Wing, the drone delivery venture of Google parent Alphabet, on Wednesday announced it is expanding to Melbourne and the Australian state of Victoria along with its food delivery partner. More than 250,000 residents can now order food, drinks, and household items by drone, straight to their backyard, directly through the DoorDash app.

Melbourne is not the first market Wing and DoorDash have targeted, and it is unlikely to be the last. The partners began offering the service in the Brisbane suburb of Logan in 2022 and in March expanded to Christiansburg, Virginia, in partnership with Wendy’s.

Wing’s delivery area in Melbourne, however, is its largest yet in Australia, covering 26 suburbs in the east of the city. The larger size was enabled via regulatory approvals from the country’s leadership.

The service will also feature the company’s highest pilot-to-aircraft ratio to date, with a single pilot assigned to monitor up to 50 drones at a time, three times more than previously permitted. The increase was approved, Wing said, because the company has been able to demonstrate the safety of its service over five years of operation in the country.

The drones cruise at roughly 65 mph (56 knots) at an altitude of about 200 feet, and all flights are preplanned by an automated system. They can continue flying in light rain or even snow. The DoorDash app will provide customers with a countdown clock to collect their delivery, which, as FLYING saw firsthand, is accurate down to the second.

Partnering with DoorDash is part of Wing’s strategy of direct integration. The company uses tools such as automation and autonomous drone loaders to streamline the order and delivery process on the merchant’s end, while the customer gains easy access to the service through one of the world’s largest food delivery platforms. DoorDash, for its part, has also not been shy about its use of autonomy.

Separately, Wing announced an expansion of its service in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area of Texas with partner Walmart. The companies added two new Walmart locations to their network, expanding it to six stores covering more than a dozen neighborhoods.

The drone delivery provider is also looking to get into healthcare through a collaboration with the U.K.’s Apian. The firms recently partnered with a collection of Irish companies to launch a healthcare drone delivery trial, including 100 flights per week of medical supplies and devices to Irish hospitals.

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Four projects intended to study potential AAM use cases and guide Michigan lawmakers as they regulate the industry have received a total of $6.25 million in funding. AAM is an umbrella term used by the FAA to denote new forms of passenger- and cargo-carrying aircraft, from drones to electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis.

The $2.6 million will be allocated to electric aircraft and charging station developer Beta Technologies. The remaining funds will be divided among drone infrastructure developer Skyports ($512,000); Traverse Connect, the economic developer for the state’s Great Traverse region ($689,500); and Michigan Central, a transportation technology campus located in Detroit ($2.45 million).

The money comes from the Michigan AAM Activation Fund, which has the combined backing of the state’s Department of Transportation (MDOT), Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME), and Economic Development Corporation (MEDC). The fund aims to prepare Michigan for the arrival of AAM aircraft by coordinating state agencies.

“Advanced air mobility is an incredible economic opportunity for the state of Michigan,” said Gilchrist. “These investments create high-tech jobs, grow cutting-edge businesses, and enhance quality of life for our residents. These innovative advancements will elevate the way our companies operate, making air transportation more efficient and changing the way we move both people and cargo.”

Added Bradley Wieferich, Michigan state transportation director: “This new investment complements the state’s strategy to find safe and cost-efficient ways to capitalize on a robust network of aviation infrastructure serving Michiganders today.”

Beta will use its $2.6 million appropriation to install electric aircraft chargers statewide, including at Cherry Capital Airport (KTVC), Capital Region International Airport (KLAN), West Michigan Regional Airport (KBIV), and Willow Run Airport (KYIP).

The company is developing systems that adhere to the combined charging standard (CCS), a set of design protocols endorsed by Beta, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association (GAMA), and other manufacturers such as Archer Aviation and Boeing’s Wisk Aero. So far, Beta has about 20 chargers installed and online in the Eastern U.S., with another 50 or so in the construction or permitting process.

Skyports will use its money to launch a trio of proof-of-concept, ship-to-shore drone delivery services in the cities of Sault Ste. Marie and Detour Village, in partnership with local shipping provider Interlake Steamships. The ships will be anchored while drones arrive to pick up deliveries.

Traverse Connect, with an assortment of partners, will examine the use of drones to deliver critical medical supplies to rural areas, which typically have less access to the U.S. healthcare system. The drones will also be deployed for marine surveying, water sampling and testing, bathymetric mapping, and emergency response in the Lake Michigan area.

Michigan Central, meanwhile, has been tasked with improving Michigan’s recently announced advanced aerial innovation region, an urban campus that was opened to bring AAM companies and jobs to the state. It will also work alongside Brooklyn’s Newlab, a technology center best known for revitalizing the Brooklyn Navy Yard, to test beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone use cases across building inspection, cargo delivery, and medical delivery.

“Michiganders have always been pioneers in the mobility space, and now we’re taking to the skies, finding new ways to use next-generation transportation to deliver critical resources like medical supplies and food, reinforcing international partnerships and cross-border collaboration, and so much more,” said Justine Johnson, Michigan chief mobility officer.

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In a letter to the FAA penned by John Nichols, the mayor of College Station, Texas—one of two locations where Prime Air began flying in 2022—on behalf of the city council he urged the regulator to deny a request that would more than double the service’s range. The mayor cited noise concerns from residents as the chief factor guiding the city’s position.

College Station has become a critical hub for Prime Air, which has struggled to get its drone delivery service off the ground. The city was intended to be one of two key launch markets in addition to Lockeford, California, but the latter service was shuttered in April after a less-than-stellar performance in a little more than its first year.

That leaves College Station as the sole market for Prime Air operations, and Amazon recently bolstered the service by adding on-demand delivery of prescription medications for the flu, asthma, pneumonia, and more. The e-commerce giant is also looking to bring drones to the Phoenix metro area in Arizona and has teased an international expansion to the U.K. and Italy.

Last year, Prime Air unveiled its MK30 drone, which is rangier, quieter, and more durable than its current MK27-2. To integrate the new model into its Texas fleet, the company submitted a draft supplemental environmental assessment to the FAA summarizing the MK30’s potential impacts on College Station residents.

Since the new model can fly in light rain and more extreme temperatures than the MK27-2, Amazon proposes operations 365 days per year, an increase from 260. Flights per day would increase from 200 to about 470 and would take place between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. CT, removing an FAA restriction limiting flights to daytime hours.

Under the proposal, the company’s operating area would expand from 43.7 to 174 square miles. The expansion to 43.7 square miles happened earlier this year, when the FAA granted Amazon approval to fly its drones where its pilots cannot physically see them. Comparable waivers have been handed out to competitors such as Zipline, Alphabet’s Wing, and UPS’s Flight Forward, similarly allowing those companies to expand their service areas through remote operations.

If approved, the lighter restrictions would allow Prime Air to fly more than 170,000 operations per year in College Station with the MK30, compared to 52,000 with its current model.

Nichols said that the city is excited to be one of the few in the U.S. to host a drone delivery service. But that came with a caveat.

“While the city is supportive of Amazon Prime Air’s efforts, we do not support their request in its entirety,” Nichols wrote. “Since locating in College Station, residents in neighborhoods adjacent to Amazon Prime Air’s facility have expressed concern to the city council regarding drone noise levels, particularly during takeoff and landing, as well as in some delivery operations.”

According to Nichols, residents “have continued” to voice concerns regarding Prime Air’s planned expansion, worrying that the noise will only worsen. The mayor added that the expanded service area could extend beyond the city’s commercial zoning district, which is intended to limit commercial spillover into residential neighborhoods.

“Due to the level of concern from residents, the city would ask to delay the increase in service levels relating to the number of deliveries, as well as the expanded operation days and hours, until additional noise mitigation efforts are implemented by Amazon Prime Air,” Nichols wrote.

Nichols did offer support, however, for the introduction of the MK30, which is expected to be 40 percent quieter than its predecessor. It is unclear whether the new drone would represent sufficient “noise mitigation efforts” in the city council’s eyes, though Nichols said it would have a “positive effect” on residents’ displeasure.

The comment period for the environmental assessment closed on Friday, and the city and Prime Air will now have to wait for the FAA’s decision. Amazon is also awaiting comments and a final decision on a draft environmental assessment for its planned Arizona service.

Should the proposed expansion be rejected, it would represent yet another blow for Prime Air, which so far has not delivered on former CEO Jeff Bezos’ prognostications more than a decade ago.

In that time, competitors such as Zipline and Wing have risen to the top of the young industry—each of those firms has completed multiple hundred thousands of drone deliveries, including outside the U.S.

Prime Air’s future prospects may be bolstered by the MK30, which promises to address some of the company’s problems: namely range, excessive noise, and limitations on deliveries in inclement weather.

Amazon is not the only drone delivery provider contending with unhappy customers. Earlier this month, a Florida man was arrested for shooting down a Walmart delivery drone he said was flying over his house.

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After a few months of success with air force pilots and rear gunners with shotguns taking out Russian drones in a Yak-52, the Ukraine military is now training pilots and gunners to use the rag-and-tube A-22 to do the same. Previously the light sport aircraft (LSA) have been used as single-use flying bombs and have taken out some high-value targets. 

According to Forbes, Russian bloggers say it’s time to do something about the new role and its inspiration.

“The Yak-52 flew over Odessa and with high efficiency shot down our reconnaissance UAVs for a week, causing laughter in some circles,” Forbes quoted a translation of the blogs as saying. “This has not been funny to UAV operators and us for a long time.”

What, exactly, the Russians might do to counteract the low-and-slow platforms wasn’t discussed on the blog. The Yak has reportedly taken out 12 drones that cost about $100,000 each.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on AVweb.

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On Monday, the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) announced that it and the Air Mobility Command (AMC), which provides aerial refueling and airlift services for U.S. forces worldwide, began testing a UAS traffic management (UTM) system at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida.

The system, called CLUE, or Collaborative Low-Altitude Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Effort, is designed to integrate UAS flights next to crewed aircraft above and around Air Force installations. According to the AFRL, MacDill is the first base to use a UTM system in airspace overseen by Department of Defense air traffic controllers.

“This is a significant milestone for AMC, AFRL, and the CLUE program, as the MacDill Air Traffic Control Tower and Base Defense Operations Center are first in the Air Force to operationally assess UTM capabilities,” said Phil Zaleski, manager of the AFRL CLUE program.

CLUE was born out of the AFRL’s Information Directorate as a project meant to provide “air domain awareness, situational awareness, and UTM operational capabilities for UAS operators, air traffic control [ATC] personnel, Security Forces and other stakeholders.”

The system arrived at MacDill in 2022, where initial testing focused on airspace deconfliction, communication, and security. The goal was to enable drone flights beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator, which are heavily scrutinized and restricted by the FAA.

Since then, the UTM platform has been developed to give air traffic controllers a three-dimensional view of UAS activity and make it possible to grant flight permissions automatically.

“Equipping airspace managers and UAS operators with a 3D operational viewing capability and additional features designed to reduce lengthy manual and advanced planning procedures will be critical to achieving real-time flight planning and mission execution,” said James Layton, chief of plans and programs at MacDill.

The system is also sensor-agnostic, meaning it integrates with an array of different sensors designed to detect, track, and identify drones, including a counter UAS system being tested at MacDill.

The Air Force in May began formally testing CLUE’s capabilities on the base, opening it to the site’s ATC tower, Defense Operations Center, and airfield management team. Personnel so far have used the system to plan the intent of UAS flights or let operators know where they are approved to fly a drone, for example.

Operators ask CLUE for the all clear to fly, and their request is either approved or denied by the control tower. Once permission is granted, they can fly within a bounded area. CLUE feeds the operators information about the airspace and other nearby aircraft, helping them stay within the approved zone while avoiding other drones.

The UTM system has also been installed at Eglin AFB’s Duke Field (KEGI) in Florida, where the AFRL conducted a demonstration of its capabilities in 2023. There, CLUE will begin by integrating flights of small UAS (weighing less than 70 pounds) before moving to larger designs, including electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) air taxis such as Joby Aviation’s five-seat S4.

Joby, partnering with AFWERX, the Air Force’s innovation arm, earlier this year committed to deliver two air taxis to MacDill and has also shipped a prototype aircraft to Edwards AFB in California.

MacDill in May also hosted flights of a KC-135 Stratotanker equipped with an autonomous flight system from developer Merlin Labs, which is designed to one day enable fully remote flights. That technology, as well as systems from fellow AFWERX collaborators Xwing and Reliable Robotics, could one day be integrated into the CLUE UTM.

AFWERX and the AFRL are not the only government entities studying UTM systems. The Air Force is working with NASA to build a digital operations center for drones and electric air taxis nationwide and is collaborating with the FAA to integrate novel and uncrewed aircraft with air traffic control and other systems within the national airspace.

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The drones are owned by the Great Lakes Drone Co. of Coloma, Michigan. The company has been providing drone shows since 2017. 

The show box was over Angle Lake, which covers approximately 102 acres and is surrounded by residential homes and a park.

• READ MORE: Are Drone Light Shows Replacing Fireworks Displays?

According to Mathew Quinn, CEO of Great Lakes Drone Co. and the remote pilot in command during the event, the drones are programmed to return to their point of launch in the event of a signal disruption. That, however, didn’t happen.

According to Quinn, several drones entered fail-safe emergency land mode due to a loss of GPS. 

“We know they all had 28 to 32 satellites locked prior to takeoff, and the ones unaffected in the air were locked on 32 to 35,” Quinn told FLYING. “We also know we had comms, both on primary and backup as they were receiving commands. They just didn’t know where they were without GPS. That being said, our emergency procedures were put in place, 145 of the 200 drones in the air recovered, and 55 were left to land in the lake for safety reasons. Had an attempt been made to override the failure, we could have caused flyaways, [audience] injury, or damage.”

Quinn said the company often puts on more than 100 drone light shows a year, and this was the first time it experienced a problem like this.

According to local media reports, some of the audience thought the drones falling into the lake was part of the show. 

Officials from the city of SeaTac said there were no reported injuries, adding, “the drone show was forced to end early and was immediately followed by the fireworks extravaganza.”

“Safety is always the FAA’s top priority,” FAA told FLYING in a statement. “Drone arrays and light shows are subject to FAA regulation. Typically, these events require a waiver to the regulation that prohibits operating more than one drone at a time. We thoroughly review each drone-show application to make sure the flying public and people on the ground will be safe.”

Among other things, the agency said it reviews:

• Software controlling the drones
• Procedures on setting up safe and restricted areas to keep people a safe distance from the show
• Procedures in the event a single or multiple drones fail
• Procedures if an aircraft gets too close to the show
• How the operator keeps the drones within a confined area using geofencing
• Whether the operator has an adequate number of people to run the show

The operator is responsible for coordinating with local law enforcement, park police, city officials, and others as appropriate.

By the Book

FLYING obtained a copy of the waiver filed by Great Lakes Drone Co. that noted, among other safety precautions, the show would be performed with a two-layer geofence that keeps the drones in confined space in the event they malfunction. Flight termination protocols were also established, namely sending the drones into the lake.

This is normal protocol for commercial drone operations, said John Ellis, a professional drone pilot and the co-author of 107 School LLC, a professional drone pilot course.

“Before every commercial mission, the remote pilot in command (RPIC) has many responsibilities,” Ellis said. “They have to brief their crew on operating conditions, emergency procedures, contingencies, and their roles and responsibilities, and any potential hazards. The preflight crew brief is mandatory for all commercial unmanned flights. The RPIC has to make sure everyone that is part of the crew knows what they are to do in the case of an emergency.”

Ellis said Quinn did exactly what was required to keep the audience safe.

“It was expensive, but lives are worth more than drones, and when he determined that it would be impossible to safely bring these aircraft back to land, he utilized a fail safe and sent them into the water,” Quinn said of Ellis. “It’s exactly the response we like to see from a responsible and professional remote pilot, to put the safety of nonparticipants first, even though it could be financially difficult to do so, and he should be commended.”

Ellis added that the commercially produced drones used for shows tend to be on the smaller side of the spectrum, costing around $2,000 or more.

Quinn said that his company is sifting through the evidence to determine what went wrong.

“I believe the key takeaway here is that technology fails, aircraft fail, and the emergency procedures imposed caused zero damage to property or people,” he said. “As much as this was not an ideal event, and that we don’t have all the answers as of yet, it was a very successful demonstration of the safety policies, procedures, and programming in place.

Quinn said the cause of the malfunction has yet to be determined.

“We use the most advanced systems on the market with a 0.02 percent failure rate until SeaTac” he said. “Was it outside interference? Was it an internal system compromise we haven’t found yet? We do not know yet, but we do know the same system that flew the SeaTac show, literally every part except the drones themselves, flew two more consecutive shows on the 5th and 6th without any issues at all with zero adjustments.

“Several tests were performed on the 5th prior to the show to verify obviously, but nothing could be found inconsistent with normal behavior.”

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According to an arrest affidavit, Lake County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at Clermont’s Walmart store Wednesday in response to a drone being shot while flying on delivery.

Representatives from DroneUp, a new drone delivery service partnered with Walmart, told deputies they had a two-man crew in a nearby neighborhood promoting their company by doing mock deliveries. The crew was at the delivery point outside Dennis Winn’s residence in a cul-de-sac.

After the drone arrived and began its descent, one of the DroneUp employees told authorities a man, later identified as Winn, pointed a handgun at the drone. After hearing a gunshot, the crew ran to the van and drove back to Walmart. The damaged drone also returned to the store.

The crew spotted a bullet hole in the drone’s payload system and estimated the damage at $2,500. Deputies noted metal shavings consistent with bullet fragmentation. The complainant from DroneUp told deputies the drone will be inoperable for some time.

Questioned by a deputy at his home, Winn said the drone had flown over his house, so he shot at it with his 9 mm handgun. Winn told the deputy he had past experience with drones flying over his house and believed they were surveilling him.

The deputy said Winn reacted with disbelief when he was told he had shot a Walmart drone.

The deputy told Winn the damages amount to $10,000, which he had been advised were the damages at the time. Winn told the deputy that if he had to pay $10,000, then he wanted the drone as his personal property.

The deputy told Winn the round he shot had gone over several other residences, and he acknowledged his actions were reckless. The deputy notes in the affidavit that when officers arrived on the scene, a small child was playing in the cul-de-sac near Winn’s residence.

Winn was taken to Lake County Jail and charged with shooting or throwing deadly missiles into dwellings, vessels or vehicles, criminal mischief of $1,000 or more in damage, and discharging a firearm in public or on residential property. Firing at an aircraft is a felony in Florida. Winn was released on $13,500 bond on Thursday.

According to Florida law, drones cannot be operated over or close to “critical infrastructure facilities” but can fly over residential neighborhoods.

That said, the state does not limit the authority of local governments to enact and enforce ordinances relating to nuisances, voyeurism, harassment, reckless endangerment, property damage or other illegal acts arising from the use of drones.

The representative from DroneUp told Lake County deputies that DroneUp is a drone delivery service defined by Florida statute and is governed by Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations concerning aeronautics and space.

A spokesperson from Walmart Inc. told FreightWaves the company was aware of the incident and referred questions to Lake County law enforcement. DroneUp did not immediately respond to FreightWaves’ request for comment. Winn also could not be reached for comment.

Author CALEB REVILL is a journalist, writer and lifelong learner working as a junior writer for Firecrown. When he isn’t tackling breaking news, Caleb is on the lookout for fascinating feature stories. Every person has a story to tell, and Caleb wants to help share them. He can be contacted by email anytime at Caleb.Revill@firecrown.com.

Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on FreightWaves.

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The Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) on Monday announced the launch of a drone and uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) program, joining the more than 1,500 police departments nationwide that deploy the buzzing aircraft as eyes in the sky—and raising privacy concerns from groups such as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

The MPD says it will provide public notice of drone flights “when feasible,” but some operations will occur without public announcement. Flight logs will be available on the department’s website.

“We know that MPD’s Air Support Unit (ASU) plays an important role in driving down crime and keeping our community safe, and these upgrades are going to support that work,” Muriel Bowser, mayor of Washington, D.C., said in a statement Monday.

The MPD also put down $6.2 million on a new Airbus H-125 helicopter for the ASU, which it says is faster, swifter, and better performing than the model it will replace.

As of Monday, the ASU so far this year has helped officers make 76 arrests, completed 100 “photo missions,” including crowd management operations, and performed hundreds of safety checks on drivers, boaters, hikers, and pedestrians.

The MPD describes the UAS program’s five Anafi drones, built by U.S. manufacturer Parrot and procured for around $15,000 each, as “critical investments” aimed at driving down crime in the District. According to crime statistics released by the MPD, total crime in the district rose by 26 percent and violent crime by 39 percent between 2022 and 2023. As of Tuesday, total and violent crime are down 17 percent and 27 percent, respectively, year to date.

Each drone is equipped with cameras and can fly for about 30 minutes without recharging. Per the Washington Informer newspaper, 20 certified drone operators have so far completed a 40-hour MPD training course to earn FAA Part 107 certification.

The aircraft will not fly around sensitive locations such as the White House or Capitol building that are part of D.C.’s No Drone Zone. Operations within that area require the FAA’s signoff.

The drones and helicopter will feed live video to the MPD’s Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC), a facility opened earlier this year that is staffed around the clock by local, regional, and federal law enforcement “to monitor and respond to criminal activities in real time.”

The center also analyzes data from emergency calls, CCTV cameras and license plates—the district’s recently approved fiscal year 2025 budget allocates funding for 200 more CCTV cameras and 47 license plate readers. This data, which may now include drone footage of a car crash or criminal suspect, for example, can be shared up and down the law enforcement hierarchy. Some have concerns about how it could be used.

“The growing use of surveillance technology by law enforcement agencies without limits, transparency, and accountability is deeply concerning,” said Monica Hopkins, executive director of the ACLU’s D.C. branch, in a statement viewed by FLYING. “Drones are a powerful and novel surveillance technology, and the district’s police drone expansion simply does not have sufficient guardrails to ensure our privacy and security.”

What They’re For

Some District residents, understandably, have concerns about how the police will use UAS.

Each MPD drone will transmit data and provide the ASU with a real-time, bird’s-eye view of crime scenes. According to the department, the ability to fly at lower altitude than a police helicopter allows drones to produce better quality imaging and access hard-to-reach places. The aircraft could also keep officers out of harm’s way, such as during a bomb threat situation.

Drones will be deployed to survey for missing persons, assist in water searches, reconstruct traffic crashes, and carry out warrants that are considered high risk. At large gatherings, including “First Amendment assemblies” such as protests, they cannot be used to track individual participants. But flights over people “while performing other police functions” such as crowd control are fair game.

UAS will also be used to track “dangerous subjects,” according to Bowser and MPD Chief Pamela Smith. The suspect must be armed and hiding in a defined area that would pose a risk of injury or death to an officer. The drone can only be deployed when surveillance and containment are determined to be “the safest tactics for apprehension.”

In addition, drones will support operations of the MPD’s Emergency Response Team and Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Harbor Patrol units.

Operations will be conducted by a licensed remote pilot in command (RPIC) within the MPD’s Homeland Security Bureau (HSB) or ASU, who will perform preflight checks, postflight assessments, and documentation of all operations. So far only one flight is publicly listed: a training mission on June 13.

What’s Off Limits?

The MPD on its website says all drone operations “will be conducted in a manner consistent with constitutional rights and legal standards.” The aircraft will be grounded in high winds, heavy rain, or low visibility, for example, and cannot violate FAA regulations such as temporary flight restrictions.

Deployment on the basis of identity, including race, religion, gender, and age, will be prohibited. Detractors of the program, though, may note that a similar restriction was placed on New York City’s stop-and-frisk policy, which a federal judge found unconstitutional because it led to racial discrimination.

In the city of Chula Vista, California, home to arguably the country’s most robust police drone program, Wired magazine found that the aircraft disproportionately fly over—and film—poorer neighborhoods, which themselves are disproportionately populated by people of color, en route to their final destination. The poorer the neighborhood, the higher the likelihood of exposure to drones. The aircraft reportedly fly routinely over schools, hospitals, and religious institutions.

The Chula Vista Police Department told FLYING that these neighborhoods receive more exposure because drones are responding to a higher volume of 911 calls or officer calls for assistance, for example.

FLYING asked the MPD if cameras will continue to roll as the drones travel to their ultimate destination. The department did not confirm or deny this, saying that the aircraft will not fly far to get to the scene of a call.

Like other evidence, drone footage will be downloaded, categorized, and retained in an online database and can only be used “for official law enforcement purposes.” The public can request video via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). In Chula Vista, however, attempts to have that footage released to the public via the courts have largely been an uphill battle.

Drones will not be allowed to carry weapons, including munitions such as tear gas or rubber bullets. Facial recognition software is also off-limits. Speaking at a press conference Monday, Smith said that the aircraft will not contain artificial intelligence, serve as first responders, or be used for general surveillance.

However, a general order outlining the program further mentions that UAS could be deployed for “exigent circumstances” approved by the HSB. The wording makes exceptions for quick deployments when a person is in immediate danger, for example, but defers some discretion from federal regulators like the FAA to the MPD’s Special Operations Division (SOD).

Who’s in Charge?

MPD drone operations will be overseen by an ASU supervisor, RPIC, and at least one visual observer (VO). Outdoors, flights must be within the line of sight of the RPIC or VO. Personnel will establish perimeters around those areas and try to keep them clear of people.

Deployments submitted to the RTCC by watch commanders will be approved or denied by the SOD commanding officer in consultation with an HSB-appointed drone program manager.

The RPIC must notify the RTCC before flying and document the reason for the flight (including whether or not a warrant was obtained), date, location, start and end times, and names of the people who approved the deployment. 

In “exigent circumstances,” they must also describe why a drone was required. According to Wired, in Chula Vista, one in every 10 flights listed publicly on the police department’s website—or nearly 500—had no stated purpose and was not linked to a 911 call.

In the event of a crash, the drone program manager is required to alert the SOD commander and may need to complete a report, conduct an investigation, or alert the FAA within 10 days, depending on the severity.

The MPD encouraged concerned residents to reach out to their representatives directly or through online or community channels.

“MPD will collaborate with community stakeholders to address any concerns or questions regarding drone operations,” it says on its website.

A Divided Public

On Monday, Smith said she expects the size and capabilities of the department’s drone fleet to change in the near future. In the days leading up to the program’s rollout, the MPD chief met with community members and other stakeholders, who mostly offered their support so long as the program actually has an effect on crime.

Karen Gaal, an alumna of the MPD’s Community Engagement Academy who met with Smith last week, told the Informer that most alumni supported the new drone measures.

Other community members, however, feel that the program was sprung on them.

Wendy Hamilton, chair of the district’s Advisory Neighborhood Commission (AND) 8D—one of several groups of locally elected neighborhood representatives—said information on the drone program was buried in the MPD’s Monday announcement and caught ANC officials by surprise.

Hamilton, who also met with Smith last week, criticized the MPD’s lack of data to support drones as a solution for reducing crime—a sentiment echoed by Jamila White, who represented Ward 8A at the meeting.

“Are the drones looking for crime? Are they going to be concentrated on certain apartment complexes? There’s a lot of questions,” White told the Informer.

In a statement provided to FLYING, Hopkins added: “The Fourth Amendment gives people the right to live without the suspicionless mass surveillance that this drone program could enable. If a police drone flies over my neighborhood, what will it capture, and how will the information be used? If neighborhood kids are playing with an airsoft gun, is their house going to get raided by a SWAT team? Will we need to worry that a police drone is looking through the windows into our living rooms?”

Concerned residents can look to other police drone programs for some answers.

MTA drones will not be deployed as first responders as they are in Chula Vista. But the initiative could suffer from the same symptoms as that program, like the collection of police footage of poor neighborhoods.

Wired reported that most of the Chula Vista residents it interviewed support the program. But a few have concerns. Some said they feel scared walking down the street, at the public pool, and even in their own backyards due to the perception of near-constant drone surveillance.

Since 2018, the city’s police department has made about 20,000 drone flights, assisting in nearly 2,800 arrests. According to the latest data, the majority of cases involve disturbances, domestic violence, and involuntary holds on people suffering mental health crises. But they are sometimes used to respond to more minor incidents such as shoplifting, vandalism, and noise complaints.

The good news is that there is legal precedent against using drones for general surveillance. In 2021, U.S Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals struck down a controversial drone surveillance program by the Baltimore Police Department, which contracted with a private company to fly camera-equipped planes over the city.

The ACLU, which supported the FAA’s implementation of remote identification for drones, still calls for greater oversight on DFR programs, such as by having public representatives, rather than police departments, draw up policies on drone usage.

But according to the Cato Institute, nearly 6 in 10 Americans support police use of drones. As adoption by law enforcement continues to rise, greater restrictions on the aircraft may require citizens with privacy concerns to speak up.

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Passing the FAA’s Part 107 exam is just the beginning of your journey as a commercial drone pilot. While you can earn a decent living without additional drone education, the real money lies in specialized training for more technical drone services. 

In this article, I’ll share some of the top programs in various specialized fields within the drone industry.

Quick Look: Top Drone Pilot Programs With Industry-Specific Courses

• Best for real estate: The Pilot Institute
• Best for thermal inspections: The Infrared Training Center
• Best for survey and mapping: UAV Coach
• Best for first responders: DroneResponders
• Best for law enforcement accident reconstruction: Pix4D
• Best for data analysis: DroneDeploy
• Best for credibility in the industry: AUVSI Trusted Operator Program (TOP)
• Best for your next step after the Part 107: Altitude University

8 Best Industry-Specific Commercial Drone Pilot Courses

There are many courses out there. Like anything, price and quality can vary significantly from one program to the next. For this list, I have selected high-quality and well-respected courses that are worth investigating. Consider them the best place to begin your search within each specialized field.

The Pilot Institute

Best for: Real estate drone photography

Most drone pilots start out in real estate photography. The Pilot Institute has a great course to help you build a profitable business as a drone pilot in the real estate industry.

• Taught by experts in the field and is nine hours long
• Covers subjects including how to capture and edit footage
• Leads you through the creation of two different real estate listing videos

Disadvantage: If you need really specialized training on a specific type of real estate, such as large industrial complexes, you may require additional instruction.

Price: $149

The Infrared Training Center

Best for: Thermal inspections

Your drone may have a thermal camera, but if you don’t understand thermography, you probably won’t be able to provide it as a service. When it comes to thermal cameras, no one is better than Teledyne FLIR. Its Infrared Training Center offers Level I & II small unmanned aircraft system (sUAS) thermography certification courses.

Features:

• Covers current IR cameras and imaging capture techniques
• Explains how to plan your flight’s altitude and range-to-target to get accurate thermal information for drone inspections
• Teaches you how to maximize post-processing software for image analysis, generate reports, and edit videos

Disadvantage: While courses are high quality, they’re also expensive.

Price: $2,300

UAV Coach

Best for: Drone mapping essentials

Creating maps with drones is becoming much more common. However, you need training and the right equipment to develop ones that are accurate. Dylan Gorman, who is one of the best instructors you’ll find on this particular topic, teaches UAV Coach’s online course.

Features:

• Provides an overview of the equipment and software used in drone mapping
• Highlights methodologies for data collection
• Describes how to create professional data deliverables for clients

Disadvantage: If you require more in-depth training, you’ll need to attend one of the UAV Coach’s two-day, in-person workshops.

Price: $399

DroneResponders

Best for: First responders

DroneResponders isn’t just a school. It’s the best organization for first responders using drones. I have been a member for several years, and it provides a wealth of free resources to its members.

Features:

• Offers loads of free information to members
• Supports first responders starting or growing unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) programs
• Holds in-depth training at drone-related events throughout the year

Disadvantage: Not all training is free.

Price: Varies

Pix4D

Best for: Law enforcement accident reconstruction

When it comes to accident reconstruction, Pix4D is one of the best and most established software platforms on the market. In this online course you’ll learn best practices for capturing RGB images and creating, managing, analyzing, and sharing 2D and 3D representations of reality.

Features:

• Teaches the basics of photogrammetry and capturing collision scene images
• Explains how to generate realistic, accurate 2D and 3D georeferenced representations of reality, including orthomosaics and 3D models
• Includes instructions on exporting 2D and 3D deliverables for documentation and post-processing

Disadvantages: You will need to have a license for PIx4Dmatic software.

Price: $290 for the course (Pix4Dmatic license costs $3,500 and is billed annually)

DroneDeploy

Best for: Data analysis

At the end of the day, drones are flying data collection platforms. The data is useless, though, without someone who’s able to present it in a comprehensible manner to end users. DroneDeploy’s Analyst Certification courses qualify you as an expert in several fields.

Features:

• Offers analyst courses for the construction, agriculture, mining, and oil and gas industries
• Includes curriculum crucial compliance management details, among other important topics

Disadvantage: Courses require annual recertification.

Price: Annual subscription fee of $250 to access the DroneDeploy Academy

AUVSI Trusted Operator Program (TOP)

Best for: Industry credibility

AUVSI is the world’s largest nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of uncrewed systems and robotics. Its TOP certification is widely recognized across the drone industry. AUVSI also certifies others to offer its curriculum, including one of my favorite trainers, Consortiq.

Features:

• Bridges the gap between getting your Part 107 and being a recognized professional
• Teaches how to fly your drone to demonstrate safety and proficiency
• Outlines risk mitigation methods, making you a safer and more professional pilot

Disadvantages: Certification may not be familiar to those outside the industry.

Price: Level I costs around $260, and there are three levels.

Altitude University

Best for: Next step after getting your Part 107

Altitude University’s 14-day challenge course is designed to teach you everything from camera settings to editing in two weeks. Offered online, this self-paced training is designed to help you kickstart your drone business.

Features:

• Uses industry experts to explain the best camera settings
• Helps you avoid mistakes made by beginners
• Teaches how to edit with Adobe Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve

Disadvantage: Not industry specific, but includes instruction that can be applied across a range of industries.

Price: $197

Benefits of Specialized Commercial Drone Training 

If you already have your Part 107 certification, you may wonder why you need anything else. After all, legally, you just need your remote pilot certification. Well, there are many benefits to additional training courses and programs like those listed above. 

Here are a few of the most important, especially if you are looking to increase revenue for your drone service business:

• Enhanced skill set: Additional training improves your piloting skills, including navigation, operating in various conditions, and how you respond to emergencies. This can significantly enhance safety and efficiency.
• Career opportunities: As the drone industry continues to grow in sectors like agriculture, real estate, filmmaking, surveying, and emergency response, trained pilots are in high demand. New skills can make you significantly more marketable as a pilot.
• Increased earnings potential: With advanced skill sets, you can demand higher rates for your services, whether flying for someone else or operating as a freelancer.
• Safety and compliance: Training teaches you to operate drones within legal and regulatory frameworks, reducing the risk of legal issues and enhancing safety for you and anyone in your vicinity.
• Technical proficiency: UAV innovations are rapidly coming to market. Specialized training helps you learn to use advanced drone technologies, such as thermal imaging, multispectral sensors, and sophisticated mapping software.
• Networking: Training programs connect you with other drone pilots and professionals. Greater exposure can increase your value in the industry.

In the end, these benefits make specialized drone pilot training an attractive investment for those seeking more lucrative commercial drone pilot jobs.

Make Yourself More Competitive as a Drone Pilot

Specialized training in the drone industry will sharpen your skills while also significantly boosting your earning potential. By investing in programs such as those listed, you position yourself as a top-tier pilot who’s qualified to earn more than your average UAV operator with only a Part 107 certification. 

FAQ

Are drone pilots in high demand?

Yes. The drone industry continues to grow annually, as does the need for pilots.

How long does it take to study for a drone license?

It depends on the person. Some people can learn the material to pass the Part 107 exam over a weekend. Other people need several months. On average, if you study the material for an hour a day, you can be ready for the exam in two to three weeks.

How much does it cost to become an FAA drone pilot?

When you sign up for the Part 107 exam, the testing center will collect $175.

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Walmart on Thursday announced that later this month, customers in the fast-growing Dallas-Fort Worth area will be able to order drone delivery directly through the company’s app, with orders arriving in as little as 30 minutes.

Since introducing drone delivery in 2021, Walmart says it has completed more than 30,000 deliveries. As of January, the firm’s DFW service—operated in partnership with industry titans Zipline and Wing, the drone delivery arm of Google parent Alphabet—covers an estimated 1.8 million households.

Not all of these customers will be eligible for drone delivery through the Walmart app, at least not at first.

The retailer described the integration as a phased rollout that will add customers “as more drone delivery sites launch and drone providers receive additional regulatory approvals to fly more goods across greater distances.” Those eligible for delivery, based on the address linked to their account, will be notified through the app.

It’s unclear exactly which regulatory approvals to which Walmart is referring. But it’s worth noting that Zipline, Wing, and another Walmart partner, DroneUp, have all received beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) exemptions from the FAA.

The approval, awarded on a case-by-case basis, allows drone delivery firms to remove the visual observers (VOs) the agency normally requires to keep an eye on the aircraft. Typically, VOs are replaced by a combination of detect-and-avoid technology and remote pilots. The companies believe this reduced human capital will allow them to fly longer routes.

Walmart first enlisted Wing for its DFW service in August, and the partners now fly out of four Walmart stores located in the suburbs. The drone delivery firm has made a point of building technology that can integrate with its partners’ existing networks.

Physical infrastructure is limited to a fenced-in area that typically takes up a fraction of the store’s parking space. The company is also developing a device called the Autoloader, which enables what is essentially curbside pickup, but using drones. Rather than loading orders into the aircraft themselves, store associates would simply place them on the curb, and the Autoloader would do the rest.

Another recent innovation is a suite of application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow partners to add drone delivery directly to their e-commerce platforms—a tool Walmart will now leverage.

“Our goal is to make drone delivery completely seamless for our partners and their customers,” said Adam Woodworth, CEO of Wing. “When Wing drone delivery is available within the Walmart app later this month, customers will have a wider selection and a better shopping experience than ever before. This is a major step toward making drone delivery a part of everyday life.”

The company also has a drone delivery integration with DoorDash, which in 2022 became the first company to make a service available through a third-party app. The partnership began in Australia, Wing’s largest market. But the firm in March added fast-food delivery from Wendy’s in Christiansburg, Virginia, through the DoorDash app.

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