The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has partnered with three organisations to expand the use of unmanned aircraft (UAS) in national airspace.
The agency is working with industry partners, including CNN, PrecisionHawk and BNSF Railroad, to test three key types of unmanned operations.
CNN will evaluate the use of drones in visual line-of-sight operations for newsgathering in populated areas, while drone maker PrecisionHawk will study how UAS can be operated outside of the pilot’s direct vision to monitor crops.
BNSF will explore using drones to inspect rail infrastructure remotely beyond visual line-of-sight.
US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said: "Government has some of the best and brightest minds in aviation, but we can’t operate in a vacuum.
"This is a big job, and we’ll get to our goal of safe, widespread UAS integration more quickly by leveraging the resources and expertise of the industry."
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By GlobalDataCNN and BNSF have been working with the FAA through a cooperative research and development agreement (CRDA), while PrecisionHawk and the agency collaborated on a possible research.
Part of the FAA’s Pathfinder Programme, the latest initiative will facilitate the agency’s strategy to expand UAS access.
FAA administrator Michael Huerta said: "Even as we pursue our current rulemaking effort for small unmanned aircraft, we must continue to actively look for future ways to expand non-recreational UAS uses.
"This new initiative involving three leading US companies will help us anticipate and address the needs of the evolving UAS industry."
The agency has launched a new smartphone app, B4UFLY, which will allow drone operators to identify restrictions or requirements in the location they want to fly the aircraft. The app will be available to around 1,000 beta testers later this year.
Earlier this year, the FAA has proposed new regulation on the commercial use of small drones.
The rule requires operators to fly UAS not more than 500ft above ground level, and stay away from airport flight paths, among others.
The FAA is currently working to address more than 4,000 public comments received on the proposal.
Image: FAA is working with industry partners to test three key types of unmanned operations. Photo: courtesy of Victor Habbick / FreeDigitalPhotos.net.
