Sensis Centaero BVLOS Fixed Wing
in October AUVSI NE UAS and AAM Summit, BVLOS flights were a major topic of conversation. With no clear guidance on when the BVLOS rules will be released, businesses will still have to rely on the waiver process. Abby Smith, deputy executive director of his UAS Integration Office at the Federal Aviation Administration, made his presentation remotely at the summit, noting that the FAA is working to streamline the waiver system to provide rules. Admitted. “As BVLOS operations continue to expand, one-off approvals are beyond the FAA’s bandwidth,” Smith said.
This is a serious problem, challenging both the under-resourced FAA and the drone industry. DRONELIFE met with UAS Operations and Regulatory Specialist Rob Knochenhauer on how companies can approach his BVLOS exemption application.
Knochenhauer is Director of Regulatory Affairs at Censys Technologies, a US-based manufacturer of fixed-wing drones designed for BVLOS applications. He has been in the drone industry since his 2015 and has worked closely with the FAA as the BVLOS application evolved. Censys has so far achieved his 100% success rate in working with customers to obtain waivers. Knochenhauer says he has three things applicants can do to make the FAA’s evaluation easier and increase their chances of success.
- Please read and follow the guidance. For Knochenhauer, the most important place to start is Disclaimer Safety Briefing Guidance from the FAA. “The FAA gave us what we were looking for,” he says. “Every time I give a presentation, I tell companies to start there and follow the guidelines as much as possible.
- don’t assume. The FAA is responsible for the safety and security of national airspace, Knochenhauer notes. “They can’t make any assumptions about what your company might or might not do, and what they guess and know about your technology. You can’t even make any assumptions about it.” That means you have to explain everything in detail and be specific about how you will handle all contingencies. The safety guidelines of the waiver require businesses to “how to ensure operational safety at all times, even in abnormal circumstances” and “what kinds of situations may arise and how to deal with each of them.” Are you planning to do so?” Here, Knochenhauer says companies need to answer these questions precisely and spell out their risk mitigation strategies.
- Contact your partner. Finally, Knochenhauer suggests companies partner with each other as needed to add important functionality. “You have to think carefully about what you’re trying to achieve,” he says. “BVLOS operations require airspace awareness and risk mitigation on the ground. We may need to partner with tools that are better suited to our application, such as Detect and Avoid (DAA).”
More information on Censys Technologies and BVLOS flights can be found here.
Miriam McNabb is editor-in-chief of DRONELIFE, CEO of professional drone services marketplace JobForDrones, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and drone regulatory environment. With her 3,000+ articles focused on the commercial drone space, Miriam is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam holds a degree from the University of Chicago and has over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, please email Miriam.
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