BVLOS

The DroneUp Ecosystem includes a next-generation drone platform, autonomous software, and ground infrastructure.

The partners will begin flying out of a single Wendy’s location in Christiansburg, Virginia, with plans to expand the service to other U.S. cities later this year.

The drone delivery company will no longer be required to have a pilot or visual observer watch its aircraft in the sky.

The new design doesn’t yet have a name, but it’s built to carry orders the company requires two drones to deliver.

Zipline plans to expand to the U.K., while Wing was approved for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights without visual observers.

The flight follows Zipline’s FAA approval to remove visual observers from its drone delivery operations, opening up longer routes and more customers.

The alliance represents Zipline’s fourth with a major U.S. health system in 2023, following agreements with Intermountain Healthcare, OhioHealth, and Michigan Medicine.

The company, owned by Google parent Alphabet, gave FLYING an inside look at its new service outside Dallas as drone delivery gathers momentum in the U.S.

The agency also approved UPS Flight Forward, uAvionix, and Phoenix Air Unmanned for extended operations.

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