Chinese power supply companies have deployed a new weapon to clear trash from high-voltage wires — flame-throwing drones.
The People’s Daily of China posted dramatic video in Xiangyang, Hubei province, of the remote-controlled aircraft spraying fire on dangling detritus, including plastic bags, lanterns and kites, which can cause outages.
The drones come in handy when workers can’t reach the trash with their insulating rods. Instead, they maneuver the drones to within striking distance of their targets, which they incinerate.
The fire conveniently leaves the power lines intact.
The innovative strategy comes amid a rapid expansion in the use of drones in China: There were 100,000 in use in 2015, but they have multiplied each year, the Zhejiang-based Morning Express reported.
In November, China also granted an export license for its CH-5 combat drone, believed to be one of the most powerful drones in the world, the People’s Daily reported.
But, as in other countries, the proliferation of drones has also caused some problems for the aviation industry in China.
In January, an aviation enthusiast in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang province, was detained by police after he used a drone to record a landing airliner.
The video, which shows the drone flying near the plane, sparked public condemnation as people complained that the country’s lax supervision of the devices could jeopardize civil and military aviation.
“The reality is, many drones in China are owned by individuals, many of whom have nonprofessional license. Without a regulation tailored to the current situation, many of the most severe air security issues cannot be addressed,” said Simon Huang, a Beijing-based drone pilot.
In the US, the FAA instituted new regulations in August 2016 for commercial drone pilots flying unmanned aircraft weighing less than 55 pounds. To be licensed, the pilots must pass a 60-question FAA exam.
Those flying drones as a hobby in the US do not need to be licensed, but any drone weighing more than 0.55 pounds and less than 55 pounds needs to be registered with the FAA.