Summary
Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations are beginning to transform several industries. One of the most compelling applications of BVLOS is inspecting large-scale infrastructure, such as utility lines. BVLOS significantly increases the areas that can be surveyed, allowing for corridor-scale data collection rather than isolated samples. A recent 77 mile transmission line survey in Florida demonstrates that this approach is already operational under current regulatory frameworks, including conducting a multi-leg mission and operating through controlled airspace.
Table of Contents
Introduction
Electric utilities are under increasing pressure to inspect and maintain vast networks of transmission infrastructure. Wildfire risk, regulatory scrutiny, and aging assets are forcing operators to move faster while improving accuracy. At the same time, traditional inspection methods—helicopter patrols, ground crews, and short-range drone flights—are struggling to scale efficiently across hundreds or thousands of miles.
This is where Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) drone operations are beginning to shift the equation.
While most are waiting for Part 108, BVLOS is already being approved today for specific, well-defined applications, particularly in infrastructure inspection and other long linear asset environments. Utilities, energy companies, and service providers are increasingly securing waivers and exemptions that allow them to move beyond pilot projects and into repeatable operations.
A recent long-range mission conducted in Florida provides a compelling example of how these approvals are translating into real-world capability.
Benefits of BVLOS
BVLOS operations fundamentally change how infrastructure inspection is performed, particularly for long linear assets like transmission lines, pipelines, transportation corridors, and coastal areas.
Time and Cost Efficiency
Long-range flights reduce the need for repeated deployments, minimizing mobilization time and labor requirements. Fewer flights covering greater distances translate directly into lower operational cost per mile.
Continuous Datasets
Instead of stitching together fragmented survey segments, BVLOS enables continuous LiDAR datasets across entire corridors. This improves data consistency and allows engineers to evaluate infrastructure as a connected system.
Mapping Larger Areas
Fixed-wing platforms can cover tens of miles per flight, enabling corridor-scale data collection that is not practical with traditional multi-rotor drones.
Efficiency of Repeated Surveys
Once a corridor is planned and validated, repeat inspections become significantly more efficient. Planning, risk assessment, and regulatory coordination are largely one-time efforts, allowing future missions to focus primarily on execution and data collection.
Case Study: 77 Miles of Transmission Lines Surveyed with BVLOS
Summary
In February 2026, Censys Technologies conducted a BVLOS drone mission along a transmission corridor between Daytona Beach and Mims, Florida. The objective was to demonstrate corridor-scale inspection using LiDAR and automated analysis workflows. The mission covered nearly 80 miles of infrastructure in a single coordinated operation. It serves as a real-world example of how BVLOS LiDAR can scale inspection beyond isolated segments.
Results
- 77.7 miles of transmission corridor inspected
- 83.4 miles total flight distance
- Under 2.5 hours of total flight time across two legs
- 140 GB of LiDAR and imagery data collected
- Same-day data processing and vegetation modeling outputs
Operating in Real Airspace
One of the most significant aspects of the mission was that it was conducted in active, regulated airspace rather than a controlled test environment. The flight path traversed Class C and Class D airspace, along with a designated restricted area near Daytona Beach.
Operations required direct coordination with air traffic control, strict altitude management, and detailed mission planning to ensure safe integration with traditional aircraft. This demonstrates that BVLOS infrastructure inspection can be operationally integrated into existing aviation systems today.
Mission Planning
The mission required approximately 21 hours of preparation, including corridor assessment, flight route design, ground risk analysis, staging logistics, and regulatory coordination. Both ground and aerial surveys were conducted to identify hazards and ensure safe operations along the corridor.
This level of planning reflects the current operational reality of BVLOS flights, where upfront effort is significant but largely repeatable once a corridor has been validated.
Flight Details
The mission was executed using a Sentaero 6 fixed-wing VTOL UAV equipped with a TV540 LiDAR sensor and 45 MP RGB camera.
Two flight legs were completed:
- Each flight lasted approximately 60–70 minutes
- Each covered 35–40 miles of corridor
Between flights, the team performed a battery swap before launching the second leg.
During the second leg, control of the aircraft was successfully handed off between operational teams, demonstrating the feasibility of multi-team corridor operations. This mirrors how future dock-based or distributed BVLOS networks may operate, with aircraft transitioning between control points along a route.
Data Pipeline Automation
Following the flight, approximately 140 GB of data, including LiDAR point clouds and high-resolution imagery, was processed.
- Data ingestion took approximately 4.5 hours
- Automated LiDAR analysis using CensWise produced vegetation-clearance models in under 40 minutes
This workflow highlights the increasing role of automation in large-scale LiDAR projects, where rapid processing is essential to make corridor-scale data actionable.
Significance of the Censys BVLOS Mission
This mission demonstrates that BVLOS LiDAR inspection is not a future concept; it is already being executed within existing regulatory frameworks.
It also shows that:
- Corridor-scale inspection is feasible, not just segment-based surveys
- Long linear infrastructure networks—including transmission lines, pipelines, transportation corridors, and coastal areas—can be mapped efficiently
- Airspace integration is manageable with proper planning and coordination
- Data workflows are sufficiently automated to support large-scale data collection and analysis
Together, these factors represent a shift from experimental deployments to operational systems.
Economics of BVLOS
BVLOS operations reduce costs through fewer deployments, higher aircraft utilization, and lower labor requirements per mile.
Censys conducted a detailed cost analysis, estimating costs at approximately $61 per mile and $152 per hour.
These figures include personnel, aircraft, payloads, software, and support equipment. Estimates are based on an operational program, conducting 166 flights per year. Under current regulatory conditions, that scale is unrealistic, but these figures highlight the potential economics as BVLOS operations mature.
Importantly, repeat surveys become significantly more efficient, further improving cost performance over time.
For the full details on the cost estimates, please email nathan.roe@lidarnews.com.
Infrastructure Monitoring
BVLOS enables a transition from periodic inspection to more continuous infrastructure monitoring.
With predefined corridors, coordinated operations, and potential future dock-based deployment models, utilities could move toward systems that monitor infrastructure at regular intervals or even continuously. This would improve situational awareness, reduce response times, and allow for more proactive maintenance strategies.
Implications for the Geospatial Industry
For professionals in LiDAR, surveying, and geospatial analytics, this shift has broad implications:
- Data volumes will increase significantly as corridor-scale capture becomes standard
- Automation will become essential to process and analyze large datasets
- Integration with engineering and asset management workflows will deepen
- BVLOS capability will become a key differentiator for service providers
Final Thoughts
BVLOS drone operations have long been discussed as the next frontier in geospatial data collection. What this mission shows is that, in some cases, that frontier is already here.
As platforms, workflows, and regulatory frameworks continue to evolve, BVLOS is poised to become a foundational tool for infrastructure inspection—reshaping how data is collected, analyzed, and applied across the geospatial industry.
For more information on the full case study, please contact nathan.roe@lidarnews.com.
