Huntsville, Alabama: Drone contractor to provide services to Huntsville Utilities

Huntsville contractor Avion Unmanned recently announced it is providing drone services to Huntsville Utilities.

According to a press release, the partnership should lead to a reduction in the level of risk and agency costs associated with the inspection of power poles, line connections and associated equipment that is typically inspected using aerial vehicles (bucket trucks) or by the physical means of climbing a pole.

“Huntsville Utilities has been formally trained by Avion Unmanned UAS instructors on the proper, legal and safe use of aerial drones covering topics like aerodynamics, airspace, aviation weather, emergency operations, privacy, flight basics and most importantly, safety,” said a press release from Avion Unmanned.

Huntsville Utilities recently obtained a Certificate of Authorization from the FAA that typically takes agencies months to acquire. With Avion’s support, it has taken only a few weeks to gain access to the FAAs submission portal, and only four days to complete the approval process.