BVLOS \u2013 Beyond Visual Line of Sight \u2013 may become the most important abbreviation in the unmanned aerial system\u2019s (UAS\u2019s) lexicon. It has only been a few years since a George Bye-initiated program put the Silent Falcon solar-assisted drone on missions in Canada by Silent Vectors<\/a>. Those missions involved checking on the health of oil and natural gas pipelines, surveilling wildfires, and daring other far-flung forays. Obviously, having a drone beyond visual and radio range means relying on its programming and autonomous abilities \u2013 a great deal like trusting a homing pigeon to find its way home.<\/p>\n This screenshot from Simulyze\u2019s Mission Insight application shows four aircraft flying in close proximity, including BVLOS operations; two of four UAS are shown operating outside of their respective flight volumes, and notification is sent to the violating operator as well to other operators in the area. Simulyze Photo<\/p><\/div>\n Simulyze\u2019s CEO Kevin Gallagher advises, \u201cTo effectively and safely do BVLOS, you need to plan; you need to coordinate UAS [unmanned aircraft systems] into the airspace. Then during flight, you need proactive situational awareness \u2013 so you know everything around you and what\u2019s going on, so you can actively monitor flight.\u201d<\/p>\n “The Canadian transport minister announced Sunday that a drone recently collided with a commercial aircraft,<\/a> marking a first in North America.\u00a0\u00a0The collision took place Thursday, when a Skyjet aircraft, a Beech King Air with 10 on board was on its final descent into the Jean Lesage International Airport in Quebec City.”<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sustainableskies.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Simulyze-768x470-528x323.jpg\")
Lack of Situational Awareness Can be Dangerous<\/h4>\n