They say the West Coast is the Best Coast (it is!), and it just got even better. Flying a commercial drone in West Coast states, as well as Hawaii, just got easier today.

This week marked the third phase in the roll-out of the Federal Aviation Administration’s multiphase plan to test Low Altitude Authorization and Notification Capability (LAANC).

The LAANC program allows drone operators to use an interface (designed by FAA-selected private companies) to request approval to fly in restricted airspace. Operators will then receive approval almost instantly. That instantly speeds up the ability to legally fly in controlled airspace such as near airports — a cumbersome process that had previously required individual applications and took months.

The rollout opens up airspace near airports in California, Arizona, Hawaii and Nevada. That includes major airports such as LAX in Los Angeles, and McCarran International in Las Vegas. Click here for a complete list of facilities participating in the FAA’s LAANC program. Continue reading Attention West Coast: LAANC testing rolls out today →

The drone industry is still flying high — at least according to the Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal named 25 emerging leaders as tech companies to watch in 2018, and among them are two drone companies. Kespry landed on spot No. 15, while Airobotics made it as No. 21.

Kespry is a Silicon Valley company founded in 2013 to gather data using drones and analyze it for industries such as mining, insurance and construction. Its services are mostly used for inspections and inventory and operation management. The company has 104 employees and has raised $61.4 million in funding, and is led by founders Paul Doersch, Nathan Hall-Snyder and Ben Stabler.

Kespry was among a handful of companies invited to attended a historic White House meeting last year between drone industry leaders and U.S. President Donald Trump. Continue reading Two drone companies land on Wall Street Journal’s 2018 list of tech companies to watch →

Father’s Day is this weekend! Thinking about getting dad a DJI drone? Now you can get a deal on it, too.

DJI is running a big Father’s Day sale, and you could save up to $150 on each product.

New York-based dealer B&H Photo is also running similar deals on drones for Father’s Day. A big perk of purchasing through B&H? The shop doesn’t charge sales tax to buyers in most states, which could mean a huge amount of savings — especially on a big purchase like a drone.

Among the best deals? On the DJI site, you can get $100 off the DJI Mavic Pro PLUS a free spare battery, which is valued at $89. B&H Photo is selling the same drone for $899 as well. Continue reading DJI, B&H Photo offering a big Father’s Day drone sale this weekend →

Since drones have gone mainstream over the past few years, dozens of industries have claimed how drones have helped their businesses.

Many suggested that the agriculture industry would see the most benefit from drones as they fly over sparsely populated areas, and much of the public is still banking on the shipping industry to adopt drones to deliver their packages.

But which industry is REALLY using drones the most?

According to a report released by mapping software startup DroneDeploy, the construction industry has seen the most growth in drone adoption. Use of drones in the construction industry has grown a whopping 239% year-over year, followed by 198% growth for the mining industry. Drones have seen 172% adoption growth in the agriculture industry; that’s still a massive increase, but perhaps not the massive growth that some predicted. Continue reading These industries are the fastest-growing drone adopters, according to DroneDeploy →

Looking to get your kiddos into drones — but perhaps not ready to put an actual drone in their hands?

Put some drone books in their hands.

A new children’s book series is now available on Amazon. There are two paperback books so far –  a coloring and activity book at $12.52 and a book called “Drone Girls And The Air Show Adventure” for $12.54. (There’s no affiliation with this Drone Girl).

The books were cowritten by Sharon Rossmark and Wendy Erikson, who both lead a group called Women And Drones. Continue reading Now you can buy drone books for kids →