Drone America actively participates in several nationwide programs run by NASA and the FAA. Our participation in these programs not only help the industry move into the future but also give us unique regulatory insight as well as direct flight and operational experience.  When combined with our expanded development program, these experiences enable our teams to develop UAS and operations procedures that will be immediately applicable to the changing landscape of NAS regulation and management. 

One of those events was the UTM TCL 2 event. During this event our flight teams flew our Savant in airspace that was simultaneously shared with four other UAS as well as manned aircraft. Operating in an unimproved location our flight team set up a base of operations and conducted flight operations over the course of six days.

During UTM TCL 2 Drone America flight teams and aircraft were successful in completing multiple milestones;

• Continuous flight operations over six days 
• Multiple, back to back, fifteen mile BVLOS flights
• Our flights covered more than two hundred and six ground miles
• Successful operation from unimproved locations
• Shared active airspace with both manned and unmanned systems
• Our flight teams demonstrated the ability to operate in congested airspace safely
• All BVLOS flights exceeded fifteen miles, culminating in an air drop of emergency supplies on a twenty foot target

“Drone America is fortunate to call Nevada our home and is a proud participant in the Nevada led NASA Unmanned Traffic Management (UTM) program. The safe integration of UAS into the National Airspace System is critical to the future of this industry. Working in a state that is very supportive and business friendly makes a tremendous difference to our future sustainability. Partnerships like these not only contribute to successful testing, but will pave the way for future generations to experience the true value of autonomous systems,” 

Mike Richards, Drone America President and CEO