DRONE DELIVERY CANADA PHOTO


A Cargo Drone Is Inbound By David Hughes T


HE INTEGRATION OF UNMANNED AIRCRAFT systems (UASs) into the airspace—and, just like the Amazon van, into the routine of daily life—has taken another step forward. Drone Delivery Canada (DDC), a small public company with a market capitalization of


C$181 million, has earned the first Compliant UAV Operator Special Flight Operations Certificate from Transport Canada. Te designation entitles the company to conduct beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) operations. DDC has developed three UAS models. Te largest is the autono-


mous, gasoline-powered Condor cargo drone, which weighs 1,050 lb. and can carry a 400-lb. payload. It can fly at speeds up to 75 miles per hour, with a range of up to 125 miles. Te Condor is undergoing exten- sive flight testing in preparation for its first commercial use, and DDC has preorders for it.


36 ROTOR DECEMBER 2021 Te company’s smallest UAS, the 55-lb., eight-rotor Sparrow, can


carry a 9-lb. load up to 18 miles at speeds up to 50 miles per hour. It is already in commercial service. Development and testing of the 176-lb., eight-rotor Robin XL has been put on hold while the company completes testing of the new parachute-equipped version of the Sparrow (named the Canary) and the Condor. Both the Sparrow and Robin XL are powered by lithium-ion batteries.


FLYTE Logistics Even though DDC has developed three drones, the core of its product line is a logistics hub, of which its drone fleet is only one component. Tat hub, the company’s patented FLYTE software platform, monitors air traffic, weather, obstacles, and other key flight parameters for its deliveries. More than just an automated flight-tracking program, the


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