FAA Eyes Beyond Visual Line of Sight Approvals for 4 More Firms

Phoenix Air Unmanned, uAvionix, Zipline, and UPS Flight Forward have applied for BVLOS waivers.

Jack Daleo

Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 03:33 PM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has opened a 20-day public comment period for four major aviation firms—Phoenix Air Unmanned, uAvionix, Zipline, and UPS Flight Forward—seeking waivers for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations.
These waivers would enable expanded commercial drone use in areas such as aerial data acquisition and drone delivery by allowing aircraft to be flown where they cannot be seen by the pilot.
The FAA uses data from these waivered operations to inform and develop a comprehensive regulatory framework for BVLOS flights, as a final rule for such operations is not yet in sight.
Approvals are anticipated, likely with safety mitigations and data-reporting requirements, to gather essential information for future industry-wide regulations.

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More than a year after the FAA published the final, nearly 400-page report from its beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) advisory rulemaking committee (ARC), the agency has opened the door to expanded unmanned operations for four major aviation players.

On Tuesday, the FAA announced it is seeking public comment on four requests for BVLOS waivers that would allow remote pilots to fly their aircraft where they can’t see them. The requests come from aerial data acquisition firm Phoenix Air Unmanned, unmanned aviation services provider uAvionix, and drone delivery firms Zipline and UPS Flight Forward.