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 authorized three firms—Flight Forward (parcel delivery), uAvionix (avionics testing), and Phoenix Air Unmanned (inspections)—for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations, with medical delivery firm Zipline expected to follow.
These authorizations are a strategic move by the FAA to gather critical data from diverse use cases, which will inform the development of standard BVLOS rules and safely integrate drones into the National Airspace System.
The approvals pave the way for longer drone flights, new market opportunities, and fewer restrictions on ground personnel, with the FAA aiming to offer streamlined "summary grants" for similar operations in the future.

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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.