A long-range gas-electric drone has completed the first civilian beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) flight conducted without observers under rules set forth by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the drone’s manufacturer says.
Skyfront said Wednesday that the flight by its Perimeter 4 hybrid drone was “a significant step toward the safe integration of unmanned aerial vehicles into the national airspace.”
The company said the Perimeter 4 was flown in accordance with U.S. Federal Aviation Regulations Part 107 rules for the operation of small unmanned aircraft — those weighing less than 55 lb (25 kg). One provision of those rules says that the drones are to be flown within the visual line of sight of the operator or a visual observer.
In this case, the BVLOS flight was approved by the FAA. It was conducted over what was described as mountainous terrain above a 4 mi (6 km) length of the Trans-Alaska pipeline.
The drone …
