B4UFLY Check the Map

Drone Pilot Education: The Key to Safety in the NAS with Dr. Scott Burgess, Associate Professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

erica@aloft.ai (Dr. Scott Burgess, Erica Cooley) — Thu, 19 Jan 2023 20:46:56 +0000

Thank you again to Dr. Scott Burgess for being on the B4UFLY Check the Map podcast to share his expertise with the Aloft community and thank you everyone for tuning into today’s episode.

If you are interested in learning more about Embry Riddle University and the educational opportunities offered there, visit https://erau.edu/.

Guest Bio:

Dr. Burgess is an Associate Professor at the Department of Flight, College of Aeronautics of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. His aviation experience expands over a 37-year career in both military and civil aviation organizations. He is a qualified pilot and instructor in numerous military and civilian helicopters, as well as a certified AUVSI Remote Pilot Instructor. His extensive background in both crewed and uncrewed aviation have intersected with a career in aviation education and research as he has published research in the helicopter safety and UAS disciplines and has been a part of three FAA ASSURE grants researching traditional and sUAS aviation operations, helicopter and sUAS safety, and uncrewed aircraft systems applications.

Look forward to connecting with you next week for our next Aloft Community Q&A Tuesday episode to answer one of your questions about a drone airspace challenge area, situational awareness topics, or general UAS operational question

If you would like to submit a question for discussion on an upcoming episode, please email your question to erica@aloft.ai. And as always fly safe and fly often.

Aloft Community Q&A Tuesday: How to safely and compliantly start flying a drone recreationally and commercially?

erica@aloft.ai (Erica Cooley) — Tue, 10 Jan 2023 17:08:28 +0000

Thank you to Aloft community member, Mike T. For your great question which we discussed today and to everyone for listening to today’s episode.

Show notes links:

View a list of TRUST Test Administrators here.

Download the FAA’s mobile app, B4UFLY app on your iOS or Android here.

Read our blog about the different types of controlled airspace, Class B, C, D, and E2, and how they can impact drone operations here.

Read more about the full process of obtaining a Part 107 commercial drone license, click here to navigate to the FAA’s website.

If you’d like to read more in-depth about recreational and commercial drone pilot requirements, check out our new blog here.

If you would like to submit a question for discussion on an upcoming episode, please email your question to erica@aloft.ai. And as always fly safe and fly often.

The ABCs of Airspace Types- Part 3: Restricted Airspaces with FAA Air Traffic Control Specialist, Sebastian Yanguas

erica@aloft.ai (Sebastian Yanguas, Erica Cooley) — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 23:27:16 +0000

Thank you for tuning into the final episode of Season 1 of the B4UFLY Check the Map Podcast sponsored by Aloft! For this episode, your host, Erica Cooley, Aloft’s Head of Community is joined by guest, Sebastian Yanguas, Air Traffic Control Specialist at the FAA to discuss the different types of restricted airspaces in the NAS. This episode features a clip from a longer webinar on this topic. Watch the full webinar on restricted airspaces with Sebastian here.

Guest Bio:

Sebastian Yanguas is a Certificated Flight Instructor and has been flying since 2011. He has been part of the FAA since 2018. He was active duty Air Force and is now part of the DC Air National Guard for 15 years. Sebastian received his BS from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Aeronautics.

Links from the episode:

Watch the full webinar from Part 1 of the webinar series and read the full blog on the different types of controlled airspace at https://www.aloft.ai/blog/the-abcs-of-national-airspace-types-part-1-controlled-airspaces/

Watch the full webinar from Part 2 of the webinar series and read the full blog on the different types of special-use airspace at https://www.aloft.ai/blog/the-abcs-of-national-airspace-types-part-2-special-use-airspaces/

Learn how to apply for a further coordination request LAANC authorization on Aloft Air Control's mobile app and web dashboard at https://www.aloft.ai/blog/how-to-apply-for-a-further-coordination-laanc-authorization-request-on-aloft-air-control-mobile-and-web-dashboard/

Read the full study and view an interactive map on data about Further Coordination Request Response rates from ATC around the country: https://www.aloft.ai/blog/aloft-launches-new-fleet-utm-capabilities-surpassing-84-of-laanc-airspace-authorizations-in-september

From myself and the entire, Aloft team, we thank you for joining us for this first season of the B4UFLY Check the Map podcast. We are excited to kick off Season 2 of the B4UFLY Check the Map podcast starting in January 2023 to continue providing educational discussions on drone airspace challenge areas, situational awareness topics, or general UAS operational questions. If you would like to submit a question for discussion on an upcoming episode, please email your question to erica@aloft.ai.

Wishing you all a very happy and safe holiday season and look forward to connecting again in the new year. And as always fly safe and fly often.

The ABCs of Airspace Types- Part 2: Special Use Airspaces with FAA "Drone Guy", Kevin Morris

erica@aloft.ai (Erica Cooley, Kevin Morris) — Thu, 27 Oct 2022 16:22:33 +0000

Watch the full B4UFLY Check the Map Part 2: Special Use Airspaces webinar with FAA Drone Guy, Kevin Morris on demand at https://youtu.be/iX-ZNX0NFqM

If you have a drone airspace challenge area, situational awareness topics, or general UAS operational question you would like discussed in an upcoming episode please email your question to erica@aloft.ai.

Announcing the Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Awards 2022 with Women and Drones CEO, Sharon Rossmark

erica@aloft.ai (Erica Cooley, Sharon Rossmark) — Tue, 18 Oct 2022 20:13:52 +0000

Thank you for tuning into today's episode of the B4UFLY Check the Map podcast sponsored by Aloft.

Learn more about the Women and Drones 6th Annual Women in Emerging Aviation Technologies Awards at https://womenanddrones.com/2022-global-awards/.

Follow Women and Drones on Instagram , Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn .

If you are interested in continuing to gain more knowledge about the different types of airspace in the NAS which can impact drone operations, join Aloft Head of Community, Erica Cooley & guest host, Kevin Morris, FAA Drone Guy for October’s B4UFLY Check the Map webinar, The ABCs of National Airspace Types: Part 2- Caution Airspaces: Stadiums, Local Layers, MOAs. We will discuss the different types of cautionary airspaces in the NAS including stadiums and presidential TFRs, local layers, SFRAs, MOAs, how these types of airspace may impact drone operations, and how to identify each on the B4UFLY map by color. The webinar will take place Wednesday, October 26th at 11 am Pacific/ 2 pm Eastern.

Welcome to Air Control Individual Drone Operators with Aloft CEO, Jon Hegranes and Aloft CTO, Joshua Ziering

erica@aloft.ai (Joshua Ziering, Erica Cooley, Jon Hegranes) — Tue, 4 Oct 2022 21:22:15 +0000

Thank you for tuning into today's episode of the B4UFLY Check the Map podcast sponsored by Aloft.

From the entire team at Aloft, we are sending thoughts and prayers to those impacted by Hurricane Ian. For drone operators who live in the Florida area, please make sure to read the Hurricane Recovery Advisory from the FAA on the B4UFLY platform here.

For individual pilots, get started using Aloft Air Control for checking airspace advisories, applying for LAANC, managing your assets, creating pre-flight and post-flight workflows, and more!

To ensure your smooth transition to Aloft Air Control, here are three easy steps to get started using the Air Control platform for all your airspace and operational management needs:

Sign up for a free account on https://air.aloft.ai/. *Register under the same email address and you’ll have the option to migrate your data over.
Download the Air Control mobile apps on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
Update your profile information on mobile or web to start applying for LAANC today.

If you need additional help getting started on Aloft Air Control or have feedback, please reach out directly to the Aloft team at support@aloft.ai.

If you are a representative from an authoritative agency, navigate to https://geo.aloft.ai/sign-up and create a free account. Learn more about Aloft Geo Portal here.

The ABCs of the National Airspace Types: Part 1-Controlled Airspaces with FAA Drone Guy, Kevin Morris

erica@aloft.ai (Kevin Morris, FAA Drone Guy, Erica Cooley) — Wed, 10 Aug 2022 23:17:49 +0000

This week's guest host, Kevin Morris, FAA Drone Guy is a subject matter expert on UAS operations, who coordinates UAS communications for the Federal Aviation Administration. Previously, he worked in the FAA’s Flight Standards Service, developing regulations, policy, and programs for drones. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Aviation, an Airline Transport Pilot Certificate, Remote Pilot Certificate, and is a Certified Flight Instructor. A native of Minnesota, Morris is passionate about embracing new technology and empowering the drone community to operate safely.

Watch the full B4UFLY Check the Map Webinar: The ABCs of National Airspace Types Webinar: Part 1- Controlled Airspaces with FAA "Drone Guy", Kevin Morris on-demand at https://youtu.be/QauVxg2by-U.

If you are interested in continuing to gain more knowledge about the different types of airspace in the NAS which can impact drone operations, join Aloft Head of Community, Erica Cooley & guest host, Kevin Morris, FAA Drone Guy for August’s B4UFLY Check the Map webinar, The ABCs of National Airspace Types: Part 2- Caution Airspaces: Stadiums, Local Layers, MOAs. We will discuss the different types of cautionary airspaces in the NAS including stadiums and presidential TFRs, local layers, SFRAs, MOAs, how these types of airspace may impact drone operations, and how to identify each on the B4UFLY map by color. The webinar will take place Wednesday, August 17th at 11 am Pacific/ 2 pm Eastern.

The Past, Present, and Future of the Evolving Drone Industry with Scott Strimple, Chief Pilot at Sonoran Desert Institute

erica@aloft.ai (Scott Strimple, Sonoran Desert Institute, Aloft, Erica Cooley) — Thu, 28 Jul 2022 22:03:27 +0000

Scott Strimple is the chief pilot and active flight instructor for the Sonoran Desert Institute School of Uncrewed Technology. He is an airline captain and FAA check airman for a major airline with many years of experience in aviation. He is an evangelist for migrating a healthy manned aviation safety culture into the world of uncrewed aircraft. He has been a keynote speaker at many industry symposiums, previous executive committee chairperson for the ASTM F38.03 working group authoring standards for sUA training, and a multiple Emmy award-winning aerial cinematographer.

Learn more about Sonoran Desert Institute School of Uncrewed Technology at https://www.sdi.edu/programs/certificate-in-unmanned-technology/.

Interested in learning more about the types of airspace you may encounter in your drone operations?

Join Aloft Head of Community, Erica Cooley & guest host, Kevin Morris, FAA Drone Guy for August’s B4UFLY Check the Map webinar, The ABCs of National Airspace Types: Part 2- Caution Airspaces: Stadiums, Local Layers, MOAs. We will discuss the different types of cautionary airspaces in the NAS including stadiums, local layers, MOAs, how these types of airspace may impact drone operations, and how to identify each on the B4UFLY map by color. We will close out the webinar with a live audience Q&A. Register for the free webinar at https://primetime.bluejeans.com/a2m/register/wjtuszer

Subscribe for new episodes released bi-weekly. And as always fly safe and fly often.

Helping Hearts of Service: Drone Use in Disaster Relief Missions with Dr. Robin Murphy, Director of the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue

erica@aloft.ai (Dr. Robin Murphy, Erica Cooley) — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 21:23:36 +0000

Dr. Robin R. Murphy is the Raytheon Professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University, a director of the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue (crasar.org), and an AAAS, ACM, and IEEE Fellow. Dr. Murphy has deployed ground, aerial, and marine robots to over 30 disasters in five countries since the 9/11 World Trade Center. She led the first use of small drones for a disaster, Hurricane Katrina, in 2005 with subsequent deployments to Fukushima, Hurricane Harvey, the Surfside collapse, and numerous other floods, landslides, and hurricanes. Her experiences are captured in a TED talk, 150 papers, and four books including the award-winning Disaster Robotics.

Subscribe for new episodes released bi-weekly. And as always fly safe and fly often.

Fly R.I.G.H.T. on Drone Safety Day 2022 with Diana Robinson, Project Manager at FAA UAS Integration Office

erica@aloft.ai (Erica Cooley, Diana Robinson) — Wed, 15 Jun 2022 17:21:13 +0000

In this week's episode, Aloft Head of Community, Erica Cooley & guest host, Diana Robinson, fellow Part 107 certified drone pilot and Project Manager at the FAA's UAS Integration Office, discuss the FAA's upcoming Drone Safety Day, Saturday, June 18th, and this year's safety message of Fly R.I.G.H.T.

Learn more about Drone Safety Day 2022 on the FAA's website at https://bit.ly/3zFolDN

Watch Aloft's FAA safety and compliance tutorial videos for drone operators at https://bit.ly/3OiNCb6

Learn more about the FAA's T.R.U.S.T. training for recreational drone operators at https://www.faa.gov/uas/recreational_flyers/knowledge_test_updates

Learn more about the FAA's Part 107 recurrent training course for drone pilots at https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/recurrent-training-courses-drone-pilots-available-online

Subscribe for new episodes released bi-weekly. And as always fly safe and fly often.

The Importance of Standard Operating Protocols for UAS Programs with Desi Ekstein

erica@aloft.ai (Desi Ekstein, Erica Cooley) — Tue, 31 May 2022 16:32:18 +0000

In this week's episode, Aloft Content Marketing Manager, Erica Cooley & guest host, Desi Ekstein, fellow Part 107 certified drone pilot and author of Elevate Your Standards: Building an Operations Manual for your Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Company, discuss how to create an effective safety culture in UAS companies and for single operators by standardizing safety operation protocols.

Check out Desi's book, Elevate Your Standards: Building an Operations Manual for your Uncrewed Aircraft Systems Company at https://amzn.to/3aqXukn.

Learn more about Women and Drones' Coffee Connections with Desi and Kim every Tuesday at 12:00 pm EST / 11:00 am CST / 10:00 am MT / 9:00 am PT at https://bit.ly/3Gl6oMd.

Watch a demo video of how to use the new pre-flight checklists feature on the B4UFLY app at https://youtu.be/bEFuIpC9lTk.

Reach out to sales@aloft.ai for a free demo of Aloft Air Control or contact us today at https://www.aloft.ai/contact/.

Subscribe for new episodes released bi-weekly.

Beginner’s Guide to Getting Your Drone Off the Ground with Greg Reverdiau, Co-founder of the Pilot Institute

erica@aloft.ai (Greg Reverdiau, The Pilot Institute, Erica Cooley, Aloft) — Wed, 20 Apr 2022 17:31:17 +0000

In this week's episode, Aloft Content Marketing Manager, Erica Cooley & guest host, Co-founder of the Pilot Institute, Greg Reverdiau share a beginner’s guide to getting your drone off the ground. This episode features pieces of a longer webinar on this topic. Watch the full webinar at https://youtu.be/DmUryg09OKQ.

Subscribe for new episodes released bi-weekly. And as always fly safe and fly often.

Can I Fly a Drone in U.S. Parks with Rebekah Waters

erica@aloft.ai (Rebekah Waters, Erica Cooley) — Wed, 6 Apr 2022 23:00:00 +0000

In this week's episode, Aloft Content Marketing Manager, Erica Cooley & guest host, Senior Communication Specialist at the FAA’s UAS Integration Office, Rebekah Waters discuss regulations around drone operations in national, state, and local parks. This episode features pieces of a longer webinar on this topic. Watch the full webinar at https://youtu.be/OEYKZmCRCCk.

Read more about drone operations at state parks at https://www.aloft.ai/blog/commercial-and-recreational-drone-operations-in-state-parks/

Read more about drone regulations in National Parks, Forests, and Wilderness Areas at https://www.aloft.ai/blog/understanding-drone-regulations-in-national-parks-forests-and-wilderness-areas/

Subscribe for new episodes released bi-weekly. And as always fly safe and fly often.

Taking Uncrewed Flight Beyond Visual Line of Sight with Jon Hegranes, CEO and Founder of Aloft

erica@aloft.ai (Jon Hegranes, Erica Cooley) — Wed, 23 Mar 2022 22:00:00 +0000

Thank you for tuning in for Aloft’s B4UFLY Check the Map Podcast Episode 3, Taking Uncrewed Flight Beyond Visual Line of Sight with Jon Hegranes, CEO and Founder of Aloft. Jon is a certified Part 107 drone pilot, serves on the board of the Commercial Drone Alliance, and is an active member of other industry groups including GUTMA, NBAA Emerging Tech, the FAA’s Drone Advisory Committee (DAC) and working groups, and is a founding member and data working group chair of the FAA UAS Safety Team. Today's episode will discuss why BVLOS operations are essential for the evolution of innovation for drone technology, Hegranes' experience as a member of the BVLOS ARC, where the BVLOS ARC Report succeeded and fell short, and what’s next for BVLOS.

Read more about the BVLOS ARC Report in Hegranes blog at https://www.aloft.ai/blog/taking-uncrewed-flight-beyond-visual-line-of-sight/.

To learn more about operations near airports in uncontrolled airspace, watch our webinar on-demand at https://youtu.be/74hO2IgijG0 .

Subscribe for new episodes released bi-weekly. And as always fly safe and fly often.

Trailblazing Women in the UAS Industry with Elena Buenrostro, CEO of Women Who Drone

erica@aloft.ai (Elena Buenrostro, Erica Cooley) — Tue, 15 Mar 2022 22:00:00 +0000

In observance of March being Women’s History Month, on our podcast, we will be showcasing Trailblazing Women in the UAS Industry. On this week's episode, our host Erica Cooley, Aloft Content Marketing Manager discusses with Elena Buenrostro, CEO of Women Who Drone about their favorite drones to operate, their most memorable flying experience, advice for those new to the drone industry, and more. To learn more about the difference between the Aloft and B4UFLY apps, how to apply for a Notify & Fly, how to apply for a LAANC authorization, and more, watch our latest webinar on-demand at https://youtu.be/DmUryg09OKQ

To learn more about the Women Who Drone organization, visit https://www.womenwhodrone.co/.

To learn more about Aloft, visit www.aloft.ai.

Submit questions and episode ideas to erica@aloft.ai.

Subscribe for new episodes on drone airspace challenge areas, situational awareness topics, pilot questions, and more released bi-weekly.

Trailblazing Women in the UAS Industry with Sharon Rossmark, CEO of Women and Drones

erica@aloft.ai (Sharon Rossmark) — Tue, 8 Mar 2022 22:00:00 +0000

In observance of March being Women’s History Month, on our podcast, I will be showcasing Trailblazing Women in the UAS Industry. In this week's episode, we are honored to be joined by Sharon Rossmark, CEO of Women and Drones. We discuss the importance of female-led and focused training opportunities in the drone industry, Sharon announces an upcoming disaster relief/search and rescue with drones training program, and more. Learn more about the essential pre-flight steps to get your drone off the ground by checking out our Beginner’s Guide to Getting Your Drone Off the Ground webinar at https://youtu.be/DmUryg09OKQ

To learn more about the Women and Drones organization, visit www.womenanddrones.com.

To learn more about the Disaster Response Training Offered for Women Drone Pilots, visit https://womenanddrones.com/disaster-response-workshop-info/

To learn more about Aloft, visit www.aloft.ai.

Subscribe for new episodes on drone airspace challenge areas, situational awareness topics, pilot questions, and more released bi-weekly.

We’d love to hear feedback and any episode topic ideas you have. Feel free to email me at erica@aloft.ai.