Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS)

Leading global instant logistics company Zipline has passed another major milestone in its operational evolution – and in the future scaling of the entire drone delivery sector – by obtaining authorization from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights.

Drone delivery startup Flytrex has announced an upgrade of the method it uses to upload food orders destined for customer households, as part of an effort to reduce processing and transport time and permit the company to continue expanding its aerial business activity.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced a trio of significant decisions late Wednesday, including issuance of type certification to Ondas Holding unit Airobotics’ Optimus-1EX automated drone platform, in what’s being touted as the “first non-air carrier drone designed for autonomous security and data capture.” 

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized Phoenix Air Unmanned to operate a Swiss-made drone weighing up to 191.8 pounds beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) for certain types of aerial works. This is the first time a drone of this size has received an exemption for commercial BVLOS operations by the FAA.

The North Carolina Department of Transport (NCDOT) has earned its second Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver to operate routine drone inspection missions in beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) mode, and will use that with craft from docked stations it plans to deploy near construction sites around the state.

Birdstop, a California-based company that operates a drone network across the US akin to a constellation of satellites on the ground, has scooped up $2.3 million in new funding. The startup says it will use the funds to buy more drones that can inspect critical infrastructure and grow its AI capabilities.

Swiss drone delivery company RigiTech has further expanded its zone of international activity with the launch of trial beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights of medical supplies in Uruguay.

Up-and-coming drone delivery company RigiTech has followed breakthrough successes in France and its domestic market of Switzerland with a new achievement in Denmark, developing a specialized payload lowering system that enables fast and precise transportation of parts to offshore wind farms.

Aerial transport company Drone Delivery Canada has added new capacities to its growing array of UAV activities by obtaining approval from regulators for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights of dangerous goods as part of its Care by Air program.

The US House of Representatives has added to Washington’s flurry of legislative initiatives in recent months surrounding future airline, drone, next-generation aircraft, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) activity, with a new committee proposal that – among many, many other things – sets deadlines for creating new rules on beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations by UAVs.

Specialized drone services company sees.ai has obtained what it describes as unprecedented authorization to conduct routine beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) inspections of live overhead electricity infrastructure in the UK.

Leading US drone manufacturer and autonomous flight specialist Skydio has been granted broad, open-ended authorization to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) missions by aviation regulators in Japan – certification made all the more remarkable in being valid across the entire country.

Infrastructure inspections are a routine task for businesses like Valmont Industries. But a recent mission from Valmont is making headlines because it saw the company flying a gas-electric hybrid drone nonstop for 77 miles! The drone flew for almost three hours, from Childress to Aspermont in Texas, inspecting vital infrastructure like power lines, railroads, bridges, and more.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is seeking public comment on requests by four companies to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations at or below 400 feet. These companies are Zipline, UPS Flight Forward, Phoenix Air Unmanned, and uAvionix.

Leading drone delivery company and longtime Walmart aerial transportation partner DroneUp is partnering with Israeli startup Wonder Robotics in an effort to increase the autonomy and efficiency of its UAV operations.

Drone data-gathering company Phoenix Air Unmanned (PAU) has received a nation-wide waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to use Flyfree’s Alta X UAVs during beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) powerline infrastructure inspection missions for clients.

Japan Post is moving quickly with its plans to introduce mail drone delivery services in the country, and has staged its maiden parcel drop to a private home following the company’s first flight over a populated area.

Drone safe navigation tech specialist Iris Automation will be supplying UAV services company Flying Lion with its ground-based Casia G and detect and avoid system to permit faster deployment of urgent first responder missions by client police departments.

Six months after getting mandatory approval from regulators, Swiss drone delivery company RigiTech began the first regular beyond visual line of sight (BVLOSL) operations in France on Monday, providing aerial shuttles of blood and biological samples between testing labs.

Electric utility ComEd says it is expanding its drone program to allow pilots to operate inspection drones remotely, without being present on site. The utility has secured all the necessary waivers required from the FAA to conduct operations in which the drone flies beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of the operator. And it is currently training pilots to automate drone flights using the Skydio Dock docking and recharging station.

A group of next-generation UK aviation tech companies and associated organizations have released a white paper urging the government and national regulators to move quickly to create rules enabling effective integration of beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights by drones and other craft into the airspace, and unleashing their full potential economic contributions that risk being undermined if such activity is held back.