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Today's question is about using the Inspire for building and solar inspections. Our caller for today, Eduardo is thinking of using the DJI Inspire 1 with the X5 for building and solar inspections. But, is it possible to capture accurate datasets using an outdated drone like the Inspire 1? And is the X5 a good drone camera for inspections? Do you need a dual camera setup (both EO and thermal) for this job? We discuss all t...

In today's show, we are joined by Angad Singh of Pix4D to discuss their new app, Pix4Dcatch. This app gives you the ability to 3D scan objects using Apple devices. Regular ADU listeners might be aware that we are huge proponents of Pix4D's drone mapping software. Their latest product, Pix4Dcatch goes a long way in simplifying 3D modeling, and gives users a much-needed, affordable alternative. In today's show, you wil...

Drone Helicopter Crash in Canada, Amazon Drone Delivery Yet to Take Off, How to Film a Protest Without a Waiver, Changing Dynamics of the Drone Industry, Drones for Good Our first story is about a drone crash. This collision happened earlier this year in British Columbia when a Royal Canadian Mounted Police helicopter crashed with a police surveillance drone. Ironically enough, both the helicopter and drone were being used on a ...

Today's question is about the Mavic Air 2. Specifically, are there any issues with Mavic Air 2's gimbal that you should be aware of? Our caller for today, Bob has a question about the Mavic Air 2. This new DJI drone has caused immense excitement within the drone community inspite of the ongoing pandemic. However, Bob has heard from certain drone pilots that the Mavic Air 2's gimbal tilts up and down when ascending or...

Today's show is about the commercial viability of technical drone services like NDVI inspections and drone mapping. From a purely commercial perspective, are technical drone services more lucrative compared to creative drone services? Our caller for today, Jun is a drone photographer and videographer from Los Angeles. In the wake of the pandemic, as opportunities in the creative field have dried up, Jun is wondering if provi...

Expert Tips for Using Your Drone to Measure the Height of a Building Today's show is about using your drone for measuring the height of a building. What is the easiest and most accurate way of doing so? Our caller, Brendan is an architect who is using his Phantom 4 Pro to measure the height of a building. For this, Brendan is currently relying on the altitude displayed in the app. However, is the altitude displayed in you...

Flying Your Drone Near Birds and Endangered Species Today's show is about flying near endangered species. Are there any drone laws that prevent you from doing so? Our caller for today, John is trying to grab some picturesque shots near a tall building. However, the building's website mentions that the building falls in a no-fly-zone due to residential falcons. The building authorities are referring a citation by DEC, ...

Our first story this week is about the forthcoming drone conferences in 2020 and 2021. Taking into account the current situation, DJI has decided to go virtual with Airworks 2020. And drone pilots will be glad to learn that they won't have to shell out hundreds of dollars to attend this conference. Now, you can attend this conference for just $35. It shall be interesting to see if other conferences like the FAA Symposium and CE...

Today's question is about calibrating your drone camera before a mapping mission. Our caller, Gaurav, a long-time Drone U member has come up with a great question that has not been asked on ADU before. Gaurav's question is about drone mapping. Specifically, do you need to calibrate your drone camera before a mapping mission? Along with your IMU and compass, will calibrating your drone camera help you as well? Tune in...

Today's show is about the Phantom 4 RTK. What are some main issues that you are likely to encounter with the P4P RTK? Our caller for today, Chris from Charlotte is a Phantom 4 RTK user. Chris is running into some glitches with his P4P RTK remote, and thinking of switching over to a SDK remote. Is this a good idea? Does a P4P SDK remote work seamlessly with third party apps? To answer Chris's questions, we reveal the p...

Today's show is a special one as we are joined by drone pilot, Cam Sale who reveals some expert tips and tricks to protect and grow your drone business in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. Cam was recently awarded a large 16-month job that will help him significantly scale up his drone business operations. While there are many drone pilots who are short of work due to the pandemic, how are pilots like Cam continuing ...

Zipline to Commence Drone Delivery Operations from North Carolina, Flash Forest Uses Autonomous Drones for Reforestation, Is 2020 the Year of Drones?, Wing Aviation Grows at 500% Our main story today is about drone deliveries. The US has been lagging behind countries like Australia and even Africa due to archaic laws that make it incredibly difficult to use drones for making deliveries. So, far, delivery providers have been choo...

How to Deal With Illegal Drone Pilots Today's question is about illegal BLOVS flights. Our caller for today, Mark has come up with a great question that has not been asked on ADU before. Mark recently saw a video where an Autel Evo 2 was flown more than a mile away. In yet another instance, another YouTuber took his Mavic Mini to 18,000 feet AGL. Have these YouTubers taken the necessary legal permission to fly these shots...

Workflow and Tips for Adding 3D Renderings to a Video Today's question is about adding 3D renderings to a video. Our caller for today, Tom is not sure how he can add 3D renderings to a video. Doing so will certainly result in better engagement. But, how can he do that? Which software will allow Tom to add 3D renderings to a video? We help Tom out in this short but informative show. Thanks for the great question! Fly Sa...

DJI Mavic 3 Set to Hit Stores Earlier Than Expected, Autel Wins Landmark Legal Judgement Against DJI, DJI Mavic Air 2 Issue, Remote ID to Roll Out in 2021 Our biggest story this week is about the DJI Mavic 3. Regular ADU listeners might be aware that a new DJI drone with enhanced autonomous features has been in the works for quite some time now. Initially, we were expecting the DJI Mavic 3 to be released in summer 2020. However,...

Near Drone Crash During Detroit America Strong Flyover, DJI Drones for Spying?, Brendan Schulman talks about DJI and Data Security, Drone Show in Rotterdam on Liberation Day, Drones for Disinfecting Sports Stadiums Our big story this week is about a drone that came dangerously close to the Blue Angels during the recent Detroit America Strong Flyover. Drone U's Vic Moss managed to download this footage from Mr. Lucia, the dro...

Assessing the Image Quality and Commercial Viability of DJI Mavic Air 2 In today's show, award-winning photographer, Vic Moss reviews the all-new DJI Mavic Air 2. DJI has been touting this new drone's ability to capture 48 MP images. But, can you really capture 48 MP images with a half-inch sensor? And, how do these 48 MP images compare to the regular, 12 MP images? Vic edits 12 MP and 48 MP live on the show and prese...

Expert Tips for Building Accurate Drone Maps and Models Today's question is about ground truthing your drone maps. Our caller, Jon from Arizona is a new ADU listener who is learning the nuances of drone mapping. Jon's question today is about ground truthing. How can you ground truth if you are using a drone like Phantom 4 RTK which relies on a NTrip network? Will your mapping accuracy go down if your NTrip network is...

Is the DJI Mavic Air 2 a Good Drone for Commercial Applications Like Videography and Drone Mapping? Today's show is about the DJI Mavic Air 2. Recently, DJI released its new drone, the Mavic Air 2 with much fanfare. We were one of the first ones to report leaked specs and give you a sneak peek even before this drone was released in the market. Now that this new DJI drone has been officially launched, we present the pros ...