General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has received a Certificate of Waiver or Authorization (COA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations by utilizing a Ground-based Sense and Avoid (GBSAA) system. The GBSAA system provides an alternative to using a more costly and operationally restrictive chase aircraft. Continue reading
Category Archives: Regulatory Matters
Airbus Aerial Gets Waiver for Urban BVLOS UAS Flight Operations Over Populated Areas
Airbus Aerial has been granted a waiver by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) operations in Grand Forks, ND without the need for a visual observer. Continue reading
Kansas Approved for First BVLOS Drone Flight
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) received permission to conduct the first ever Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operation in the nation leveraging only onboard detect-and-avoid systems. This is the first-ever FAA authorized operation to fly without a requirement for visual observers or ground-based radar and is the result of the 31-member Kansas Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP) team efforts to advance drone technologies. Continue reading
AirMap Demonstrates Dynamic Flight Plan Modification Capabilities During European U-space Trials
On August 13, 2019, AirMap and SESAR JU GOF USPACE partners completed a successful demonstration of the ability to dynamically modify a drone flight plan in-flight within a UTM system during an exercise simulating a marine search and rescue operation. Continue reading
Kansas Gets First BVLOS Waiver
The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) received permission to conduct the first ever Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operation in the nation leveraging only onboard detect-and-avoid systems. Continue reading
FAA Approves Drone Food Delivery in North Carolina
Drone company Flytrex and the drone services company Causey Aviation Unmanned, Inc. (CAU) received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to begin food deliveries by drone in Holly Springs, North Carolina. As part of the FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP) and in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Transportation (NCDOT), Causey Aviation, the Town of Holly Springs, and Kite Realty Group Trust Flytrex will soon begin its on-demand, unmanned food delivery via commercial drones for local residents. Continue reading
Skyfront Perimeter Drone Performs First BVLOS Flight under FAA Part 107
Skyfront’s Perimeter 4 long-range hybrid gas-electric drone successfully performed the first civilian beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight without visual observers under the FAA’s Part 107 rules. This flight is a significant step toward the safe integration of unmanned aerial vehicles into the national airspace. Continue reading
HAPSMobile Receives Authorization to Fly in Stratosphere Above Hawaii
HAPSMobile Inc., a subsidiary of SoftBank Corp., announced that it received a COA2 (Certificate of Authorization) from the FAA (US Federal Aviation Administration) to fly “HAWK30,” a solar-powered unmanned aircraft assembled in April 2019 to provide a stratospheric telecommunications platform system, in the Hawaiian island of Lanai’s stratosphere. Continue reading





