Drone News Roundup: UAV Coach Drone Photo Contest, Police Buy First Taxi Drone, and More!
BY Zacc Dukowitz
13 October 2022This week we’re covering UAV Coach’s Drone Photo Contest, which will be accepting submissions from October 14 to October 28.
We’re also covering the purchase of an Ehang taxi drone by the Spanish national police, a cinematic drone video called “Perspective” featuring aerial shots of the American west, Skydio’s SAFE subscription program for enterprise clients, and Women and Drones’ open call for submissions for its 6th annual awards.
Now let’s get to the links!
Submit to UAV Coach’s Drone Photo Contest
Tomorrow, on Friday, October 14, UAV Coach will be launching a drone photo contest. The contest features three categories—Urban (city/architecture); Nature (environment/landscapes); and Animals/People. Judges will select the top five submissions, and the final winners will be chosen by the UAV Coach community. Winners in each category will receive a $250 gift card. The panel of judges include several drone industry experts—follow the link below to see the full list.
LEARN MORE—AND SUBMIT!
Spain’s National Police Announce Ehang Drone Taxi Purchase for Security Missions
¡¡Ya está volando!!
Ha realizado su primer vuelo en #España el vehículo aéreo autónomo de @ehang
Este #dron #EH216 forma parte del Servicio de Medios Aéreos de @policia y ha superado con éxito todos los vuelos de prueba
Bienvenido #Megadron #SomosTuPolicía pic.twitter.com/UNid6lz900
— Policía Nacional (@policia) September 30, 2022
The National Police in Spain recently shared on Twitter that it has purchased one of Ehang’s taxi drones, an EH216, and had already completed its first flight. “It’s already flying!” begins the tweet. The EH216 will be used as part of the police’s aerial security work. To our knowledge, this is the first time a public safety department anywhere has bought a taxi drone for its work.
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“Perspective” Cinematic Drone Video Features Beautiful Shots of the American West
This short drone video from content creator Jay Worsley features cinematic aerial landscape shots captured in the American west. The video spans a variety of locales, including the desert, forest, and ocean, showcasing the range of natural beauty found in the west. Shot in both the summer and winter, the footage highlights the changes in seasons and demonstrates that each extreme has its own unique beauty.
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Skydio Launches “SAFE” Program for Enterprise Users
Credit: Skydio
Skydio has launched a program called SAFE (Skydio Assured Future Equipment), which offers enterprise customers an “all-inclusive 5-year plan” that provides a subscription for drone hardware and software. As Skydio explains, “crashes happen, technology evolves, budgets are cut . . . wear and tear is unavoidable.” As drone companies expand and look for recurring, reliable ways to bring in revenue, these kinds of subscriptions may become more common. They could also become more appealing for enterprise users who want to insulate themselves from having to upgrade their drone systems to a company’s newest hardware or software release in one-off purchases, and would prefer simply to future-proof their drone program through this kind of subscription. For now, the SAFE program is only available for the Skydio X2, but it may be made available for the Skydio 2+ before long as well.
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Nominations Now Open for Women and Drones’ 6th Annual Global Awards
Women and Drones has opened its annual awards for submissions. This is the sixth year in a row that Women and Drones will be recognizing women who are leading the drone industry from around the world. This year, the awards will be made under a new name—the Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Awards—a shift that opens them to a larger group of potential winners. Award winners will be announced at CES 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada, which will take place from January 5-8.
In addition to the name change, two new categories have been added to the awards this year:
- Hall of Fame for Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies
- Top Companies for Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies
Submissions for the awards are open now and will close on October 25. Follow the link below to learn more, and to nominate someone you think deserves recognition.
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