HOUSTON – July 21, 2022 – Soaring Eagle Technologies (SET) has obtained a Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) waiver that will allow inspections of up to 27 linear miles, the longest distance approved by the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) for such commercial infrastructure and transmission and distribution (T&D) inspections. This places Soaring Eagle Technologies as the leading commercial BVLOS small Unmanned Aerial System (sUAS) service provider in the US. The FAA grants BVLOS waivers based on the safety standards and track record of the pilots conducting the mission. Unless they have secured a BVLOS waiver, the FAA requires drone pilots to maintain visual line of sight at all times with any drone they are operating. Soaring Eagle has completed over 60 BVLOS missions across the U.S. under SGI (special government interest) waivers, more than any other competing firm. In addition, SET has capabilities to patrol up to 100 miles of electrical transmission line per day with each BVLOS capable sUAS in the company’s fleet.
Purpose of BVLOS Waiver
The core functionality of the waiver is for inspecting transmission power lines per the FAA’s Part 107.31/33 waiver. This enables the remote pilot-in-command (RPIC) to fly down range for a unique data set. The safety component that allows the BVLOS flight range depends on Iris Automation’s advanced detect-and-avoid technology (DAA) system, Casia.
How Utilities Benefit
“Utilities, surveyors, and engineers all benefit from the longer range approved by the FAA for critical inspections of transmission and distribution lines, bridges, buildings, and other infrastructure. This technology is a safer and cost-effective method to conduct routine preventative assessments to prevent outages and accidents and predict maintenance schedules. It is also a very valuable technology for post-storm assessments. As if that weren’t enough of a reason to rely on the technology, it is also cleaner for the environment.” Will Paden, President of Soaring Eagle
The operations of Soaring Eagle’s sUAS operations are cleaner and safer than the fossil fuel alternatives. In addition, asset owners can save more than 50% when conducting BVLOS inspections compared to using manned aircraft (helicopters, airplanes, etc.) to do the same work. BVLOS functionality is applicable to post-storm inspections, controlled burns overwatch, right-of-way audits, farming and agriculture, as well as other applications covering vast terrains in short timeframes.
About Soaring Eagle Technologies
Soaring Eagle Technologies is a minority and veteran-owned tech-enabled drone inspections company servicing the continental United States. Soaring Eagle is owned and operated by Houston-based Iapetus Holdings LLC , a privately held portfolio of energy and utility services businesses and alternative investments solving the world’s most urgent needs around energy sustainability, efficiency, reliability, and safety. Iapetus’ diverse lens drives strategic thinking, innovation, and an entrepreneurial vision to utility and energy problems by strengthening infrastructure, electric reliability, the economy, and future generations of professionals. Iapetus teams implement agile strategies to serve energy, utility, commercial and industrial companies. The Iapetus suite is a multimillion-dollar portfolio with more than 400 employees across eight offices, efficiently structured to deliver optimum results for clients. The operating companies include Iapetus Infrastructure Services, Atlas Commodities, Atlas Field Services, Atlas Retail Energy, Soaring Eagle Technologies, Gold Coast Utility Specialists, Hyperion Safety Environmental Solutions and the Unmanned Aviation Training Institute – UATI. Iapetus is the proud sponsor of a 501c3 non-profit, Atlas Scholars. For more information, visit Iapetus Holdings LLC.
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