Do I need drone insurance for tower inspections?

Yes, if you operate drones (UAS) for tower inspections, you need specific drone coverage. Standard GL policies typically exclude aircraft operations, and a drone is classified as an aircraft for insurance purposes. Required coverages include: (1) Drone liability (hull and liability) covering property damage and bodily injury caused by drone operations. Minimum $1M per occurrence is typical for commercial operations. (2) Privacy and data liability for imagery captured during inspections. (3) Payload coverage for expensive inspection cameras, sensors, or LiDAR equipment mounted on the drone. Standard drone liability policies are relatively inexpensive ($1,000-$3,000 annually for $1M liability) for commercial inspection operations. However, tower-specific drone operations create unique risks: flying in close proximity to active antennas creates RF interference risk to the drone, collision with tower structure or guy wires, and operation in restricted airspace near airports that many towers occupy. FAA Part 107 certification is required for commercial drone operators, and some insurance carriers require proof of Part 107 compliance as a policy condition. If your drone strikes the tower and damages active equipment, that is likely excluded under the drone liability policy's care/custody/control exclusion and would need to be covered under your GL or inland marine. Coordinate drone coverage with your other policies to avoid gaps.