As most Part107 commercial operators are aware, the current limitations on operations can impede the full-scale utility of your aircraft’s capabilities. Current regulations require operators to apply for waivers from the FAA in order to bypass current operation restrictions such as ‘Flight Over People’, ‘Night Operations’, and ‘Beyond Visual Line of Sight’ (BVLOS).
Recognition of the limitation to operations staying within line of sight of the operator or Pilot In Command (PIC) is echoed by the number of waiver requests that have been submitted for this particular restriction. As of March 2018, it was reported that roughly 1400 operational waiver requests had been submitted to the FAA specifically for beyond line of sight operations. While it is a popular request, it seems to be the most difficult to be granted given that the denial rate was around 99%.
It is important to be able to represent your operation while highlighting both the safety practices and precautions of the operational crew, as well as a demonstration of the understanding of the systems involved and their expected performance and limitations. The ability to outline a deep level of predicted performance, expected behaviors, and responsible planning are critical capabilities to supplement any waiver request.
OneSky understands this need and employs an industry leading modeling and simulation approach to helping commercial UAS operators define their operations and understand their systems’ performance. Leaning on 30+ years of modeling and simulation expertise, OneSky uses Analytical Graphic’s Systems Tool Kit (STK) software to model mission plans, define critical systems, and explore measures of performance relating to safe execution of planned flight operations.
Some of these efforts were highlighted recently in a webinar delivered to showcase some of the available analysis capabilities and how those relate to various mission assets and systems.
For more information about how OneSky might be able to help support your organization’s waiver submissions, please reach out to us by visiting our website http://www.onesky.xyz or email info@onesky.xyz