Drone News Roundup: New Drone Mapping Course and In-Person Workshops, Avata 2 Cinematic FPV Footage, and More!

This week we’re covering the launch of our new Drone Mapping Essentials course, along with in-person workshops scheduled across the country.

(Want to learn more about the course? Make sure to sign up for the drone mapping webinar we’re hosting next Thursday.)

We’re also covering a video from Denis Barbas shot entirely on the new DJI Avata 2, a cinewhoop tour of a $9 million beach house, Skyfire’s new DFR training facility, and the FAA’s Drone Safety Day.

Now let’s get to those links!

Drone Mapping Essentials Course + In-Person Workshops

We just launched Drone Mapping Essentials, an online course to help drone pilots make more money by adding drone mapping to their list of skills. The course comes with real world datasets, over 100 instructional videos, and practical advice for finding drone mapping work. The course is taught by industry expert Dylan Gorman, founder of Pilotbyte and an experienced commercial drone pilot who has completed over 5,000 drone missions.

In addition to the online course, we’re offering two-day drone mapping workshops across the country for those who want to dive deeper. Here’s the schedule for upcoming workshops:

• Houston, TX—May 4-5. Learn more about the Houston workshop.
• Atlanta, GA—May 11-12. Learn more about the Atlanta workshop.
• Denver, CO—June 1-2. Learn more about the Denver workshop.
• Richmond, VA—June 8-9. Learn more about the Richmond workshop.
• Chicago, IL—June 15-16. Learn more about the Chicago workshop.
• Los Angeles/Orange County, CA—July 27-28. Learn more about the Orange County workshop.

Curious about drone mapping but not ready to sign up for a course or workshop? Make sure to attend our Drone Mapping Webinar next Thursday, April 25 from 2-3PM EST.

LEARN MORE

Avata 2 Footage from Denis Barbas

Denis Barbas is one of our go-to creators. We’ve covered several of his videos over the years, from his trip to Iceland with the Mavic 3 to The Journey, a video he shot on the DJI Mini 2 that includes shots from around the world. This new video features cinematic FPV footage captured entirely on the DJI Avata 2, which launched just last week along with the DJI Goggles 3. According to Barbas, he made this video incredibly fast as an experiment, filming everything in just four days then doing all the editing in under 24 hours. Check out the video to see what’s possible with the new Avata 2.

LEARN MORE

Cinewhoop Tour of a $9 Million Beach House

According to YouTuber Kai Vertigoh, the pilot who shot this cinewhoop, the house it features is worth $9 million. In classic cinewhoop fashion, the video is a single shot. Vertigogh has fun with the flying, starting by passing through the open windows of a car parked outside before entering through the front door, flying under the arm of a chef using a butane torch, and ending by flying over the balcony toward the ocean, then turning back to show the entire house. In about 30 seconds we see the power cinewhoops can have for real estate marketing, showcasing a home in an intimate, up-close way that a handheld camera could never pull off.

LEARN MORE

Skyfire Opens DFR Emergency Training Center in Huntsville, AL

Skyfire is one of the nation’s top companies helping police and fire departments build their drone programs. It helped the Chula Vista Police Department launch the first ever DFR program (Drone as First Responder) in 2018. Since then, it has been instrumental in helping to launch the majority of DFR programs in the U.S., including the first ever joint police/fire DFR in Fremont, CA. Now Skyfire has unveiled a new training facility devoted to DFR operations. Called the Rise DFR Village, the facility will cater to both existing operators and those looking to adopt drone technology for emergency situations, offering expert instruction and hands-on training to UAV operators from various sectors that might want to start DFR programs.

LEARN MORE

The FAA’s Drone Safety Day Is Next Week

The FAA’s annual Drone Safety Day (DSD) is next week on Saturday, April 27. Drone adoption has exploded over the last several years, and is by far the fastest growing segment of aviation in the U.S. Recent FAA data shows we have 864,000 drones registered and 330,000 certified Remote Pilots, and both numbers are only going to go up in the coming years. Drone Safety Day is the FAA’s annual effort to educate drone users on the importance of flying safely, serving as an educational campaign to make sure pilots know how to fly safely. This year’s DSD will highlight the societal, economic, and safety benefits of safe drone operations with in-person, virtual, and hybrid events in focus areas like Education, Economics, Equity, Environment, and Emergencies. The FAA encourages people to get involved and host their own DSD events—follow the link below to learn how you can be part of this year’s Drone Safety Day.

LEARN MORE

Make sure to sign up for our free weekly newsletter using the button below so you can get our weekly newsletter every Saturday, with this roundup and our other featured stories from the week.