Swiss drone designer RigiTech just reached an important milepost, performing a long-range BVLOS flight over Lake Geneva in Switzerland. Getting the approval for the Flying BVLOS was an enormous project that took RigiTech several months to complete. The company required several organizations to collaborate, including the Cologny Municipality, the Office Cantonal De I’agriculture et de la nature (OCAN), the Geneva Police, and the FOCA (Federal Office of Civil Aviation).
By connecting with laboratories in Coppet and Cologny, the RigiTech Eiger craft became the first flying BVLOS to make an excursion between two different Swiss cantons over water. With the innovation of the BVLOS drone, RigiTech can now offer immediate transportation of medical goods and services. The Eiger Aircraft lands on the lab’s rooftop to allow easy access for the medical staff members to deliver pre-requisite materials and then return to Geneva in less than 10 minutes. It saves upto 90 minutes in delivery time compared to ground transportation during rush hours. The craft can fly over 62 miles on a single battery charge and offers a maximum payload capacity of 3 kg (6.6 lb).
The delivery route over Lake Geneva was a challenging task that required consideration of necessary protection for local fauna. Moreover, RigiTech had to pay vigilant attention to the ongoing boat traffic on the water. But the work was worth it as RigiTech’s team successfully coordinated the planned flights with information from the CGN (Compagnie de Navigation) before executing the route to connect Geneva.
