With concern spiking over unusual and unexplained drone sightings across the Northeast, the Burlington Electric Department is alerting the community that it will be flying unmanned aircraft in the Burlington area Wednesday morning.
The drones will be used to measure woodchip piles at the McNeil Generating Station on Intervale Avenue and at a wood yard in Swanton. The University of Vermont Spatial Analysis Lab of the Rubinstein School of Environmental & Natural Resources works with the city’s electric department twice a year to measure woodchip piles and adjust inventory.
The drones will reach up to 300 feet in above-ground altitude in Burlington and 400 feet in Swanton and will not leave the areas being measured. In Burlington the drones will fly between 8:30 and 9 am and in Swanton between 10:30 and 11. Federal Aviation Administration-certified remote pilots will operate the drones and FAA authorization will be obtained for the McNeil flight due to the proximity of the Burlington International Airport.
