For the first time in the U.S., a commercial drone equipped with a parachute safety system was permitted to fly over people during a football game in North Dakota last week. A DJI Phantom 4 being controlled by a North Dakota drone operator, Botlink, used a drone safety solutions company’s “SafeAir System” (ParaZero) to conduct the operation. The drone flew over crowds at FargoDome’s parking lots for the tailgating events prior to North Dakota State University’s football game against South Dakota State. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) granted a waiver for this flight under the small unmanned aerial system (UAS) Part 107 regulations. The “SafeAir System” parachute was a major contributor to the FAA’s granting of this waiver for flight over people. This could lead the way for safe flights over people, with larger, more advanced UAS that can carry sophisticated payloads and cameras.

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