The US Federal Aviation Administration has authorised Skyways to fly a drone beyond the operator's visual line of sight from the US coast over the Gulf of Mexico, also known as the Gulf of America.
Skyways will fly its autonomous V2, which takes off and lands vertically, from Shell's SPLC site in Gibson, Louisiana, out to a Shell platform in the Gulf. The flight will include an inspection of a pipeline right-of-way and a simulated delivery of equipment to the platform.
The FAA approved the operations under Section 927 of the Reauthorization Act of 2024, which lets the agency approve some drone operations with a waiver instead of a rulemaking or an exemption.
Also reported by DroneLife
Background
Federal Aviation Administration
Organization
United States civil aviation regulator, part of the Department of Transportation.
Description from faa.gov
Skyways
Drone maker
A company that flies its autonomous V2 vertical take-off and landing aircraft and is launching the Skyreach cargo aircraft.
Description from Unmanned Airspace
Shell
Energy company
An energy company with a facility in Gibson, Louisiana, and platforms in the Gulf of Mexico.
Description from Unmanned Airspace
