Sinclair’s New Milestone in Drone Journalism
Sinclair, a big media company in the U.S., hit a new high in using drones for news. On April 2, 2025, the FAA accepted Sinclair’s Declaration of Compliance, allowing them to fly drones over people and moving cars without a special waiver.
This means Sinclair can now use special drones that are safe according to FAA standards, making it possible to cover more news events from the sky.
“This approval represents a significant step forward in our ability to deliver high-quality, innovative journalism,” said Scott Livingston, Senior Vice President of News for Sinclair. “By incorporating expanded drone footage, we enhance our coverage of breaking news, local events, weather, and community stories—offering our audiences more compelling and dynamic storytelling. Our ongoing partnership with Virginia Tech has been instrumental in ensuring the highest safety and training standards.”
Growing Drone Program Across the Country
Back in 2016, Sinclair started its Unmanned Aerial Systems program, which now covers 50 newsrooms nationwide. So far, they’ve done over 40,000 drone flights, thanks to 148 FAA-certified pilots and 540 trained visual observers.
They all get their training from Virginia Tech’s MAAP, an FAA-designated test site, helping Sinclair stick to federal safety rules while expanding drone use in news.
Sometimes, people can do amazing things when they work together.
“Our dedication to safety is paramount and this achievement is the result of more than a year of extensive preparation, testing, and collaboration with industry and government partners,” said Jeff Rose, Sinclair’s UAS Chief Pilot. “We’ve also conducted community outreach meetings in each market where we operate drones, engaging with first responders, Homeland Security, education officials, local government agencies, and the FAA.”
Safety First: Working with Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech’s MAAP was crucial for Sinclair’s journey. They tested a modified drone using methods approved by the FAA, making sure it could safely fly over people.
“We have worked for years with Sinclair, helping to train their pilots, and I have always been impressed with their professionalism and commitment to safety,” said Tombo Jones, Director for the Virginia Tech Mid-Atlantic Aviation Partnership. “We were proud to build on that theme by using our FAA-approved test method to test a modified drone that allows Sinclair’s pilots to meet the FAA’s stringent safety requirements for operating over people or traffic.”
With this FAA approval, Sinclair strengthens its lead in using drones for news, giving their trained pilots and enhanced drones the green light to capture aerial stories safely.
About Sinclair
Sinclair, Inc. is a major media company known for local news and sports. They own 185 TV stations in 86 markets, with ties to big broadcast networks. They also run the Tennis Channel and other networks like Comet and TBD/ROAR. Their content reaches viewers through TV, streaming, and NewsON, a large local news streaming service. For more details, visit www.sbgi.net.
