Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS)

If you fly a DJI drone in the United States for professional purposes, buckle up: the Federal Aviation Administration’s new draft rule, FAA Part 108, could dramatically alter the way you operate. On paper, Part 108 is meant to finally normalize routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights at scale, a move many in the drone industry have been waiting for years. But as written, it could shut out much of the existing DJI fleet, or any other non-US-made drone that American pilots actually use every day.

Silicon Valley drone startup SiFly has officially claimed a Guinness World Record after flying its Q12 drone for more than three hours — nearly an hour longer than the previous record. The groundbreaking flight took place on July 26 at Amaral Ranches in California’s Salinas Valley, witnessed by eight official observers, including Apple Distinguished Engineer Paul Baker and NASA Ames Research Aerospace Engineer Chris Silva.

FlytBase is hitting the fast lane of drone autonomy with an ambitious plan: 14 major product updates unveiled over 14 straight days. The California-based software company announced the initiative on August 18, calling it “moving at AI speed.”

Flytrex just got the go-ahead from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), making it only the fourth US company to earn this coveted approval — joining Wing (Google), Amazon, and Zipline.

In a landmark move that could reshape the skies, the US Department of Transportation, under Secretary Sean P. Duffy, has proposed a sweeping new rule that would finally normalize Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations — a long-awaited milestone for the commercial drone industry. The draft rule, introduced as Part 108, is being hailed as a transformative framework that will allow drones to operate beyond the operator’s visual range without the need for individual waivers.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted DroneDeploy a nationwide waiver for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations, allowing the company to oversee large-scale construction projects remotely. Expectedly, the use of autonomous drones for monitoring critical infrastructure across the US can go up significantly.

California’s Elk Grove Police Department (EGPD) is officially soaring to new heights — literally. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted EGPD a groundbreaking Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) waiver, making them the first law enforcement agency in the US to fly drones at 400 feet across an entire city — without human spotters.

Censys Technologies is taking drone operations to the next level with the launch of Sentaero 6, a cutting-edge system designed to push Over the Horizon Beyond Visual Line of Sight (OTH BVLOS) operations forward. Engineered with direct customer feedback and built with regulatory advancements in mind, this American-made drone is designed for inspections, mapping, and surveying tasks.

Imagine a world where a single fleet of drones can patrol urban waterways, rescue struggling swimmers, and even deliver your lunch — all without a human pilot at the controls. That future is here, thanks to A2Z Drone Delivery.

Starting this fall, Canada will embrace groundbreaking updates to its drone regulations, ushering in a new era for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. These changes mark a departure from the labor-intensive, case-by-case approval process previously required by Transport Canada, paving the way for greater accessibility to low-risk BVLOS flights across the country.

Propeller Drones, an Israel-based drone service provider, has secured a $7 million contract with the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) to inspect electrical infrastructure using drones equipped with beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) capabilities. This collaboration, supported by cutting-edge Uncrewed Traffic Management (UTM) technology from Airwayz, marks the first government approval for pre-approved BVLOS operations in Israel.

Drone logistics specialist A2Z Drone Delivery has unveiled a new autonomous dock solution and a companion aircraft to support multiple simultaneous drone services. The new A2Z AirDock system enables drones to move between docks, automatically recharge, and pick up or deliver packages.

An Event38 employee shared on LinkedIn a tease of an upcoming addition to its E455 drones, SpaceX’s Starlink internet. This use would be linked to its BVLOS variant and would allow higher data rates over long distances with low latency and high reliability.

Dallas-area residents will soon witness a historic milestone in drone delivery. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted Alphabet’s Wing Aviation and Zipline International approval to operate their delivery drones simultaneously over the Dallas and Fort Worth suburbs without visual observers. Set to begin in August, these flights mark the first time commercial drones can operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) in the US, overcoming a major hurdle in drone delivery.

Amazon has gotten big news from US regulators that should help the online marketplace finally take its drone deliveries to another level: approval to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights across its Prime Air networks.

Long distance connectivity tech specialist Elsight has established its first foothold in Japan’s developing UAV market through a partnership it announced with the country’s leading drone manufacturer, ACSL.

Sphere Drones, one of Australia’s largest drone service providers, has introduced HubT, the next iteration of its innovative drone-in-a-box solutions for businesses. Leveraging the new DJI Dock 2 system, HubT comes as a fixed-site solution for automating repetitive tasks and beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations.

Australia’s Sphere Drones has achieved a significant regulatory milestone by procuring a beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) waiver from the country’s civil aviation authority.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has given security robotics company Asylon new approval for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations using the US-made DroneSentry drone-in-a-box system. The waiver removes the requirement for on-site personnel.

The Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) is launching the state’s first low-altitude UAV traffic management system (UTM) to permit safe scaling of drone operations, and eventually clear the way for routine beyond visual line of sight flights by professional service providers and public administrations.

Drone navigation and situational awareness tech startup Kongsberg Geospatial is partnering with advanced radar specialist Echodyne to provide what they describe as enhanced, uncluttered piloting interfaces to facilitate the scaling of beyond visual line of sight operations (BVLOS).