Utility & energy · White paper11A / MISSION BRIEF
Beyond visual line of sight operations in transmission and distribution
EPRI's multi-utility research initiative developing implementation guidance, testing drone systems, and compiling case studies for utilities scaling BVLOS inspection across transmission and distribution networks.
Key takeaways
- Scaling BVLOS is an operations and data problem as much as an aviation one.
- Utilities benchmark against shared implementation guides rather than starting alone.
- Program economics depend on flights per crew, not per aircraft.
Why it matters for pilots in training
A useful map of what a mature utility drone program looks like, and the roles a newly certified BVLOS crew is hired into.
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