Feature: Avionics
Addressing GPS signal degradation for drone flights beyond visual line of sight
Jeremy Bennington, VP of Position, Navigation and Time (PNT) Assurance, Spirent Communications
B
eyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flight is making steady inroads. Since 2018, the US Federal Aviation Authority has waived
its CFR Part 107.31 rules over 70 times, authorising operators of small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) to fly beyond BVLOS. For UASs weighing over 55 pounds, the FAA also offers Parts 91 and 61 exemptions. Among the Part 107 waiver recipients
to date are Alphabet’s Project Wing, which is testing drone package deliveries; Matternet, which is testing drone delivery of medical samples; and ARE, which offers drone-based inspection of utility lines. These are all promising UAS applications, and the FAA is committed to enabling the “virtually limitless benefits” that operations like these can provide.
Challenges To get to a seamless scenario, there are several BVLOS challenges to address.
18 June 2022
www.electronicsworld.co.uk
Reliable GPS is a fundamental safety condition for all BVLOS waivers: For Part 107, this starts with FAA Order 8040.6 “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Safety Risk Management Policy”
First, FAA and its counterparts around the world must ensure that drones can operate BVLOS without creating safety risks – either for other airspace users or people and structures on the ground. This huge task involves rethinking how airspace is segregated, how air traffic is managed when it includes millions of unmanned vehicles and traditional aircraft, and how drone safety and airworthiness are assessed and demonstrated. That process is ongoing with the
FAA BVLOS Aviation Rulemaking Committee, which will lead to formal regulation. In the meantime, any company wanting to fly BVLOS must
apply for a CFR Part 107.31 waiver or a Part 61/91 exemption. To obtain one, they must demonstrate their UAS safety. Reliable GPS is a fundamental safety
condition for all BVLOS waivers: For Part 107 waivers, this starts with the FAA Order 8040.6 “Unmanned Aircraft Systems Safety Risk Management Policy”. A key requirement of this order relates to GPS reliability. Every Part 107 waiver we’ve seen (all
published on the FAA website) specifies that the drone must have a reliable GPS signal throughout its flight. Part 107 waivers granted to Wing, Matternet and ARE, for example, all include the following requirement: “Operations
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