Delbruck, Germany, With the ZERC VTOL, thousands of kilometers will soon be flown across Germany – for medical transports, monitoring of wildfire areas, and corridor inspections, to name just a few applications.
The German Federal Aviation Office has approved flights over urban areas (SAIL III) beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) with the fixed-wing aircraft (VTOL) “ZERC.” This marks another milestone for Globe UAV, making them the first European company to break new ground in unmanned aviation.
Two years earlier, Globe UAV was the first European company to secure approval for BVLOS drone flights (MultiCopter) over inhabited areas.
The “ZERC” is distinguished by its smooth, almost silent flight behavior after transitioning to horizontal flight. With a wingspan of nearly 3 meters and a takeoff weight of 25kg, it can cover distances of up to 200 km on battery power or up to 500 km as a hybrid. The redundancy provided by its 6 hover motors during takeoff and landing is complemented by a parachute system.
The ZERC is controlled via the mobile network (5G/4G/3G) using the SkyGate ground station, which also handles the necessary processes for operation, including maintenance, flight preparation, weather documentation and others.
KNOWLEDGE:
BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight): BVLOS refers to flights of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that take place beyond the visual line of sight of the pilot. Typically, the operator is no longer on-site but controls the drone remotely from an office desk.
SAIL III (Specific Assurance and Integrity Level): SAIL is a concept within EU law for the specific category of drone operations. SAIL III indicates a medium risk level, where specific measures are required to ensure safety.
VTOL (Vertical Take-Off and Landing): VTOL describes the capability of an aircraft to take off and land vertically and applies to both multicopters and some fixed-wing aircraft. When discussing VTOLs, it generally refers to aerial systems that initially ascend vertically and then transition to continue flying horizontally.
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