Kansas approved for first Beyond Visual Line of Sight drone flight in the nation

KDOT received the first-ever FAA authorized operation to fly without a requirement of visual observers or ground-based radar. 

The Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT) received permission to conduct the first ever Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operation in the nation leveraging only onboard detect-and-avoid systems. This is the first-ever FAA authorized operation to fly without a requirement for visual observers or ground-based radar and is the result of the 31-member Kansas Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP) team efforts to advance drone technologies.

In a collaborative effort between Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus (K-State Polytechnic), Westar Energy, Iris Automation and KDOT, the Kansas IPP team will fly a nine-mile track to evaluate technologies to inspect power lines in rural Kansas. This approval is the first of its kind for long line linear infrastructure and is the first step to enable routine commercial infrastructure inspection across the state.

“The UAS industry has worked over 10 years to demonstrate the most significant commercial benefit of drone operations within the United States,” said Bob Brock, KDOT Director of Aviation. “We are proud of the joint state, university and industry team effort that made this landmark decision possible.”

“The ability to fly BVLOS missions without ground-based radar or visual observers is a significant advancement, and Westar Energy views this as an opportunity to play a key role in shaping the future of UAS operations within the utility industry,” said Mike Kelly, Westar Energy Senior UAS Coordinator. “Being able to operate under this waiver allows the Kansas IPP team the ability to research and develop truly scalable BVLOS UAS operations for the automated inspection of linear infrastructure.”

The Applied Aviation Research Center on the K-State Polytechnic Campus will be responsible for the training and flight operations with a cross-functional team from the KDOT IPP. Flights will take place over the next few months, providing the FAA with much-needed data on true BVLOS activity.

“We look forward to leveraging this waiver to integrate UAS technology into the transmission line inspection process,” said Kurt Carraway, UAS Executive Director of the K-State Polytechnic Applied Aviation Research Center. “We are certain that utilities will be able to quickly realize a return on investment while mitigating safety to their maintenance personnel and increasing the reliability of their infrastructure to the general public.”

This is the first UAV flight in history to leverage onboard sense-and-avoid systems alone for collision avoidance. It also marks the first required automated avoidance action. Historically, all FAA-issued Part 107 BVLOS waivers have required visual observers or ground-based radar. These mitigations limit the possibility of true BVLOS flights, as they are typically prohibitively expensive and limit operations to pre-defined corridor areas with radar coverage. 

This important milestone is facilitated by Kansas UAS IPP partner Iris Automation’s Casia onboard collision avoidance system.

“Flying rural missions like these without a human pilot onboard or costly radar on the ground is exponentially safer and more cost effective,” said Iris Automation CEO and Co-Founder Alexander Harmsen. “The FAA is trusting us to pave the way for a safer, scalable future together with this precedent-setting second approval of our system.”

Reaching new heights: Twenty pilots receive Wright Brothers Master Pilot Award

Six hundred months, 18,250 days…they both equal 50 years. That is the amount of time that pilots are required to fly before they can receive the most prestigious award that the Federal Aviation Administration issues ---  the Wright Brothers Master Pilot award. 

Last Saturday, 20 pilots from across the state gathered to receive the award from the FAA, which recognized their contributions to building and maintaining the safest aviation system in the world. For more than 50 years the pilots recognized and promoted safe air travel and operations.  This ceremony was the single largest collection of pilots that the FAA has recognized in the country. 

Pilots present  received their Wright Brothers Master Pilot Awards on the South lawn of Larksfield Place in Wichita.

To receive this award, the nominees must have flown accident free, exhibited professionalism, skill and a high degree of aviation expertise for at least 50 years as an active pilot.  The date of nominees’ first solo flight is the effective start date to receive the award. Having any airman certificate revoked would disqualify the nominees and they needed to have three letters of recommendation from peer pilots to be considered. Their piloting history was also a major factor.

Captain Doug Moler, a recipient of the award and the organizer of the event, said that, like most pilots, he was fascinated with flying early on in life.

“When I was a child, my dad would take the family out to the old municipal airport in the family car to watch airplanes come and go,” Moler said in his pilot biography. “This was great fun and unforgettable good times. As I got older, I began riding my bicycle out the old terminal every time I got the chance. It was quite a ride, about five miles each way, but well worth it.”

Moler said that when he turned 15 he rode in his first airplane, a Cessna 172.

“I wanted nothing more than to fly more and more, but it seemed as though I didn’t have a lot of help and guidance along the way,” Moler said.

When Moler turned 20 he began flight school and by 1965 he had learned to fly solo.

“The greatest day in my training was on March 10, 1965 when I flew my first solo,” Moler said. “Three takeoffs and landings to a full stop on runway 19 and I was in heaven! Soon I was out practicing all the maneuvers and flying cross-country. On August 21, 1965, I became a private pilot and flew every chance I got.”

Moler said he has had a successful piloting career and continues to stay active in the aviation community through several organizations and groups. He and his wife attend three or four fly-ins a year and share their love of aviation with their friends.

“I feel gifted by the Lord that I have been able to spend most of my working life doing something I dearly love and that I got paid well for it,” Moler said. “That’s something I thank God for everyday!”

Past award recipients and supporters were also in attendance at the ceremony. Spouses were given a pin for their support and dedication as well.