From Fast Company:
One of America’s largest insurance companies has an unorthodox proposal: using unmanned aircraft to speed up insurance claim processing. USAA, which serves millions of US military personnel and their families with financial services, formally petitioned the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on October 2 for permission to use drone aircraft to process insurance claims. The USAA says that flying unmanned aircraft over natural disaster areas where claims have been filed could potentially benefit their membership.
Kathleen Swain, a underwriter at USAA who is also a licensed pilot and flight instructor, told Fast Company that the insurance agency wants to fly PrecisionHawk unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) over disaster areas in order to research claims. By flying a drone over disaster areas, the insurance company could potentially research claims much more quickly and cheaply than they could on foot, via car/truck, or via helicopter--which could speed things up in areas where roads are inaccessible. PrecisionHawk is also developing drones designed for use on farms and for surveying and mapping as well.
Comments
A nice practical application that I am sure all insurance companies would be fast to jump on.
Now if only the FAA will actually work to figure out how to let them do it in such a way that it doesn't cost them more than they would save by using UAS.
So far enabling this technology for practical use does not seem to have been one of the FAA's primary considerations.
But as the countries financial institutions see the advantages connected with using UAS even the FAA may eventually be forced to change it's stance.
I can only hope!