But some drones have recently gotten permission to soar out of their pilots' sight. They can now inspect high-voltage power lines across the forested
Aviation authorities in the
For now, a small but growing group of power companies, railways and delivery services like
“This is the first step of what everybody’s expecting with drones," said
That expectation — of small drones with little human oversight delivering packages, assessing home insurance claims or buzzing around on nighttime security patrols — has driven the
The
“Our ultimate goal is you shouldn’t need a waiver for this process at all. It becomes an accepted practice,” said
“The more autonomous the drones become, the more they can just be instantly available anywhere they could possibly be useful,” Bry said.
Part of that involves deciding how much to trust that drones won't crash into people or other aircraft when their operators aren't looking. Other new rules will require drones to carry remote identification — like an electronic license plate — to track their whereabouts. And in the aftermath of
At a gas-fired plant in
That wouldn't have been legally possible without Dominion's recently approved
Previously, “you would have to erect scaffolding or have people go in with a bucket truck,” said
Not everyone is enthused about the pending rules. Pilots of hot air balloons and other lightweight aircraft warn that crashes will follow if the
"These drones cannot see where they are flying and are blind to us," said a June call to action from the
Broader concerns come from civil liberties groups that say protecting people’s privacy should be a bigger priority.
“There is a greater chance that you’ll have drones flying over your house or your backyard as these beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone operations increase,” said
EPIC and other groups dissented from the advisory group's early recommendations and are calling for stronger privacy and transparency requirements — such as an app that could help people identify the drones above them and what data they are collecting.
“If you want to fly beyond visual line of sight, especially if you are commercial, the public has a right to know what you’re flying, what data you are collecting,” said
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O'Brien reported from
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