The possibility and future of automatic flight in manned areas unraveling from the current state of the U.S. drone industry

Commercial drones develop in "Category III / Level 4"

The flight form of commercial drones in Japan is regulated by "category" and "level". This combination defines what you can do.

The category is the risk classification when flying. Category I is considered to have the lowest risk and is a daytime in-sight flight in an area with few people. Category II is relatively high risk, out-of-sight flight and night flight with assistants in areas with few people. And Category III, which is scheduled to be introduced next year, has the highest risk, and it is an unassisted non-visual flight in a manned area. In addition, the flight over the event where a large number of people gather is also included in Category III. In addition, autonomous flight and automatic flight by remote control are called Advanced Operation in the United States.

Levels are classifications for flight applications, such as level 1 for aerial photography and bridge inspection, level 2 for pesticide spraying and civil engineering surveys, and level 3 for unmanned cargo delivery. And level 4 refers to advanced use such as parcel delivery in manned areas. The highest hurdle among these is the BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight), which is fully autonomous and automated flight delivery in manned areas, that is, "Category III / Level 4". It's very difficult, but it also has great merits. Ryoji Koike, CEO of Aerial Innovation LLC, a consulting firm for commercial unmanned aerial vehicle systems based in Silicon Valley, said:

"Each flight can be operated without the pilot going to the site. Since one pilot can operate multiple aircraft, transportation capacity and operational efficiency will be dramatically improved. Category III / Level 4 will be realized. It's an essential step in the development and market expansion of commercial drones. "