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SkyX Ltd., a Canadian long-range aerial data acquisition and analysis company, has received a nation-wide Standing Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) from Transport Canada.
This will allow the company to conduct aerial survey and inspection flights across the country in uncontrolled airspace and within line of sight–without requiring a separate SFOC application and approval for each mission.
The document also allows for research and test flights as SkyX further enhances its autonomous SkyOne unmanned aerial system (UAS).
Business breakthrough
With multiple clients requesting demonstrations or deployments, this is a major development for the company.
“This Canada-wide SFOC is a huge step forward for SkyX,” said CEO/Founder Didi Horn. “We’ll now be able to rapidly demonstrate the many advantages of the SkyX system for rapid data acquisition and analysis in Class G airspace.”
The SkyX system, which is leased as a service, consists of three main components:
- SkyOne, an autonomous VTOL UAS capable of flying 130-plus kilometres in fixed-wing mode;
- Remote “xStations,” which allow SkyOne to land and recharge, then continue long-range missions without returning to home; and
- The Sky OS, which allows for remote mission programming and real-time monitoring.
SkyX made global UAS news in late 2017, when SkyOne flew a 100-plus kilometre autonomous beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) mission over a gas pipeline in Mexico.
The UAS took thousands of high-resolution, geo-referenced images in a demonstration that revealed more than 200 anomalies for the client.
The company has also since been nominated for two major technology awards.
With the Canada-wide standing SFOC, SkyX is now in a position to rapidly deploy and demonstrate its capabilities in many parts of the country without applying for a separate SFOC for each location or mission.
“We have worked closely with Transport Canada throughout this process,” said flight operations manager Tzuki Friedman.
“We are appreciative of this document, and are working with Transport Canada to eventually fly BVLOS as well.”
