The Sky Guys, Canada's top drone operator, announced this week they have been granted a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC), a permit for commercial Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) flights, for its landmark development project, the DX-3 "Vanguard".

The permit allows The Sky Guys to perform testing that will put the DX-3 through critical elements of integrated flight testing, including performance benchmarking and evaluating Vertical Takeoff and Landing (VTOL), transition, forward-flight, endurance, systems safety, and various aspects of human factors.

"This SFOC is a testament to the industry-leading engineering design and flight operations expertise at The Sky Guys," noted Jeremy Wang, CTO of The Sky Guys, "Besides its outstanding performance specs, the DX-3 Vanguard comes with safety features normally found in military and commercial aviation. The system is also proudly designed and assembled in Canada, so we have tight control over the IP and production methods that make it unique around the world."

The SFOC approval comes after months of testing and evaluation in a controlled laboratory environment. The flight testing will be conducted at Toronto Markham Airport CNU8, consisting of Line of Sight (LOS) and simulated Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) only.

"The revolutionary DX-3 'Vanguard' is a giant leap forward in the capabilities of today's commercially available UAS platforms," stated Adam Sax, President and CEO of The Sky Guys. "Capable of flying for over 24hrs and 1500km in range, the DX-3 utilizes military-grade technology and sensors to carry out missions in heavy industry and military environments. Its ability to take off and land vertically eliminates the need for runways or launch rails typically required with similar UAS platforms only available to the defense sector."

"We've been working closely with partners in industry, law enforcement, and defense to define test protocols that will establish the DX-3 as the forerunner in NATO Class 1 / DoD Group 2 class UAVs," concluded Sax.