FAA

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uAvionix Awarded FAA Contract to Advance BVLOS Operations

uAvionix, a leader in avionics solutions for uncrewed and crewed aircraft, announced today that it has been awarded a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) contract to advance the commercial use of Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (UAS) in the National Airspace System (NAS). The contract aims to develop highly reliable Command and Control (C2) communications for extended Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations across challenging terrains. Partnering with the University of Alaska Fairbanks UAS Test Site, uAvionix will employ its Link Executive Manager (LEM) to fuse LTE, Iridium SATCOM, and C-Band communications links to deliver uninterrupted and reliable C2 during long-range BVLOS flights along an Alaskan pipeline.

Reliance on a single link or common infrastructure isn’t always feasible in remote and mountainous terrain. Having multiple, seamless connections to the aircraft from airborne and ground-based communications provides the safety and flexibility needed to reliably perform these complex operations. Flying for extended ranges with many transitions between communications paths and frequencies will provide the data needed to support FAA rule making and reinforce the concept that using UAS technology can be used safely and economically across all types of terrain and infrastructure.

Cyriel Kronenburg of uAvionix

The current practice for BVLOS flights in the National Airspace involves obtaining FAA waivers or exemptions, which often rely on a single active C2 link with a single alternate standby link. Challenging terrain conditions, such as those found in Alaska, can significantly impact the availability of both the primary and alternate links resulting in difficulties satisfying the risk analysis for the BVLOS approval, or worse a lost link condition and failure of the UAS mission. uAvionix, in collaboration with the FAA, will work on a system that integrates cellular networks, Iridium SATCOM, and aviation protected C-Band into an assured C2 communications system consisting of multiple concurrent links using both frequency and path diversity to minimize the risk of lost links over adverse topography.

This innovative system will be controlled by a Link Executive Manager (LEM) through the SkyLine cloud-based platform, ensuring seamless and automatic switching between radios to maintain optimal and uninterrupted communication irrespective of ground conditions. Test flights will take place at the Alaska UAS test site, where achieving path and link diversity is challenging due to limited cellular coverage, high tower installation costs and mountains that block radio frequency signals.

We have a consistent track record of collaboration and success with the FAA. This contract builds upon that success and demonstrates our commitment to advancing BVLOS operations for the industry. By developing Command and Control Communications Service Provider (C2CSP) infrastructure, we are advancing the commercial viability of UAS operations while maintaining safety and efficiency for UAS operators.

Christian Ramsey, Managing Director for Uncrewed Aviation at uAvionix

The initiative represents a significant step towards making BVLOS operations a more regular part of the UAS industry and follows swiftly on the heels of uAvionix receiving an FAA Exemption to fly BVLOS on the Vantis network that utilizes the uAvionix C2CSP infrastructure to connect other technologies for mission control and detect and avoid.

27 March 2024

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You Already Knew Drones Are Safe. Here’s More Proof, By The Numbers.

In ‘Viewpoints, the Official DJI Blog’ Brendan Shulman talks about drone safety, crunching the numbers to show that drones are the safest form of aviation.

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Drones are the safest form of aviation the world has ever known. That’s a bold claim – but it’s true. At DJI, we know this because we’ve done the math. Take a look for yourself.

We researched the issue earlier this year because we wanted to quantify what drone operators already know intuitively: drones are very safe. The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) proposed a rule for identifying airborne drones that we worried would be too costly and complicated to be successful; we suspected those burdens were far out of proportion to the risk posed by drones.

DJI already knew that anecdotal evidence about drone safety was unreliable. Last year we released our “Elevating Safety” report, which methodically reviewed the available evidence about drones supposedly experiencing collisions or near-misses with airplanes and helicopters. Our study showed that most “drone sightings” – and even “drone collisions” – involve birds, bats, balloons, or nothing at all.

But there’s no substitute for data. And we had some available.

For more, read on.

by Brendan Shulman, VP of Policy & Public Affairs at DJI

20th November 2020

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Drone-Based Reseeding Service Gains BVLOS Approval

DroneSeed UAV

DroneSeed, a startup that uses drone swarms to deliver seed payloads to restore forests and rangelands after wildfires, has announced that the company has been awarded an additional amendment to its FAA Part 333 exemption that will enable it to operate its seed-planting drones Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS).

DroneSeed has previously earned the first and only approval by the FAA to operate heavy-lift drone swarms of up to five aircraft each carrying more than 57 lbs., which has allowed the company to secure contracts for post-fire restoration and forestry projects for The Nature Conservancy, Tribal entities and major timber companies. DroneSeed’s unmanned aircraft use “pucks” containing seeds, fertilizers and other amendments designed to boost seed survival, and this method of post-fire replanting can eliminate delays of 18-36 months waiting for seedlings to grow in a nursery.

The new ability to operate drones beyond a pilot’s view will provide access to areas that need post-fire replanting but lack a nearby road. The drone-based solution will also improve safety – scorched timber that is left onsite can fall over and kill workers performing manual replanting. Natural forest regeneration is also in decline due to climate change, with 40% of post-fire Northwest forests at risk of state-shift to grassy scrublands. DroneSeed can safely and efficiently replant seed vessels that boost survival rates immediately after a fire, deploying them with greater precision and efficacy by targeting areas called ‘microsites’ where regrowth has its best odds.

Grant Canary, Founder and CEO of DroneSeed, commented: “In an age where wildfires are both more severe, yet the new normal, and natural forest regeneration is declining rapidly, we need better tools such as drone swarms to have a shot at keeping the forests we have in addition to planting more trees to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.”

 

by Mike Ball for Unmanned Systems News

16th December 2019