Britain’s Civil Aviation Authority will allow a West Sussex-based drone company to operate regular flights beyond the pilot’s line of sight. It’s to test the safety of the technology. And it could be the beginning of a logistical transformation, leading to delivering parcels by drone.

Unless they have specific clearance, drone operators in the UK must be able to see their machines at all time while in flight. And it’s typically illegal to fly drones over populated areas.

However, the drone firm Sees.ai is the first UK company with permission to fly Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. It’s a test project, and flights must be under 150 feet. An observer will still need to spot the drone and communicate with the pilot if necessary. But the pilot could be hundreds of miles away. Sees.ai will test the concept in industrial environments for inspection and maintenance purposes.

This could be the beginning of using drones for broader uses, such as deliveries.

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Source: dronedj.com