Xcel first utility to get FAA approval to run inspection drones beyond line of sight

Utility Dive: Moving beyond line of sight is a first not only for utilities but for industry as a whole. “This announcement is what the industry is looking for; it is the Holy Grail,” an Xcel spokesperson told Utility Dive.

Excel first secured FAA approval to use drones back in 2015 when it won authorization to use unmanned aircraft to inspect thousands of miles of power lines and gas pipelines, but only at low altitudes and over its own property.

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