This week in drone news: FAA Administrator has announced he will be resigning, the FAA announced this week they will begin Unmanned Traffic Management field testing, the Superbowl drone show, more concerns over blue UAS in comparison to the NDAA, and a new FPV course.
\nFriday the 11th, the FAA announced the plan to begin testing unmanned traffic management capabilities. Testing will start in the spring of 2022. UTM service will be complimentary but separate from ATM services This field testing is aimed at sUAS operations, generally, below 400\u2019. https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/faa-begins-new-phase-testing-safely-integrate-drones-national-airspace
\nThe NFL put on a drone show for the Super Bowl. This show was shown 4 times, once the Friday prior and three times on Saturday. There were none on Sunday due to the TFR.
\nTwo NDAA compliant drones manufacturers, Terraview and Skyfish are petitioning congress to remove the blue sUAS requirement. These two manufacturers claim the Blue UAS program is causing damage to NDAA compliant manufacturers. Both manufacturers applied for blue UAS, but were told the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) lacked the funding to evaluate their systems. \u201cThe Blue sUAS list was never designed to be a gate-keeper for federal government procurement,\u201d says Bruce Myers, Terraview CEO. \u201cIt\u2019s actually stifling competition\u2026 The DIU never intended the Blue sUAS list to be the be-all-end-all. \u201d https://dronelife.com/2022/02/12/ndaa-compliant-us-drone-manufacturers-petition-congress-to-remove-blue-suas-requirement-from-gsa/
\nCheck out our new FPV course! This is a step-by-step guide to building a cinematic FPV drone, taught by Don, our FPV instructor. Don goes over what parts to use, how to assemble, and configure the drone to get those awesome dynamic FPV shots. Enroll here: https://pilotinstitute.com/course/cinematic-fpv-drone-from-scratch/
\nThe FAA administration released a memo stating: \u201cOver the past several years, my family has been a source of tremendous encouragement, strength, and support. Nevertheless, after sometimes long and unavoidable periods of separation from my loved ones during the pandemic, it is time to devote my full time and attention to them. As I wrote in my letter to President Biden, it is time to go home.\u201d Administrator Dickson said he made the decision in light of growing extended family and time away from his family. It\u2019s expected Deputy Administrator Bradley Mims will take over Dickson\u2019s duties. https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-administrator-to-resign/