SiFly

For years, scaling drone operations has largely meant one thing: buying more docks. Whether it’s public safety agencies launching Drone as First Responder (DFR) programs or utility companies inspecting power lines, the formula has been fairly straightforward, with each drone typically needing its own dedicated dock. But according to California-based drone company SiFly Aviation, that approach becomes expensive and inefficient pretty quickly once operations start growing. Now, the company says it has a better idea.

One of the biggest hurdles for drone expansion in America is simple: seeing where they are in the sky. That’s especially true as drones begin flying farther, longer, and beyond the pilot’s direct line of sight. Now, SiFly Aviation says it has taken a meaningful step toward solving that problem through a new partnership with ADS-B Exchange.

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.