Most of this week’s drone headlines – let me rephrase that; most of this weeks headlines in general can be told through videos captured via UAV. To watch the news unfold, follow the links!
One of the biggest headlines this week was the devastation caused by a bout of tornadoes that tore through the south. Naturally, a drone was on hand to capture aerial footage of the destruction and, right on cue, the FAA wants to fine the pilot $10,000.
The event has also sparked some discussion about the use of drones to track tornados and other deadly storms before they level neighborhoods.
UAVs also captured footage of the destruction wrought by a derailed train in Lynchburg, VA and a landslide in Baltimore, MD.
Drone manufacturer/distributor Autonomous Avionics opened a new facility to bolster their offline presence of building and selling custom drones.
A small startup in Philadelphia, DroneCast, launched the first flight of their DJI-for-hire drone which businesses can hire to fly their a banner through certain neighborhoods.
Parrot, makers of the instantly recognizable AR.Drone, released their FreeFlight application on Windows 8, allowing customers to use Windows phones or Surface tablets to pilot their drones.
Finally this week, officials at Yosemite National Park issued a statement on Friday telling videographers to leave their drones at home, as they are no longer welcome in the park. According to The Verge “the Park Service pointed to existing federal conservation regulations in justifying the ban.” Sounds fairly ungrounded, especially when you consider all the breathtaking footage of the park that has been shot with drones. For example:
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