On the Business UAV Expo in Las Vegas, NV on September 6, 2023, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) introduced its approval of the uAvionix petition for exemption to, amongst others, 14 CFR 91.113(b) and 14 CFR 61.3(a)(1) to function an Uncrewed Plane System (UAS) Past Visible Line of Sight (BVLOS) in North Dakota by using the Vantis Command and Management (C2) and Detect and Keep away from (DAA) community. Particularly, the exemption grants using the Vantis community to fulfill right-of-way rules and the requirement for the operator to carry a pilot’s license underneath Half 61.
Wow, that’s a mouthful! Right here’s what simply occurred, and why it’s necessary. This summer time, the FAA requested for public touch upon 4 (4) requests for exemptions by completely different UAS operators who symbolize a broad set of use circumstances with the intent that these exemptions may very well be rulemaking – i.e., precedent setting, with a purpose to assist transfer the trade ahead within the absence of formal BVLOS guidelines.
The uAvionix exemption is completely different than the use circumstances within the different submissions in that it’s a request for infrastructure approval. Whereas uAvionix is the sharp finish of the spear with our identify on the exemption, the community infrastructure, which supplies C2 and DAA functionality, was put collectively by the Vantis staff consisting of the Northern Plains UAS Check Website, Thales, uAvionix, and others. uAvionix has had the privilege of serving because the UAS producer and operator, and by contributing a number of key C2 and DAA applied sciences to the mission.
From the Vantis web site, its objective is to develop and implement a commercially operational UAS BVLOS flight system all through North Dakota and different states that may allow the UAS trade to develop. Aligned with that objective, our collective objective with this exemption was to create the blueprint for others to observe…and we did it!
Why is that this exemption milestone necessary? Isn’t it simply one other in a protracted string of waivers? Nope, they’re completely different. A waiver is actually a one-off with each waiver theoretically receiving the identical quantity of rigor and security evaluation (as they need to). Approval underneath an exemption supplies for repeatability – an exemption (which is technically rulemaking) may be referenced for future approvals in a a lot sooner method. Extra importantly it doesn’t simply apply to the unique applicant; it really works for the entire trade! With this exemption approval, the way in which is evident(er) for BVLOS operations, particularly in North Dakota, the place the infrastructure may be leveraged for repeatable operations. The identical, or comparable infrastructure can be utilized in different geographies. Sure, there’s nonetheless a course of, however the steps are confirmed, repeatable, and lead to demonstrably secure operations.
uAvionix want to thank all these concerned with Vantis – it’s a enormous staff and system of methods. Our SkyLine Command and Management Communications Service Supplier (C2CSP) platform and ADS-B community are main contributors, however don’t stand alone. Many months have been spent constructing, testing, putting in, flight testing, reinstalling, updating, flight testing, documenting, flight testing, analyzing and flight testing (once more) the system. We additionally want to thank the FAA for his or her forward-lean on reaching this milestone and by recognizing that third-party suppliers can present C2 and DAA providers to impartial operators as a strategy to scale the trade safely and successfully.
Official data from the FAA may be discovered within the Federal Register on the following tackle: https://www.federalregister.gov/paperwork/2023/05/25/2023-11025/petition-for-exemption-summary-of-petition-received-uavionix-corporation#:~:textual content=Descriptionpercent20ofpercent20Reliefpercent20Soughtpercent3Apercent20uAvionix,Halfpercent2091.113(b)%20waiverpercent20provisions
