First In Unmanned Flight

By Frank Stasio,

Hady Mawajdeh

Published July 15, 2015 at 12:16 PM EDT

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A drone from N.C. State's NGAT captures an image from above.

NGAT at NC State

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Several people crowded around a large drone

NGAT at NC State

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Several onlookers as a drone is tested in the air

NGAT at NC State

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Preparing to launch a drone into the air

NGAT at NC State

North Carolina is taking small steps toward opening up the skies for unmanned aerial vehicles.

The Department of Transportation has created a position to regulate the skies for recreation and commercial drone pilots and the state is creating new test that ensures pilots know the rules before they launch their planes into the skies.

Host Frank Stasio talks with WUNC reporter Jay Price about how drones will affect agriculture, construction and the software industries.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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Hady Mawajdeh

Hady Mawajdeh is a native Texan, born and raised in San Antonio. He listened to Fresh Air growing up and fell in love with public radio. He earned his B.A. in Mass Communication at Texas State University and specialized in electronic media. He worked at NPR affiliate stations KUT and KUTX in Austin, Texas as an intern, producer, social media coordinator, and a late-night deejay.

See stories by Hady Mawajdeh