What is BVLOS drone flight?
BVLOS means beyond visual line of sight: the aircraft flies where the pilot cannot see it, under approved procedures and often with detect-and-avoid systems.
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Definition
Beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) is flight outside the unaided visual range of the remote pilot. It is a regulatory and operational status, not a brand of airframe.
Why it matters
Most valuable drone work — offshore kits, long linear infrastructure, city logistics — happens past the horizon. Approving BVLOS turns demos into scheduled ops, the same way industrial AMRs needed trusted navigation before warehouses scaled fleets.
Frequently asked questions
Why is BVLOS hard to approve?
Regulators must trust the operator can avoid other aircraft and people without eyes on the vehicle — usually needing waivers, corridors or certified detect-and-avoid.
What does it unlock?
Long delivery routes, offshore wind logistics (as in Ørsted–Skyports at Hornsea 2), pipeline inspection and emergency response.
Is it the same as autonomous flight?
Not exactly. BVLOS is about where the pilot looks; autonomy is about who decides the path. Many BVLOS flights are still remotely supervised.
Coverage
Ørsted and Skyports fly 55–65 kg kits BVLOS to North Sea turbines
A four-week Hornsea 2 trial used automated hook pickup to move maintenance packs ~4 km beyond visual line of sight — cutting vessel lifts before techs arrive.
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