FAA Approves Beyond Visual Line of Sight Operations for 3 UAS Firms

Phoenix Air Unmanned, UPS Flight Forward, and uAvionix each received authorization to fly drones without the watchful eye of a remote pilot.

Jack Daleo

Wednesday, September 06, 2023 at 04:12 PM ET

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UPS Flight Forward will use Matternet’s UPS-branded M2 drone to deliver small packages beyond the pilot’s line of sight. [Courtesy: UPS]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has authorized three firms (UPS Flight Forward, uAvionix, and Phoenix Air Unmanned) to conduct drone operations beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS), enabling longer flights and new commercial applications.
These initial BVLOS approvals are a strategic move by the FAA to gather crucial data, which will inform the development of standardized rules for safely integrating drones into the national airspace.
The FAA plans to streamline future BVLOS authorizations through "summary grants," allowing other companies to quickly obtain approval by replicating the operational models established by these pioneering firms for various use cases.
These authorizations are expected to accelerate the growth of the UAS industry, paving the way for advanced drone services like parcel delivery and infrastructure inspections.

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A trio of firms just received FAA authorization to fly unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) where their operators can’t see them.

The agency on Wednesday approved drone parcel delivery operator and UPS subsidiary Flight Forward and avionics provider uAvionix for UAS operations beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of a remote pilot, opening the door to longer flights, new markets, and fewer restrictions on ground personnel. The authorizations follow the FAA’s granting of similar permissions to drone inspection provider Phoenix Air Unmanned (PAU) in August.