Drone startup Flytrex and its partner Causey Aviation unmanned (CAU) have received an exemption from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to remotely fly drones beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) without visual observers.
Flytrex said the FAA exemption is one of the most advanced regulatory approvals to date and will the companies to mass scale drone delivery after meeting certain conditions and limitations. This certification follows CAU’s part 135 certification approval that allowed Flytrex to expand its drone delivery service nationwide for food, drinks and other goods.
This comes after Flytrex got approved in July of 2022 to expand drone delivery services up to two nautical miles, potentially reaching about 100,000 eligible customers across its operating services.
“As the DoorDash of the sky, we are always striving to offer safer, more efficient, and cost-effective alternatives to traditional delivery methods – BVLOS operations allow us to do just that, on a massive scale,” said Yariv Bash, CEO and co-founder of Flytrex.
The importance of BVLOS
The FAA has been accelerating its approval for BVLOS aircraft as drone delivery for packages and food is proliferating globally and issued its final drone BVLOS guidelines last year.
BVLOS allows drone operators to conduct complex drone operations where the device flies beyond a point where the operator can see it. This could be through a camera attached to the drone or for autonomous flight operations without a pilot.
BVLOS is seen as the next great chapter in drone delivery and drone operations as it will allow these unmanned aircraft to travel farther than ever before. This could be for reconnaissance missions for the military or rescue maneuvers for first responders or startups taking packages across larger distances to expand last-mile logistics operations. For parcel delivery, this will allow drones to reach even more consumers than before, giving a new option for last-mile logistics.
