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 subsidiary Flight Forward, uAvionix, and Phoenix Air Unmanned—to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations, with medical delivery provider Zipline's approval expected soon.
These authorizations enable expanded drone use cases, including parcel delivery, inspections, and advanced technology testing, allowing for longer flight ranges and reduced reliance on ground personnel.
The FAA will use data from these approvals to develop standard BVLOS rules, aiming for safe and scalable integration of drones into the National Airspace System and facilitating quicker "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.