13,500 bridges are inspected every year in North Carolina alone, and now that task will be cheaper and faster. The FAA recently granted to North Carolina DOT the first approval in the nation to use drones when inspecting bridges. North Carolina is a launch site for this project likely because it is home to the FAA’s Unmanned Aircraft System Integration Pilot Program that works to understand how the state can integrate drones into government work. – Shannon Warchol, DTC Civil Structural Instructor
