CalTran is working hard to open SR 120 or otherwise known as Tioga Pass May 2019.

Tioga Pass is a 13 mile stretch of highway that begins at the junction of US Hwy 395 and travels west to the east entrance gate of Yosemite National Park. Currently the pass is closed due to snow.
Every year Californians waiting to get to the Eastern Sierra destinations along Highway 395, like Mono Lake, Mammoth lakes and other lovely places. Likewise various visitors, including international visitors from Las Vegas, Death valley looking to visit  Yosemite National Park, eagerly await the opening of State Route 120, The Tioga Pass. The task is not a simple one as it accumulates 25-30 feet (about 8-10M) of snow and this year it kept on snowing with storm after storm. So it might me more.
Here is a video by Caltran showing how tough job it is. The clearing vehicles are all equipped with state of the art tools to keep them safe.
Currently SR 120 is closed but the SR 108, which runs parallel, to a bit north

くる完全新作アクションRPG『ELDEN RING（エルデンリング）Mix 'Dark Souls' And 'Game Of Thrones' and You Got The New Game.

 ELDEN RING, 

A NEW WORLD CREATED BY HIDETAKA MIYAZAKI AND GEORGE R. R. MARTIN. Developed by FromSoftware, Inc. and BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc., 

ELDENRING is a is a fantasy action-RPG adventure set within a world created by Hidetaka Miyazaki – creator of the influential DARK SOULS video game series; and George R.R. Martin – author of The New York Times best-selling fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire. Within the world of ELDEN RING, danger and discovery lurk around every corner in FromSoftware’s largest game to-date. Twitter: @ELDENRING Instagram: @ELDENRING Facebook: @ELDENRINGOFFICIAL Website: www.ELDENRING.com

Gaming

フロム・ソフトウェアとバンダイナムコエンターテインメントがおくる完全新作アクションRPG『ELDEN RING（エルデンリング）』 プラットフォーム：PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC 発売日：未定 オフィシャルサイ

Hensel Phelps Using ParaZero Parachute Safety System Gets The First Ever Waiver To Fly Over People Safely.

We published an article about FAA granting Hansel Phelps a waiver, first ever, to fly over people. Hansel Phelps used a DJI Phantom equipped with ParaZero Technologies' parachute that gets deployed when the drone gets disabled in the air.

“The FAA has demonstrated a truly collaborative approach, through which they help develop the ASTM standard, work together in the UASIPP and provide feedback on the waiver applications and documentation." said Avi Lozowick, ParaZero’s Vice President of Policy and Strategy on the occasion
Safety is a core value at Hensel Phelps, Utilizing UAS, equipped with ParaZero’s SafeAir Systems, on our job sites allows us to operate more efficiently and accurately and we are committed to leveraging this technology as safely as possible.“ commented Richard Lopez, National UAS Operations Executive for Hensel Phelps. 

Happy Drone flights. 

ParZero Press Release;

FAA Grants Groundbreaking Approval to Fly Over People for Hensel Phelps Using ParaZero Safety System

Tel-Aviv, Israel, June 4, 2019: Drone safety systems company, ParaZero Technologies Ltd (ASX:PRZ), announced today that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has approved a first-ever waiver allowing general contractor, Hensel Phelps, to fly over people using ParaZero’s ASTM compliant SafeAir Phantom Parachute System.

Hensel Phelps is one of the largest general contractors in the United States and has been leading the industry in adoption of UAS technology for construction. The use of UAS benefits projects by helping teams enhance safety, improve efficiency, manage and monitor schedules and communicate logistics. Hensel Phelps maintains an unwavering commitment to safety for all of their projects and this safety culture extends to their use of UAS technology.

Code of Federal Regulations 14, Part 107, defines the rules and requirements for operators of UAS (a.k.a. drones) for commercial purposes. Section 107.39 restricts any UAS operations over human beings. While necessary for safety reasons, this has been a major detriment to the growth of the commercial UAS industry as it has limited many operations in urban and sub-urban environments.

As part of the waiver approval process, the FAA used the information included in the waiver application to determine the system acceptably met ASTM F3322-18. UAS operators that purchased the ParaZero SafeAir Phantom ASTM Professional Kit, received the documentation required to demonstrate the compliance of the system.

This waiver represents the first time the FAA has collaborated with industry in developing a publically available standard, worked with an applicant to ensure the testing and data collected acceptably met the standard, and issued a waiver using an industry standard as a basis to determine that a proposed sUAS operation can be safely conducted under the terms and conditions of a waiver under Part 107.

According to the FAA: This process is scalable and available to other applicants who propose to use the same drone and parachute combination. The FAA will require each applicant to provide the testing, documentation, and statement of compliance listed in ASTM3322-18 in their applications using the same drone and parachute combination.

“The FAA has demonstrated a truly collaborative approach, through which they help develop the ASTM standard, work together in the UASIPP and provide feedback on the waiver applications and documentation. “said Avi Lozowick, ParaZero’s Vice President of Policy and Strategy.

“Safety is a core value at Hensel Phelps,” commented Richard Lopez, National UAS Operations Executive for Hensel Phelps. “Utilizing UAS, equipped with ParaZero’s SafeAir Systems, on our job sites allows us to operate more efficiently and accurately and we are committed to leveraging this technology as safely as possible.”

ParaZero CEO, Eden Attias comments: “The approval of this waiver is the goal ParaZero has been striving to achieve for the past two years. A replicable process is key to enable the growth of the UAS industry.”

FAA Issues First Ever Part 107 Waiver to Fly A Drone With Parachutes, Over people for Hensel Phelps Construction and Parazero Technologies

Update :  After publishing we were able to find out that the Parachute was provided by Parazero Technologies LTD. Please find ParaZero press release.. We have replaced the photo with the right one and a video.

FAA worked with Hensel Phelps Construction to develop a public standard to ensure the testing and data collection to confirm that the waiver meets the proposed sUAS operation can be safely conducted under the terms and conditions of a waiver under Part 107. The setup was a DJI Phantom 4 drone, equipped with a parachute, planing to fly over people.

While FAA did not certify or approve the parachute used, FAA mentioned that the process is scalable and available to other applicants who propose to use the same drone and parachute combination. The FAA will require each applicant to provide the testing, documentation, and statement of compliance listed in ASTM3322-18 in their applications using the same drone and parachute combination.

FAA News Release;

FAA Issues Waiver to Fly Drones With Parachutes

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced today that it issued Hensel Phelps Construction Company of Greeley, Colorado, a Part 107 waiver on June 1 to operate a DJI Phantom 4 drone, equipped with a parachute, over people.

A waiver is required to operate a drone contrary to the rules in part 107, which is the small unmanned aircraft rule.

The FAA did not certify or approve the parachute that will be used; however, the FAA determined that the waiver application sufficiently met the standard design specification (ASTM 3322-18) and that the proposed small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) operation could be safely conducted under the terms and conditions of a waiver.

This waiver represents the first time the FAA has collaborated with industry in developing a publically available standard, worked with an applicant to ensure the testing and data collected acceptably met the standard, and issued a waiver using an industry standard as a basis to determine that a proposed sUAS operation can be safely conducted under the terms and conditions of a waiver under Part 107.

This process is scalable and available to other applicants who propose to use the same drone and parachute combination. The FAA will require each applicant to provide the testing, documentation, and statement of compliance listed in ASTM3322-18 in their applications using the same drone and parachute combination.

DJI Announces The Company's Drones Meet New Transport Canada Requirements For Flight Near People

The announcement, confirms along with the DJI’s previous declaration of compliance with new requirements for drone flight in controlled airspace in Canada, allows DJI customers to use their preferred drones in Canadian air Space.

 “DJI customers choose our drones because they know our longstanding history of making powerful, reliable and dependable aerial platforms, and we are proud to say they can continue using our products under the new Transport Canada system beginning June 1.” said Javier Caina, DJI director of technical standards.
Transport Canada announced its new regulatory framework for certain types of advanced civilian drone operations in January, requiring the use of drones whose manufacturer has declared that its drones meet reliability and operational characteristics under a safety assurance framework. DJI drones that can be used near people and in controlled airspace are the M600 Series, M200 Series, M200 V2 Series, Inspire 2, Mavic 2 series, Mavic Pro, Mavic Air, Phantom 4 series and Spark. The new declaration is expected to soon be reflected in Transport Canada’s list of drones eligible for advanced operations at this link.


DJI News Release;

DJI Drones Meet New Transport Canada Requirements For Flight Near PeopleDJI Customers May Fly Nine Popular Models Near People And In Controlled Airspace
May 29, 2019 – DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, is pleased to declare that nine of its models meet the new Transport Canada requirements taking effect June 1 for drone flight within 30 meters (100 feet) of people. The new declaration, along with DJI’s previously declared compliance with new requirements for drone flight in controlled airspace, allows DJI customers to use their preferred drones for a variety of safe, responsible and beneficial uses across Canada.“DJI customers choose our drones because they know our longstanding history of making powerful, reliable and dependable aerial platforms, and we are proud to say they can continue using our products under the new Transport Canada system beginning June 1,” said Javier Caina, DJI Director of Technical Standards. “We have put months of effort into documenting our safety expectations, testing standards, reliability guidelines and other processes to comply with Transport Canada’s new requirements. Thanks to this effort, we are able to confirm that our customers can continue flying DJI drones in controlled airspace and near people when the new rules take effect.”Transport Canada announced its new regulatory framework for certain types of advanced civilian drone operations in January, requiring the use of drones whose manufacturer has declared that its drones meet reliability and operational characteristics under a safety assurance framework. DJI drones that can be used near people and in controlled airspace are the M600 Series, M200 Series, M200 V2 Series, Inspire 2, Mavic 2 series, Mavic Pro, Mavic Air, Phantom 4 series and Spark. The new declaration is expected to soon be reflected in Transport Canada’s list of drones eligible for advanced operations at this link.DJI has long set the standard for safe operations in the drone industry, pioneering a series of technological improvements and educational systems to help ensure drones retain their admirable safety record. Most recently, DJI released “Elevating Safety,” its 10-point plan for government and industry to work together on keeping the skies safe in the drone age. As part of this effort, DJI will install AirSense, which warns drone pilots of nearby airplanes and helicopters, in all new drone models weighing more than 250 grams launched after Jan. 1, 2020. DJI will also create a new warning system for drone pilots flying at extended distances, and create an internal Safety Standards Group to document technical expectations and study performance results. More details on these initiatives are available at dji.com/flysafe.

Amazon Delivery Drone Unveiled, It Is A Tie Fighter

Amazon today showed off its newest fully electric delivery drone at its first re:Mars conference in Las Vegas.

The drone introduced today is quite a departure from Amazon's earlier models / prototypes.
Also more prominent was that the drone is chock-full of sensors and a suite of compute modules that run a variety of AI machine learning models to keep the drone safely afloat. It is also the first time Amazon is publicly spoke about those visual, thermal and ultrasonic sensors, which were designed in-house, and how the drone’s autonomous flight systems maneuver it to its landing spot. The focus of Amazon was to build a drone that is as safe and able to be  operationally safe independently on it's own. Even when it’s not connected to a network and it encounters a new situation, it’ll be able to react appropriately and safely.
When the drone has taken off vertically and when switch to airplane mode, it looks a little bit like a TIE fighter, where the core holds all the sensors and navigation technology, as well as the package. The new drone can fly up to 15 miles and carry packages that weigh up to five pounds.
It remains to be seen where the new drone will make its first deliveries. That’s a secret Amazon also isn’t quite ready to reveal yet. That will happen within the next few months, though. Amazon started drone deliveries in England a while back, so that’s an obvious choice, but there’s no reason the company could opt for another country as well. The U.S. seems like an unlikely candidate, given that the regulations there are still in flux, but maybe that’s a problem that will be solved by then, too. Either way, what once looked like a bit of a Black Friday stunt may just land in your backyard sooner than you think.

Boeing Says 737NG and 737MAX May Be Flying With Up to 148 'Improperly Manufactured' Parts.

Adding to to the list of Boeing public relations and aircraft issues, Boeing has informed the Federal Aviation Administration that some of its 737 jets that include 737NG and 737MAX  may have “improperly manufactured” wing parts that don’t meet strength and durability standards.
Various airlines have promised to take appropriate steps to ensure passenger safety.

6/2/2019 Update

FAA Statement

Boeing has informed the FAA that certain 737NG and 737MAX leading edge slat tracks may have been improperly manufactured and may not meet all applicable regulatory requirements for strength and durability.

Following an investigation conducted by Boeing and the FAA Certificate Management Office (CMO), we have determined that up to 148 parts manufactured by a Boeing sub-tier supplier are affected. Boeing has identified groups of both 737NG and 737MAX airplane serial numbers on which these suspect parts may have been installed. 32 NG and 33 MAX are affected in the U.S. Affected worldwide fleet are 133 NG and 179 MAX aircraft.

The affected parts may be susceptible to premature failure or cracks resulting from the improper manufacturing process. Although a complete failure of a leading edge slat track would not result in the loss of the aircraft, a risk remains that a failed part could lead to aircraft damage in flight.

The FAA will issue an Airworthiness Directive to mandate Boeing's service actions to identify and remove the discrepant parts from service. Operators of affected aircraft are required to perform this action within 10 days. The FAA today also alerted international civil aviation authorities of this condition and required actions.

Non - Existent Drone that hit Aeromexico 737 and future solutions for avoiding airplanes, DJI ADS-B

On May 31, we learned something that is very important to the Drone community be it hobby or commercial. Back in December 2018, the pilots of an Aeromexico 737 heard a loud bang while preparing to land in Tijuana, Mexico.
The radome at the front of the jet was badly damaged which looked like a strike. Radome is a dome or other structure protecting radar equipment and made from material transparent to radio waves, especially one on the outer surface of an aircraft.. There was no evidence of a bird strike. An as usual in a case like this, many, let's say all the fingers pointed at Drone. Industry observers quickly concluded it had struck a drone.
Well we know now that it was a lie. Bloomberg News published the results of a Boeing investigation on behalf of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, which concluded the radome most likely suffered an internal collapse because it was installed improperly. Boeing’s engineers ruled out any collision with an object. For good measure, the Feather Identification Lab of the Smithsonian Institution found no evidence of bird DNA or feathers on the radome. You can read the Boeing report here and the Smithsonian report here.

Also this is not the first time drones were misidentified as the cause of the damage to an aircraft. But DJI, the leading Hobby and Commercial drone supplier, has an answer for the up coming drones, they all will be ADS-B equipped, meaning capable of recognizing Airplanes and Helicopters;

DJI Adds Airplane And Helicopter Detectors To New Consumer Drones
News2019-05-22DJI Adds Airplane And Helicopter Detectors To New Consumer DronesADS-B Receivers In Consumer-Grade Drones Will Set A New Standard In Drone SafetyDJI Unveils Safety Improvement Agenda For Drone Makers And Regulators
DJI, the world’s leader in civilian drones and aerial imaging technology, today strengthened its role as the drone industry’s safety leader at a Washington, D.C. event by committing to install airplane and helicopter detectors in new consumer drones, part of a 10-point plan to ensure the world’s skies remain safe in the drone era.All new DJI drone models released after January 1, 2020 that weigh more than 250 grams will include AirSense technology, which receives ADS-B signals from nearby airplanes and helicopters and warns drone pilots if they appear to be on a collision course. This will be the largest single deployment of ADS-B collision awareness technology to date, and sets a new standard by putting professional-grade aviation safety technology in drones available to everyone.AirSense can detect airplanes and helicopters from miles away, farther than a drone pilot can hear or see them, and displays their locations on the screen of the pilot’s remote controller. It has previously been available only on some professional-grade DJI drones, and this video explains how it will work in consumer drones as well.
“DJI leads the drone industry in developing safety technology and education, and we continue that tradition today by setting higher expectations for ourselves, our competitors and regulators,” said Brendan Schulman, DJI Vice President for Policy & Legal Affairs. “DJI was the first company to offer geofencing, automatic altitude limits, return-to-home technology and other safety features to the world’s growing community of personal and professional drone pilots. We believe our efforts have helped drones attain their enviable safety record, and we expect our new agenda will further improve safety even as more drones take to the skies.”DJI’s AirSense commitment is the first of 10 points in “Elevating Safety,” its new plan for how DJI, other drone manufacturers, and government officials around the world can maintain drones’ admirable safety record. The 10 points are:

1. DJI will install ADS-B receivers in all new drones above 250 grams

1. DJI will develop a new automatic warning for drone pilots flying at extended distances

1. DJI will establish an internal Safety Standards Group to meet regulatory and customer expectations

1. Aviation industry groups must develop standards for reporting drone incidents

1. All drone manufacturers should install geofencing and remote identification

1. Governments must require remote identification

1. Governments must require a user-friendly knowledge test for new drone pilots

1. Governments must clearly designate sensitive restriction areas

1. Local authorities must be allowed to respond to drone threats that are clear and serious

1. Governments must increase enforcement of laws against unsafe drone operation

“Elevating Safety” is based on a comprehensive evaluation of available drone safety data, which concludes that most drone incident data collected by government regulators is misleading or useless, and shows that many media accounts of midair drone incidents are false or unproven.
“When the public, media and regulators focus on outrageous incidents that did not occur, it draws attention away from risks that are less sensational but more prevalent,” Schulman said. “There has never been a confirmed collision between a drone and an airplane, but drones have struck low-flying helicopters at least twice. This led us to focus on AirSense as the next opportunity to make drones safer, and to embrace the challenge of adding ADS-B receivers to consumer drone models that are already in development.”Other aviation organizations agree that installing AirSense in mainstream consumer drones is an important step for protecting airplanes and helicopters and the people who fly in them. DJI’s ambitious schedule aligns with the FAA’s upcoming requirement for essentially all airplanes and helicopters to be equipped with ADS-B transmitters in controlled airspace, starting January 1, 2020.“Expanding the availability of AirSense to DJI pilots is a meaningful step forward in safely integrating UAS and reducing conflicts with manned aircraft,” said Rune Duke, Senior Director of Airspace and Air Traffic at the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. “ADS-B In is used daily by thousands of pilots to increase their situational awareness and ensure safe operations. As the general aviation fleet further equips with ADS-B Out and other NextGen technology, enhancements like AirSense will allow all pilots to maximize their investment. All of aviation will benefit from the incorporation of this technology into DJI's large fleet.”“The aerial application industry has over 3,500 agricultural pilots that help farmers grow over 28 percent of our nation’s commercial cropland. They are flying 10 feet off the ground at speeds of over 100 miles per hour. As such, they must have great focus and precision with the important job they are performing,” said Andrew Moore, Executive Director at the National Agricultural Aviation Association. “Studies show that small drones are nearly impossible for our pilots to see, let alone track. An ideal drone system for manned ag pilots is one that has an ADS-B tracking system that can sense and avoid agricultural and other manned aircraft. DJI has taken the first step towards this by now equipping all of their drones with ADS-B tracking so their drone operators will be aware of other aircraft equipped with ADS-B tracking technology. They deserve real credit for this safety initiative. DJI’s safety policy is beyond what we have been urging the FAA and other drone manufacturers to require for multiple years. We appreciate DJI’s commitment to all airspace users’ well-being and look forward to working with them on equipping sense and avoid technology to their drones to complement the ADS-B system.”
“AAAE is pleased with DJI’s decision to equip nearly all of its drones with ADS-B In capabilities,” said Justin Barkowski, Staff Vice President, Regulatory Affairs at the American Association of Airport Executives. “Providing users with better situational awareness of nearby air traffic will only increase safety in the national airspace, particularly around airports where these measures are needed most.”
“Implementation of ADS-B will be another major accomplishment in the NextGen program,” said Edward Bolen, President and CEO at the National Business Aviation Association. “As with widespread use of GPS for precision navigation, ADS-B will enable precision surveillance that will enhance safety and efficiency for all operators in the airspace.”