We focus so much on what new pilots and operators should do, that we sometimes fail to hear what they want to do and why. As a UAS Service Supplier, and FAA Partner in B4UFLY, we have a rich dataset to draw from and we’re able to see first-hand what new users are looking to learn.
July and August were the two most active months of all time on the Kittyhawk platform. We’ve added a record number of users through the launches of Recreational LAANC and B4UFLY. Though these new services aren’t part of our enterprise offering, they’re an opportunity for Kittyhawk to use our scale and reach to lead on safety with action and innovation.
We’re able to customize our airspace product for different use cases and scale because of our patented Dynamic Airspace platform. Below are some stats and details on how recreational drone operators are utilizing these new products.
B4UFLY
- Since the relaunch at the end of July to September 15, the new B4UFLY app performed over 700,000 airspace status checks. A slight majority of users were iOS over Android. Reviews have gone from 1-stars to 4-stars.
- With nearly a million airspace searches, it answers the question, will drone pilots do a safety check before they fly? The answer is a resounding yes when you make it easy, reliable and maybe even enjoyable to know if you're clear to fly.
- We’ve also heard from non-drone pilots that the new intuitive app design is helping them to understand if it’s ok for drones to be flying around them. With our commitment to Remote ID, we’ll be adding in more functionality to B4UFLY to help both the operator and viewer audiences of the application.
- We’re also making advances to modernize and augment airspace data sources to be able to provide more detail and situational awareness. These improvements will be felt by B4UFLY users, and will also benefit all stakeholders of the National Airspace System (NAS).
It’s important to note that B4UFLY doesn’t collect personal information or require users to register or login to use the app. By definition, this means that features like LAANC cannot be built directly into B4UFLY (as so many of you have inquired), but we are continually listening to your feedback and thinking about how best to evolve the user experience for B4UFLY.
We’re also focused on how we can help further understanding of how airspace regulations interact with local land-based rules. The FAA regulates the airspace, and those are the rulesets we focus on in B4UFLY. Other local rules may apply to landing, takeoff, and where the operator is standing during flight. This means there isn’t one simple compliance answer for an entire drone operation, but we’re working to highlight these distinctions for safer flight.
Recreational LAANC
- Since the launch of Recreational LAANC in late July, we’ve powered over 6,000 recreational airspace authorizations.
- With the help of DJI, we’ve seen a large number of recreational users learn about new authorization requirements and move quickly to embrace the power of LAANC for immediate airspace authorizations.
The rules of engagement for the NAS below 400 feet are static and we live in a much more complex and dynamic world. Hobbyist and commercial operators, public safety officials, concerned citizens… there’s a lot going on and not everyone has the same priorities.
It’s our belief that the airspace flying experience for users of all kinds, needs to be more responsive and inclusive of changing conditions. We can’t use the same ATC model for drones. We’ll continue to invest in our Dynamic Airspace platform because we’ve seen customers and users all express a simple concept: my airspace is not your airspace but we need ways to communicate when they may intersect.
