ATLANTA — Unmanned aerial vehicles, better known as drones, are becoming an important part of newsgathering starting this week.
Channel 2 Action News is the first local station to legally fly them. The FAA granted us a special exemption Tuesday.
For more than a year, meteorologist Brad Nitz has led a team of engineers, producers and pilots on a mission to get WSB's certification. It’s a big milestone for Channel 2 Action News.
Our station wanted to use drones to enhance our coverage, but thought it was important to do it the right way. The FAA has a lot of restrictions on drone use, like staying away from airports, not flying over people and staying below 200 feet.
The project started over a year ago when Channel 2 Action News visited the Georgia Tech Research Institute and partnered with its engineers.
"You may be asking yourself, what does a meteorologist have to do with drones? Well, I’m actually a licensed pilot and I believe these can play an important part in forecasting and covering weather,” Nitz said.
Channel 2 Action News is working with the FAA to safely reduce the restrictions on when and where drones can fly.
Even now, they can fly in places a helicopter can't, giving viewers a more intimate perspective.
The technology is still new, but Channel 2 Action News is committed to staying on the cutting edge. You're going to see more drones in the air and more coverage of news and weather from above.