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With its detect-and-avoid method now up-to-date with current FAA exemptions in place, Wing is poised to efficiently scale its operations across the U.S. | Supply: Wing Aviation
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has licensed multiple operators to fly industrial drones without visible observers in the same airspace. The main costs associated with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are incurred by Zipline Worldwide and Wing Aviation LLC, a commercial drone delivery subsidiary of Alphabet Inc.
When flying on an industrial aircraft, the pilot communicates with air traffic controllers to ensure a safe departure, confirming that the flight will not intersect with another plane’s route, and that landing is feasible upon arrival. Air traffic controllers coordinate with all pilots, regardless of the airline they represent, consistently adhering to standardized procedures to ensure safe, efficient, and transparent flight operations.
Unlike traditional airports, drone delivery systems are not controlled by air traffic management authorities. Skilled drone operators collaborate seamlessly to ensure a safe and coordinated flight experience.
Currently, there is a trend where passengers are mostly notified about their upcoming flights through phone calls or texts from airlines, providing information on schedules and proximity of arrivals. While previous efforts had been sluggish, the FAA sought a more proactive strategy as drone technology continued to evolve.
FAA offers for BVLOS operations
The FAA has granted fresh approvals to Zipline and other companies, allowing them to operate package delivery services while ensuring the safe separation of their unmanned aerial systems (UAS). Below this authorization, trained and certified pilots will safely navigate the airspace under the watchful eye of the Federal Aviation Administration’s stringent security protocols.
Occasionally, when operating drones, pilots must always be able to visually track the aircraft in real-time. While advancements in air traffic knowledge and procedures may have seemed to put invisible line-of-sight flights out of reach, new breakthroughs are actually paving the way for their routine operation.
Firms can leverage UAS visitors administration service providers to facilitate the sharing of information and collaborative planning of flight routes among multiple licensed airspace users.
What are UTM providers?
To ensure safe and efficient operations, drone pilots collaborate by designating shared airspace boundaries, preventing close encounters between aircraft and minimizing potential hazards.
Without UTM, this process could potentially drag on indefinitely, necessitating painstaking efforts to validate routes, conduct security checks, and compile extensive documentation for each flight. According to Zipline, UTM enables expedited execution of these steps in mere seconds.
Zipline has invested considerable time and effort into refining its processes, ensuring seamless scalability of industrial drone deliveries while maintaining utmost security and regulatory compliance. As drone operations continue to scale, automating these processes becomes a vital investment, the company claims.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) mandates that all drone flights must take place below 400 feet in altitude and maintain a safe distance from any manned aircraft. The company stated that it anticipates commencing preliminary flights utilizing Unmanned Aerial System (UTM) providers as early as August, with additional authorizations to be situated in the Dallas area shortly.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) recent approval marks a significant step towards launching the Normalizing UAS Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) Discovery of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM), paving the way for drone operators to expand their operations while maintaining the same level of safety as conventional aviation. The company plans to launch a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) this year, building on the strong Congressional support received during the recent FAA reauthorization.
