10 Feb 17. senseFly Gets First Swiss Approval for Anytime BVLOS Operations. senseFly has become the first drone operator to be granted anytime Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) authorisation in Switzerland. The country’s Federal Office of Civil Aviation (FOCA) has granted senseFly permission to fly any of its eBee-branded mapping solutions beyond the visual sight of a drone’s operator, using observers, without the need to set-up a flight operation ‘Danger Area’ beforehand.
“This country-wide, anytime BVLOS authorisation is a first for Switzerland and we are delighted to be working closely with FOCA to pioneer this kind of flexible, extended use,” said Jean-Christophe Zufferey, senseFly’s CEO. “While this permission is valid only for senseFly, it opens the door for our Swiss eBee customers to apply for, and enjoy, similarly flexible flight conditions. This will, in turn, allow them to grow their businesses by taking on larger, more complex projects.”
senseFly’s BVLOS approval has been granted under strict specific conditions. These include the company’s eBee drones being operated at a maximum flight height of 500 feet above ground level (or 1,000 feet over urban areas) and the use of visual observers. These observers must each monitor a section of airspace—with a radius of 2 kilometres—for other aircraft. They must also be able to communicate instantly with the drone’s operator in the case of any potential issues.
“At senseFly, we are committed to bringing solutions to market that facilitate the seamless and safe cohabitation of drones and manned aircraft,” Zufferey added. “This is why we launched our Safer Together initiative with Air Navigation Pro. It is also why we will be collaborating closely with JARUS on our BVLOS findings and experiences, in order for that group to help the EASA develop the most valuable BVLOS Standard Scenario for future European use.”
Globally, senseFly is not the first eBee operator to be granted approval for such extended use. Numerous senseFly customers are able to operate under similar conditions, such as ATEC-3D in England and France’s leading agricultural operator, AIRINOV.
In late 2016, senseFly’s eBee mapping drone was verified as ‘harmless’ by the Italian Civil Aviation Authority (ENAC), enabling Italian eBee owners to operate their aircraft much more flexibly, including flying over urban areas, without needing specific authorisation for each operation. (Source: UAS VISION)
09 Feb 17. Tethered Station for Unlimited Endurance Flights. Embention has released its latest development including highly innovative technology, the Tethered Station NM& TS150. This station permits the anchorage of an UAV to a ground station by using a cable.
This cable provides to the UAV with power, and stablishes full duplex communications between the control station and the drone for data, telemetry and video transfer, thus permitting to perform long duration flights.
NM& TS150 Tethered Station includes a wide variety of advantages compared to conventional UAVs. Including the increase in safety on the operations thanks to the reduction of the UAV flight range, controlled by the tether anchorage. This permits the justification to the civil aviation authorities for proving the high safety of this system.
INCREASED SAFETY AND PERFORMANCE
Main advantage of the NM& TS150 Tethered Station, a part of the increased safety justifiable among Civil Aviation Authorities, is the extended flight time. Being able to fly permanently thanks to the ultra-light cable connected to a continuous and unlimited power supply. This and other benefits are detailed below.
• Reaches 150m height (500 feet).
• Secure communications through the ultra-thin cable.
• Transmission of video and data in a bidirectional channel.
• UPS backup battery for emergency landings.
• WIFI connection for system monitoring & control.
• Compatible with most multirotor systems.
NM& TS150 TETHERED STATION APPLICATIONS
The elimination of standard