Drone News Roundup: Flying the DJI Avata with the Drone Strapped to Your Head, Flying the Mavic 3 on Mount Everest, and More!

This week we’re covering a unique video in which the DJI Avata has been strapped to a pilot’s head before he actually takes off and flies himself (not really of course!) to illustrate just how immersive an experience it is to fly with the new drone.

We’re also covering a drone video shot by the DJI Mavic 3 at the top of Mount Everest, Draganfly’s three new drones, Matternet earning the first ever type certification from the FAA, and a tether that lets you fly the Matrice 30 indefinitely.

Now let’s get to the links!

Flying the DJI Avata—While Actually Flying?

For creator Stéphane Couchoud, flying the new DJI Avata is so immersive that he feels like he’s actually flying through the air himself. To illustrate this, he made this creative, fun video in which he straps the Avata to his head, then pretends to actually flies across a variety of beautiful landscapes. Honestly, it’s a little hard to explain what Couchoud has pulled off here—we recommend watching it to get a taste for what he’s experiencing when he flies the Avata. Want to learn more? Click the link below to see how he made the video.

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Flying the DJI Mavic 3 on Mount Everest

DJI worked in partnership with content creators @8kraw_official to shoot this video with the Mavic 3 on the top of Mount Everest. To make the video, they developed a detailed flight plan that allowed them to capture the beauty of the mountain itself and the surrounding views. The footage is stunning, but making it was also an impressive technical achievement, since flying a drone at an elevation of over 29,000 feet is quite difficult given how thin the air is. Watch the video to see the incredible footage they were able to capture at the top of the world.

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Draganfly Unveils Two New Drones

Draganfly’s new Commander 3XL drone | Credit: Draganfly

Draganfly launched two new drones last week—a U.S.-made heavy lift drone and a smaller drone called the Commander 3XL. Draganfly is calling the Commander 3XL a “Swiss Army Knife,” apparently for its ability to meet several different commercial use cases in one aerial platform. The Commander 3XL has 50 minutes of flight time, a flight range of 24 miles, and a maximum speed of 45 mph. The Commander 3XL can carry an impressive 26 pound payload for up to 20 minutes while the Heavy Lift can carry up to 67 pounds, and has a max flight time of 55 minutes. Draganfly also released a long range LiDAR system last week, which can be used as a mobile LiDAR device on drones, manned aircraft, or mounted to another vehicle or backpack.

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Matternet Earns the FAA’s First Ever Type Certification

Credit: Matternet

Last week at Commercial UAV Expo, the FAA’s Vice President of Flight Operations David Boulter announced that Matternet had received the first standard type certificate ever granted in the U.S. The drone that received the certificate is Matternet’s M2 drone delivery platform. According to a statement issued by Hogan Lovells, the law firm that helped Matternet get the certificate, “Certification signifies the design is in compliance with applicable airworthiness, noise, fuel venting, and exhaust emissions standards.” Although Matternet’s certification is a first, it seems likely that several more will follow, helping to open the national airspace to more complex, advanced drone operations in a safe manner.

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Matrice 30 Gets Unlimited Flight Time with Volarious V-Line Tether

 

Volarious’ new V-Line Pro kit has been designed specifically for DJI’s Matrice 30, allowing it to fly indefinitely with the use of a ground power station. The maximum height the tether can accommodate is 328 feet (100 meters), and it comes with souped up lighting, including a 12,000 lumens searchlight and a 20,000 lumens flood light. According to Volarious, the primary use cases for a tethered M30 are asset monitoring and inspections.

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