FAA BVLOS drone waiver enables “blended” MassDOT rail inspections

As predicted when policies and budgets were passed to mend long neglected infrastructure across the US, the deployment of drones for inspection and restoration of public assets has increased dramatically. Yet another example of that is the work the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) will do in surveying its aging rail system using a newly-issued Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) waiver for beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operation. 

MassDOT said it plans to use that FAA BVLOS authorization for aerial inspections of its entire network of rail infrastructure. The system includes over 1,000 miles of track, whose safety will be increased through aerial inspections for signs of decay, and risks created by vegetation encroachment, flooding, or storm damage. 

The announcement comes just over two weeks after Ondas Holdings announced its American Robotics and Airobotics drone affiliates would work together in a pilot project using an FAA approval of BVLOS flights to assess UAV deployment for a variety of state agencies in multiple use cases. 

The more recent MassDOT announcement said it had received an FAA BVLOS waiver after its Drone Operations Program previously demonstrated its safe and effective UAV assistance of the Massachusetts Bay Transport Authority in collecting baseline aerial data of rail infrastructure. 

It said the subsequent authorization “builds upon a previous narrower dispensation” from the regulator, representing a new, “wide-ranging drone waiver.”

“Our latest BVLOS waiver not only marks a quantum leap for infrastructure inspection services in Massachusetts, but provides a model for all states to inspect a variety of infrastructure more rapidly, accurately, and comprehensively,” said MassDOT Aeronautics administrator Jeff DeCarlo.  

MassDOT says it plans to use the new FAA BVLOS authorization in what it called a “blended” performance-based approach to its drone rail inspection campaign.  Developed with the MBTA and MITRE Corporation, the method is described as “providing flexibility to adjust operations according to variations in factors such as geography, urban density, or airspace.”

At higher altitude flights of over 50 feet and as much as 400 feet above obstructions, MassDOT said, its remote drone operators will rely on a visual observer to ensure safe separation between the drones and crewed aircraft. 

During operation of flights up to 50 feet above rail lines or hazards, meanwhile, MassDOT said it will use on what it called a special “obstruction shielding” waiver, under which drones can fly BVLOS without visual observers required. 

“We’re thrilled that MassDOT Aeronautics can leverage the latest technology to accelerate our infrastructure data collection process, which has typically been slow and labor intensive,” said MassDOT Rail & Transit administrator Meredith Slesinger. “This allows us to expedite and improve the analysis of rail corridor conditions that impact safety, such as erosion, culvert obstructions, and storm damage, including in difficult-to-access rail corridors across our railroad network.”