New FAA Regulations & Shenzhen Dominates Drone Market

FAAShenzhenNewsWPVersion.png The United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are getting close to releasing an updated set of regulations governing the use of drones this week. There’s also interesting news from China as Shenzhen, home of DJI and many other prominent manufacturers, continues its domination of the global drone market. Closer to home, there are plenty of exciting events coming up at Heliguy including a new drone video editing course for businesses, our team attending the Farnborough Airshow and a new product range available for purchase – read on for the insider details.

The FAA to Update Their Regulations

A recently leaked version of the FAA’s Part 107 amendments to drone regulations has been making their way around the web. The document - dated May 2016 - contains what many predict will be the forthcoming announcement from the aviation authority concerning changes to how they will regulate unmanned aircraft.

Read more about drone regulation on a global scale here

While there are familiar aspects such as the requirement to register your drone (whether you’re a commercial pilot or a hobbyist) there have been some interesting changes. The main changes to existing regulations include the following:  

• The minimum age to pilot unmanned aircraft is now 16

• Maximum altitude is now 400ft above ground level

• They will implement a speak, read, write and English comprehension requirement

• Current Part 61 (Certification for Pilots, Trainers or Ground Instructors) manned aircraft permissions holders will only have to take and pass an online test

  It will be interesting to see how these new measures affect the use of drones in the US. The FAA have been notoriously slow to provide effective legislation, confusing both pilots and sometimes themselves, with different state offices following different guidelines. Hopefully, this more unified approach to regulating the usage of unmanned aircraft will benefit the drone community in America. **UPDATE** See below for the full FAA unmanned aircraft guidelines including 'Part 107' as well as a summarised version of the new regulations themselves:  

FAA Regulations: Full Version

FAA Regulations: Summary

Shenzhen Dominates Global Drone Market

It won’t be much of a surprise to many of our readers than Shenzhen is considered the drone capital of the world. What you may not know, however, is just how staggering this coastal Chinese city’s contribution to the industry is. Recent figures from National Business Daily have shown that Shenzhen currently holds a 70% share of the consumer drone market (globally). The city houses over 300 companies trading specifically in drones, with combined annual sales reaching upwards of $3bn. To put this in perspective, as of December 2015, there were approximately 400 drone companies in the whole of China. This means that 75% are based in a single city, the home of brands such as DJI and Hubsan, Shenzhen.

Find out about the new DJI Matrice 600 here

It’s estimated that around 90% of all consumer drones are made in Shenzhen and with the value of the market for unmanned aircraft expected to reach $31bn in China alone over the next decade, that makes this thriving tech hub in Guangdong Province a force to be reckoned with.

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It’s gearing up to be a busy start to the summer here at Heliguy with plenty going on over the next few weeks. Here is what’s happening and how you can get involved:

CAA PfAW Training Newcastle – 27th June

There’s still spaces left on our full CAA training course in Newcastle taking place next Monday 27th. Running until Thursday afternoon, our in-depth, machine-specific training is designed to guide you through all the steps necessary to gain your commercial permissions. Fill in the form here to register your interest. Prefer a more direct approach? Contact our sales team by calling 01912961024 or emailing info@heliguy.com for more information and to secure your place on this highly sought after course.

Farnborough Air Show 16th & 17th July

Another year, another opportunity to meet some of our fellow drone enthusiasts at the unmissable Farnborough International Airshow. The Heliguy team will be there to advise attendees on the best drone models available and also to discuss DJI’s Zenmuse XT standard thermal and advanced radiometric solutions. So if you’re heading along, look out for us on the 16th and 17th July and come over for a chat.

Drone Video Editing Course

We’re excited to announce a new course to help budding aerial filmmakers impress their clients with professional quality showreels. Acting as the missing link between capture and presentation, Heliguy will guide you through every aspect; from shooting to soundtrack, cuts to composition. This course is perfect for businesses looking to produce professional aerial footage. It's a beginner's guide on how to capture and edit drone videos into something commercially viable. Trainees will be coached by an industry professional with extensive experience as a producer, director and photographer. Beginning his career in filmmaking over 20 years ago, he has developed an impressive portfolio and is adept in all forms of visual media from TV Commercials to Feature Films. We’ll be releasing more information about this exciting new course in the coming weeks - if you want to register your interest click here.

Heliguy Welcomes Hubsan

There's exciting news this week as we've added a new brand to our site. Hubsan develops and manufactures a range of popular, affordable quadcopters which are suitable for everyone; from those just starting out to seasoned pilots. IntroducingHubsan.png   Widely renowned for creating miniature drones able to fit into the palm of your hand - such as their X4 and H111D models - they also build larger aircraft capable of capturing high-quality footage, like the H501S and H502C. Visit our Hubsan product page for more information.   For more up-to-the-minute drone news and insights into what’s happening at Heliguy, keep checking back to the Insider blog.