The crop looked normal from the farmhouse porch. But close up, the damage was obvious: ragged leaves, stripped edges, and clusters of hungry insects. Muddy fields from days of rain had prevented early pesticide application. The healthy soybean field had turned into an all-you-can-eat bug buffet. At the farm down the road, the crops were thriving. Fertilizers and pesticides had been applied on time without the tractors leaving their barn. The secret weapon? A specialty drone d

When the rain stopped falling and the ark stopped rocking, Noah sent out a bird to find signs of any plant life around him. Too bad he didn’t have a drone. Farmers looking at plant and field health are increasingly using drones to give them a leg up-especially after heavy rains and floods. Here’s what these UAVs can do in the hands of an experienced pilot. More Than Eyes Above After a wet week of wind and rain, the weather on the farm finally took a positive turn. It was time

I was watching a lovely sunrise from a crab boat in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. We were capturing drone shots of a waterman, and it was the first time I’d flown from a boat. This one was perfect. Flat-bottomed and steady, it had a small rear perch where I could place my drone for a launch. I checked for obstacles and birds, positioned the drone for its maiden nautical mission, and started the motors. It reacted immediately. With propellers spinning, it skidded wildly to

Drones for Search & Rescue In July, 2026, a drone flew out to a distressed swimmer caught in the waves at Rockaway Beach, NY. It dropped two flotation devices and hovered over the person until lifeguards were able to reach him. (See the drone video here). New York City has also started using drones at the same beach to spot offshore sharks and warn swimmers before an attack can occur. As drones become more widespread and accepted, rescue crews around the world are beginning t

If you've spent any time flying or hiring drones, you know that the pilot has to read wind, plan a flight path, and give themselves plenty of room to breathe. Take that same pilot and drone inside, and it’s a much different story. GPS may be sketchy, there’s no open sky to bail you out, and the margin for error shrinks from feet to inches. Indoor flight is a discipline unto itself, and the special gear can come with special hazards. Here's what you need to know before your in

When Apollo 11 blasted off sending the first man to walk on the moon, NASA and the astronauts were prepared for just about everything. Yet, with all the planning and forethought, they never imagined what a menace a little dust from outer space would become. Moon dust, that is. Moon dust is a fine powder, but it cuts like glass. It’s formed when meteoroids crash into the moon, pulverizing rocks and dirt. The tiny grains are sharp and jagged, and cling to nearly everything.

Drone operations should always have safety at the top of their operations list. And that includes knowing when to add additional crew members to the mission-either by regulation or by common sense. Enter the Visual Observer. What It Is A Visual Observer, more commonly known as a “V-O”, supports the drone pilot by tracking the drone’s position, watching the airspace, and spotting conflicts before they become a problem. Many times, these crew members are technically optional,

In case you missed it in May, the FAA proposed a new way for “critical sites” to request drone no-fly zones over their facilities. The official title is “Designation—Restrict the Operation of Unmanned Aircraft in Close Proximity to a Fixed Site Facility” and the comment period ends August 4 (see how to comment below). These Unmanned Aircraft Flight Restrictions, or UAFRs, aim to create a process for protecting sensitive locations from unauthorized drones while still allowing

From TV shows and movies, to aerial photos and construction, drones have become a normal part of life. While their benefits are substantial, their accessibility has also created new privacy and security challenges, leading to the development of counter-UAS methods to help keep our skies and infrastructure safe. What is this technology and who can use it? The Anti-Drone Counter-UAS, also known as “C-UAS” refers to anything designed to detect, track, identify, and (when authori

The recent Winter Olympics had everyone abuzz about drones. From Alpine skiing and bobsled runs to speed skating and big air snowboarding, drones gave us up-close views of the action more than ever before. But how are the shots we saw here different than what we were used to seeing? The answer is “FPV”. A Fast, Immersive Way to Fly While most drones have a video feed that lets pilots see where they’re flying, FPV (“First-Person-View”) drones let them fly like they were sittin

After a storm, time matters. Homeowners, businesses, insurers, and communities all need to know what was damaged, what is safe, and what needs to be fixed first. This is where drones can make a difference. Instead of dangerous ladder inspections or risky rooftop checks, drones can capture aerial data quickly and safely, providing an efficient and often more affordable way to assess storm damage. Take a look at this orthomosaic produced from drone images. At 1:25 the 3D capabi

If you’re an ENR Top 400 contractor, you already know drones are no longer a novelty. They’re baked into progress tracking, earthwork quantities, as‑built documentation, and marketing for every serious player. What’s less obvious is how hard it is to build and sustain an in‑house drone division that actually delivers accurate, defensible data across dozens of sites, week after week, without blowing up your risk profile or your budget. We fly in the most painful airspace there

Six Tips to Prepare You for Success When I flew my first construction job, the initial flights were relatively simple. A flat location with no buildings and endless line of sight made the weekly missions quick and easy. But, as the building progressed, sight lines became obscured, and the number of obstacles increased. My work had to change as the project continued. Even the most seasoned drone pilot must make adjustments when venturing onto a construction site for the fi

Mike Sobola specializes in flying the Washington, D.C. airspace and the D.C. "Flight-Restricted Zone".