UAS (unmanned aerial systems) data provider Soaring Eagle Technologies, a leading drone data collection company servicing critical infrastructure owners across the continental United States, announced the company has received another BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) waiver from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) this month. This latest BVLOS certificate enables the company to expand its BVLOS for the second time in just the last few months to provide more cost-effective inspections.
Nathan Alber, Director of Training at Soaring Eagle Technologies, added, “As we continue to expand BVLOS operations across the country, clients are able to obtain aerial mapping, inspection, and other imaging data in less time, more efficiently. The drone inspection option is also cleaner and safer than the fossil fuel alternatives such as helicopters and ground patrols. Of course, safety and data security are a paramount focus for our company. Our army training and experience piloting manned aircraft are key factors that contributed to the FAAs decision to award Soaring Eagle this latest waiver.”
Soaring Eagle has completed over 60 large scale BVLOS missions across the U.S under SGI (special government interest) waivers, more than any other competitor.
The company currently has the capabilities to patrol up to 100 miles of electrical transmission line per day with each BVLOS capable sUAS (small unmanned aircraft system) in the company’s fleet.
In addition to the operations of Soaring Eagle’s sUAS operations being cleaner and safer than the fossil fuel alternatives, BVLOS operations means asset owners can save more than 50% when conducting these operations compared to using manned aircraft (helicopters, airplanes, etc.) to do the same work.
Will Paden, President of Soaring Eagle Technologies, stated, “The use cases for UAVs
(unmanned aerial vehicles) are more and more popular each day, but so are the Federal requirements, given we share airspace with manned aircraft.
This FAA waiver allows Soaring Eagle to collect information more thoroughly and
efficiently. That means there is a tremendous demand for this service, especially among utilities and those manage other key infrastructure throughout the country.
We’re trusted to conduct some of the nation’s most critical work, and that, in addition to the vote of confidence of the FAA, is truly humbling. It’s a badge of honor.”
This latest BVLOS waiver is just one more step in Soaring Eagle’s effort to provide data collection and inspection services nationwide using BVLOS capable unmanned aircraft.
In Paden’s words, “It won’t be long before we have aircraft in our fleet that are capable of not only safe and efficient BVLOS operations, but in conjunction with 4G and 5G data networks, we’ll be able to launch and pilot our aircraft from thousands of miles aways if needed. This means our response time for natural disasters or other incidents involving critical infrastructure would be cut from hours to minutes – saving our customers downtime, money, and possibly lives.”
Today BVLOS functionality is already applicable to post-storm inspections, controlled
burns overwatch, right-of-way audits, farming and agriculture, as well as other
applications covering vast terrains in short timeframes.
About Soaring Eagle Technologies
Soaring Eagle Technologies is a minority and veteran-owned tech-enabled drone
inspections company servicing the continental United States. Soaring Eagle is owned and operated by Houston-based Iapetus Holdings LLC (Iapetus), a privately held portfolio of energy and utility services businesses and alternative investments. Iapetus brings an entrepreneurial, forward-thinking approach and a deep bench of experienced individuals with diverse backgrounds in finance, energy, safety, risk management, communications, human resources, and various other spectrums. The Iapetus suite is a multimillion-dollar portfolio with more than 400 employees across seven U.S. offices in TX, FL, CA, NY, AZ, MS, and MA, efficiently structured to deliver optimum results for clients. The operating companies include Atlas Commodities, Atlas Field Services, Atlas Retail Energy, Soaring Eagle Technologies, Gold Coast Utility Specialists and Hyperion Safety Environmental Solutions. Iapetus is the proud sponsor of a 501c3 non-profit, Atlas Scholars.
For more information, visit Iapetus Holdings LLC.
]]>
Hurricane Barry made landfall in Louisiana on the afternoon of July 13th, 2019. Critical infrastructure that keeps the lights on near Baton Rouge needed inspection in the aftermath. With 25.5 miles of 500kV power lines as the target, it was imperative to expedite the inspections.
Energy companies in the United States are pressured to prepare for hurricanes every year, spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to mitigate risk for what could be a false alarm or a natural disaster. This hurricane season, Soaring Eagle Imaging (SEI) served a major Louisiana energy provider with both parties reaping the benefits of their preparation.
Soaring Eagle Imaging is a professional aviation organization, and a partner/customer of Censys Technologies that utilizes unmanned technology for multiple inspection applications to serve a host of enterprise clients. Having over 30,000 manned aviation hours to accompany their 3,000+ UAS hours, SEI brings a strong safety culture to every operation.
This is reflected in the 17 emergency Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) waivers they have been granted in the past. Upon completion of operations, CEO William Paden had this to say: “SEI is now positioned to safely perform BVLOS operations as a ‘normal’ daily mission. The experience gained during training and field missions prove SEI teams are exceptionally proficient in the tasks required to safely conduct these types of operations.”
SEI began conducting BVLOS flights using a Censys Technologies Sentaero v2VTOL with no remote visual observers once it was determined that safe flights could be conducted. In three missions, the single crew was able to capture 51 miles worth of detailed information in 6 total hours of time in the field – including setup, tear-down, and transit. This enabled identification of the scope of damage and corresponding locations, helping facilitate swift repairs.
From Mr. Paden: “The level of professionalism from the entire Censys team is the reason our organization is able to continually set new standards in the UAV realm. The constant communication with the leadership and engineering team was instrumental in the aircraft performing to the level it did. Without Censys Technologies, SEI would not have been successful [July 22nd, 2019].”
Currently, there are only 30 commercial entities with approved BVLOS waivers in the United States, making these flights rare. Censys CEO Trevor Perrott remarked on SEI’s BVLOS operation: “I’m ecstatic to see a great partner and customer of ours employ our technology with such an emphasis on safety to deliver exceptional value to energy asset owners. I could not be happier with the partnership we have in SEI, and I’m confident we’ll continue to set standards together. I’m grateful to the FAA for approving the operation without requiring remote visual observers, as yesterday shows BVLOS can be executed safely and economically.”
]]>