(Bloomberg) – CNN received a waiver allowing routinedrone flights above crowds, a milestone for the industry seekinggreater use of the remote-controlled devices for everything frominsurance inspections to covering news.
|Flights over people
The approval is the first time the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration hasgranted a waiver for unlimited flights over people, the newsnetwork said in an emailed statement. The standards usedin the application can be applied to other applicants, potentiallyopening vast new uses by the media and other industries forso-called unmanned aerial systems, or UAS.
|Related: Surge in drone safety reports prompts `emergency'action at FAA
|"This waiver signifies a critical step forward not only forCNN's UAS operations, but also the commercial UAS industry atlarge," said David Vigilante, senior vice president of legal forCNN.
|The FAA currently prohibits drone flights overhead, although itsregulations allow for waivers if applicants can show there's norisk of injury. Limited waivers have been issued tofilmmakers and others for flights over contained areas after thoseon the ground consented.
|Snap drone designed to break apart to prevent injuries
The small device that was approved, a Snap drone, has internalrotors and is designed to break apart in the event of a crash toprevent injuries. Time Warner Inc.'s CNN and Vantage Robotics, the company that built it, say theyspent two years designing and testing the drone.
|The Snap drone weighs 1.37 pounds (0.62 kilograms), and its fourrotors are encased to reduce the chances of injury. It's designedto break into harmless smaller pieces if it crashes, according tothe company's website. It can be snapped back together and reusedafter a crash, according to the company.
|Related: Who's allowed to shoot at drones?
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