NYPA, Skydio receive FAA waiver for BVLOS drone inspections

The New York Power Authority (NYPA) has taken another step in its increasing use of drones as tools in inspecting and managing its vast infrastructure by obtaining a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waver for beyond visual line of sight flights (BVLOS) at its Blenheim-Gilboa Pumped Storage Power Project, in partnership with Skydio.

The NYPA said Skydio helped guide its request through the FAA’s evaluation process, which ultimately granted the utility a waiver to operate BVLOS drone flights at the Blenheim-Gilboa plant, providing the craft remain within 50 feet above ground level or within 50 feet of structures. The facility is located in Schoharie County – north of New York City and west of Albany – and will use the UAVs for asset and vegetative management inspections.

Deployment of the craft on BVLOS missions in partnership with Skydio is an extension of NYPA’s work to broaden its use of the craft under its “digitization initiative…