© 2026 Michigan State University Board of Trustees
Public Media from Michigan State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Drone entrepreneurs navigate cloudy FAA rules

WKAR/Kevin Lavery

There’s a lot of buzz these days about drones. Unmanned aerial vehicles have a range of uses, from military and police surveillance to search and rescue. In private hands, drones are purely recreational toys for some people, but others are capitalizing on their economic potential.

Current State’s Kevin Lavery logged some flight time with drone enthusiast Ryan Latourette, founder of his own startup, Capitol Drones. Latourette unabashedly labels himself a “techie.” 

Kevin Lavery served as a general assignment reporter and occasional local host for Morning Edition and All Things Considered before retiring in 2023.
Related Content
WKAR has closed the gap left by the loss of federal funding. Because of you, trusted journalism, inspiring stories, and classical music remain freely available to everyone in mid-Michigan.
Now the work continues — your monthly gift helps maintain this success and keeps public media free for all.