Drone News Roundup: Drone Used to Screw in a Lightbulb, Best Leaked Photos of the Mavic 3 Yet and More!

BY Zacc Dukowitz

29 October 2021

This week we’re covering a hilarious video of a drone screwing in a lightbulb, which is a must-see video.

We’re also covering the latest leaked photos of the Mavic 3, news of a successful test for the concept of using drones to airlift dogs from the path of lava on La Palma island, Wing’s announcement that it will be opening a drone delivery program in Dallas, and Aloft’s domination of LAANC requests.

Now let’s get to the links!

Drone Used to Screw in a Lightbulb—with a Twist

@insta360_officialThis is a legit “lightbulb moment”💡@pixel & #insta360go2 #insta360 #filmmaking #drone #pov #fyp #viral ♬ original sound – insta360_official

This was one of the most fun videos we’ve seen in a while. Make sure to watch with the sound on to get the full effect! It should be noted that this is not the first time someone’s used a quadcopter to screw in a lightbulb. Check out this video made back in 2016 to see an old school version of the same feat.

Best Leaked Photos of the Mavic 3 So Far

Good morning. New pictures from China. Is it me or does the #Mavic3 looks a shade #darker then other drones? And look at those propellers. They are #huge.@DroneXL1 @techdronemedia @konrad_it @geeksvana pic.twitter.com/vBDKDlcn35

— Jasper Ellens – 27 Leaks (@JasperEllens) October 21, 2021

We’ve seen several grainy or faraway shots of the forthcoming Mavic 3 but the pictures in the tweet above are by far the best ones we’ve seen yet. The photos were shared by drone industry insider Jasper Ellens, who has been sharing lots of leaked information over the last few months. We got news from him about Autel’s three new product launches last month, and he’s been a reliable source for DJI leaks lately as well. DJI is doing a big promotion for its own series of product launches right now under the tagline “Good things come in threes.” It looks like these photos further confirm the rumors that the third launch, which will take place on November 5, will be the Mavic 3.

Tests Successful for Drone Airlift Dog Rescue Concept on La Palma Island

Last week we reported on an ambitious plan to use heavy lift drones to try and carry dogs to safety on the island of La Palma, in the Canaries. A volcano has been erupting there, and several animals are trapped in the path of the lava flow. Since that reporting, Spanish drone company Aerocameras has reported a successful test of the drone airlift concept. In the test, they flew three quarters of a mile with a cargo weighing 34 pounds and ended the mission with 35% of battery life remaining, indicating that it would be possible to carry dogs to safety. Despite the successful test, it looks like the dogs have been rescued in some other manner—the latest reports say that they are no longer in danger, and have been safely removed, though we don’t have details yet about how exactly this happened.

Wing to Launch Drone Delivery Program in Dallas

Photo credit: Wing

Wing, the first drone delivery company to launch a regular commercial drone delivery program, recently announced that it will be bringing drone delivery to the Dallas area. The program will start small, with deliveries from just a single Walgreens in the cities of Little Elm and Frisco, which are located near Dallas. Using a new model, Wing will launch and receive delivery drones in small shipping containers parked next to the store, which will act as hangars. As part of the new model, Walgreens employees will be the ones fulfilling the orders and attaching them to the drones for delivery, instead of Wing technicians.

Aloft Dominates LAANC Authorization Requests

Photo credit: Aloft

There are several LAANC providers out there, but one stands out above the rest when it comes to the sheer quantity of LAANC instant airspace authorizations it fulfills. That provider is Aloft (formerly Kittyhawk). This month, Aloft announced that it provided 70% of the LAANC requests made in the previous month. Six months ago Aloft was only fulfilling about 50% of requests, which means that its market share for authorizations is growing quickly. That being said, it’s worth noting that Aloft’s September numbers may have been helped along by the fact that AirMap seems to be permanently out of the LAANC game, as we reported last week.

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