Canadian drone service provider/consultant RPV Aviation has obtained a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flights using the FIXAR 007 drone.
We’ve written about FIXAR before. The Latvian-based company produces a unique fixed-wing, Vertical Take-off and Landing drone. Despite the fact it can transition to efficient forward flight, its rotors remain at a fixed angle. These FIXed Angle Rotors produce the acronym that gives the company its name.
And FIXAR is now conducting BVLOS flights in Canada.
RPV Aviation
That’s the name of the operator Transport Canada has granted the SFOC for BVLOS flight. I actually know the principle behind the company – we worked together at a drone startup. He’s Richard Podolski, a professional commercial pilot of passenger aircraft with a deep history in the drone world. (In Canada, fyi, drones are referred to as Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems, or RPAS.)
Here’s what Richard has to say, via the news release:
FIXAR is one of the best platforms I have worked on. The design is simple and easy to use. The FIXAR team has taken the care and effort to ensure any RPAS operator can use this excellent platform for BVLOS applications.
BVLOS permission a big deal for FIXAR
Because of its design, the FIXAR 007 is suited for a variety of longer-range tasks that require BVLOS flight. Think infrastructure inspection, photogrammetry, small deliveries (the drone can carry a two-kilogram payload, which is 4.4 pounds). It also has a 60-kilometer range and uses its own mission planning software for autonomous flight. Here’s the relevant section from the news release:
The BVLOS operations unlock plenty of opportunities for drone operators, taking advantage of Canada’s vast geography. While providing complete autonomy, FIXAR’s UAV is the perfect tool for first responders, complex tasks such as large area photogrammetry and mapping, disaster management, last-mile deliveries to isolated regions, as well as urban planning, and much more. Most importantly, autonomous drones that are eligible for BVLOS operations prevent humans from being placed in a dangerous situation, increasing the efficiency of the missions that are often outside VLOS.
FIXAR inventor and CEO pleased over BVLOS
Unsurprisingly, this all comes as good news to Vasily Lukashov, the company’s founder and CEO:
We’re excited to be one of the first European UAV developers to receive authorization to commercialize drones for BVLOS flights in Canada. This acknowledgment of FIXAR solutions’ robustness gives us a great benefit to expedite the process of the authorization for BVLOS flights in other countries as well.
Volatus Aerospace
There’s been considerable interest in the FIXAR design. Enough, in fact, that the drone is going to be manufactured in Ontario by Volatus Aerospace (we covered that announcement here).
FYI, if you’re interested in ordering a FIXAR 007, the Canadian retailer is Omniview. You can also purchase via FIXAR.pro.
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