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The Vertical SpaceAuthor: Jim Barry, Peter Shannon & Luka Tomljenovic
The Vertical Space is a podcast at the intersection of technology and flight, featuring deep dives with innovators, early adopters, and industry leaders.We talk about the radical impact that technology is creating as it disrupts flight, enabling new ways to access the vertical space to improve our lives - from small drones to large aircraft. Our guests are operators and innovators across the value chain: airframers, technologists, data and service providers, as well as end users. Language: en-us Genres: Aviation, Leisure, Technology Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it |
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#116 Jessica Brightman, FAA: 2.2 Million BVLOS Flights Before Part 108
Episode 116
Monday, 26 October, 2026
In this episode we speak with Jessica Brightman, Policy & Standards Branch Manager in the UAS & Advanced Technologies Division of the FAA’s Office of Advanced Aviation Technologies, recorded while the final Part 108 BVLOS rule sits in White House review. Most of the conversation was about how the US built a live UTM system without a final rule. Eleven FAA-accepted services now operate across roughly ten states, and from January through September 2026 they deconflicted more than 2.2 million BVLOS flights. Jessica argues the model scales because it requires only the services an operation’s risk calls for.From there we cover her view that every aircraft should be electronically conspicuous, and how that shapes Part 108’s right-of-way construct, one of the proposal’s most debated parts. We also get into the new priority scheme for lifesaving missions, what Part 108 permits mean for small operators, and why tying UTM, air taxi services and ATC together is still an open standards problem. Jessica also makes an interesting argument about operational intents and why some operators have reserved far more airspace than they need.
