What Is BVLOS?
BVLOS, Beyond Visual Line of Sight, means operating a drone without maintaining direct, unaided sight of it at all times. There's no sub-category, class mark or drone weight that unlocks BVLOS flight in the Open Category, it's entirely a Specific Category activity requiring a CAA Operational Authorisation. Using an FPV camera feed doesn't count as BVLOS authorisation either, a screen replacing the pilot's own eyes still needs the same approval as flying with no camera feed at all.
VLOS, EVLOS and BVLOS Compared
VLOS is the baseline every Open Category flight operates under, continuous direct sight with the naked eye, close enough to judge the aircraft's orientation and watch for other traffic without assistance. EVLOS, Extended Visual Line of Sight, is the structured middle ground, one or more trained observers hold direct visual contact with the aircraft while the remote pilot flies from telemetry and camera feed, requiring its own authorisation but keeping a human pair of eyes on the aircraft at all times. BVLOS removes that observer chain entirely, nobody maintains direct visual contact, and detection of other airspace users has to happen through technology rather than a person looking up.
The Qualification Ladder
Level | Operation | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
GVC / RPC-L1 Part A | VLOS only | Flyer ID, theory and practical assessment |
RPC-L1 Part B | BVLOS with Visual Mitigations | RPC-L1 base qualification plus the Part B module |
RPC-L2 | BVLOS in segregated airspace (ARC-a) | RPC-L1, logged flight hours, minimum age 18 |
RPC-L3 | BVLOS in integrated airspace (up to ARC-c) | RPC-L2, logged BVLOS hours, an aviation medical certificate |
RPC-L1 Part B is the entry point into BVLOS work, an optional module built around Visual Mitigations, a lower tier of BVLOS risk than the segregated or integrated airspace work RPC-L2 and RPC-L3 cover. RPC-L3's medical certificate requirement marks the largest single step up the ladder, reflecting the shift from segregated airspace, where the drone has that airspace to itself, to integrated airspace, where it's sharing it with manned aircraft under the same rules.
Why BVLOS Sits Under SORA
BVLOS work outside a predefined scenario runs through UK SORA, the CAA's risk assessment framework covered in full in our What Is UK SORA? guide. The operator has to define the operation, calculate a Ground Risk Class and Air Risk Class, and work out the resulting SAIL rating, since BVLOS by definition removes the direct observation a VLOS or EVLOS operation relies on for its own risk profile. A single SORA-based authorisation can cover multiple locations and multiple aircraft models, worth knowing for an operator planning to scale a BVLOS capability across a fleet rather than qualify one aircraft at a time.
The Technology Behind It
Three systems have to work reliably without a human maintaining direct sight of the aircraft. Detect and Avoid technology, radar, ADS-B receivers, LiDAR or computer vision, has to identify and resolve potential conflicts with other airspace users that a pilot would otherwise spot by eye. The command and control link needs enough redundancy, cellular, licensed radio, satellite, to keep the aircraft controllable throughout the flight, with an automatic landing procedure triggered if that link is lost. Sharing airspace with manned aircraft that may have no idea the drone is there is the single hardest part of BVLOS regulation, which is why detect-and-avoid and a genuinely redundant control link matter more here than almost anywhere else in commercial drone operation.
Where BVLOS Gets Used Commercially
Long linear infrastructure, railway lines, motorways, pipelines, power lines, is the clearest BVLOS use case, letting a single launch point cover a meaningful stretch of infrastructure rather than repositioning every few hundred metres under VLOS limits. Offshore and energy inspection, wind farms, substations, solar arrays, rigs, regularly sits well beyond any practical VLOS range from a safe launch point. Wide-area search and surveillance work benefits the same way, covering ground a VLOS operation would need multiple repositioned flights to match.
Common Questions
No, there's no weight, class mark or subcategory in the Open Category that permits BVLOS. It's a Specific Category activity requiring an Operational Authorisation regardless of aircraft size.
No, a camera feed replacing direct sight still needs the same BVLOS authorisation as flying with no visual reference at all. FPV equipment on its own authorises nothing.
RPC-L1 Part B covers BVLOS with Visual Mitigations, a lower tier of BVLOS risk. RPC-L2 covers BVLOS in segregated airspace, a step up in both capability and the qualification needed to hold it.
Only for operations outside a predefined scenario. Where one exists and applies, SORA's full GRC/ARC/SAIL calculation isn't needed, but most genuine BVLOS work currently falls outside predefined scenario limits.
It's a criminal offence, endangering an aircraft carries a maximum five-year sentence under the Air Navigation Order 2016, and an unauthorised flight typically invalidates commercial drone insurance too.
