Drone Delivery Canada earns Special Flight Operations Certificate

Drone Delivery Canada has earned a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC) from Transport Canada with plans to begin Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations in isolated villages in northwest Canada as part of the University of British Columbia’s Drone Transport Initiative (DTI). Under the initiative, which began in February 2021 to address health care transportation logistics for First Nations communities, Drone Delivery Canada will use its Sparrow drone to deliver medical supplies and equipment between the village of Fraser Lake and Stellat’en First Nation, a little more than 3 miles away. Ultimately, DTI is also looking to collect data to study how similar drone delivery programs can be scaled, according to the University of British Columbia. [caption id="attachment_96118" align="alignright" width="410"] Photo courtesy of Drone Delivery Canada.[/caption] DDC launches commercial operations at YEG DDC officially launched commercial route deliveries from Edmonton International Airport (YEG) to off-airport destinations May 26 using its Sparrow drone. The deliveries will transport various types of cargo on behalf of Ziing Final Mile and Apple Express, according to today's release. Flights will be remotely monitored by DDC from its control center in Ontario, according to the release. YEG is the first Canadian airport to launch full drone delivery services. The Sparrow drone has eight electric motors that give it a maximum payload of 4 kg and a maximum speed of 80 kph. All Sparrows will operate using Drone Delivery Canada’s FLYTE Software for autonomous pre-determined operations between specific landing and takeoff sites with specific infrastructure that allows the drone to operate. Other drones in the company’s product lineup include the Canary, a newer version of the Sparrow that offers similar performance; the faster and larger Robin XL, capable of 105 kph and 11.3 kg; and the Condor, which achieves a top speed of 120 kph and a max payload of 180 kg. The drone manufacturer, which expects to commercialize the Condor by Q2 2023, is currently developing a much larger drone capable of increased payload and distances. Drone Delivery Canada joins other drone companies like Aergility, which unveiled its prototype hybrid-electric Atlis drone in late April that is said to carry as much as 220 kg at ranges as high as 965 km. Meanwhile, Elroy Air recently partnered with FedEx to develop its Chaparral C1 cargo drone and hopes to begin flight testing by 2023 . Alex Lowe of Edmonton International Airport will discuss drone operations at the Air Cargo Tech Summit, the new airfreight logistics event presented by Air Cargo World . Learn more and register here.

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