What does early 2026 mean for the American drone industry?

In this episode of Your Drone Questions. Answered, we sit down with WISPR Systems to talk about their journey from a Mississippi startup to a nationally recognized U.S. drone manufacturer — and how recent regulatory changes are impacting the entire UAS landscape.

John McArthur shares how WISPR Systems evolved from building drones for professors at Mississippi State University to becoming a major player in the surveying and mapping space. You’ll hear how the company made a strategic decision to “plant their flag” in one vertical, master complex technologies like RTK, PPK, LiDAR, and photogrammetry, and build partnerships with key industry leaders.

We also break down:

• The December 2025 Federal Highway and FCC announcements
• What NDAA compliance actually means (and why it’s often misunderstood)
• The difference between American-made, NDA compliant, Green List, and Blue List drones
• How supply chain realities — especially batteries and payload components — are shaping U.S. manufacturing
• What this all means for contractors, DOT projects, and commercial operators
• Whether waivers may provide clarity for allied-country payloads like Sony cameras

If you’ve been confused about compliance language, worried about what you can legally fly, or wondering how U.S. drone manufacturing is evolving under new federal priorities — this conversation brings clarity.

You’ll also learn about WISPR Ranger Pro and the SkyScout series — including how they positioned their platform as a compact, open-payload alternative for professional surveying and mapping teams transitioning from DJI ecosystems.

For more information or to connect with the Whisper team, visit:
👉 https://wisprsystems.com/

https://wisprsystems.com/wispru/

Want your drone question answered in a future episode?
Submit it here: https://ydqa.io

Are UAS test ranges and FAA test sites the same thing… or totally different?

In this episode of Your Drone Questions Answered, we sit down with Jesse Steele, Range Manager at the Pendleton UAS Range, to break down the real difference between FAA-designated UAS test sites and the ranges that operate under them.

You’ll learn:

• The difference between a UAS test site and a test range
• How COAs (Certificates of Authorization) are created and managed
• Why Pendleton offers 14,000 square miles of test airspace
• What makes this location ideal for advanced testing
• The types of companies and platforms testing there (from commercial to defense)
• Whether the public can visit or even fly at a range like this

From EVTOL projects like Airbus’ Vahana to large-scale testing operations and cross-country drone flights, the Pendleton range has hosted 175+ unique companies and more than 67,000 test flights.

If you’ve ever wondered how high-level UAS testing actually works in the United States—and who makes it possible—this episode gives you a behind-the-scenes look.

To learn more about the range or schedule a tour, visit pendletonuasrange.com

Have a drone question you’d like answered on a future episode? Visit ydqa.io and submit it.

#Drones #UAS #DroneTesting #Aviation #FAA #DroneIndustry #UAV #EVTOL #CommercialDrones #DroneTechnology

Surveying fundamentals can quietly make or break a drone mapping project—and grid vs. ground coordinates are one of those topics that trip people up more often than they expect.
In this episode of Your Drone Questions. Answered the conversation zooms in on the essentials every drone pilot working with mapping, surveying, or lidar data needs to understand.

The discussion is joined by Mark White from Duncan-Parnell, a licensed land surveyor with decades of experience in geospatial training and support. Together, they break down what grid and ground coordinates actually mean, why GPS measurements don’t live on the same “surface” we work on in the real world, and how scale factors quietly affect distances, areas, and deliverables.

You’ll hear clear explanations of state plane systems, ellipsoids, and why mapping on a flat grid is convenient—but not always representative of true ground distances. The episode also tackles site calibration (sometimes called localization), how it works behind the scenes, and why it’s often the key to making drone data line up correctly with survey control.

Useful links:
-TBC Power Hour Defining and Working with Grid and Ground Coordinates (16:09 mark is where the graphic referenced in the podcast is discussed): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3SzLtNWa7E

-GNSS Site Calibrations in Trimble Access – Everything You Need to Know | Survey Matters (first 2.5 minutes in particular): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z5fwa2tGgVA

https://www.youtube.com/@duncanparnellgeospatial

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhkUv995xbiWXc9Vz2oGD7jdBD2O1wunK

https://www.duncan-parnell.com/