Today, drone delivery Flytrex has announced that their long-time partner Causey Aviation Unmanned has been granted Part 135 Certification.
DroneLife · Flytrex – And – Causey – Aviation – Unmanned – Win – Part – 135 – CertificationThe approval means that the companies will be able to expand their drone delivery service nationwide in the U.S.
The FAA’s Standard Part 135 Air Carrier Certification is the means that the FAA uses to certify commercial drone delivery services. The process is adapted from the certification process for small commercial manned aircraft operations, says the FAA:
[Applicants] must use FAA‘s existing Part 135 certification process, some of which FAA has adapted for drone operations by granting exemptions for rules that don’t apply to drones, such as the requirement to carry the flight manuals on board the aircraft.
Perhaps most importantly, Part 135 certification is the only path commercial drone delivery beyond visual line of sight. The process is rigorous: only four other companies, including Alphabet’s Wing, UPS, Zipline and Amazon Prime Air have been granted a Part 135 Certification.
“With this part 135 Certification, Flytrex and CAU will further expand their drone delivery service nationwide – eventually offering food, drinks and other goods to the more than 82 million eligible back and front yards across the U.S,” says Flytrex.
“We live in an era of instant gratification, where consumers want to get their food or goods faster, more reliably, more economically and more sustainably – and drone delivery has risen to the occasion,” said Yariv Bash, CEO and cofounder of Flytrex. “Flytrex’s continued success delivering to customers throughout North Carolina and Texas has put us ahead of the curve. With this certification, we look forward to bringing our super swift, sustainable and safe airborne delivery systems to every backyard across the US.”
Flytrex’s business model has been to partner with food and retail chains to offer drone delivery: they currently perform delivery services throughout North Carolina and in Granbury, Texas. “The services operate in cooperation with CAU – delivering tens of thousands of items to hundreds of thousands of homes across its service areas,” says the press release.
“Flytrex’s technological expertise, innovation and safety-first approach has helped elevate our service to new heights in drone delivery,” said Jeff Causey, Founder and COO of Causey Aviation. “Our close cooperation with the FAA has provided just the right tailwinds to help bring about this drone revolution. We are honored to receive this certification, bringing us one step closer to making drone delivery standard for all US consumers.”
Since successfully launching the world’s first fully autonomous urban drone delivery system in Reykjavik, Iceland, in 2017, Flytrex and CAU have been working closely with regulators to help ensure the highest safety standards in getting drone delivery off the ground. Together, they participated in the FAA’s UAS Integration Pilot Program (IPP), which concluded in October 2020, as well as the FAA’s subsequent initiative, BEYOND, working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to help tackle the remaining challenges of UAS integration – bringing swift, affordable and sustainable on-demand drone delivery to more partners, communities and consumers across the country.
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Miriam McNabb is the Editor-in-Chief of DRONELIFE and CEO of JobForDrones, a professional drone services marketplace, and a fascinated observer of the emerging drone industry and the regulatory environment for drones. Miriam has penned over 3,000 articles focused on the commercial drone space and is an international speaker and recognized figure in the industry. Miriam has a degree from the University of Chicago and over 20 years of experience in high tech sales and marketing for new technologies.
For drone industry consulting or writing, Email Miriam.
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