Launching Peace and Freedom in the Sky: The Drone Zone Sanctuary Opens Its Doors to Dronists Nationwide The Drone Zone Sanctuary, a unique 40-acre space dedicated to drone enthusiasts, officially opens in the Anza Borrego desert, offering a new retreat for drone operators of all skill levels. Founded by Eric Hanscom, a Carlsbad-based intellectual property […]
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Garuda Aerospace Launches Trishul: Enhancing Border Security and Emergency Response with Advanced Surveillance Drone Technology Garuda Aerospace, India’s leading drone-tech firm, has unveiled its latest innovation – the Trishul Border Patrol Surveillance Drone. This state-of-the-art drone is designed to bolster surveillance and monitoring capabilities for border security forces, and is poised to play a pivotal […]
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Nearthlab Joins Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies List with Game-Changing Wind Turbine Inspection Solution Nearthlab has been named among Fast Company’s Most Innovative Companies for 2024. This recognition places Nearthlab in the esteemed company of industry giants such as Nvidia, OpenAI, and Microsoft, highlighting its groundbreaking work in the Robotics category. Founded on a commitment […]
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The annual European drone extravaganza, Airspace World 2024, has wrapped, leaving attendees buzzing with the latest advancements in UAV technology.
From safety upgrades to revolutionary regulations, this year’s event promised a glimpse into the future of drone operations. Held from March 19 through March 21, 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland, the event offered an opportunity for all sorts of companies to reveal fresh partnerships and product launches across all sorts of aspects of aviation. In fact, this year’s event brought together 200 exhibitors and 7,000 attendees from across 140 countries.
But what exactly are the biggest takeaways from Airspace World 2024 for drone pilots? In general, it’s all about unmanned traffic management (UTM). Or, as most people call it in Europe: U-Space. We rounded up four of the biggest developments and product launches from Airspace World 2024 that European drone pilots (and anyone, really) should know about:
Leeds Bradford Airport, a major hub in northern England, announced its plan to deploy Altitude Angel’s Approval Services Platform. This platform will digitally manage the authorization process for drone flights near the airport, expediting permissions and enhancing safety for drone operators working in this controlled airspace.
In short, drone operators — and in the future, eVTOL pilots — will be able to request and pay for operations within the airport’s airspace digitally and at the touch of a button. Here’s how it works:
The particular location of Leeds Bradford Airport could also make it a critical player in the drone request system.
“Surrounded by a number of towns, villages and industrial estates, the airport has been dealing with an increasing number of requests to fly within the FRZ from both commercial and recreational drone operators, said Jamie Babbin, Leeds Bradford Airport Operations Manager.
ility will serve as a crucial platform for developing and refining drone technologies specifically designed for safe and efficient operation within U-spaces, the designated airspace for low-altitude, low-risk drones.
That’s not the only big piece of news to come out of Altitude Angel over the past week. NATS Services, which is the commercial arm of the United Kingdom’s leading air navigation service provider, announced a partnership with the Altitude Angel at Airspace World Expo. With it, the global leader in unified traffic management (UTM) will team up with the creators of that 165-mile UK drone superhighway, in a partnership that could have huge implications for the way the sky is managed for new airspace users.
The deal will offer a comprehensive suite of UTM services, encompassing everything from flight authorization and traffic management to airspace awareness tools. Expect to see GuardianUTM Flight Approval Services being deployed at some NATS-controlled airports later in 2024, allowing for digitally managed UTM flight requests and approvals and enhanced situational awareness.
It also means that Altitude Angel will be able to more quickly roll out its ARROW technology. When fused with its GuardianUTM platform, ARROW detects and identifies all airspace users. That’s critical in enabling drones to fly BVLOS and share the airspace with crewed aviation — which is one of the hottest topics in drones lately, period.
Over in Estonia, UTM developments are going strong. Soon, expect a permanent UTM and U-space test center in the city of Tartu, built in partnership with the Estonian Aviation Academy (EAVA). EAVA is a state-owned, professional higher education institution. U-space is simply the European brand name for UTM.
Under the deal, ANRA Technologies (ANRA) and EAVA will jointly co-develop, manage, and operate the drone testing facility in an effort to promote the wide-scale development and deployment of drones for U-space implementation. EAVA will own the task of managing airspace and coordinating flight activities in multiple test sites near the airport and the city of Tartu. ANRA, which is a drone traffic management provider, will deliver the software to make it happen.
Expect the test center to be ready by the second half of 2024.
Good news for Dutch drone pilots! LVNL, the Netherlands Air Navigation Service Provider, collaborated with Altitude Angel to unveil the much-anticipated upgrade to their popular GoDrone flight planning tool.
Atitude Angel powers the airspace apps for a few countries in the U.K., such as the United Kingdom’s Drone Assist flight planning app. Over in the Netherlands, the version of Altitude Angel’s app is called GoDrone — and now, GoDrone 2.0.
GoDrone 2.0 boasts improved features and functionalities to the original app, which launched in the Netherlands in April 2020. Altitude Angel powers the app. The new version of GoDrone is set to roll out across both iOS and Android in Q2. Altitude Angel calls it “the most extensive update since the app was first launched.”
Updated features found in the GoDrone 2.0 app include:
All that should make pre-flight planning and airspace authorization for drone operations in the Netherlands smoother than ever.
Did you attend Airspace World 2024? What were your top findings or takeaways? Share them in the comments below!
And if you really want to see more, check out the Airspace World 2024 photo recap from their official Instagram account, below:
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The BLU-Space project is developing a system for the management of unmanned drone traffic in Germany. Its purpose is to integrate air traffic data with data from various sources and platforms for the first time under real conditions to develop holistic blueprints. This is expected to make a significant contribution to safe and economical air […]
The Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (HUR) said Russians were among the major backers during a recent fundraiser to purchase reconnaissance drones for the agency. The donations largely came in during Russia’s presidential election on March 15-17 – in what was likely a way to voice discontent with the regime. The fundraiser, which was promoted on […]
Chinese scientists say they have developed a new type of war drone unlike any ever seen on the battlefield. At first glance, it resembles a consumer-grade Chinese DJI multirotor. However, once it reaches the target airspace it can split in the blink of an eye into two, three or even six smaller drones, depending on […]
Quickstep Holdings has announced a substantial follow-on order from its Australian partner and advanced drone development company, Carbonix. The urgent order encompasses 40 Volanti airframes and associated non-recurring engineering, marking this the largest order received from Carbonix for this drone type. Valued at $1.35 million, this order is scheduled to be fully delivered before June […]
Russia is producing more than 100 Iranian-designed drones a week for its ongoing war in Ukraine, a top U.S. military commander told Congress, providing a fresh example of how small drones are changing modern warfare across the globe. U.S. Central Command boss Army Gen. Michael “Erik” Kurilla said that Russia initially asked Iran for one-way […]Looking to get an awesome gift for a child? Maybe you’re an educator looking to get a drone to facilitate a child’s learning about STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math).
Whether you’re looking into the best drones for kids for their education or for their entertainment (or ahem, both!), drones are a fantastic tool to enrich a kid’s life.
Looking for more guides around drones and kids?
The best drone for kids by a long shot is Tello, a $159 kid-friendly drone that combines DJI flight technology and an Intel processor to create a budget camera drone that also can be used to teach newbies the basics of programming. It’s a great little drone for people looking for a low-cost introduction to stunt flying and shooting videos, as well as people looking to learn how to use drones and how to code, making it one of my favorite educational tools, too. The Tello drone, which weighs just 80 grams, can fly for 13 minutes and shoot 5-megapixel photos.
Price: $159
Flight time: 13 minutes
Read my full review of the Tello drone here.
Now if that all sounds too good to be true, sadly it might be. It appears that Tello might be discontinued. As of mid-to-late 2024, the $99 Tello drone appears as sold out on DJI’s stop. Third parties such as Amazon still sell Tello. But even there, quantities are limited (mostly to used versions only).
The Drone Girl reached out to DJI for official comment and only got a vague answer.
“Currently, the Tello series is still being sold in the United States, and we will continue to provide technical and after-sales support to the customers,” a DJI spokesperson told The Drone Girl. “We have been working hard to provide global users with drone products that meet different needs. We will continue to launch new products that are accessible, easier to use, and meet entry-level or educational needs, so stay tuned.”
As for you, jump on this one now if you want a Tello drone. Otherwise, it’s potentially gone for good.
The Tomzon Mini Drone ($32.99) is very similar. We’ve grouped them because they almost seem like the same drone. Go for the former as it’s typically cheaper. But if it’s sold out – or you find the latter on sale — which it frequently is — then it might end up working out.
Both are super simple to get flying. There’s no app to connect with or no fiddling with syncing it to your phone. But while that’s a blessing, it’s also a curse. With this drone, there’s no smartphone connection to see what the drone’s camera could be seeing. Well, this drone doesn’t even have a camera to begin with. These drones are strictly for flying (and are capable of some stunts like “3D rollover”). They have a few modes including high and low-speed modes or headless and compass modes. Thus both are great if your primary goal is learning how to fly.
Price: $32.99
Flight time: 8 minutes
Read my full review of the Tomzon Mini Drone here.
This DIY Drone Build Kit comes with 159 easy-build pieces, so kids can build their drones and different styles and colors. The body is made out of Lego-like blocks for an easy build process for all ages.
Once flying, the drone has several features that make it easy to fly for kids and beginners like altitude hold and one key take off/land. Kids can learn the basics of building drones, while also having fun flying their custom-built drone.
Price: $62.99
Flight Time: about 10-15 minutes
This mini drone dinosaur toy comes with a simulated look and a pterodactyl shape. For $39.99, you can have a fun, easy to fly drone that is perfect for any dinosaur lover. The drone even roars like a dinosaur at the press of a button.
This drone comes equipped with many of the beginner toy drone features that make it ideal for kids and first-time flyers, like one key takeoff/landing, headless mode, speed setting and more.
Price: $45 (on sale for $39.99)
Flight time: 14 minutes
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