NUAIR approved for BVLOS drone flights in 35 miles of airspace

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has authorized NUAIR and the New York UAS test site in Rome to fly drones beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) across 35 miles of airspace within New York’s 50-mile drone corridor between Syracuse and Rome. 

UAS is short for unmanned-aircraft systems, which are commonly referred to as drones. A UAS includes a drone and equipment used to control its flight. A drone is also referred to in the industry as an unmanned aerial vehicle, or UAV.

Current regulations require drone operators to always have a pair of eyes on the drone, limiting the ability to fly long distances, 

The ability to safely fly BVLOS is the “key to unlocking the full potential and economic advantage” of routine commercial drone operations like medical and package deliveries, NUAIR said in a Jan. 4 news release.

NUAIR — which is short for Northeast UAS Airspace Integration Research Alliance, Inc. — says it is a Syracuse–based nonprofit that’s working to safely integrate drones into the national airspace, “enabling scalable, economically viable commercial-drone operations.” NUAIR manages operations of the test site at Griffiss International Airport in Rome on behalf of Oneida County. NUAIR is responsible for the advancement of New York’s 50-mile drone corridor between Rome and Syracuse.

In 2019, NUAIR and the test site received their first BVLOS authority for an eight-by-four mile stretch of airspace from the test site at Griffiss International Airport, south to the State Preparedness Training Center in Oriskany. 

This new airspace authority extends west of Griffiss toward Oneida Lake, increasing the overall BVLOS airspace to 35 miles.

“We have a long track record of safe UAS test flights and real-life implementation, including BVLOS operations,” Tony Basile, NUAIR chief of operations, said. “This new BVLOS airspace authorization will allow us to test more advanced, long-range flights and help us prove BVLOS operations can be done safely — the key component in realizing the true economic advantage of commercial drone operations.” 

NUAIR will use the ground-based surveillance systems (GBSS) installed throughout the corridor to monitor air traffic and detect intruder aircraft for BVLOS operations that are taking place at or below 400 feet. Visual observers may also be deployed during BVLOS operations to assure safety of operations, NUAIR said. 

NUAIR says it has conducted more than 3,800 UAS test flights at the New York UAS test site, within New York’s 50-mile drone corridor, equating to more than 950 flight hours since operations began in 2014.