uAvionix Australia Press Release December 2017

uAvionix Australia has continued to work in collaboration with Air Services Australia (ASA) and the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) testing and developing our Automatic Dependent Surveillance Broadcast (ADS-B) sense and avoid products for the various Australian environments.

The October Press Release promised the launch of the uAvionix Australia website that will not just allow customers to purchase product but to keep informed of Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) technology developments which seem to be advancing at an exponential rate. uAvionix Australia is very excited to announce that www.uavionix.com.au is now live and customised for Australian UAV markets.

CASA regulations currently limit UAV operations to within visual line-of sight imposing a major barrier to commercial UAV operations. uAvionix Australia has successfully conducted Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) trials with commercial UAV operators in Australia. These trials were conducted using UAVs fitted with the uAvionix ping20s and FYXnav-B combination whilst being monitored by the pingUSB or pingStation.

The first BVLOS trial, which was conducted within Defense Force airspace, Queensland, was a resounding success. The ping20s and FYXnav-B performed faultlessly and in fact the airspace limits of nearly 7km and 400 feet above ground level (AGL) were reached and still within range of the pingUSB. Being able to monitor the UAV independently from the control link was very reassuring for the operator. In addition, the ability of the ping20s to transmit both height and altitude data was an advantage particularly when flying the UAV in the vicinity of manned aircraft that refer to a barometric datum.

uAvionix Australia firmly believe the fitment of such equipment may provide a basis for CASA to approve commercial UAV operations BVLOS and flights closer to controlled airspace. It is very exciting for uAvionix Australia to be at the forefront of what will be a revolutionary year for commercial UAV operations that desire BVLOS capability.

Vektor for airside surface movement vehicles has now been tested with ASA at Kingsford Smith Sydney Airport. Test results are pending but as mentioned in the October Press Release, the Vektor is the only fully CASA compliant device available for this market in the world. Competitive products currently in use in Australia are operating under various dispensations. The comments regarding the Vektor from airport safety officers during the test were very encouraging. They remarked “look how small it is” and “it is so easy to handle and monitor” and “this will be much easier to change and program between vehicles”. At nearly half the price of its nearest, non-compliant, competitor, the Vektor offers a high performance, fully compliant, low cost solution.

Finally, uAvionix Australia would like to thank Air Services Australia and the UAV community for their support to date. It has enhanced the development process of uAvionix products in Australia that will enable future capabilities for all UAV operators.

Please visit www.uAvionix.com.au to learn more about these specialised ADS-B products. uAvionix Australia intends to use the new website as a constant source of news for the aviation industry.

uAvionix Australia wishes you good health and happiness this holiday season and during the year ahead.

Neil Allen

Managing Director

uAvionix Australia