Verizon Skyward was recently given an FAA waiver that will allow pilots to inspect the company’s communication infrastructure through the use of drones.
The waiver is for the Big Hollow area in Washington and pilots will be allowed to operate the drones 24 hours each day with no person onsite to monitor and less than 3 miles of visibility. This special waiver allows the pilots of the drones to fly the devices while sitting in the comfort of their homes.
With the current dangerous effects of climate change and the coping with a global pandemic, maintaining the communication network is very important. The innovations throughout the airborne technology allows the company the ability to be able to inspect their communication network without having to put any of their employees in direct danger.
The waiver that was provided to Verizon is different from normal waivers as onsite pilots are typically required to fly drones outside of visual site. The Verizon waiver removes the need for pilots to be in sight of the area.
The Skyward program was tested for about a year in order to provide the FAA with enough proof that they could safely fly drones in a remote locations.
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