The UK Civil Aviation Authority has given full approval to HexCam’s latest Operating Safety Case, enabling it to operate beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) flights further from a remote pilot.
The new CAA operational authorisation allows HexCam to fly its DJI M300 series survey drones up to 9km, building on previous authorisation to operate BVLOS flights up to 2.5km away from the remote pilot.
Authorisation was achieved by establishing reliable drone Command and Control (C2) over the mobile phone network using drone-specific SIMs from Etc. At BT Group; incorporating high output strobes to enhance visibility of the drone at longer ranges; and by using PilotAware FX Electronic Conspicuity on the drone combined with live Virtual RADAR data from the network of PilotAware ATOM stations to support situational awareness.
HexCam will also position fully qualified Visual Observers (VOs) within 2.5km of the drone, maintaining VLOS at all times.By combining the increased range with the company’s existing two-pilot ‘handover’ method of operation, HexCam can cover an 18km segment of a linear construction project, such as a cable or pipeline corridor, in one flight, using two remote pilots and three visual observers.
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