CNN said it has received government approval to fly a drone over large crowds of people outdoors.
The Federal Aviation Administration gave the cable news network a first-of-its-kind waiver to "to operate the Snap UAS, a frangible, 1.37-pound aircraft with enclosed rotors that is made of deformable material, over people," CNN said.
CNN said it will be able, for the first time, to fly an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) over open-air assemblies, up to 150 feet above ground level.
“This waiver signifies a critical step forward not only for CNN’s UAS operations, but also the commercial UAS industry at large,” said David Vigilante, senior VP of legal for CNN, in a statement.
CNN said its waiver request was the product of more than two years of research and testing in conjunction with Vantage Robotics, which developed the Snap 4K "flying camera," and that the waiver was granted in part based on the network's history of safe operations and test data showing the camera was safe to fly over crowds on the ground.
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CNN already obtained waivers to fly a smaller craft over people and one for using UAS on closed sets for TV and film.
In August 2016, CNN launched a dedicated drone unit to provide aerial shots for all networks and platforms.
