Latest Purchase Enhances Mobile Detection Capabilities for Counter-Drone Operations The Dutch Ministry of Defense has confirmed an additional order of 51 drone radars from Robin Radar Systems, based in The Hague. This order, signed on August 21, follows an initial procurement of 51 static IRIS drone radars, which were acquired 18 months ago. The new […]
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Last week we told you about the top U.S. cities best suited for passenger drones. But what about the top cities for European passenger drones?
Just as the U.S. had some clear standout cities — due to factors including terrain, regulatory environment and impact — Europe has some prime zones that could be best suited for unique, innovative aircraft including human-carrying drones.
The picks for top cities for European passenger drones comes from Lufthansa Innovation Hub, which is the research arm of the German air carrier. To name the most viable global cities for launching Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) operations, they teamed up with V2Air, Roland Berger and Unisphere.
AAM is a wide-ranging term that covers refers a broad category of innovative aircraft including, yes, passenger drones.
Passenger drones could prove particularly valuable in a few situations including travel through cities that are otherwise congested on the ground (or just have impractical road blockers like bodies of water). They might even fly outside of cities, covering distances between cities that are too close to each other to justify a traditional airplane ride, but far enough away that a drive would be annoyingly long.
Lufthansa Innovation Hub and its partners used June 2024 data to analyze 26 major European cities. From there, it ranked those cities based on factors critical in launching viable operations of European passenger drones. Those factors included:
Cities were then given a feasibility score, which consists of:
They also received a viability score, consisting of:
Among the major European cities that had high feasibility but low viability were:
Of the major European cities that had high viability but low feasibility were:
Meanwhile, Amsterdam, Athens, Lisbon and Madrid didn’t score particularly well on either metric — so don’t expect passenger drones in those European cities anytime soon.
But which cities scored well in both feasibility and viability? Four cities stand out: Berlin, Hamburg, Munich and Vienna. Three of the four — Berlin, Hamburg and Munich — are in Germany. And unsurprisingly, Germany is considered one of the hottest hubs for drones in general. Vienna is a neighbor over in Austria.
Vienna is home to a UTM (unmanned traffic management) company called Frequentis. They have long been building communication and information systems for control centers that demand safety-critical tasks. And with the rise of drones, building a UTM solution has become a natural fit for Frequentis. The company has a 30% market share in voice communication systems for air traffic control.
Vienna stood out particularly for its favorable airspace environments. What’s interesting about Vienna is it does have restricted military airspace. But, the routes are designed in a manner that they are easy to navigate around. That said, Monaco and Vienna also scored fairly highly for have “clean” route configurations.
Over in Germany, we’ve also already seen strong drone adoption already. In 2022, Germany’s national railway company, the Deutsche Bahn, announced it was adopted drones for monitoring railway infrastructure and maintenance. It’s working with Pix4D Germany on the project.
Germany is home to Interaerial Solutions, which is one of the world’s largest drone conferences around geoinformation.
Though the following cities didn’t score highly on both the feasibility and viability metrics, some cities did still stand out for dominating certain categories. Some of those highlights are:
Amsterdam: Amsterdam is famous for its waterways, as canals line the city. It’s also quite flat. Given that, the city in The Netherlands ranked highly for terrain suitability. Flatter terrain means fewer vertical ascents and descents. Less up and down motion means aircraft consume less energy, which in turn means that they can fly longer flight routes, or can get turned around faster without spending too much time recharging. That options more route possibilities for passengers — and opens more revenue opportunities for operators.
Paris: Paris has something big going for it, and that’s strong support from the local government. That’s critical, as local government support can likely lead to better partnerships, funding opportunities and support for pilot projects.
Paris is the site of what’s called the “Paris-Saclay Autonomous Lab” project, which develops and tests autonomous air transportation systems in the area. There’s also a big testing ground over at the Pontoise Cormeilles airfield. And, a group called Re:Invent Air Mobility also studies drones.
Which European city would you most like to see passenger drones operate in? Leave a comment below!
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With weather, limited flights and long distances, gravel runways at remote airports — particularly in Northern Canada — are difficult to get to, let alone to inspect for safety. So Northeastern University researcher Michal Aibin and his team have developed a more thorough, safer and faster way to inspect such runways using drones, computer vision and artificial […]
The American company Thunderstrike Aviation has just inaugurated a new hangar at HCA Airport. The new hangar will be used for the development and testing of the company’s state-of-the-art drone technology. At the inauguration of the hangar, it was further announced that Thunderstrike has ambitious plans of further expanding their hangar with a drone production, […]
Tiny JSX-2 microjets, each with a pilot crammed inside, have been zipping around the skies over Michigan playing the part of hostile aerial threats like drones and cruise missiles as part of a large force exercise. The use of the JSX-2s in this role underscores U.S. military concerns about the ever-growing dangers drones and cruise […]
The NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) has approved the first Counter-small UAS (C-sUAS) procurement framework agreement in NATO’s history. The framework agreement, initially valid for three years, was awarded via COBBS BELUX BV, DroneShield’s and MyDefence in-country Belgium and Luxembourg partner, for MyDefence Wingman and Droneshield Dronegun Mk4, on behalf of the Communications Cryptographic […]Nationwide BVLOS Waiver Enables More Efficient and Safer Inspections for Critical Infrastructure Cyberhawk has received a significant nationwide Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), allowing the company to operate drones without the need for a visual observer. This waiver is set to expand Cyberhawk’s capabilities in drone-based inspection, […]
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New Certification Highlights Q6 V2’s Advanced Capabilities ideaForge Technology Limited, Mumbai-based producer of drone technology, announced that its latest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Q6 V2, has received type certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). This certification underscores ideaForge’s commitment to delivering advanced UAV solutions that meet the highest standards of safety […]
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The GENIUS Project Demonstrates the Potential of 5G in Enhancing Drone Operations and Public Safety The future of drone technology hinges on their integration into shared airspace, where they can safely operate alongside manned aviation. This challenge is being tackled by the GENIUS project, a collaboration involving researchers from the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) […]
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Registering your drone in the U.S. is essential not only to comply with Federal Aviation Administration regulations but also to avoid scams and hefty penalties.
Here’s how to register your drone properly and what you need to know to avoid legal troubles.
So, who needs to register their drone? If your drone weighs more than 0.55 pounds (that’s 250 grams or more), you’re required by law to register it with the FAA, whether you’re flying recreationally or commercially under Part 107. Drones under 250 grams used for recreational purposes are exempt from registration. This is why drones under 250 grams are such a big deal.
Where do you go for drone registration? The only official site where you can register your drone is the FAA’s DroneZone. This site allows you to input your details and pay the $5 registration fee, ensuring you meet FAA regulations and avoid any penalties.
And what do you need for registration? Before starting the registration process, gather the following:
Many scam websites mimic the FAA’s official site, charging up to $200 for drone registration—a process that should cost just $5. These sites often provide a legitimate registration number but at a steep markup, and they may misuse your data.
For example, after a quick Google search of “register your drone,” the first non-FAA site was droneregistration.com which charges $40 for drone registration.
Here’s how to spot a scam:
The FAA advises registering only through their official DroneZone site to ensure you’re not overcharged or scammed.
Failing to register your drone can result in civil fines of up to $27,500 and criminal penalties of up to $250,000 or three years in prison. While it’s unlikely that the FAA is actively searching for unregistered drones to prosecute, if you accidentally fly in a no-fly zone or commit another violation and your drone isn’t registered, you could certainly face a hefty fine. Considering registration only costs $5, it’s not worth the risk.
The FAA considers various factors when determining fines, such as the nature of the violation, which could be anything from a minor oversight to a more intentional action. Penalties might be higher if you fly over crowds or use larger drones. The fine structure also depends on your operator category, whether you’re a commercial pilot, flight instructor, or just flying for fun. Certain violations, like interfering with wildfire efforts, could result in fines between $15,000 and $20,923 while failing to register your drone could lead to more significant penalties.
Once your drone is registered, keep your certificate with you during flights. Make sure your drone is labeled with your registration number, and be ready to show your certificate to law enforcement if asked. When your registration expires (registration is valid for three years), renew it through the FAA DroneZone portal to remain compliant.
And if you are looking to re-register but can’t find your old registration number, don’t worry. Looking up your number on the FAA DroneZone site is very simple.
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