveys, which is the wholly owned subsidiary of Global UAV Technologies, will conduct a survey for Quantum Pacific Exploration (QPX), after signing a UAV-MAG contract in Chile.
For Pioneer Aerial, this will be its third international survey, and its first contract for a UAV-MAG survey in South America.
“The QPX contract marks a significant step in Pioneer Aerial’s acceptance as the leader in UAV-MAG surveys worldwide,” says Michael Burns, President of Pioneer Aerial Surveys.
Madison police department actively using UAS
Since June, the Madison Police Department in Wisconsin has deployed its new UAS team five times.
One of the times, the policed launched a UAS to help officers locate a suicidal man who was on the loose, and another time, a UAS was used to help officers map out the scene at a restaurant where a homicide and armed robbery had occurred.
These are just a few examples of how the department plans on using its UAS, and according to Madison Police Lt. Mike Hanson, who commands the 11-member team, this is just the beginning for this technology.
“They’re here to stay,” Hanson says via the Wisconsin State Journal.
