Drone delivery from the Great White North is one step closer to reality.
Drone Delivery Canada recently completed a successful set of test flights of delivery drones at Griffiss International Airport in New York.
Across the border, the company has already received a Special Flight Operations Certificate from Canada’s version of the FAA as well as two previous national certificates.
“Testing at Griffiss was a natural extension for continued progress with our platform in a BVLOS non-segregated airspace environment,” Paul Di Benedetto, Chief Technology Officer of Drone Delivery Canada said. He added:
“An active runway with large aircraft, helicopters, and general aviation aircraft is the latest advancement to our operations team airspace integration efforts and a progression from the knowledge learned during DDC’s Moosonee operations, which remain ongoing. We are pleased to report 100 percent success rate with all our test flights and look forward to our expansion into the USA which has now begun in earnest.”
Griffiss is one of seven American sites to be FAA designated as a UAS test site – the others include parts of Virginia, North Dakota, New Mexico, Texas, Nevada and Alaska.
DDC deployed its Sparrow drone that included the company’s FLYTE UTM system and “DroneSpot” technology to ensure secure take-off and landing sites. The Sparrow X1000 has been tested and found to work well in some of the harshest environmental conditions in Canada’s north.
The DroneSpot system provides real-time data including localized weather, near-aircraft awareness, weight and balance monitoring among other data points integral for safe public operations.
“Testing at Griffiss was a significant milestone for DDC and the beginning of our USA expansion program. In addition to our continued advancements in Canada, we look forward to continued success in the USA and are pleased to report the team has been working very hard working alongside key stakeholders,” said Mark Wuennenberg, Vice President Regulatory Affairs of Drone Delivery Canada.
DDC officials say they will continue to test and operate the drone system in multiple, complex and diverse environments. “The company’s drone delivery solution continues to strengthen as it better integrates with existing air operators and complies with airspace policies and procedures all while putting public safety at the forefront as the company rapidly approaches commercialization,” a DDC statement said.
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[…] take off and land at a Canadian airport. It was also the first to do a beyond visual line of sight test in the U.S. at the Griffiss International Airport in New […]