Drone Delivery Canada Corp. (DDC) successfully passed its parachute safety system air-deployment test as well as automated motor safety shut-off, progressing the company’s ambition for fully autonomous missions.
Using the Canary drone, DDC was able to climb the drone to 5,900 ft with a full payload of 4.5 kilograms. The team also tested the drone for cold and hot weather, forcing it to perform at -35° C and 50° C.
The team also flew the drone at a maximum range of 21 kilometers to test the validity of the drone’s range and payload capabilities. Finally, the parachute was successfully deployed, which will allow Tranport Canada to fly the Canary drone over people and cities.
"The team has made incredible progress with the flight test program and validation to bring to market a drone to enable flights over people,” said Steve Magirias, CEO of DDC. “A drone like the Canary, with a weight-class of under 55 lbs, will bring new opportunities and use cases for the healthcare sector as well as the retail environment.”
Further testing is being done on systems for drone delivery such as detect-and-avoid facilitating beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations and to reduce operational costs and boost safety.
