AV NEWS: Commercial Drone Industry Breakthrough

A recent breakthrough in drone regulations has the industry buzzing! The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given its first official approval for commercial drone operations regarding VLOS (Visual Line of Sight).

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The commercial drone industry recently passed a major hurdle when the FAA allowed one company to fly UAVs past line of sight. Xcel Energy, one of the largest utilities companies in the U.S., has been working with the FAA to use drones for power line inspections for years. However, inspections were always done within line of site.  Starting this summer the energy company will be routinely flying drones beyond line of sight to survey transmission lines outside of Denver, Colorado. Xcel’s CEO said in a statement that the moves would “…enhance grid reliability and safety for [their] employees and the public,” and improve “…efficiency and provides cost saving for [their] customers.” A plethora of public and private companies have been using drones for their various enterprises whether that be bridge inspections, agriculture, or home sales, for years. The FAA’s stamp of approval for flying beyond line of sight is exciting for many in the commercial industry. Who knows, Amazon’s drone delivery may be even closer than you think. Follow AirVūz News for more stories about the people, technology, and updates shaping the drone industry.