RICHMOND, Va. (AP) _ The Federal Aviation Administration has approved the use of a drone to deliver medical supplies to a clinic in Wise County. The approval came Tuesday, clearing the way for the unmanned, six-rotor aircraft to make a series of short sorties to the Remote Area Medical clinic on Friday. The annual clinic tends to the medical and dental needs of thousands in southwest Virginia. According to organizers, the drone will hover over a horse ring at the fairgrounds and lower medical supplies. The supplies will be released from their tether once they make contact with the ground. Some organizers are hopeful the development of a drone industry will take flight in the Coalfields region, which has been battered by layoffs amid decreased demand for coal.
