FAA grants uAvionix BVLOS approval for Vantis drone network

Maker of avionics tech for drones and other aircraft, uAvionix has received approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to perform beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights within North Dakota’s Vantis UAV network. 

The FAA issued BVLOS authorization to uAvionix following its demonstration of the risk mitigation and drone detect and avoid capabilities of its avionics tech. It did so on behalf of client Northern Plains UAS Test Site (NPUASTS), which operates Vantis for North Dakota. The project’s objective is to continue developing the statewide aerial network to enable a wide range of commercial and public service UAV operation.

Vantis is one of seven sites in the US with FAA approval to test systems, operating procedures, and on-ground and aerial hardware as a means of integrating UAVs into surrounding airspace – which, in this case, is all of North Dakota. 

That coverage makes Vantis the only statewide BVLOS drone network in…