NUAIR receives civil flight authority for BVLOS operations

NUAIR® announced the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted a Part 107 waiver enabling remote, autonomous beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations throughout a 240 square mile airspace in upstate New York, increasing the commercial BVLOS area in New York by more than 3x or 300%.

To capstone a year of growth and development, NUAIR expanded its operations earlier in 2023 creating the NUAIR Center of Excellence headquarters at Syracuse Hancock International Airport. The acceptance of this 240 square mile waiver – as well as the Special Flight Operations Certificate approval for Canadian operations in 2023 – gives NUAIR the autonomy to continue offering white glove uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) testing services in the state of New York and beyond.

“NUAIR has a commitment to the people of New York to integrate and innovate aviation safely and sustainably in a way that benefits the entire state,” said NUAIR President and CEO, Ken Stewart. “NUAIR’s decade of experience, new opportunity to fully incorporate with daily airport operations, and now this Civil BVLOS Waiver position NUAIR for maximum influence on the traditional and uncrewed aviation industries.”

NUAIR’s Center of Excellence at SYR presents the full realization of the NUAIR Alliance, which includes key industry players such as ResilienX, TruWeather Solutions, Aloft, Hidden Level, SRAA, and UFA. This Civil BVLOS Waiver will allow for broader testing of UAS opportunities and pave the way for scalable and replicable results across the globe.

 

“This BVLOS waiver from the FAA is an important step in proving Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) and Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) aircraft can safely integrate into the National Airspace System,” said Jason Terreri, Executive Director of Syracuse Regional Airport Authority. “Testing real-world applications of UAS and AAM right here in Central New York showcases the leadership position our region has taken in these efforts.”

“We are thrilled to see years of work come to fruition with this waiver,” said Andrew Carter, CTO of ResilienX. “As a startup based in Syracuse, this opens up the aperture from the testing this region is so well known for to progress to the routine commercial operations and use cases that this industry needs to scale. Kudos to the NUAIR team for leading the charge for the region and creating a rising tide effect!”

“TruWeather is proud of our association with NUAIR and their groundbreaking achievement in expanding Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) flight in Central New York,” said Don Berchoff, CEO of TruWeather. “The expansion of the BVLOS airspace provides a great opportunity for users to conduct longer flight tests and collect aircraft performance data in a variety of microclimates, while knowing they have access to the most advanced drone weather services to manage flight risk.”

“UFA is pleased to be providing our ATTower Air Traffic Simulator to support the NUAIR Alliance in modeling and visualizing the integration of UAS and AAM into the daily operations of Syracuse Hancock International Airport,” said David Wolff, CEO of UFA, Inc. “We look forward to expanding the use of simulation as the NUAIR Alliance continues testing new procedures, best practices, and UTM concepts.”

 

To find out more about how NUAIR is defining, enabling, and integrating the future of traditional and uncrewed aviation, visit us at NUAIR.org.