Droning On: FAA reauth bandaid; Typhoon with obstacle avoidance; woman hit in head with drone

FAA reauthorization in the works

House and Senate committee leaders are about to propose a short-term reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) that is expected to include policy provisions related to drones and aviation security. It represents akn 18 month patch and falls short of a long term extension.

The band aid will not include a proposal to take air traffic control out of the hands of the FAA. In a comment to the Hill, Transportation Chair John Thune said, “It won’t be everything I want. But I think we’ve got a package now that should enjoy pretty broad bipartisan support, and we’ll get it to the floor.”

The FAA measure, which is expected to be taken up on the floor after the July 4th recess, may include a sizable chunk of provisions from the Senate bill, such as language to beef up airport security, enhance consumer protections for airline passengers and address drone privacy and safety issues.

Yuneec Typhoon with obstacle avoidance available for preorder

You can now preorder a Typhoon H with Intel RealSense Technology for a suggested retail price of $1,899. Intel’s RealSense technology provides the drone with obstacle avoidance capabilities. The company reports that shipments to customers will begin within four weeks. Yuneec states that “Intel RealSense Technology enables Typhoon H to fly autonomously, intelligently navigating around objects, taking safety and customers’ creative options to the next level.”

It all sounds very cool and will keep Yuneec competitive with DJI (a good thing). How well it all actually works is to be determined. Here is a video demonstrating the Typhoon. You can learn where and how to buy here.

Drone Hits Woman in Head

38-year-old Stéphanie Creignou was hit in the head by a drone that fell out of the sky while she was attending an event in Beloeil, Quebec. The incident occurred earlier this month earlier this month when a DJI Phantom 3 camera drone lost altitude. The accident was captured by another drone as seen in the 8 second video below.

Ms. Creignou is reported to have suffered serious injuries and is planning a lawsuit against the drone’s operator. PetaPixel reports that “The impact was so violent that Creignou collapsed in the arms of her friend and was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was diagnosed with whiplash.”