The Northern Plains UAS Test Site has announced that the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has signed a Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for the use of Vantis as a safety mitigation for beyond-visual line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone operations.
In the United States, approval under an exemption provides for repeatability and can be referenced for future approvals, accelerating the path to recurring BVLOS flights for all drone operators. The LOA allows for the use of Vantis for drone operations pursuant to that exemption. This means that commercial drone operators can use Vantis services, like collision avoidance, in their safety Concept of Operations (ConOps) to fast-track the waiver process.
Jeff Richards, ATM Operations Expert at Thales, the technology partner for Vantis, explained that this approach “moves away from relying solely on operational restrictions, focusing on systemic risk management”.
The LOA can also be used to document the FAA’s review of the Vantis system for these operations and may be submitted as an artifact for future operators seeking to fly the same ConOps. The LOA can be leveraged as part of a safety case for different ConOps but may require further evaluation or demonstrations. While the LOA does not itself guarantee future approvals or authorisations, the FAA may use it in the analysis in support of other exemptions or waivers.
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Image: An ISight UAS prepares to fly BVLOS. ISight said the LOA enables it to expand its operations. (Northern Plains UAS Test Site)
