A drone large enough to
carry tanks of fertilizers and pesticides has won rare approval from federal
authorities to spray crops in the United States, reports a newspaper in Fresno,
California.
The drone, called the
RMAX, is a remotely piloted helicopter that weighs 207 pounds (94 kilograms),
said Steve Markofski, a spokesman for Yamaha Corp. U.S.A., which developed the
aircraft.
Smaller drones weighing a
few pounds already have approval for limited use to take pictures that help
farmers identify unhealthy crops.
The RMAX is the first
time a drone big enough to carry a payload has been approved, Markofski said.
The drone already has
been used elsewhere, including by rice farmers in Japan. The FAA approved it
for the U.S. on Friday.- I
n this Oct. 15, 2014, file photo, a drone
"I certainly
understand their cautious approach," Markofski said. "It's a daunting
task given our airspace is complicated."
The drone is best suited
for precision spraying on California's rolling vineyards and places that are
hard to reach from the ground or with larger, piloted planes, said Ken Giles,
professor of biological and agricultural engineering at the University of California,
Davis. Giles tested the drone in California to see if it could be used there.
"A vehicle like this
gives you a way to get in and get out and get that treatment done," Giles
said.
Now that the U.S. has acted, maybe we'll hear from the Harper government.
