Top 3 Things Applying BVLOS Waiver

Censys Sentaero BVLOS Fixed Wing

At October’s AUVSI NE UAS and AAM Summit, BVLOS flight was a major topic of conversation.  With no clear guidance on when the BVLOS rule will be released, companies must still rely upon a waiver process.  Abby Smith, Deputy Executive Director , Office of UAS Integration at Federal Aviation Administration delivered a remote presentation at the Summit, and acknowledged that FAA is working to streamline the waiver system as they work to deliver a rule.  “As BVLOS operations continue to expand, one-off approvals exceed the bandwidth of the FAA,” Smith said.

It’s a serious issue, one that challenges both a resource-strapped FAA and the drone industry.  DRONELIFE met with Rob Knochenhauer, UAS Operations and Regulatory Specialist, about how companies can approach a BVLOS waiver application.

Knochenhauer is the Director of Regulatory Affairs at Censys Technologies, US-based manufacturer of a fixed-wing drone designed for BVLOS…