Drone Delivery Canada conducts successful tests

Drone Delivery Canada (DDC) in mid-August successfully completed beyond-visual-line-of-sight drone delivery trials in Alma, Quebec.

The flights were designed to stress-test the company’s flight management system, its cargo delivery drone, crews and procedures—under day and night conditions. CEO Tony Di Benedetto says DDC is nearing the commercialization stage of development.

“We are developing a very valuable piece of technology that will enable a drone to safely integrate into Canadian skies for parcel delivery,” Di Benedetto said. “With our systems approaching completion, we are looking forward to the commercialization stage of our technology that we believe has the potential to change logistics in Canada as we know it today.”

The test flights in Alma were the first phase of DDC’s Remote Communities Project. Testing began Aug. 13 and ran until Aug. 17. They achieved the goal of testing DDC’s proprietary FLYTE management system and its Sparrow cargo delivery drone. Both Transport Canada and the National Research Council attended the BVLOS flights.

With the Alma testing completed, DDC plans to assemble its team and technology in the communities of Moosonee and Moose Factory in Ontario during September to begin additional BVLOS test operations.

Paul Di Benedetto, DDC chief technology officer, said the company’s team had achieved a significant milestone by successfully completing the testing. “Alma was yet another key step in advancing the capabilities of our systems,” he said. DDC plans to commercialize its technology throughout Canada and abroad.

DDC is a drone technology company focused on the design, development and implementation of its proprietary logistics software platform, using drones. The company’s platform will be used as Software as a Service (SaaS) for government and corporate organizations.