Unmanned Aerial Systems – A Beginners Guide
An Introduction To The UAS Industry – Training, News and Comment
Sheep Dogs beware, your services are soon to be surplus to requirement!
Great idea, great video, great piloting skills, apt choice of song!
Another fantastic application for Unmanned Aerial Systems, safe, fast and effective. Good Work Farmer Dude and SkyFly Photography.
As usual, here is a link to my original source, and lots more detail on the story, including the UAS Pilot interview with the BBC.
Thumbs Up Shep The Drone!
Earlier i wrote a short piece, on the potential release of the new DJI Phantom 3.
It got me thinking, if the DJI Phantom range is the most widely recognisable and purchased consumer UAS, how many UAVs actually been sold world wide?
I set out to write this post, expecting it to take me 20 minutes and just link through to a few relevant web sites. as you can probably tell, this hasn’t proved as simple as i first thought.
Actual figures are hard to find. I recently wrote about 3D Robotics, there top chap, Chris Anderson estimates 500,000 UAVs have already been sold in the US. he predicts 3DR will turnover $40Million this year, which equates to over 53,000 units. accessorises not included!
Bloomberg state that Amazon in 2014, were selling in excess of 10,000 UAS units a month.
http://dronelife.com/2015/01/24/drone-sales-figures-2014-hard-navigate/
(I would suggest you read the ‘Drone life’ article it is extensive and far more informative than my report)
200,000 a month in 2014. Thats over 6500 a day, last year.
So how many of these are DJI products, clearly the market leader in consumer UAS.
It has become somewhat ubiquitous of late to read another article of a UAS being flown somewhere it shouldn’t, and 99% of the time, its reported to be a DJI Phantom.
So just how many DJI products are there in consumers hands. Well from my research i have yet to find an accurate figure for DJI product sales. I did manage to find this quote from an article in later 2013
DJI does not release sales figures, but Mr Mortimer (Gary Mortimer, editor of leading international industry website sUAS News,) estimates that when the Phantom first launched in late 2012, the company was selling 8,000 units a month.
He believes there has since been a significant jump in global sales.
“In Europe, I know they sold more than 6,000 units just in Switzerland,” he says.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-04-14/chinese-made-drones-programmed-with-no-fly-zones/5388356
In 2012 8,000 units were selling a month, you can bet this figure is closer to 25,000 a month in 2015. At least that in fact!
If anyone has more detailed sales figure for UAS consumer purchases, please let me know.
TU
The DJI Phantom is by far the most widely recognised and popular UAS in the world. Thinking of buying one….. you might want to wait a few weeks.
I have it on good authority that DJI are about to release details of a new addition to the Phantom range!!!! My source informs me that, “within the next 14 days DJI will launch a new product, or rather they are launching a range of possibly 3 new products each with different spec and a price range to suit”.
Somewhat predictably, the range will go under the “Phantom 3” title.
Additionally; The Phantom 2 vision range is being discontinued and consigned to history!
The Phantom 1 was a game changer. The FC40 improved and for many, myself included, the Phantom 2 was the best of the range thus far. The option to use a GoPro, made it the Quadcopter of choice.
In my personal opinion, the next two models, the Vision and Vision 2 Plus had better features and improved Ground Station function, i have been frustrated with how easy the camera and gimbal can be damaged, such a delicate camera, with no zero protection, the CAA imposed restriction of 120 meters VLOS, due to the 5.8ghz transmitter is also another frustration Vision Plus owners face.
So maybe a new addition to the family makes sense. A Phantom 3 with the quick set up of the previous models, but with the option to attach multiple camera models, improved App support, brining it more in line with the DJI Pilot App for the Inspire also makes sense.
There is as of yet, little info about this story online, so you heard it here first, lets see if the launch takes place in Lag Vegas @ The NAB Show, 11 to 16 April.
http://www.nabshow.com/news-releases/nab-show-feature-new-aerial-robotics-and-drone-pavilion
I would like to thank my Source for the heads up!
Thumbs Up!
UPDATE – DJI are set to release another new Firmware Update for the Phantom in the next few weeks. Giving more credibility to this report!
Last minute news from SXSW isn’t looking good.
Less than 2 days before the festival starts, Event Planners have scuppered hopes for Drone based antics and activities. So no aerial ‘selfies’ or aerial views for the festival this year.
http://sxsw.com/news/2015/use-drones-sxsw
South By South West is a annual Technology conference, held in Austin Texas, so it may come a surprise to many in the industry, that SXSW of all people, are scrapping the proper use of UAVs.
I would expect this is more of an issue at a music festival, were drunk people might try to hit a UAV with a beer can….which is inevitably going miss and cause more harm than a small UAS ever would.
This is a quote taken directly from the SXSW website
SXSW has a strict no drones policy due to the safety risks drones present to the public, and pursuant to City of Austin Ordinance, Chapter 13-1. This policy was established after consultation with drone experts, user groups, municipal authorities and aviation safety experts.
The article continued to discuss the potential ramifications for those who flaunt the ruling…
The Austin Police Department will also be watching for drones in crowded and/or public areas where the drones could pose a risk to public safety, are subject to seizure by Austin Police Department and the operators are subject to fines and/or arrest.
Is this heavy handed legislation? Is this reasonable? I’m not sure. The article states UAV’s will be at the Festival, in specific locations, albeit Tethered to the ground. I understand the logic in protecting the public, but surely this is going a little too far? Why not have a cordoned off area, properly managed, away from the crowds. Is a tethered UAV, much safer than one without a cable attached?
As a Brit, this is something i find strange about America culture; small UAVs are banned from a Technology Festival, for safety reasons, but anyone can buy, own and carry a loaded GUN!!! What??!?
The FAA are so strict, less than 20 US companies have permission to fly in America commercially, because ‘drones are dangerous’, but guns are ok? I appreciate the FAA has nothing to do with Guns, but surely a culture that accepts the ownership of guns, should be more accepting of the minimal risks a small UAS can cause.
TU
The House of Lords EU Committee is suggesting recommendations for a UAS owners register.
This has been on the horizon for the past year now, and i am fully behind most the recommendations. I appreciate the comments, that those wishing to use a UAV for illegal or terrorist activities, are not likely to register their name and home address! But it is a step in the right direction.
The database will initially include business and professional organisations. However i was under the impression that this information was already stored in the CAA database, which is available to the public. I blogged about on the 15th Feb, there were 483, this figure is grown to 536!
Click to access 26Feb15%20RptUAVcurrentDates.pdf
I wonder who the House of Lords wants to add to this list? Individual UAS Pilots name, business, CAA number and approval date? Or will this be the start of more Big Brother excuses from the Powers that Be, and every individual who buys a UAS has to register…..then how long is it before everyone who registers needs to pay an annual fee or ensure everyone has UAS insurance or even make every user pass a competency exam?
I think this is a fantastic opportunity for Britain and the CAA to lead the world in Commercial UAS regulations AND use. There is no point having all these rules but restricting their future application (AmazonPrime Air in looking at you guys). We are just scratching the surface for UAS application. For an industry set to worth Billions, employing Thousands across Europe, we need to get it right, right from the start.
This is all my wild speculation, and may not happen, but here are some recommendations that will….
All wise suggestions and i think these will be appreciated by the law abiding recreational and commercial UAS community in the UK….
What won’t help though, are frankly, stupid, comments made by those is power or authority. Professor David Dunn, who has written about this for the Royal Institute for International Affairs, was quoted saying…
“The technologies have the capacity to crash into people and kill them, as they have done in the States….”
WHAT!?!?!?!? Not one single person has EVER, been killed by a commercial UAS, in America or anywhere in the World. Yes, Military Drones kill people everyday, but no one has ever lost their life because of a rogue DJI Phantom! Comments like this, taken out of context do our Industry, no favours what so ever.
You can find more information of the story, from my source BBC News
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-31735662
I will be keeping an eye on UAS forums over the next few days to gauge the response from those of us it will affect the most.
Safe flying
TU
The UAV market is expected to be worth over 12 Billion US Dollars by the year 2020, but who are the people making it happen?
This week i will be writing about, some of the market leaders in UAV R&D. Tonight, i wanted to talk about someone who isn’t DJI, which is all i seem to read about.
Take Jordi Munoz, 28, for instance. A young Mexican Drone entrepreneur, co owner of 3D Robotics, a rapidly growing commercial UAV manufacturer in America.
In 2007 Jordi began building his own UAS in his garage. Fast forward to 2015, and the company is expected to post sales figures in excess of $50 Million!!!!!!
3D Robotics now makes five different types of drones, with prices ranging from $740 to $5,400. Mr Munoz says that sales first reached the $1m mark in 2011, before hitting $10m in 2013, and being on target for $40m this year.
Source BBC News
Jordi and his partner, a Mr Anderson (can’t help but read it in a Agent Smith voice) decided to go into business together, without actually meeting and now their company is THE largest commercial UAS manufacturer in the States!
Mr Anderson, is in fact Chris Anderson, ex editor of Wired Magazine. If you go on their site, which is a pleasure to navigate, unlike many RC sites, you can see their range of UAS. And their prices are very very competitive. Next stop youtube to see their Copters in action…i’m in the market for a new UAS and the DJI Inspire 1 is at the top of my list, maybe 3DR can change my mind.
These guys could one day give DJI a run for their money!
You can read the full story on the BBC News site, the source of my info
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-31356080
Thumbs Up
BBC News have some new UAS Aerial footage from Ukraine, shot during the recent ceasefire.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-31523830
Its very very shaky, could be the wind, a camera mount without a gimbal, or maybe its one of the new style, small, 3D Printed Drones, I commented on the other day. The picture quality is good, so i suspect the weather is the cause.
The second link, it to a video i found on Youtube earlier today. It’s old, December 2014, so you may have already seen it, but it shows soldiers, the video indicates they are Russian (also the flag on the car helps!) with what is obviously a DJI Phantom – man, those things are every where!
I have absolutely no idea what the guy is saying, but i wish they didn’t have their masks on. I bet they were grinning ear to ear, the first time they flew the Phantom, arguing about who gets to fly it next – who doesnt?!
It is quiet astounding to me, how wide spread and versatile, the use of UAS has become. And more often than not, its a Phantom, i wonder how many have been manufactured/sold thus far?
I shall find out. Till then.
TU
Amazon released a statement stating they will still be looking to offer deliveries via UAS, regardless of the new FAA proposals.
Amazon Says FAA Proposals Won’t Ground Drone Delivery Plans
The new regulations are up for discussion for the next few months. Regardless of the outcome, Amazon is expecting it to take two years before these rules are actually implemented.
The main factor which will make or break ‘Drone Delivery’, in the US and UK, is Line of Sight. If FAA regulations stipulate UAS can only be operated a Pilot with Visual Line of Sight, then that stops Amazon, Dominos, Alibaba and so many smaller companies in their tracks.
I don’t expect to see UAV delivery in the UK for at least the next few years. One of the main problems isn’t mid air crashes, as these can be avoided by adhering to UAS height restrictions. I would suggest it will be trying to land safely in a built up residential area that is the difficult part. Overhead phone or electric wires are the obvious concern. What if a UAS lost signal and crashed onto a busy main road or a school, both common place in a residential area. Nothing good is the answer.
This is still a new industry. sometimes its best to walk first. The technology isn’t quiet there yet. ‘Smart Drones’, that can autonomous detect objects and correct course quickly, need to improve…an advanced version of the Optical Positioning system, DJI, have fitted to the new Inspire 1, could be designed to fulfil this task. Smart Drones of the future is the subject of my new post, so till then…..
TU
The answer is currently, 483 UK companies, with a Civil Aviation Authority permission to operate a UAV with a sub 7KG payload weight.
Not a huge number by any means, considering in 2013 there were 4.9 million private sector companies, but this number has increased rapidly in the last 12 months, and will continue to grow as more companies discover the application of UAS.
This is a complete list of ALL currently registered CAA approved UAS companies in the UK as of February 13th 2015.
Click to access 22Jan15%20RptUAVcurrentDates.pdf
UPDATE – 5TH MARCH – NEW LINK
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/1995/26Feb15%20RptUAVcurrentDates.pdf
It will be interesting to see the growth of the next year. Will it be over a thousand? I predict 1250. Lets see if i’m right next february.
TU
Just a quick reminder that tickets for the UK Drone Show, go on sale on 16th of this month.
Overland UAS, myself and the team will be there, make sure you are too!
TU
Unmanned Aerial Systems - A Beginners Guide 