REMINGTON, Virginia—For years, there’s been a cardinal rule for flying civilian drones: Keep them within your line of sight. Not just because it’s a good idea—it’s also the law.
DOMINION Energy drone operators prepare to fly a drone to inspect areas of a power plant in Remington, Virginia, on June 8, 2022.FOR now, a small but growing group of power companies, railways and delivery services like Amazon are leading the way with special permission to fly drones “beyond visual line of sight.”
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 FAA’s work this year to craft new safety guidelines meant to further integrate drones into the national airspace.
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. Previously, “you would have to erect scaffolding or have people go in with a bucket truck,” said Nate Robie, who directs the drone program at Dominion. “Now you can go in on a 20-minute flight.”NOT everyone is enthused about the pending rules. Pilots of hot air balloons and other lightweight aircraft warn that crashes will follow if the FAA allows largely autonomous delivery drones the right of way at low altitudes.