The FAA has approved Wing’s detect and avoid (DAA) approach for its beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations without visual observers through a summary grant, which will allow its drones to use Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast-based (ADS-B) DAA inside a major area of Dallas airspace where traditional aircraft are required to continually broadcast their position.
While Wing has already been serving customers at a 6 mile radius from nests in Frisco, this summary grant enables it to move toward BVLOS operations without visual observers across Dallas and similar airspace surrounding other major US cities, adding to the momentum of the drone delivery industry at large.
Wing flies within underutilized airspace over populated areas and conducts comprehensive aviation community outreach, recognizing and working with other users of the surrounding airspace. Its holistic approach to BVLOS flight has been used for commercial deliveries on three continents for several years. It is grounded in avoiding potential conflict before flights ever take off and utilizes in-flight DAA to add an additional layer of safety. Wing has demonstrated the effectiveness and safety of this approach with operational flight data, extensive simulation, and flight test.
Overall, the FAA’s approval for DAA and recognition of broader strategic deconfliction and UTM applications will allow it to operate more efficiently and work toward scaled operations nationwide. Starting with communities across the Dallas-Fort Worth area, this action supports its path toward expanding its service across the US. Wing’s fast-mile drone delivery at scale could save the Dallas-Fort Worth community several millions of hours each year which would have otherwise been spent driving to the store or delivering packages on the road.
Source: Wing Blog