A drone was flown just 30 metres from a Boeing 757 jet near Manchester airport, according to an official near-miss report. The pilot of the airliner “expressed his surprise” after spotting the object shortly after take-off, the UK Airprox Board (UKAB) said. He was turning right at an altitude of 450 metres (1,500ft) – a “critical phase of flight” – wh...
The holding company Helicopters of Russia (affiliated with the state-run corporation Rostec) will put on display its newest remote-controlled helicopter and multicopter, as well as an upgraded convertiplane, the holding company’s press-service has told TASS. "Visitors will be able to see a remote-controlled helicopter, a multicopter and an upgraded convertiplane. All were designed by...
On May 21 the IX International Helicopter Industry Exhibition HeliRussia 2016 in will host a unique event – Drone Racing. This is a new and exciting sport for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) pilots, who compete in precision and speed. A special drone racing track will be opened at the "Crocus Expo" IEC where the expo takes place. Drone Racing can be compared to the legendary &qu...
A scale model of Russia’s prospective multipurpose tilt-rotor drone, the Frigate, is currently undergoing trials. The UAV is designed to be used for surveillance, search and rescue operations and cargo transportation purposes. The Frigate unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), being developed by the St. Petersburg-based Kronshtadt Group, is expected to become part of the Russian aviation force, w...
An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), flying close to Prague’s Václav Havel International Airport, forced air traffic controllers to issue an “immediate stop” message to an airliner on its takeoff roll. The incident, involving a Boeing 737-800 of Czech carrier Travel Service, occurred May 6. The aircraft was operating on behalf of SmartWings, Travel Service’s schedule...
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has completed the first deployment of the AeroVironment RQ-20A Puma AE unmanned air vehicle to the Antarctic, where it supported a US Coast Guard resupply mission. It operated onboard the US Coast Guard icebreaker Polar Star in support of the annual operation Deep Freeze deployment, taking on the role of manned helicopters in providing...
Chief executive of British Airways’ owner says drones may become serious risk to air passengers. The boss of British Airways’ owner IAG has called for a register of drone users after a series of near collisions between passenger planes and unmanned aircraft. Willie Walsh, IAG’s chief executive, said that “without question” new restrictions should be brought in b...
Britain will double its fleet of armed surveillance drones with a new upgraded generation of unmanned aircraft able to fly for nearly twice as long, laden with more bombs, missiles and sensors, the MoD has disclosed. The 79ft wingspan, remotely piloted planes will be able to circle over and spy on targets for nearly two days, while sophisticated new flight computers mean they will be able to fl...
A recent study makes it seem clear that drones and airplanes are on a collision course—unless SkySafe has anything to say about it. The new startup company has technology that can stop a drone in its flight path and divert it before it collides with a commercial plane, The Verge reported. SkySafe, which bills itself as in the drone protection business, doesn't just alert pilots to nea...
Drones today are inadequate. While the basics of simple unmanned flying machines are simple enough, if drones are going to revolutionize how people do anything, they’ll need to do much more, within the basic confines of their design. So Local Motors, a Phoenix-based open-source manufacturing company, is partnering with Airbus Group to design a cargo drone for the future. They’re hol...
Transport Secretary says ban on drones is "part of the overarching security plan". Drones have been banned in parts of London while Barack Obama visits the UK this week. An advisory published by the National Air Traffic Service (NATS) and regulator the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), has put restrictions on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and other aircraft from Thursday evening on Ap...
It now seems inevitable that a tragic accident involving a commercial plane with hundreds aboard and a drone is only a matter of time. The numbers are troubling with the British Airways encounter Sunday just the tip of the iceberg. Officials: Drone apparently slams into plane Last year, in the United Kingdom alone there was a quadrupling of near misses to 23 in the six month period from A...
