Also: Saildrone Circumnavigates Antarctica, Falcon Research Project, AUVSI Innovation Challenge, Drone Traffic Testing

The Air Force Research Laboratory and DZYNE Technologies successfully completed a two-hour initial flight of a revolutionary Robotic Pilot Unmanned Conversion Program called ROBOpilot Aug. 9 at Dugway Proving Ground in Utah.

“Imagine being able to rapidly and affordably convert a general aviation aircraft, like a Cessna or Piper, into an unmanned aerial vehicle, having it fly a mission autonomously, and then returning it back to its original manned configuration,” said Dr. Alok Das, Senior Scientist with AFRL’s Center for Rapid Innovation. ROBOpilot interacts with an aircraft the same way as a human pilot would. Amazon has petitioned the FAA for a waiver from several current rules governing UAVs to allow the company to begin delivery services with its MK27 drone. Waivers requested by Amazon would, among other things, allow the aircraft to operate without a certificate of airworthiness and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS). They further request that the aircraft be exempted from rules governing altitude, VFR fuel requirements and maintenance documentation. EHang has selected Guangzhou, China as its first urban air mobility (UAM) pilot city in the world to establish a low-altitude aviation transportation network that shuttles passengers and goods in a “safe, fast, environmentally friendly, cost-efficient and intelligent way.” Through the pilot program, EHang will help the Guangzhou government establish a command-and-control center to make sure that multiple AAVs flying at the same time in the city can remain in the air in a “safe and efficient manner,” and can respond to emergencies quickly. All this -- and MORE in today's episode of Airborne-Unmanned!!!

Airborne-Unmanned 08.20.19 is chock full of info in this Weekly News Episode, Tuesday, August 20th, 2019... Presented by Aero-TV veteran videographer and Airborne Hosts Sophie Hurlock, Brianne Cross, Christopher Odom, and Laura Hutson, and is supported by ANN CEO/Editor-In-Chief Jim Campbell, Chief Videographer Nathan Cremisino, and Aero-Journalist Tom Patton, this episode covers:

• Air Force Research Laboratory Successfully Conducts First Flight Of ROBOpilot 
• Amazon Petitions FAA For Drone Delivery Waiver
• EHang To Test Autonomous Aerial Vehicles In Guangzhou, China
• Saildrone Becomes First Unmanned System To Circumnavigate Antarctica
• Drone Rescue Systems GMBH Supports Falcon Research Project
• Five Finalists Named To Compete In AUVSI Innovation Challenge
• NASA Continues Drone Traffic Testing in Corpus Christi, Texas

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