Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS): An Introductory Guide
What is BVLOS?
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BVLOS means Beyond Visual Line of Sight. The FAA (Federal Aviation Administration of the United State’s) regulatory framework around safe drone flight operation relies on the concept of “see-and-avoid,” which is intended to avoid the risk of a mid-air collision between aircraft.
To begin to understand Beyond Visual Line of Sight operations, you have to start with Visual Line of Sight Operations rules.
In manned aviation, this rule is generally fulfilled by having a pilot on-board looking out from inside the aircraft and scanning the horizon for any aircraft that may be on a collision course with their aircraft. In unmanned aviation, however, it is not possible for the pilot to “see” other aircraft heading towards their drone. This is why the current FAA rules dictate that a drone or small UAS operation is conducted “within visual line of sight.” This requirement is currently satisfied in manned-aircraft operations by a pilot on board the manned aircraft looking out from inside the aircraft to see whether other aircraft are on a collision course with the pilot’s own aircraft. However, the person controlling the small UAS cannot see other…
