In today’s drone news show, we discuss drone delivery services, the latest DJI news, DJI rumors, Drones in films and much, much more. Will we see a new DJI drone on May 15th? Tune in to find out!

Will New Firmware Upgrades for Phantom 4 Pro RTK Enhance Drone Mapping?

Our first DJI News is about the Phantom 4 Pro RTK. DJI has introduced new firmware upgrades for their mapping drone, Phantom 4 Pro RTK. These new firmware updates introduce new flight modes, one of them being terrain awareness. Terrain Awareness allows mappers to map a site with large elevational changes accurately. While these upgrades are quite positive, drone mappers have already been flying in “Terrain Awareness” mode using Maps Made Easy. Has DJI been unable to fulfill its initial promise of a “compressed and easier workflow” with the Phantom 4 Pro RTK? Why are drone pilots still preferring the ubiquitous Phantom 4 Pro over the Phantom 4 Pro RTK?

Drones in Hollywood

In our second segment of this show, we talk about drones in Hollywood. Australian drone maker, XM2, makes customized drones that have been used to film some popular Hollywood movies like Aquaman and the upcoming, Star Wars. Their largest drone, Sierra, weighs 70 kilos and has a payload capacity of 30 kilos. Even large birds like the Alta 8 (payload 6.8 kilos) and the Matrice M600 (payload 6 kilos) dwarf in comparison to this XM2 drone. XM2 drones have some serious capabilities, and not surprisingly, they cost some serious money too. While drone costs range from $20,000 – $70,000, an entire drone system (inclusive of the camera) could see your cost balloon to as high as $500,000! But, are drone providers in Hollywood complying with drone laws and regulations or simply skirting the law? This serves as a good segue into our next topic – Drone Delivery Services.

WakeMed, in Association with UPS, Starts Drone Delivery Services in North Carolina

We have been reporting how archaic drone laws and FAA’s tentative approach have prevented drone deliveries from taking flight. In our last Drone News show, we revealed how Amazon has managed to get permission from the FAA to start drone deliveries in rural Virginia under CFR 135. In today’s show, we share how WakeMed hospital campus and UPS have begun using drone delivery for transporting medical samples. Hearing how the power of drone technology is being leveraged to provide more efficient healthcare will certainly enthuse all drone enthusiasts tuning in to this show. This Drone News segment again highlights how drones can be used for the greater good.

The Biggest DJI News Story for Today – Are the DJI Rumors True? Will We See a New Drone on May 15th?

And, saving the best for the last. Our BIGGEST DJI news story is about a new product release on May 15th, 9 am EST. Die-hard optimists might still be hopeful of a DJI Phantom 5 launch on May 15th. Or, shall we see an upgraded Mavic 2 or maybe even a Spark 2? While Haye KNOWS exactly what we will see from DJI on the 15th, unfortunately, he cannot reveal the answer because he has signed a strict NDA with DJI. But being the good natured person that he is, Haye drops some big hints throughout the show. Tune in to see if you can guess the answer! Fly Safe!

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