GreenSight Agronomics Receives FAA Waiver to Operate BVLOS
Falcon Foundation UAS, L.L.C. is pleased to announce the Certificate of Waiver for GreenSight Agronomics of 50 Milk St, 19th Floor, Boston, MA 02109 for Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations granted on December 15th 2017. The FAA issued this waiver because of the risks that were addressed with science based data given to lower the impact to the National Airspace System (NAS) and flight operations conducted under the BVLOS waiver. The purpose of waiver is to assist GreenSight Agronomics in monitoring golf courses, who are resource dependent on chemical fertilizers and water. This will ultimately forward the sUAS industry for agriculture purposes and also help lower the impact that golf courses have on the environment.
conducted by GreenSight Agronomics through trusted partnerships from decades of aviation experience, helping to bring change to the sUAS industry.
Falcon Foundation UAS, L.L.C. participated in minimizing risk in support to operations
Some excerpts from the waiver:
“The certificate is issued for the operations of specifically described hereinafter. No person shall conduct any operation pursuant to the authority of this certificate except in accordance with the standard, special, and common provisions contained in the certificate, and such other requirements of the Federal Aviation Regulations not specifically waived by this certificate.
OPERATIONS AUTHORIZED
sUAS operations beyond the visiual line of sight by the remote pilot in command (PIC), who is the manipulator of the small unmanned aircraft, in lieu of visual line of sight (VLOS).”
The risks outlined in the waiver are based off of extensive research conducted by GreenSight Agronomics and conversations that Falcon Foundation facilitated to bring change and instill confidence upon the decisions based on identifying and minimizing risks associated with BVLOS operations.
“The FAA’s Flight Standards Service has reviewed your application and supporting documents to ensure compliance with the requirements of 14 CFR § 107.200. The Administrator finds that the proposed small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) operation can be conducted safely under the provisions of this Certificate of Waiver (Waiver) as listed below because you have established adequate mitigations for risks involved with operating the sUAS in the manner you described. Adherence to the provisions of this Waiver establishes a level of safety that ensures safe operations within the national airspace system.”
The FAA is still requiring a Visual Observer (VO) throughout the flight that can still visually see the vehicle:
“List of Regulations Waived by Section and Title. The following regulations are waived:
14 CFR § 107.31, Visual line of sight aircraft operation, is waived to the extent necessary to allow the remote pilot in command (PIC) to operate a small unmanned aircraft (sUA) without the ability to see the sUA throughout the entire flight. In lieu of the ability to see the sUA throughout the entire flight, another remote pilot who holds a valid remote pilot certificate under part 107 must act as a Visual Observer (VO)1 and exercise the ability to see the sUA throughout the entire flight on behalf of the remote PIC who is directly responsible for operation of the sUAS in accordance with § 107.19.“
The FAA also sent a list of 28 Common Provisions that must be met in order to comply and be able to operate under this waiver to include documentation such as logs, manuals, guides, Part 107 licensed pilots, specific locations defined for operations, list of manuals and documents that need to be present during operations, safety briefings and training, manufacturers limitations and performance guidelines, communication practices, maintenance and flight logs, and submission of flight plans all in accordance with Part 107 using a VO during all operations.
“Common Provisions. The Responsible Person is directly responsible for safety of operations conducted under this Waiver and will ensure all persons who fulfill duties in accordance with this Waiver comply with all provisions of this Waiver. Such persons include, but are not limited to, the remote PIC, any other remote pilot fulfilling the duties of this Waiver, person who is manipulating the controls, and VO.”
GreenSIght http://greensightag.com/
GreenSight provides an automated, agronomic intelligence platform for superintendents, land managers, and farmers. We combine automated drones, patented sensors, and proprietary analytics to deliver our customers maps and alerts enabling them to better manage water, pesticide, and fertilizer usage.
We are already the leader in turfgrass remote sensing and analysis. We are helping Top-100 golf courses across the U.S. and Canada reduce water consumption, better task labor associated with irrigation and moisture measurement, and achieve better outcomes from less fungicides, pesticides, and fertilizer.
Our system is also being adopted by Top-5 agricultural chemical companies to improve their data gathering during the $3B in field trials they perform to develop and certify new treatments.
Our system can help you optimize water usage and pesticide, antifungal, and fertilizer treatments while maximize the performance of your turf or crops. We provide you with the information you need to make better decisions about your land.
Our new address is: 12 Channel Street, Suite 605. Boston, MA 02210
