A VIEW FROM ABOVE
RotorDrone|February/ March 2021
Topping out the Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge
David Tolsky
A VIEW FROM ABOVE
In construction, the “topping out” of a project celebrates the finishing beam being hoisted into place, usually at its highest position. A pine tree will be placed on this final piece, a tradition that can be traced back thousands of years, symbolizing the hope that the structure will be everlasting.

On August 7, 2020 Stuart Showalter of Hover Solutions got a call to provide aerial footage of a special ceremony. The placement of the final arch in the new Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge in Southeast Washington, D.C., was scheduled to commence on the morning of August 13. Stuart and his son, Remote Pilot In Command (RPIC) Nathanael Showalter, run Hover Solutions in Rockville, Maryland.

GETTING PERMISSION

As you might imagine, flying in Washington, D.C. airspace is no easy task. The senior Showalter noted, “The bridge is located deep inside the D.C. Flight Restricted Zone, along a major helicopter route and a secondary approach path to Reagan National Airport. It has a 200-foot altitude restriction for manned aircraft, and it’s right next to a National Park and Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling, a 905-acre military base!” He added, “Getting airspace authorization for this in any situation would be difficult. Now add to that, the event was scheduled to occur in six days!”

Denne historien er fra February/ March 2021-utgaven av RotorDrone.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra February/ March 2021-utgaven av RotorDrone.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA ROTORDRONESe alt
Windracers Mail Delivery
RotorDrone

Windracers Mail Delivery

With its partner Windracers Ltd., Royal Mail has become the first UK parcel carrier to deliver mail to a UK island in a 70-mile, beyond-line-of-sight, autonomous flight to the Scilly Isles. Tasked to better connect the islands’ remote communities, a consortium including Royal Mail, Windracers Ltd., DronePrep, University of Southampton, Excalibur Healthcare Services, and Consortiq Limited is funded by UK Research and Innovation.

time-read
1 min  |
August/ September 2021
Counting Penguins
RotorDrone

Counting Penguins

Counting penguins is harder than it sounds. With freezing rain, snow, and chilling winds that limit the flight windows for the surveys, it takes scientists using three full days to map the location of 300,000 nesting pairs of Adélie penguins on Antarctica’s Cape Crozier.

time-read
2 mins  |
August/ September 2021
A Drone Double Play
RotorDrone

A Drone Double Play

Beach cleanup and a historic bridge

time-read
10+ mins  |
August/ September 2021
Understanding Aviation Sectional Charts
RotorDrone

Understanding Aviation Sectional Charts

Signs and symbols every remote pilot needs to know

time-read
10 mins  |
August/ September 2021
10 TOP JOBS
RotorDrone

10 TOP JOBS

Fields where drones are taking off!

time-read
10+ mins  |
August/ September 2021
AUTONOMOUS RESUPPLY IN A CONGESTED BATTLESPACE
RotorDrone

AUTONOMOUS RESUPPLY IN A CONGESTED BATTLESPACE

Can autonomous drones deliver supplies to troops in an active firefight? DroneUp recently partnered with a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Allied Command Transformation (ACT) Joint Force Development (JFD) exercise to find out.

time-read
3 mins  |
February/ March 2021
IMPROVE YOUR DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY
RotorDrone

IMPROVE YOUR DRONE PHOTOGRAPHY

10 must-know Lightroom tips

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/ March 2021
RotorDrone

UAS TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT The Key to the Future of Drones

In 2012, Congress passed the FAA Modernization and Reform Act, which established a deadline for the agency: achieve full integration of drones into the airspace by 2015. As the calendar rolls over into 2021, this begs an obvious question: “Are we there yet?”

time-read
10+ mins  |
February/ March 2021
RotorDrone

FLYING FOR A LIVING

A professional UAS operator on what it takes to be successful

time-read
6 mins  |
February/ March 2021
RotorDrone

ON THE WING

This bird-like drone is incredibly agile and efficient

time-read
2 mins  |
February/ March 2021