Percepto drones get nationwide waiver for BVLOS flights

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Percepto’s done-in-a-box Air Max at a mining site. | Source: Percepto

Percepto announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted it a nationwide waiver for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations. This new waiver allows Percepto’s customers with sites that comply with the waiver’s criteria to use the company’s remotely operated drones without seeking out a specific BVLOS approval. 

“This groundbreaking approval enables Percepto to scale BVLOS operations at customer sites nationwide,” Percepto Policy & Government Affairs VP Neta Gliksman said. “We are grateful for the FAA’s review and timely approval of our safety case, and we look forward to continuing to work with US regulators to bring the benefits of this amazing technology to the American people.” 

Percepto offers a drone-in-a-box solution called Percepto Air with a few different drone options including Percepto’s Air Max, Air Mobile and Air Max OGI. The drones run on Percepto’s AIM software, which is designed for autonomous site inspection and monitoring. AIM can automate and unify visual data collected by any device, not just Percepto’s drones.

The company’s drones can be used in the inspection of power, oil & gas, solar plants and mining. Its drones are able to asses risk, minimize downtime, drive efficiency, increase safety and reduce operational costs. 

“Obtaining this waiver marks a significant milestone in our longstanding vision to provide remote inspections and operations at industrial facilities, particularly at isolated locations, with much greater efficiency and safety,” Percepto Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Ariel Avitan said. “Percepto makes it easier than ever for governments and businesses across the U.S. to implement automated drone operations, and unleash the true potential of AI-powered inspections.”

Earlier this year, Percepto received Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight approval from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for refineries in Tyler, Texas and El Dorado, Arkansas. The approval means that the self-flying drones can fly in its downstream energy operations without a pilot being able to see them. Individual approvals like these will no longer be necessary for many of the company’s customers because of its most recent approval.