Do you think BVLOS drones will appear any time soon? I suppose we need the technology (dji are almost certainly working on it as we speak) but also a shift in mindset of the CAA, FAA and everyone in general. I don’t mean just specialist mapping etc. but general drone usage.
How far are you thinking?
I could be wrong, but I don’t think a BVLOS drone is a thing.
My understanding is that BVLOS represents a particular type of risk category that requires permissions and certification. There’s talk of BVLOS being a ‘bolt on’ for the GVC.
Ned
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Aren’t all current drones capable of BVLOS? The limiting factor is safety rather that the technical capabilities.
What are you envisioning Ash to make BVLOS drone? Presumably some kind of beacon as a starter?
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I understand where you’re coming from… I think… but a beacon wouldn’t help.
It’s one thing knowing where your drone is when you can’t see it, but it wouldn’t help you take evasive action in the event that something ‘big’ enters your drone’s airspace - you wouldn’t see it.
(I’m not pissing on your question… I think BVLOS is something we might all have done by accident at some point and it’s pretty cool)
Ned
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Agreed, but it would alert anything else in the airspace to your presence.
As far as the capability of most current small drones, 3-4 km?
Most drones will do that. Are you wondering if the CAA will allow this? It’s a little unwritten rule that quite a few pilots go bvlos regularly
I’m thinking built in redundancy, failsafe systems, dare I say it, parachutes? Intelligent return to home with redundancy.
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You’re kidding, really? 
That’s a thing for sure!
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I think that’s definitely on the way.
But it would have to be failsafe, deploying no matter what.
That’s what I’m thinking. It’s legal to see a tiny speck 500 metres away, but it’s not legal to fly with a perfect fpv view of surroundings. Even with all round proximity sensors. I know which way I’d rather fly.
That’s been in DJI drones since the Mavic Pro!
So why not have smart systems that alert you, the operator, if anything enters your airspace, say within 5 miles. That gives you almost a minute to get out of the way. We have AIS at sea, which is very effective at reducing collisions.
In a double fault situation?
Did you never see this summer '18 video?
Still, by far, the best example of intelligent RTH I’ve seen.
(Apologies to @colinbm for always using this as an example - but it’s still awesome!)
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Pilot error + something. Yup - they do that. 
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An octo drone may be able to suffer a double failure. But nothing is guaranteed. Not even from Dji