In just a few years, drones have emerged as a transformative force for business intelligence and operations. And with the introduction of technology that enables Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight, we can go farther and gather more information than ever before. Check out our whitepaper for the full BVLOS assessment.
As opposed to Visual Line of Sight, BVLOS flights are performed out of visual range. BVLOS capabilities enable a drone to cover far greater distances, significantly improving the economics and feasibility of many commercial operations.
For all the promise of BVLOS, one major hurdle has prevented nearly all American operators from reaping its full economic benefit.
To conduct commercial BVLOS operations, businesses must be granted a BVLOS Part 107 Waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or work with a provider who has one. To obtain the waiver, operators must prove to the FAA that their drone operations can be conducted safely without endangering other aircraft or people and property on the ground or in the air.
But how do you demonstrate safety? How can you mitigate the risks? What data points are involved?
Without direct answers to these questions, the failure rate for obtaining a waiver is staggeringly high - over 99% of BVLOS waiver applications have been rejected by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
In 2015, in an effort to to accelerate discovery and inform regulation on drones, the FAA chartered a new initiative. It partnered with three private U.S. companies to gather actionable data on real drone applications and safety scenarios. The project was named The Pathfinder Initiative.
PrecisionHawk was one of the three companies selected to collaborate with the FAA. In developing our fieldwork on operational and safety practices, we considered the following issues:
Without a compelling safety case that addresses these issues, most organizations that would stand to benefit from augmenting their operations with BVLOS drones are locked out of capitalizing on the technology’s full potential.
Until Now.
In partnership with the FAA, PrecisionHawk recently concluded three years of fieldwork aimed at developing operational and safety practices. To help enable BVLOS flight for everyone in the industry, we’ve captured our findings in a free, easy-to-read whitepaper.
In our new whitepaper, Opening The Skies To Beyond Visual Line of Sight Drone Operations, we outline everything you need to know on how to conduct successful BVLOS operations, including:
It’s time to take your drone technology out of sight. Read our whitepaper to learn how.