Chris Healy, owner of IN-FLIGHT Data, used an eBee Plus to map a new graveyard for the City of Calgary, earning himself not one, not two but three @GWR (Guinness World Records) in the process!

Industry

IN-FLIGHT Data and senseFly Break Multiple BVLOS World Records

Vidi Nene

Published on March 10, 2019

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Dedicated effort involving drones has resulted in groundbreaking BVLOS project- a collaborative between IN-FLIGHT Data and senseFly which had bagged the three GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ for drone (UAS) flights.

senseFly industry’s leading provider of fixed-wing drone solution and IN-FLIGHT Data one of Canada’s leading commercial drone operators, carried out this pioneering joint project which set three records:

Longest cumulative beyond visual-line-of-sight battery-powered UAV flight: 2,723.04 km (Alberta)
Longest cumulative urban flight for a beyond-visual-line-of-sight civilian UAV (small class – up to 25 kg): 414 km (Calgary)
Longest single urban flight for a beyond-visual-line-of-sight civilian UAV (small class – up to 25 kg): 40km (High River)

The BVLOS flights were conducted in Calgary, Alberta, by IN-FLIGHT Data commissioned by the City of Calgary to collect mapping data for the development of Calgary’s first new cemetery since 1940. So IN-FLIGHT Data began the North America’s first urban BVLOS drone project using a senseFly eBee Plus fixed-wing drone in a bustling urban area successfully conducted a total of 414 km (257 mi) BVLOS flight, at an average distance of 2.35 km (1.46 mi).

Chris Healy, owner of IN-FLIGHT Data said beaming with pride, “The success of this groundbreaking project was a real milestone for us and the wider UAS industry, and we are over the moon to now become GUINNESS WORLD RECORD™ holders,” adding, “not only did we demonstrate that BVLOS operations can be carried out in urban environments, thanks to the senseFly drones and the other airspace intelligence technologies built into their eMotion software that made it possible, we were also able to show that BVLOS is a safe, efficient and cost-effective tool that has the potential to revolutionise both rural and urban commercial drone operations.”

senseFly CEO Gilles Labossière shared, “As one of the first-ever BVLOS UAS operations to take place inside a built-up, densely populated city environment, the learnings’ and insights that Chris and his team have gained from this project will prove invaluable in helping shape the future of Canadian BVLOS regulations.”

Data from the project was delivered to the City of Calgary to be used for developing the new graveyard site. Additionally IN-FLIGHT Data’s team navigated challenging ground access restrictions at the site with BVLOS operations ensuring there was minimal disruption to local wildlife.

Monique Nesset, Smart City Lead with The City of Calgary says, “The City of Calgary is working to make city-owned land like Ralph Klein Park and the Southeast Cemetery, in this case, more accessible for the testing of technological innovation and can help support increased economic diversification and jobs for Calgarians.”

Tom Maier, High River Town Manager also added: “High River is always looking for ways to advance our community, looking forward and are attuned to supporting and developing technologies that open more opportunities for our residents and businesses.”

Projects like these will aid in future innovation in High River and the city of Calgary.