Drones Go Long With BVLOS Waivers
/As a media company, we get sent companies’ news, and this year, we’ve had more press releases than ever about new BVLOS waivers.
BVLOS—or Beyond Visual Line of Sight—waivers are administered by the FAA to regulate permissions for operating aircraft outside of where a pilot has direct visual contact. These waivers are vital for the continued adoption of aerial drone programs.
Currently, the FAA reviews BVLOS requests on an individual basis—a process the FAA and drone experts are working to streamline. As the process is improved, DRONELIFE talked to Rob Knochenhauer, UAS Operations and Regulatory Specialist, about how companies can approach a BVLOS waiver application.
While we tend to lump them into one big category, there are actually different types of BVLOS waivers, including “extended” line of site waivers, EVLOS:
From sphere drones
EVLOS with chase aircraft
EVLOS with visual observers
BVLOS with infrastructure masking
True BVLOS with no visual observers
Automated BVLOS for fully remote operations
Some recent BVLOS waiver approvals include:
Percepto, which is now approved for nationwide BVLOS operations
Dominion Energy can operate Skydio drones BVLOS in seven states
Houston-based Soaring Eagle earned approval for BVLOS operation up to 61 linear miles, one of the longest distances awarded
PGE, which is approved for BVLOS operations for the entire state of California
And many more
The FAA released its BVLOS report earlier this year and continues to work on overhauling the regulations and approval processes for waivers. Until then, drone operators and energy companies working to scale drone programs will work within the established limitations.
Maybe we’re finally at the point where streamlined approval isn’t out of sight for Energy Ops.
