In-Flight Data has set three new Guinness World Records for drone flights while conducting a variety of missions, including a cemetery-mapping mission in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The city of Calgary commissioned UAV operator In-Flight to collect mapping data for the development of Calgary's first new cemetery since 1940. The flights were conducted using a senseFly eBee Plus fixed-wing drone. In-Flight conducted a total of 414 km (257 miles) in BVLOS flight, at an average distance of 2.35 km (1.46 mi) from the pilot.
The records include 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), 40 km (High River).
The success of this groundbreaking project was a real milestone for us and the wider UAS industry, said In-Flight Data owner Chris Healy. Not only did we demonstrate that BVLOS operations can be carried out in urban environments, but we were also able to show that BVLOS is a safe, efficient, and cost-effective tool that has the potential to revolutionize both rural and urban commercial drone operations.
