Abstract: An autonomous aerial solution is disclosed to monitor the status of light pole bulbs and report its findings to the operator. The system involves the use of a smartphone and a consumer UAV to give users the ability to autonomously monitor light poles. The invention consists of three main parts: (i) autonomous path planning and flight, (ii) training a custom convolutional neural network, and (iii) classifying RGB light pole images. While following FAA regulations, the UAV avoids most obstacles. As the UAV approaches a light pole, it (i) slows down, (ii) centers itself, (iii) captures an image, and (iv) heads towards the next pole. Upon completion, the UAV returns to its takeoff position, and the program analyzes the images using a trained convolutional neural network. As the UAV descends, the data is available to the operator using an intuitive color-coded map.