CNN & GTRI Sign UAV CRADA Agreement With The FAA

CNN's Drone Journalism Is Just the Beginning - National Journal.com


January 12, 2015 CNN announced Monday it has come to an agreement with the Federal Aviation Administration: The news network will be allowed to test drone systems for news-gathering.


"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," CNN Senior Vice President David Vigilante, said in a press release.


The development is significant because currently the FAA does not allow Unmanned Aerial Vehicles a few exceptions for the entertainment industry and agriculture. This loosening of the rules could pave the way not just for aerial news-gathering but also for Amazon's proposed air delivery service.

for commercial use, save for


CNN Signs UAV Research Agreement With The FAA – CNN Press Room - CNN.com Blogs

CNN has entered into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRDA) with the Federal Aviation Administration to advance efforts to integrate Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) into newsgathering and reporting.

The cooperation arrangement will integrate efforts from CNN's existing research partnership with the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI). Coordination between and among CNN, GTRI and the FAA has already begun. The FAA will use data collected from this initiative to formulate a framework for various types of UAVs to be safely integrated into newsgathering operations.


CNN, Georgia Tech To Launch First Ever Initiative To Explore Media's UAV Use In U.S. Airspace – CNN Press Room - CNN.com Blogs

Georgia Tech and CNN to Explore Media Use of UAVs in U.S. Airspace | Georgia Tech Research Institute

Published on Jun 25, 2014

The rise of the smartphone put the power to be a journalist in almost everybody's pocket. Now, the democratization of drone technology is adding a new perspective to the stories people can tell and to how they can record and share events. At Storyful, we've been seeing people sending drones up to capture dramatic views of wildfires, the devastating impacts of tornadoes and the scale of mass demonstrations.

Yet, Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulations remain restrictive regarding the use of drones by traditional media companies. After the FAA announced it would consider altering its regulations earlier this month, CNN said it was initiating a research project with Georgia Tech aimed at understanding "the opportunities unmanned aerial vehicles present for media organizations". The project will, CNN said, "evaluate the technology, personnel and safety needs to operate effectively in the national air space."


Federal Laboratory News - FAA Enters into Three New CRADA Agreements
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently entered into three unique Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) with

• General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA);
• GE Aviation Systems, LLC (GE); and
• AAI Corporation.

The collaborative research is in unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), and is the first of its kind for the FAA.
The objectives of this research are for the FAA and collaborating parties to perform a variety of operational and technical assessments to meet specific objectives to support integration of the UAS into the National Airspace System (NAS), and to assist in Next Generation Air Transportation System planning efforts and future UAS technology development to foster mutual successes and enable early technology deliverables.