CNN Wins Go-Ahead To Test Drones For News Coverage

CNN said Monday it has reached agreement with US aviation regulators
to test drones for news gathering in the US, the network said.

Conceived initially mainly for military purposes, private use of the
small unmanned aircraft allowing for image and information gathering
is practically banned in the United States, except at low altitudes
(below 122 meters, or 400 feet, and far from airports).

"Our aim is to get beyond hobby-grade equipment and to establish what
options are available and workable to produce high quality video
journalism using various types of UAVs and camera setups," said CNN
Senior Vice President David Vigilante. UAVs are unmanned aerial
vehicles.

Tests are being carried out at the Georgia Tech Research Institute,
based in Atlanta, Georgia where CNN, owned by Time Warner, is
headquartered.

FAA Administrator Michael Huerta expressed hope that the accord will
help "safely integrate unmanned news-gathering technology and
operating procedures into the National Airspace System."