Pennsylvania UAS Industry Facts (source: AUVSI.org)

Economic and Jobs Impact:

According to AUVSI’s report “The Economic Impact of Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration in the United States,” the UAS industry in Pennsylvania is expected to create nearly 3,000 new jobs and $2.4 billion in economic impact in the first decade following UAS integration into the national airspace.

Pennsylvania received 161 of the more than 5,500 commercial UAS exemptions, with operators approved in industries ranging from insurance to agriculture to real estate.

Agscan Based in Broomall, received a commercial exemption to examine the condition of crops across the state. Joshua Brown, a Navy veteran and an expert in search and rescue, founded the company in 2014 and used unmanned aircraft to assess an acre of crops each minute, detecting abnormalities that are not always visible to the human eye. Using data the aircraft collects, AgScan can quickly identify crops that need attention for irrigation or insect problems, for example.

Founded in 2013 in Pittsburgh, Identified Technologies has built its business around collecting visual, infrared, and gas data with UAS. With help from the University of Pennsylvania's General Robotics, Automation, Sensing and Perception Lab, the UAS deliver insights for a myriad of purposes through land surveying and aerial mapping.

One of Pennsylvania’s largest insurers is planning to use unmanned aircraft to cut costs and keep its employees out of danger. Erie Indemnity Co. received an FAA exemption to use unmanned aircraft to examine insurance claims. Its UAS will assess damage during a natural disaster or after a car accident, helping to expedite claims and settlements so that policyholders can rebuild faster than ever.

Pennsylvania Power and Light has received permission from the FAA to use UAS to inspect more than 50,000 miles of power lines in its 29-county service area in central and eastern Pennsylvania. UAS will allow operators to quickly and safely check connections, nuts, bolts, and wooden poles for damage.