FAA Approval to Remotely Operate Full Industrial Drone Fleet by One Operator Granted to Percepto

This groundbreaking approval allows for operation of up to 30 Percepto autonomous drones by one operator, to deliver cost effective critical infrastructure inspection By Sarah Simpson / 01 Dec 2023

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FAA Approval to Remotely Operate Full Industrial Drone Fleet by One Operator Granted to Percepto
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Percepto, an industry-leading autonomous inspection and monitoring solutions provider, has been granted a nationwide waiver to operate a full fleet of Percepto drones remotely by one operator, by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

While previous Percepto operations required one pilot to monitor and operate one drone, this new approval allows for commercial operation of up to 30 drones, simultaneously with one pilot, redefining drone automation and remote operations.

For heavy industry, namely oil & gas, utilities and other energy stakeholders, this significantly reduces operational expenses and increases operational efficiencies. With this approval, Percepto heavy industry customers can finally implement large-scale drone fleet inspections by safely, quickly and effortlessly scaling their drone programs. Moreover, it lowers costs for new entrants seeking to utilize drones to enhance their operations for the first time and encourages more market players to establish new drone programs, which is now more cost effective than ever.

This waiver builds on Percepto’s years of regulatory efforts, allowing for safe nationwide drone BVLOS operations with no humans on site or the need for expensive radars, using remote pre-flight checks, extensive automation, and now the ability to operate up to 30 drone-in-a-box systems simultaneously. It also comes as the last piece of the remote operations puzzle, alongside Percepto’s state-of-the-art drone-in-a-box hardware and autonomous inspection software.

Percepto Air Max oil & gas facility

For years, Percepto has been leading the remote inspection revolution – both on the regulatory and technology fronts,” said Percepto Co-founder and Chief Commercial Officer Ariel Avitan. “Simply put, with large-scale remote inspections we’ll see fewer large-scale safety and environmental failures across critical infrastructure.

Percepto is very grateful for the FAA’s approval of this waiver, the true holy grail, which was achieved through years of continued cooperation with the FAA,” said Neta Gliksman, Percepto VP of Policy and Government Affairs. “This is opening doors for critical inspection operations for our clients, expanding the possibilities and scale of autonomous inspection technology.

Percepto’s approval from the FAA to remotely operate drone fleets sets the stage for transformative advancements in various industries,” says Delek US Chief Information and Data Officer, Ido Biger. “Delek plans to utilize remote inspection technology to minimize our environmental footprint and boost employee and community safety at scale.”

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Posted by Sarah Simpson As Head of Content for Unmanned Systems Technology, Sarah uses her extensive background in research and technical copywriting to spotlight the latest innovations in autonomy, robotics, and sensing. Sarah joined in 2018 and loves to highlight how uncrewed systems are making a tangible difference in the modern world. Connect
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