Approval Heralds Dawn of Safe BVLOS Operations in N.D.

The Federal Aviation Administration has granted uAvionix approval to conduct Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) drone flights utilizing Vantis, North Dakota’s first-of-its-kind UAS system. uAvionix, with support from the Northern Plains UAS Test Site, demonstrated to FAA personnel that it had established adequate risk mitigations to satisfy requisite safety standards for the specified BVLOS operation within the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS). The precedent-setting approval speaks to the FAA’s determination that the Vantis system meets applicable requirements of industry consensus standards or an alternative set of requirements ensuring safe integration of routine BVL

Summer Courses for 2024 Now Open for Registration

The EAA has opened reservations for its summer teen education programs for 2024. The EAA Air Academy in Oshkosh, Wisconsin offers 12 to 18-year olds an aviation focused getaway, with 3 different skill and experience levels available. The first, the Young Eagles Camp, is appropriate for ages 12 to 13, and runs for 2 4-day spans in June. That tempo stands for each course, allowing a brief respite between sessions before jumping right back into the mix after a 2-day break. The second level is the EAA Basic Air Academy, for ages 14 to 15, held at the tail end of June to the 2nd week in July. The highest level, the EAA Advanced Air Academy, targets the 16 to 18 crowd with sessions running in late July t

Companies to Develop Infrastructure and Charging Support

Volatus Infrastructure, LLC signed a Memorandum Of Understanding (MOU) with LEO Flight by which the two concerns will collaborate to provide manufacturing support for LEO’s wireless VertiStop charging technology. Volatus will also supply the Indiana-based electric Vertical Take-Off and Landing (eVTOL) manufacturer with vertiport infrastructure.

Low-Altitude BVLOS Solution Pending

Iris Automation, a startup company about the business of developing an artificial intelligence-based collision-avoidance system for Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) has partnered with uAvionix to integrate the former’s Casia G ground-based collision avoidance data into uAvionix’s SkyLine services for combined Command and Control (C2) and Detect and Avoid (DAA) services. The described combination stands to enable operators of uncrewed aircraft to obtain comprehensive low-altitude airspace awareness and best-in-class command-and-control connectivity at price-points not antithetical to the economic advantages instantiated by small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS).

Commencement of UPS Drone Deliveries Imminent?

Matternet, a developer of commercial drone-delivery systems for urban and suburban environments, disclosed on 07 September 2023 that its partner-organization, UPS Flight Forward (UPSFF), a wholly owned subsidiary of United Parcel Service (UPS), was granted FAA approval to undertake Beyond Visual Line Of Sight (BVLOS) operations with the former’s Matternet M2 drone.