Event 38 announces successful BVLOS pipeline inspection demo with fixed-wing VTOL drone

In 2023, Shell Pipeline Corporation introduced Event 38 to Phoenix Air Unmanned (PAU), a drone service provider that specializes in aerial inspection and surveillance for utilities. PAU engaged Event 38 for a proof-of-concept demo of the E455, Event 38’s largest fixed-wing vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone. The goal was to integrate the E455 with PAU’s command stations and conduct a BVLOS inspection of Shell’s pipelines in Louisiana.

The E455 was added to PAU’s BVLOS waiver for the purposes of the demo. PAU’s waiver allows unmanned aircraft to fly over critical infrastructure nationwide, with some limitations. The waiver allows for 250 feet of altitude above grounded infrastructure, such as buried pipelines, and 100 feet above transmission lines.

In October of 2024, Event 38 traveled to Georgia to train six PAU pilots to use the E455. Phoenix team members were operating the drone independently after just three days of training, a testament to the user-friendly design of the E455. Mathew Wright, Event 38’s VP of Engineering and Operations, spent two additional days working with the team to integrate the E455 into PAU’s existing control stations.

“We have over 16,000 miles of powerline inspection experience and dedicated infrastructure to support that operation, such as vans, connectivity systems, and airspace surveillance systems,” said William Wheeler, Director of Operations, Phoenix Air Unmanned. “It was pretty awesome for us to be able to reach out to Mat, tap into his expertise and his team’s real experience with the system, and integrate the E455 into our existing infrastructure.”

The following week, PAU conducted a full proof-of-concept demo with the E455. The E455 flew 330 miles in just 7.6 flight hours, spread across two days, the most PAU has ever accomplished in such a short time. Drone communications were handed off between three ground control vans to increase efficiency, and ground control received a constant live video feed from the E455’s on-board cameras.

“The goal was to fly 300 miles in a single day,” said Wheeler. “Unfortunately, we woke up to a two-hour delay with fog. We crossed the 300-mile mark at noon on the second day. But our goal was achieved within a day of flying time, so it was a success.”

“This demo was an excellent opportunity for us to learn more about how the E455 operates in real-world scenarios,” said Wright. “We were able to make some other modifications that will translate to a better user experience going forward.”

Why PAU’s demo with the E455 was a success.

Several factors contributed to the success of the demo.

The PAU approval is nationwide.

Many BVLOS waivers are geo-locked, meaning they are restricted to a defined geographical area and are void outside the boundaries of that footprint. This is because many drones have just one on-board camera, limiting visibility from the air.

The E455 uses a three-camera system, with two cameras pointing forward and one facing toward the rear of the drone. This gives pilots significantly better visual on any flying objects, tall structures, foot traffic, or other factors that might cause concern or a problem. Because the E455 allows pilots to better monitor the space around the drone and assess its flight path from more angles, the E455 can be deployed confidently in more areas and is more likely to be approved for BVLOS use.

The E455 is more efficient than a plane or helicopter.

For the purposes of this demo with PAU, the E455 flew with an Iris Casia 3-camera system, which is critical for BVLOS missions, two redundant radio links, and an ADS-B in, in addition to a standard live gimbaled camera. Even with the abundance of equipment required for a BVLOS mission, the E455 flew for up to sixty minutes on a single charge.

With a standard payload, the E455 can fly for over two hours on a single charge, allowing pilots to cover more ground and gather more data each day. The E455 can travel at speeds of 50 miles per hour in optimal conditions, further increasing its efficiency.

The E455 also contributes to greater efficiency on the ground. Shell also remarked on the value of exact location data provided by the E455. Inspectors in a manned aircraft can take photos of potential issues from the window of the plane, but it can take several hours for pipeline technicians to find the exact location. The E455, on the other hand, tags inspection areas with exact latitudinal and longitudinal data, so technicians can travel directly to the site and get to work much faster.

The E455 uses a bonded radio solution for superior connectivity.

Unlike other drones, the E455 uses both point-to-point and LTE radio connections at all times:

• An LTE Elsight radio connection, used primarily while in flight.
• A point-to-point Silvus connection, used primarily during launch and recovery.

This strategic redundancy allows for smooth hand-off between ground control stations and secure connection, even in low-coverage areas or emergency situations where LTE signal may be unreliable. The E455 flew 330 miles over the course of two days and never lost signal with Phoenix.

The E455 is easy to use.

“Ease of use and reliability is a big deal for us,” said Wheeler. “We (PAU) have the foundational knowledge of how to execute BVLOS flights at scale, however we’d never flown the E455 before. We received training, the E455 was integrated, and then we were out there doing 300 miles. What will we be capable of once our whole crew has experience with this platform and it’s truly integrated into our workflow? It’s repeatable and scalable.”

Wheeler also credited the flexibility of the Event 38 team. “We’re in the commercial space, which is why it was such a big deal for us to find a vendor who could be a little more agile and meet our requirements quickly.”