Scott Hollifield: An important public service announcement about drones Winston-Salem Journal12/9/2019 More than 30,000 people own drones in the great state of North Carolina, and I expect the numbers are similar in lesser states and even higher in far superior states. There are probably quite a few drone owners in commonwealths, and at least a half dozen or so in territories. That’s why drone safety is important, especially with the holidays approaching and even more drones set to be unwrapped and launched into the wild blue yonder on Christmas Day, according to Bobby Walston, aviation director for the N.C. Department of Transportation. “It’s amazing how much can be done with a drone these days,” Walston told me. “We’ve just got to make sure everyone is aware that they’re more than just a toy and need to be flown responsibly.” Bobby didn’t tell that exclusively to me. It was in a press release sent out to every newspaper scrambling to fill space. It goes something like this: “We’ve got a hole to fill on page 8 and we’re all out of local copy, chief.” “Great Caesar’s ghost! Find something to stick in there. I don’t care if it’s that drone press release or another monkey column.” So, yeah, drone news is important. As interim senior correspondent for small unmanned aircraft technology at this award-winning publication, I’ve put together the following Q&A to address some common queries from those who may be giving or receiving a drone this holiday season. Q: Hey, Scott. Thanks for addressing my query, whatever that means. My little nephew B-Dawg (his real name is Brandon but he’s going through a phase where he wants to be called B-Dawg, and if we don’t he flops right down in the floor and pitches the worst fit you have ever seen with kicking and screaming and the spit just flying) asked me to buy him a drone for Christmas. Would this be an appropriate gift for a 10-year-old? Answer: Yes, as long as Bran — uh, B-Dawg is a responsible young man who obeys the rules, a drone is a wonderful gift. Q: What if he is an irresponsible young man who does not obey the rules and is a suspect in several outbuilding fires? Answer: Then no, it would not be an appropriate gift. Q: But I believe it could help him develop his entrepreneurial skills because he said he was going to fly it next door and secretly take pictures through the window when his teacher Ms. Tanner does yoga in her bedroom and sell the pictures on the internet. Shouldn’t we encourage young businessmen like B-Dawg? Answer: Absolutely not. Drone operators must respect the privacy of others. An FAA fact sheet on drones says operators “cannot fly a small UAS over anyone not directly participating in the operation.” Q: She’s a teacher not a doctor. She ain’t operating on anybody, she’s doing yoga. Let’s move along. I believe a drone will also develop B-Dawg’s kind and generous nature. He said his older cousin J-Dawg wants him to bring his new drone to the parking lot of the correctional institution and deliver him some care packages over the fence containing everyday necessities like soap, a cellphone, ramen noodles and a blister pack of 500 blue Mexican valium. Wouldn’t that be a nice holiday gesture? Answer: No. Drones should not be used to smuggle contraband into prisons. Q: Sounds like all these rules are taking the fun as well as the practicality out of drone usage. Next you’re going to tell me B-Dawg can’t fly it at night or higher than 400 feet or use it to drop an M-80 down the chimney of the school psychologist’s house. What kind of crazy rules are these? Answer: They are common sense rules designed to protect the safety and well-being of everyone, from drone operators to the general public. Q: OK, then. I guess I’ll get him that AR-15 instead. Answer: On second thought, stick with the drone. Powered by WPeMatico The post Scott Hollifield: An important public service announcement about drones – Winston-Salem Journal appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2LEjBEu
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Die Black Friday und Cyber Monday Tage sind vorüber, doch schon bald ist Weihnachten und der ein oder andere benötigt sicherlich noch ein Geschenk. Entweder für Freunde und Familie oder für sich selbst. Der Meinung ist zumindest Amazon und deswegen gibt es die nächsten paar Tage die „Last Minute Angebote“. Eine komplette Übersicht aller Last Minute Deals findet ihr hier bei Amazon*. Ich habe für euch die spannendsten Tablet Angebote herausgesucht. Da sind nämlich einige dabei, die es so nicht oder nur kurz am Black Friday gab. Meine Testberichte sind jeweils verlinkt. Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 mit 64GB für nur 195 EuroDas Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10.1 2019 gehört zu den Tablets mit dem derzeit besten Preis/Leistungsverhältnis. Es ist günstig, hat aber aktuelle Software, vermutlich lange Updates und solide Hardware. Dazu gehören ein 10,1 Zoll FullHD-Display, ein Octa-Core Prozessor und 2GB RAM. Ab Werk ist Android 9 installiert. Die etwas hochwertigere Version mit 64GB anstatt 32GB ist gerade bei Amazon im Angebot. Lesen: Mein Samsung Galaxy Tab A 10 Test
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Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e für nur 309 EuroDas Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e ist ein Premium-Tablet mit einem Mittelklasse-Preis. Es bietet das gleiche 10,5 Zoll AMOLED Display, das wir vom Galaxy Tab S6 kennen und hat ein sehr hochwertiges Metallgehäuse. Außerdem hat es vier gute Lautsprecher, einen Fingerabdruckleser und der Prozessor ist für die meisten Aufgaben schnell genug. Es wird mit Android 9 ausgeliefert. Bei Amazon ist es gerade für nur 309 Euro im Angebot. Lesen: Mein Samsung Galaxy Tab S5e Test
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Microsoft Surface Pro 7 für ab 749 EuroDas Microsoft Surface Pro 7 ist in meinen Augen das derzeit beste Windows-Tablet auf dem Markt. Zwar ist das Design nicht neu, hat sich aber erfolgreich bewehrt und der Kickstand ist einfach praktisch. Die neuen Intel Prozessoren machen es zu dem derzeit schnellsten Windows-Tablet. Andere Eigenschaften wir Display, Tastatur Cover und Surface Pen sind wie gewohnt ausgezeichnet. Im Angebot ist gerade die günstigste Version mit dem Intel Core i3 Dual-Core Prozessor. Lesen: Mein Microsoft Surface Pro 7 Test
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Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 4GB/64GB für nur 189 EuroDas Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 gehört in meinen Augen zu den besten Mittelklasse-Tablets. Es bietet ein schickes FullHD-Display und eine solide Performance, hat aber wichtige Premium-Features. Dazu gehören ein Metallgehäuse, vier gute Lautsprecher und ein Fingerabdruckscanner. Wer möchte, kann auf dem Tablet außerdem mit einem aktiven Stylus arbeiten. Die teurere Version mit 4GB RAM und 64GB Speicher ist bei Amazon gerade für 189 Euro im Angebot. Lesen: Mein Huawei MediaPad M5 Lite 10 Test
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Huawei MediaPad T5 10 mit 4GB/64GB für nur 179 EuroDas Huawei MediaPad T5 10 ähnelt sehr dem M5 Lite 10. Tatsächlich hat es ebenfalls ein schickes 10,1 Zoll FullHD-Display und sogar den gleichen Mittelklasse-Prozessor. Im Vergleich zum M5 Lite fehlen aber Premium-Features. So gibt es keinen Fingerabdruckscanner, nur zwei Lautsprecher, und keine Stift-Unterstützung. Dafür ist es deutlich günstiger. Bei Amazon ist gerade die hochwertigere Version mit 4GB RAM und 64GB Speicher im Angebot. Lesen: Mein Huawei MediaPad T5 10 Test
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Lenovo Tab M10 für nur 129 EuroDas Lenovo Tab M10 ist ein unteres Mittelklasse-Tablet, das ein 10,1 Zoll großes HD-Display und einen Qualcomm Snapdragon 429 Quad-Core Prozessor bietet. Es hat 2GB RAM, 16GB Speicher und wird mit Android 9 ausgeliefert. Spannend ist bei Lenovo immer, dass die Oberfläche nur minimal angepasst ist. Die günstigere Version mit dem HD-Display ist gerade im Angebot. Lesen: Mein Lenovo Tab M10 Test
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*Dieser Artikel enthält Affiliate Links. Bei einem Kauf über einen unserer Partner bekommen wir eine kleine Provision. Für dich entstehen dabei keine zusätzlichen Kosten, du unterstützt aber unsere Tests. Powered by WPeMatico The post Übersicht: Die besten Tablet-Deals am Montag (Samsung & Huawei) appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2PvPrEu
Powered by WPeMatico The post Four short links: 9 December 2019 appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/33ZM6CV The Mavic Mini is one of the smallest HD drones on the market right now, and it actually performs well. If you are looking to get into drones, but don’t want to break the bank, this could be what you are looking for.A few weeks ago, DJI announced their Mavic Mini, a 249-gram drone that can shoot 2.7K at 30 fps and take 12-megapixel stills. This drone was more than likely designed for people who want to get into drones. However, it is also another consideration for professional pilots as a drone they can travel with or try risky shots with without damaging more expensive equipment. After seeing plenty of videos and reviews on this drone, I think it’s safe to say that for $400, you may not get anything better.Controller and PerformanceThe Mavic Mini controller is very similar to the Mavic Air controller, just minus a few buttons in the middle. The drone does still have sport and cinema mode, but it must be switched in the app. As far as controllers go, these are fairly small and pack down well. The knobs come off and tuck inside the controller so that it can sit flush in your pocket or bag without breaking the sticks. Once you are familiar with the DJI controllers, they get more and more comfortable, and this controller is very comparable to the whole Mavic line of controllers.When it comes to handling and shooting with Mavic Mini, I have to say that I was shocked it performs as well as it does. The battery life was also really great compared to other drones like this, with flight times around 15-20 minutes, easily. If you wanted to fly another drone this small, it would probably be an FPV drone and you would be lucky to get 5-10 minutes flight time.I was able to achieve smooth pans, long shots, and complicated camera moves just as I can on Mavic 2 or even Inspire 2. Where I started to see a little trouble was when wind kicked into play, and the little motors on Mavic Mini began to struggle. Therefore, this may be a great travel drone because of its size and weight, but keep an eye on this thing if you are flying in bad weather conditions, because it may take a little more effort to execute your shot. I will share some footage from this drone below.Mavic 2 Pro, Mavic Air, Mavic MiniWeight and SizeThis was the biggest deal for DJI: a small drone that anyone can buy and fly without registering with the FAA. I am a little against the idea of that for one reason: I think it is super important for people looking to invest in drones to also invest their time in understanding the rules and regulations of their country/state. Being so light, DJI had to remove features such as obstacle avoidance and Active Track modes. They did leave a few options on there for quick shots, but nothing as extravagant as what the Mavic Air or Mavic 2 can do. I personally don’t think this should be an issue for anyone, because if you want to fly a drone, you should know how to control it too.Mavic Mini Battery, Mavic Air Battery, Mavic 2 Battery, and Mavic MiniThe size of Mavic Mini is small, like Mavic 2 battery small or smartphone small. This drone is really not that big or heavy. As a pilot myself, size and weight can be an issue depending on what I am looking to do. In many cases, I have no problem carrying around a bigger drone like the Mavic 2 that will get me better quality, range, and performance off the bat versus making up a reason to carry around a Mavic Mini. For me, Mavic Mini is more of a toy drone that I can try stupid things with or even better put, it is a stable FPV drone that I can fly inside and in tight spaces.Photo/Video QualityCompared to Mavic Air, the Mavic Mini does not shoot raw photos in the classic DNG format, and it also cannot shoot 4K. The Mavic Air is bigger, heavier, and has a bit more tech packed inside to allow it to do what it does. For people looking to shoot during the day, Mavic Mini will serve you just fine, but if you are looking for more push and pull when it comes to editing, the Mavic Mini is only okay. I will show some footage below so you can get an idea of the quality.
Powered by WPeMatico The post Reviews the DJI Mavic Mini Drone <br /> Fstoppers – Fstoppers appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2YqfUaS Elbit Systems in Israel unveiled its MAGNI, a micro unmanned aerial system, that weighs 2.5 kg and is a multi-rotor VTOL so it can be launched from a vehicle and give platoons or squads situational awareness. “We wanted to give infantry a tactical eye-in-the-sky,” says Erez Meir of Elbit’s Multi-Rotor business unit. It is a “revolution” for armed soldiers and their vehicles operating in convoys for instance, which will now have the ability to launch numerous micro-drones to conduct surveillance day or night. MAGNI is the smallest of five drones that are made by Flying Production in Rosh HaAyin Israel. Elbit, one of Israel’s largest defense companies, acquired Flying Production earlier this year. Designers got to the MAGNI after producing a slightly larger small drone called THOR that has a range of 10 km and weighs 10 kg. Militaries have been consuming drones at a rapid pace in the last few years as technology outpaces what defense companies have been able to provide. That means commercial drones, like DJI quadcopter UAVs were being used by the U.S. Air Force and other branches. This is despite the concerns about security that come along with Chinese-made commercial drones. Meir says that the new MAGNI fits into a line of Elbit drones using similar software and compatibility with a battle management system. Recently Elbit sold more than one thousand of the THOR UAVs to a southeast Asian country. So many UAVs speak to the fact that countries doing counter-terrorism or counter-insurgency efforts can equip soldiers down to the smallest unit with micro-UAVs or launch them from vehicles to provide a company or platoon with all its surveillance or ISR needs. “It’s the future of maneuver,” says Meir. The design makes the UAV easy to carry and it can provide 360-degree views. The main issue here is that components and technology are always advancing and getting smaller and more lightweight. For instance, having a cooled thermal imaging camera on a drone can give a unit the ability to see further. The THOR mini-drone has been outfitted with twenty-five different payloads, the developers say. And they have been “battle-proven through operations.” Like with a lot of this technology, Israeli companies tend to be tightlipped on which battlefields they might have operated or who has operated them. But the vision is clear, drones like this will be part of every level of battalion operations from squads to platoons, says Meir. One of the issues militaries faced when they wanted smaller drones for squads and platoons is that the DJI or other commercial drones is that you’ll be using 2.4GHz Datalink with an iPad or something similar. But commercial drones are susceptible to technology that can jam or disrupt their frequency. Military drones on other frequencies, that operate in a GPS-denied environment, are more versatile and can do targeting and other things that commercial drones can’t accomplish. That is why companies like AeroVironment were successful with small drones like the 1.9 kg Raven. Other militaries such as Australia are looking to develop small armed tactical UAVs. Coming out of the experience of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and the global war against ISIS that stretches across the Sahel to the Philippines makes it clear how necessary micro-drones are becoming. But there is a learning curve here trying to figure out how many little drones the infantry soldier can carry or how many should be equipped as standard on armored vehicles. The U.S. Army even fast-tracked a $40 million contract with FLIR Systems for tiny 18 gram Black Hornet personal reconnaissance systems. Israel has been integrating drones, which it pioneered, for decades. Micro-UAS have been used for a variety of missions. This leadership in technology and seeing how drones can be incorporated effectively likely gives MAGNI, THOR and similar vehicles a leg-up because it has overcome some stumbling blocks that other types of drones have had on the tactical level. Seth J. Frantzman is a Jerusalem-based journalist who holds a Ph.D. from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. He is the executive director of the Middle East Center for Reporting and Analysis and a writing fellow at Middle East Forum. He is writing a book on the Middle East after ISIS. Follow him on Twitter at @sfrantzman. Image: Reuters Powered by WPeMatico The post Meet Israel’s New MAGNI Micro-Drone: A Game Changer? – The National Interest Online appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/350kj6I An American drone seemingly lost over Libya in November was actually shot down by Russia, the US military said. Russian forces may not have realized the unarmed drone belonged to the United States when they took it down, the military told Reuters. “They certainly know who it belongs to now and they are refusing to return it. They say they don’t know where it is but I am not buying it,” General Stephen Townsend, who leads the US Army’s African Command, told the wire service. Russian mercenaries operating in the country may have been responsible, Libya’s Government of National Accord said. Russia officially denies using mercenaries in any foreign country, insisting any of their citizens engaged in civil conflict abroad were acting as volunteers. Libya’s government says the mercenaries are there to support Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar in the country’s civil war. Share this:Powered by WPeMatico The post Russia responsible for downing US Drone over Libya: report – New York Post appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2Yt2w5G
Powered by WPeMatico The post Four short links: 6 December 2019 appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2LxqQxW A news helicopter was struck by a suspected drone over Los Angeles causing substantial damage CNN12/6/2019
KABC’s Air7 HD chopper was flying just east of downtown at about 1,100 feet when crew heard a pop, then a loud bang, reporter Chris Cristi told the CNN affiliate.
“We felt it, we heard it and we all looked at each other; didn’t really know what it was,” he said of Wednesday night’s incident.
He thought a bird might have flown into the chopper — but when the crew safely landed and assessed the damage, “it was a different story,” he said.
The object had ripped through the tail of the helicopter and left other dents and scratches in other spots of the aircraft.
Cristi said the pilot saw a flash of light — what crew believed could’ve been a drone’s green and red navigational lights.
The Los Angeles Police Department said the event “could have been a disaster” if the damage had been more severe. “It was a scary couple of minutes,” Cristi admitted.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, KABC reported. The National Transportation Safety Board also is investigating.
Illegal drones cause headaches
If a drone did hit the helicopter, it might’ve been flying illegally. The FAA requires recreational users to fly drones at or below 400 feet in airspace where air traffic control is absent and bans drones from flying in controlled airspace near airports.
Los Angeles has a similar ordinance, banning people from flying drones over 400 feet or within five miles of an airport without prior approval from the airport’s air traffic control staff. Users also can’t fly drones in a way that interferes with manned aircraft.
Illegal drones aren’t just a nuisance — they’re a real danger, authorities say.
Last month, firefighting planes sent to quell the Maria fire in Santa Paula were grounded for several hours after a drone sighting, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The National Interagency Fire Center said aerial firefighting efforts had been suspended at least nine times in 2019 due to drone interference.
A collision with the hard, plastic object could send a part of the plane into failure, a 2017 FAA report found.
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Skydio 2 Review: This Is the Drone You Want to Fly IEEE Spectrum
Powered by WPeMatico The post Skydio 2 Review: This Is the Drone You Want to Fly – IEEE Spectrum appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2RrqTiB I’ll be honest: I love my drone. I mean, I always had remote-control vehicles back when I was a teenager. And of course the most impressive RC vehicle was the gas-powered helicopter. But it was expensive and hard to fly. Now, with a quadcopter, it’s a breeze. On top of that, it takes pictures and videos. Since I have this fascination with drones, it’s only logical to take the next step and use it for some physics. How about an analysis of the aeronautics of this particular drone, the DJI Spark. Drones, physics—what could be better? So I used my phone to record some slow-motion videos of the Spark moving first vertically and then horizontally. Here’s an example below. And then I used one of my favorite tools, the Tracker video-analysis app, to plot the position of the drone in each frame. Armed with that data, it’s just a hop, skip, and a jump to derive performance specs like acceleration and thrust. On the Ball The video essentially gives me a series of time-stamped snapshots of the drone as it moves, but I need to know the frame rate to calibrate the time scale. My phone says it records slo-mo at 240 frames per second—or, in other words, at 4.17 millisecond intervals. Just to double-check that, I’m going to run a test analysis on something I already know about: the acceleration of a ball tossed straight up into the air. An object in free fall, where gravity is the only force working on it, has a vertical acceleration of about –9.81 meters/second2. So if I put a meter stick in the video frame (it’s that horizontal stick next to my hand), I will know both the distance scale and the vertical acceleration. From that, I can figure out the true frame rate. Here’s what the ball toss looks like: I ran the Tracker software on this clip and adjusted the listed frame rate until the fitting equation gives me a vertical acceleration of –9.81 m/s2. After playing around a bit, I got a time interval of 4.28 milliseconds—so actually about 234 frames per second. Here is the trajectory with the adjusted frame rate: Powered by WPeMatico The post Calculate the Thrust Force on Your Drone! – WIRED appeared first on PCStoreNearMe. via PCStoreNearMe https://ift.tt/2YmQZF0 |