The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted a blanket approval to Sinclair, Inc. for the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), or “drones,” over people and cars.
Typically, pilots who fly drones are prohibited from using them over people or vehicles for safety reasons, though one-time waivers can be granted in exceptional circumstances.
The approval by the FAA allows Sinclair to use its fleet of drones over people and vehicles without seeking a per-use waiver first. Sinclair becomes the first broadcaster to gain approval from the FAA to fly drones over people and cars without a waiver, though the company is still required to operate UAVs under a strict set of safety rules.
Sinclair has operated a UAV program with Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership since 2016. The program has trained 148 FAA-certified pilots and 540 visual spotters.
“This approval represents a significant step forward in our ability to deliver high-quality, innovative journalism,” said Scott Livingston, the Senior Vice President of News for Sinclair. “By incorporating expanded drone footage, we enhance our coverage of breaking news, local events, weather, and community stories—offering our audiences more compelling and dynamic storytelling. Our ongoing partnership with Virginia Tech has been instrumental in ensuring the highest safety and training standards.”
“We have worked for years with Sinclair, helping to train their pilots, and I have always been impressed with their professionalism and commitment to safety,” Tom Jones, the Director of Virginia Tech’s Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership, said in a statement. “We have worked for years with Sinclair, helping to train their pilots, and I have always been impressed with their professionalism and commitment to safety. We were proud to build on that theme by using our FAA-approved test method to test a modified drone that allows Sinclair‘s pilots to meet the FAA‘s stringent safety requirements for operating over people or traffic.”
“Our dedication to safety is paramount, and this achievement is the result of more than a year of extensive preparation, testing, and collaboration with industry and government partners,” said Jeff Rose, the Chief Pilot for Sinclair’s UAV program. “We’ve also conducted community outreach meetings in each market where we operate drones, engaging with first responders, Homeland Security, education officials, local government agencies, and the FAA.”
