AERIUM Goes Beyond Visual Line of Sight

In late May, our team worked together with Sensefly and Spatial Technologies to conduct beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) testing at the Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) range located in Foremost, A.B.. Foremost is one of the only places in Canada with airspace dedicated to UAS testing and operations, making it the perfect location to conduct BVLOS testing. As the drone industry expands, ability to conduct BVLOS operations opens doors for operations that cannot be done with visual line of sight (VLOS) operations. BVLOS can be applied in operations such as detailed inspections, mapping projects, and conservation management.

It takes a very skilled pilot to be comfortable piloting something that you can’t see. Ability to react to a problem mid-flight at the distance of 500m requires a great deal of composure and confidence. In order to feel comfortable facing the same problems at 1500m away, pilots need to possess an incredible amount of skill. With AERIUM being at Foremost and flying BVLOS it puts our pilots with the elite few in Canada that have taken the big step into operating beyond the current bounds of the rules established by Transport Canada.

During the BVLOS testing, our team successfully flew the Sensefly albris and the Sensfly eBee RTK drones at a distance greater than what is currently permitted outside the range. Sensefly albris had been flown to 1341m away and at 41m altitude. The Sensefly eBee RTK drone was flown to 2015m away and at 100m altitude. The current rules require drone operators to fly within visual line of sight (1000m). To ensure a successful and safe operation, our team had followed a strict protocol, with a back up pilot stationed 500m away ready to take over control if necessary. During the BVLOS testing, Keith Gerrard, the Foremost UAS Range Safety Officer was required to be with our team during the operations for safety purposes. Keith was impressed by the skills and abilities of our team and our dedication to safety.

We strive to be able to provide BVLOS operations to our clients once it becomes available outside of Foremost.

Stay tuned for future updates and the latest news from Aerium Analytics.