Unmanned aerial systems company awarded first FAA waiver to fly in North Dakota beyond visual line of sight

Bismarck, North Dakota – The first business in North Dakota to obtain government authorization to fly beyond visual line of sight is an operator of unmanned aerial systems.

The Federal Aviation Administration has granted uAvionix a waiver allowing it to use the VANTIS network to fly drones outside of their line of sight, according to Governor Doug Burgum (R-ND). Drones have been flown by the firm in northwest North Dakota to aid in the system’s development and validation.

“There’s other commercial companies that are lined up to start onboarding on the VANTIS network, so hopefully this sets up a precedent for others to start applying for similar waivers and build their concept of operations and their use cases on the VANTIS system,” said Cyriel Kronenburg, vice president of business development and strategic partnerships with uAvionix.

Burgum stated this is a huge deal in making North Dakota a “proving ground” for the UAS business during the State of the State Address.

“This approval is a critical step that validates our state’s investment and years of work to bring UAS aircraft to commercial sectors in a safe and economic way,” said Burgum.

According to Kronenburg, daily flights will begin in the spring of 2019.