BVLOS Powerline Inspection
RotorDrone|October/ November 2020
Skyqraft, a data-driven infrastructure inspection company from Sweden, was granted BVLOS operation permission for the Vertical Technologies DeltaQuad VTOL UAV to inspect a large portion of the Swedish power grid. Fully autonomous from takeoff to landing and using long-range radio transmission combined with LTE based video and control links, Skyqraft was able to perform multiple BVLOS missions gathering high-resolution images for over 1,000 km of powerlines.
BVLOS Powerline Inspection

The resulting data is used for early indicators of failures to the powerlines, isolators, and towers. The missions are planned to follow the powerlines at a safe altitude using automatic terrain following. The onboard camera is automatically triggered to record high-resolution photographs of the selected path while the operator receives live video and keeps a control link over long distances. Using ADS-B transponder receivers, the pilot is made aware of any aviation up to 100 km away.

BEYOND VISUAL LINE OF SIGHT WAIVER

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