The University of Alaska is the first entity, other than NASA or the Department of Defense, to receive an emergency certificate of authority from the Federal Aviation Administration to fly in civil airspace with an unmanned aircraft beyond line-of-sight.A sign of progress?University of Alaska assists fire personnel in mapping the Crazy Mountain Complex fires with the ScanEagle.
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  • With our radio modems already transmitting our location it would seem no problem to have transmit and avoid.
  • "see and avoid" is an anachronism. It doesn't work for real, experienced pilots (see recent Hudson crash, and the history of misair collisions.)

    The introduction of drones should be used as an excuse to replace sense-and-avoid with transmit-and-avoid.
  • Well I'm never really surprised when something online is inaccurate but I would love to hear other examples. Perhaps they meant the first emergency COA?
  • Not true, other have COA before but still good to see progress.
  • Sweet!=]
  • Do you see other universities obtaining this clearance in the near future ?
  • 3D Robotics
    LOL!
  • They cleared the airspace. Also it's just Alaska (I kid, I kid).
  • 3D Robotics
    Nice one. How did they resolve the sense-and-avoid problem, or do they just get the FAA to clear the airspace when they're flying?
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