Updated
Updated · The Verge · Aug 21
HoverAir Halts US Orders for Versa 3 Days After Launch as FCC Pulls Approval
Updated
Updated · The Verge · Aug 21

HoverAir Halts US Orders for Versa 3 Days After Launch as FCC Pulls Approval

3 articles · Updated · The Verge · Aug 21

Summary

  • Three days after its Indiegogo debut, HoverAir stopped taking US orders for the Versa and told backers it would ship only the camera, not the drone-enabling Flight Kit.
  • FCC records no longer show an authorization entry for the Versa, indicating the approval may have been withdrawn after the product was initially cleared as a camera on August 9.
  • That distinction appears central: Zero Zero Robotics is not barred for cameras, but all companies are automatically covered under FCC restrictions for drones and critical drone components, including cameras.
  • If the authorization is gone, HoverAir may be unable to import, market or sell either the Flight Kit or the camera in the US; some backers already report their pledges cannot ship.
  • The setback echoes HoverAir's Aqua certification failure last December, raising the prospect of refunds and another prolonged US launch collapse.

Insights

Did HoverAir's clever modular design accidentally trigger a total US ban on their new drone hybrid?
Will US backers lose their money after this highly anticipated flying camera mysteriously vanished from the FCC database?