“While helicopters are invaluable for their range and payload capabilities, drones complement these assets by offering quicker, more cost-effective deployment,” Skydio, one of the largest U.S. drone manufacturers, told FLYING. “Their ability to operate in challenging conditions—including wind and rain—and their capacity for remote operation from anywhere via a web browser enhances the overall safety and efficiency of the response efforts, ensuring broader and more flexible coverage.”

Since shuttering its consumer drone business to focus on selling to enterprise and public safety customers last year, Skydio has assisted operators with plenty of disaster response and recovery efforts. Even before then, the company said it provided assistance following Hurricane Ian in 2022.

“Skydio team members—many of whom live in the communities their customers serve—closely monitor developing situations such as these, proactively deploying resources to impacted areas and supporting on the ground and in real time,” the company said.

In the wake of Helene, Skydio customers are deploying drones for search and rescue, overwatch, and damage assessment. Since the storm damaged many bridges in the most affected areas, for example, customers are using drone inspections to create digital twins, helping them assess safety and accelerate the repair process.

The company said it surged available personnel, remote connectivity systems, and its X10 and X10D drone models—equipped with spotlight attachments—to regions most in need, including the Florida Panhandle and western North Carolina.

Skydio has been working with local, state, and federal agencies to prepare for and respond to Helene, including the city of Tampa, Punta Gorda Police Department, and Southern Company.

Southern Company, an electric and gas utility provider, enlisted Skydio drones to perform damage assessments with “unprecedented speed and efficiency,” per Jonathan Tinch, an uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) pilot and safety coordinator for the company.

The aircraft collected high-resolution images and real-time video of the damage, transmitting them to a command center. There, they were analyzed by experts who directed ground crews to the areas most in need of repair.

“As a result, we were able to restore power to our customers more quickly than ever before,” said Tinch.

As another major hurricane approaches, Skydio said it will offer further support.

“After what we saw in Asheville and the impact of drones there, we have doubled our efforts to support agencies responding to Milton,” Skydio told FLYING. “We have a team of people holed up in an Airbnb in northern Florida poised to be on the ground in the Tampa area the minute the storm clears and it is safe to travel.”

Also assisting with post-Helene recovery efforts are pilots, engineers, and scientists from Mississippi State University’s (MSU) Raspet Flight Research Laboratory.

Raspet, backed by Project JUSTICE—a program within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Science and Technology Directorate designed to learn about uncrewed systems by sending them on real-world missions—is supporting the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) with a massive UAS called Teros.

Built by Navmar Applied Sciences Corporation, Teros has a 44-foot wingspan and can remain aloft for 20 hours, allowing it to perform long-duration missions. Raspet deployed to Georgia on September 29 to assess post-hurricane flooding.

“Once a hurricane has passed over an inland area, the water it leaves behind is constantly moving, and that movement can be difficult to predict, especially in places where trees and other barriers might obscure water from satellite imagery,” said Jamie Dyer, a geosciences professor at Mississippi State and associate director of the university’s Northern Gulf Institute (NGI).

NGI experts tracked Helene through the Gulf of Mexico and Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee. Using Teros’ sensors and cameras, they collected real-time data and visuals on the movement of floodwaters, beaming it to federal entities like FEMA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

“UAS allow us to see in better detail where water is going and which areas will be impacted by flooding, which is vital information to have during a crisis event,” said Dyer. “Additionally, the data we collect will improve the river forecasting models that local, state and federal officials rely on.”

State officials with the North Carolina Department of Transportation’s Division of Aviation have also deployed drones to survey roads, bridges, and other infrastructure, flying more than 200 missions in the past week alone.

Over at NOAA, meanwhile, “hurricane hunters” are flying a pair of Lockheed WP-3Ds and a Gulfstream IV-SP—affectionately nicknamed “Kermit,” “Miss Piggy,” and “Gonzo”—directly into the eye of Hurricane Milton. Some of these missions will deploy Blackswift S0 UAS to measure temperature, pressure, wind, and humidity, which can help predict a storm’s path.

The FAA advises individual drone users or hobbyists to be mindful of temporary flight restrictions (TFRs) in place around hurricane-affected regions. Pilots who neglect to coordinate with local emergency services could inadvertently hinder their efforts, so noncommercial operators should exercise caution.

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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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In a blog post from co-founder and CEO Adam Bry, the company announced it would no longer offer its Skydio 2 Plus model to consumers. Instead, Skydio will now focus entirely on enterprise and public sector customers, who purchase drones through subscriptions rather than buying them off the shelf.

The announcement came just months after Skydio raised $230 million in a Series E round that skyrocketed its valuation to $2.2 billion.

“The impact we’re having with our enterprise and public sector customers has become so compelling that it demands nothing less than our full focus and attention,” Bry wrote. “As a result, I have made the very difficult decision to sunset our consumer business in order to put everything we’ve got into serving our enterprise and public sector customers.”

While Skydio will no longer offer 2 Plus Starter, Sports, Cinema, or Pro Kits, it will still offer the Enterprise Kit to businesses and organizations. It will continue to provide customer support, vehicle repairs, bug fixes, and Skydio Care insurance to existing customers. The firm also plans to keep a stockpile of replacement batteries, propellers, charging cables, and other equipment for as long as possible.

On a frequently asked questions page, the company said it is unable to share updates about its future product roadmap.

“While Skydio 2 has been an incredible success in enabling new kinds of content capture, Skydio drones are also having a transformative impact for over 1,500 enterprise and public sector customers, putting sensors in dangerous and important places to perform inspections, find missing children, and protect our troops around the world,” Bry wrote.

While the decision to shutter the commercial side of the business was unexpected, it wasn’t completely out of left field. Some in the industry even predicted it.

Skydio got its start in the consumer industry in 2018 when it came out with the R1, releasing the first Skydio 2 model a year later. The 2 Plus series followed in 2022. But in 2020, the firm came out with the X2, its first drone designed specifically for military and corporate use.

That year, Bry told The Verge that Skydio would not abandon the consumer segment—to the contrary, it was just getting started. But he also hinted that the enterprise segment might be better for business since it locks customers into a subscription.

Skydio’s consumer business competed primarily with DJI, the largest drone manufacturer in the world. The Chinese company boasts an estimated 50 to 70 percent market share of the world’s consumer drone market. It also owns a massive piece of the pie among U.S. law enforcement and public safety agencies, which deploy its drones for inspection, search and rescue, and other applications.

However, DJI’s core market is the drone hobbyist or recreational flier. Models such as the Mavic 3 are capable of taking high-resolution photo and video in a variety of modes and environments.

Both Skydio and DJI have honed in on that market by producing cheap drones packed with functionality. The key difference is that DJI’s Mavic 3 is considered to have slightly superior capabilities to Skydio’s 2 Plus.

With states and federal agencies slapping bans on DJI products left and right, it would seem Skydio had a window of opportunity to soak up more of the U.S. market. Perhaps the company viewed DJI’s dominance as insurmountable, or perceived its own consumer business as stagnating. According to one source, it was losing money on every consumer sale.

Whatever the case, Skydio will now serve exclusively enterprise customers (of which there are many—over 1,500, according to Bry) with 2 Plus Enterprise and X2. Users include infrastructure, defense, and public safety companies, among others, deploying the aircraft for tasks like autonomous inspections for state transportation departments or documenting war crimes in Ukraine.

The company is expected to unveil its next-generation X3 model next month at Ascend, its first-ever user conference. The new drone is said to have improved obstacle avoidance, swappable payloads, and a longer flight time.

With Skydio out of the picture in the consumer market, the door is open for DJI and other Chinese manufacturers to tighten their stranglehold. U.S. lawmakers won’t be happy about that. As such, some kind of action from the government is possible, either in the form of more bans, subsidies for U.S. companies, or both.

This is a developing story that FLYING continues to follow.

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It’s possible the rise in shark encounters is simply a fluke: There were actually fewer attacks in 2022 than in the previous year, and the rate of them has remained steady over the past few decades. But on Friday, recognized internationally as Shark Awareness Day, Hochul announced a major expansion of New York’s efforts to combat shark attacks with drones. 

The state deployed a small fleet of shark-monitoring drones last summer, expanding it from eight to 18 in May. Now, coastal areas of Long Island, New York City, and Westchester County will have access to as many as 60 drones.

“As beachgoers are enjoying their summer in New York, spending time on some of the most beautiful beaches in the country, we have added this eye in the sky,” Hochul said in a statement. “We have the tools and strategies to monitor marine wildlife and protect the health and safety of New Yorkers. These new drones will allow us to scan the water and help local governments across Long Island and New York City keep local beaches safe for all.”

While none of the shark attacks in New York this year resulted in loss of life or limb, the added surveillance drones so far have helped reduce beachgoers’ fears of a Jaws moment.

“Over the past two seasons, we’ve learned that drones are the most effective mechanism to detect environmental conditions that could [be attributed] to shark activity,” said Erik Kulleseid, commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation—also referred to simply as State Parks.

Last summer, Hochul directed State Parks, the Department of Environmental Conservation, and the New York State Police to begin more rigorous patrolling of coastal areas using drones after the state recorded more confirmed shark attacks than in any year over the previous three decades.

According to Cary Epstein, a lifeguard supervisor at Jones Beach, the aircraft typically make three sweeps per day: one before the beaches open, another sometime during midday, and a third just before close. They’re also deployed following a sighting or attack, patrolling for about an hour while swimmers are asked to stay on the beach.

While in flight, the drones monitor sharks but also schools of fish, seals, and diving birds—some of the toothy predator’s favorite dishes. They also keep an eye out for certain weather conditions that are known to precede sightings and attacks.

Per Hochul’s office, one drone assigned to New York State Park Police is the heavy lifter of the bunch. It’s equipped with thermal imaging and laser range-finding capabilities, as well as high quality cameras to enable surveillance at night or in harsh weather conditions. The drone can also release personal flotation devices in emergency situations, cutting down the time it would take a lifeguard to battle the ocean waves.

Currently, 24 park police officers, State Parks operational staff, lifeguards, and certified drone operators are trained to pilot the shark-monitoring aircraft. While most areas of New York lack drone surveillance capabilities, State Parks is now distributing the aircraft to all downstate municipalities, covering the cost of training and operation. In total, the new initiative will provide up to $1 million in funding for procuring drones and training staff.

So far, the program has received glowing feedback.

“With shark sightings on the rise, these drones will further help us better monitor waters and keep beachgoers safe,” said Oyster Bay Town Supervisor Joseph Saladino. “I thank Governor Hochul for providing these eyes in the sky to local governments throughout the region.”

Added Islip Town Supervisor Angie Carpenter, “These drones will allow town lifeguards and staff to monitor our ocean waters and keep bathers safe, while ensuring they leave with happy memories.”

Town supervisors and executives from Nassau County, Southampton, Hempstead, and Long Beach also lauded the governor’s efforts, praising the ability of drones to complement lifeguards and other safety measures.

Interestingly, New York isn’t the only place drones have been deployed to monitor shark activity. Researchers at California State University-Long Beach’s Shark Lab compiled hundreds of hours of drone footage over 26 California beaches between 2019 and 2022. Their findings, published in June, revealed that humans and sharks share the same waters more often than not—unbeknownst to both swimmers and the animals.

New York, however, appears to be the first state to provide the technology to police and beach staff.

The post New York’s Response to a Flurry of Shark Attacks? Send In the Drones appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

The FAA has grounded all Virgin Galactic flights as it investigates a July launch that sent billionaire founder Richard Branson into space.

The probe stems from an article published this week by The New Yorker, which said the Unity 22 ship, carrying Branson and five Virgin Galactic employees, veered off course during its descent back to the ground in New Mexico. The deviation put the ship outside the air traffic control clearance area.

In a statement Thursday, the FAA said, “Virgin Galactic may not return the SpaceShipTwo vehicle to flight until the FAA approves the final mishap investigation report or determines the issues related to the mishap do not affect public safety.”

The FAA is overseeing the probe; it’s responsible for protecting the public during commercial launches and reentries, according to The Associated Press. Crew safety, on the other hand, is outside its jurisdiction.

Virgin Galactic issued a statement this week disputing what it called “misleading characterizations and conclusions” in The New Yorker’s article. However, the company acknowledged the flight path deviation while insisting that no one was in danger.

“Unity 22 was a safe and successful test flight that adhered to our flight procedures and training protocols,” the statement reads. “When the vehicle encountered high-altitude winds which changed the trajectory, the pilots and systems monitored the trajectory to ensure it remained within mission parameters.

“Our pilots responded appropriately to these changing flight conditions exactly as they have been trained and in strict accordance with our established procedures. Although the flight’s ultimate trajectory deviated from our initial plan, it was a controlled and intentional flight path that allowed Unity 22 to successfully reach space and land safely at our Spaceport in New Mexico.

“At no time were passengers and crew put in any danger as a result of this change in trajectory.”

Following the FAA’s investigation announcement, Virgin Galactic issued a second statement.

“As we have previously stated, we are working in partnership with the FAA to address the short time that the spaceship dropped below its permitted altitude during the Unity 22 flight. We take this seriously and are currently addressing the causes of the issue and determining how to prevent this from occurring on future missions.”

A former Virgin Galactic test pilot who had previously raised concerns fired back at the company. In a post on Twitter, Mark “Forger” Stucky said: “The most misleading statement today was @virgingalactic’s. The facts are the pilots failed to trim to achieve the proper pitch rate, the winds were well within limits, they did nothing of substance to address the trajectory error, & entered Class A airspace without authorization.”

The investigation comes just seven weeks after Branson’s historic flight, which put him into space before billionaire competitor Jeff Bezos, who owns Blue Origin.

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