NCDOT wins second FAA BVLOS remote drone inspection waiver

The North Carolina Department of Transport (NCDOT) has earned its second Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver to operate routine drone inspection missions in beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) mode, and will use that with craft from docked stations it plans to deploy near construction sites around the state.

NCDOT said the additional FAA authorization will facilitate continual, and when necessary rapidly organized drone inspections by remotely located operators of new and existing state transport assets undergoing work. Greater flexibility gained by BVLOS flights, it noted, meant the administration can deploy docked stations at locations to keep craft ready for use at virtually any time, allowing pilots to conduct monitoring missions whenever supervisors require insight into evolving projects.

Read: Congress tables (yet another) bill affecting drones – this one via FAA BVLOS rule deadlines

Becca Gallas, NCDOT’s Division of…