Soaring Eagle Imaging (SEI), a professional aviation organization, recently performed a 51-mile beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) utility inspection in just six hours using Censys Technologies Sentaero v2VTOL following Hurricane Barry, which made landfall in Louisiana on July 13.

Over the course of three missions, a single crew captured 51 miles worth of detailed information, which allowed the scope of damage and corresponding locations to be identified, which helped facilitate quick repairs.

“I’m ecstatic to see a great partner and customer of ours employ our technology with such an emphasis on safety to deliver exceptional value to energy asset owners,” says Censys CEO Trevor Perrott.

“I’m grateful to the FAA for approving the operation without requiring remote visual observers, as yesterday shows BVLOS can be executed safely and economically.”

A partner and customer of Censys Technologies, SEI uses UAS for a variety of inspection applications to serve a number of enterprise clients. The company has a demonstrated track record of safe operations, which is reflected in the 17 emergency BVLOS waivers that it has been granted in the past. 

SEI began conducting BVLOS flights using a Censys Technologies Sentaero v2VTOL with no remote visual observers once it was determined that these flights could be conducted safely.

“SEI is now positioned to safely perform BVLOS operations as a ‘normal’ daily mission,” says Soaring Eagle Imaging CEO William Paden.

“The experience gained during training and field missions prove SEI teams are exceptionally proficient in the tasks required to safely conduct these types of operations.”