{"id":733022,"date":"2025-01-28T05:26:15","date_gmt":"2025-01-28T13:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=wherenext&p=733022"},"modified":"2025-01-28T05:26:15","modified_gmt":"2025-01-28T13:26:15","slug":"airport-drone-inspections","status":"publish","type":"wherenext","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/airport-drone-inspections","title":{"rendered":"Drones Lift Off at the Airport"},"author":501,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[],"tags":[141,14842,18742,161592],"department":[488812],"wherenext-category":[],"industry":[],"class_list":["post-733022","wherenext","type-wherenext","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-drones","tag-efficiency","tag-inspections","tag-safety","department-emerging-technologies"],"acf":{"short_description":"The list of industries using drones to inspect assets has grown steadily in recent years. The latest addition: commercial airlines.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has had good reason to ban drones from airport airspace, since the small vehicles could pose a danger to larger aircraft carrying people and cargo."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"Snapshot:<\/strong> The FAA grants approval for drone inspections of commercial airplanes, as other industries push forward with their own aerial innovations.","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"But the FAA now acknowledges what many industries have long understood. Drones, often guided by high-fidelity location technology, make for impressive inspectors. In a groundbreaking move, the FAA recently authorized Delta Air Lines to be the first US commercial airline to deploy uncrewed aerial vehicles for maintenance inspections<\/a>.\r\n

Drone Inspections Aim for High-Flying Results <\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWith the drone inspections, Delta joins a growing cohort of companies relying on UAVs for business benefits including safety, efficiency, and cost savings.\r\n\r\nDrones equipped with geographic information system (GIS)<\/a> and AI technology are revolutionizing inspections in industries from insurance and utilities to forestry and construction. The drones are capturing imagery in hard-to-access places while smart systems analyze the findings.\r\n\r\nThe views afforded by a drone typically come with less risk than sending a worker up in a lift truck or onto a cell tower. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration publishes guidelines<\/a> for the safe use of drones to inspect US workplaces.\r\n\r\nAcross industries, these aerial devices are delivering on-the-ground benefits.\r\n\r\nAn airport in Southern California used drones and GIS<\/a> to find the source of a roof leak in a busy terminal after a rainstorm. The drone recorded video and coordinates during its inspection flight, allowing staff to pinpoint the leak\u2019s location in GIS. The resulting work order guided maintenance crews directly to the source, accelerating repair time."},{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Left","content":"Related Read:<\/strong>\r\n\r\n\/\/ A deeper look at drone mapping<\/a>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"After wildfires tore through Oregon in 2020, charred trees on a cliffside threatened the roadway below. An engineering firm hired to clear the area deployed drones to observe the cliffside<\/a> from above. Lidar sensors and photogrammetry techniques created a 3D model<\/a> that the team used to plan its approach. When workers with chainsaws reached the site, they knew exactly which trees to remove.\r\n\r\nDrone inspections also have bottom-line impacts. A water utility in central New York estimates it saved $6,500 per tank inspection<\/a> by using drones to capture images. The UAVs collect data amid weather conditions that would be too dangerous for human workers.\r\n

Inspecting Aircraft with an Aircraft<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nIn Delta\u2019s case, semiautonomous drones can now capture images of each plane\u2019s exterior. Human inspectors will examine the imagery to determine whether the aircraft is ready to fly.\r\n\r\nFor a commercial airplane\u2014as for wind turbines or transmission towers\u2014the challenge of completing a visual review on such a large asset makes drone inspections attractive. An Airbus A350, one of the largest planes in Delta\u2019s fleet, spans 219 feet from nose to tail\u2014longer than a NASA space shuttle\u2014with a tail height equivalent to that of a five-story building.\r\n\r\nDrone inspections promise both safer conditions for maintenance crews and faster aircraft readiness decisions, helping to prevent flight disruptions.\r\n\r\nRegardless of industry or application, more eyes in the sky will mean more location-rich data to manage. With GIS analysis and human oversight, drones are transforming maintenance operations worldwide."}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"\nDrone Inspections Take Flight at Airports<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"With drone inspections guided by AI-powered location technology, companies look to decrease risks and boost efficiencies.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/airport-drone-inspections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Drones Lift Off at the Airport\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"With drone inspections guided by AI-powered location technology, companies look to decrease risks and boost efficiencies.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/airport-drone-inspections\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Esri\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/esrigis\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2025\/01\/new-flight-pattern-for-drones-wherenext-card-826x465-1.jpg\" \/><meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2025\/01\/new-flight-pattern-for-drones-wherenext-card-826x465-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Esri\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\n\t \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n\t \"@graph\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebPage\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/airport-drone-inspections\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/airport-drone-inspections\",\n\t \"name\": \"Drone Inspections Take Flight at Airports\",\n\t \"isPartOf\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\"\n\t },\n\t \"datePublished\": \"2025-01-28T13:26:15+00:00\",\n\t \"description\": \"With drone inspections guided by AI-powered location technology, companies look to decrease risks and boost efficiencies.\",\n\t \"breadcrumb\": {\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/airport-drone-inspections#breadcrumb\"\n\t },\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ReadAction\",\n\t \"target\": [\n\t \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/airport-drone-inspections\"\n\t ]\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"BreadcrumbList\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/publications\/wherenext\/airport-drone-inspections#breadcrumb\",\n\t \"itemListElement\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 1,\n\t \"name\": \"Home\",\n\t \"item\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"ListItem\",\n\t \"position\": 2,\n\t \"name\": \"Drones Lift Off at the Airport\"\n\t }\n\t ]\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"WebSite\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#website\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/\",\n\t \"name\": \"Esri\",\n\t \"description\": \"Esri Newsroom\",\n\t \"potentialAction\": [\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"SearchAction\",\n\t \"target\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"EntryPoint\",\n\t \"urlTemplate\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?s={search_term_string}\"\n\t },\n\t \"query-input\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"PropertyValueSpecification\",\n\t \"valueRequired\": true,\n\t \"valueName\": \"search_term_string\"\n\t }\n\t }\n\t ],\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\"\n\t },\n\t {\n\t \"@type\": \"Person\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/b890389919572d29641d24fc67eaf376\",\n\t \"name\": \"Chris Chiappinelli\",\n\t \"image\": {\n\t \"@type\": \"ImageObject\",\n\t \"inLanguage\": \"en-US\",\n\t \"@id\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\n\t \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg\",\n\t \"contentUrl\": \"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/app\/uploads\/2017\/04\/Esri-Chris_Chiappinelli_540x540.jpg\",\n\t \"caption\": \"Chris Chiappinelli\"\n\t },\n\t \"description\": \"Chris Chiappinelli is the editor of Esri\u2019s WhereNext magazine. 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