Drones

Virginia Tech is about to launch a series of drones that will take a new and unprecedented role in the recovery from Hurricane Florence.

Virginia Tech unveiled a brand new drone park Thursday.

Federal Aviation rules prohibit commercial drones from flying over people. But last week, Federal Aviation Administration granted the first waiver of its kind to CNN, allowing it to fly the aircraft over crowds for newsgathering. Drone safety remains a concern as more unpiloted vehicles take to the skies.

Virginia today opened the country's first runway built specifically for unmanned aerial vehicles. Many people call them drones and the federal government says nearly 830,000 are registered as required by law. Here in Virginia, they’re popular with hobbyists but are also finding important uses as Sandy Hausman reports.

Virginia has lost thousands of manufacturing jobs over the last 30 years, as globalization led companies to places where labor and resources were cheaper.  Senator Mark Warner sees a chance for the Commonwealth to make a comeback in a hot new industry - drones.