News Coalition Kicks Off UAS Flight Testing at Virginia Tech
Photo: Holland & Knight. .
Today, coalition of 15 news media companies launched flight tests to do research using small unmanned aircraft systems on June 16 at the Federal Aviation Administration UAS test site based at Virginia Tech.
The flight tests are the first in a series of controlled testing for real-life scenarios, simulating news events that future news drones may need to cover. Reporters and photographs will be controlling the systems.
“The AP and its media coalition partners are excited to harness this new technology to inform the world,” Sandy MacIntyre, Associated Press vice president and director of global video, said in a press release. “This program will allow us to use these new tools safely and effectively while also benefiting from the many new angles of visual newsgathering — a great step forward in new storytelling.”
In addition to AP, the coalition includes American Broadcasting Cos., Advance Publications, NBC Universal, The New York Times Co. and others.
“The research testing we are initiating will provide the news media coalition a safe and innovative way to gather and disseminate information and keep journalists out of harm’s way,” Rose Mooney, executive director of the Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, said in the release.
