Unmanned aircraft cleared for commercial flights in California

The AiRanger aircraft has a 5.7m wingspan, weights 100kg and can fly for 12 hours or 1,200km. Power comes from an 8hp engine.

Rules constrain its altitude to 8,000feet (~2,500m) and a ~11,000km2 area while obeying FAA ‘visual flight rules’.

For the first time, an un-crewed aircraft weighing more than 55 pounds that flies above 400 feet has been approved for commercial beyond visual line-of-sight operations in the United States,” said American Aerospace Technologies CEO David Yoel.

“The AiRanger’s systems, including its detect-and-avoid and communications, have been meticulously tested for safe operations within the  national airspace system,” claimed the company.

The detect-and-avoid system is built around a radar from Echodyne (right).

“Echodyne’s EchoFlight radar provides unparalleled data fidelity and precision, and this first-of-its-kind waiver is evidence of radar’s role in providing the situational awareness necessary for successful detect-and-avoid systems,” said Yoel.

The payload can be up to 34kg and draw up to 600W of electrical power – the range and duration figures above vary with payload and different aircraft configurations.

Launch is by catapult and landing is on a skid.

The aircraft’s initial deployment will be monitoring pipeline from the air with Chevron Pipe Line and Power.