As drone operations move beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) and into populated environments, safety has become the main constraint on scale. While the FAA has registered over 316,000 commercial drones, only 2% of waivers cover advanced operations, which is a gap driven by a 54% rejection rate for Part 107 applications lacking sufficient safety data. Consequently, regulators are moving away from theoretical compliance toward measurable ground-risk mitigation. This shift is codified in the latest ASTM F3322-24a revision, which increased required parachute deployment tests from 45 to 49 to ensure statistically verified safety.
From Drone as First Responder (DFR) programmes operating daily over cities to early urban BVLOS drone corridors, the ability to mitigate ground risk has become a prerequisite for operational approval. In practice, this is driving demand for technologies that deliver consistent, repeatable safety outcomes supported by test data, engineering analysis and recognised international standards.
Central to this change is AVSS (Aerial Vehicle Safety Solutions), a Canadian aerospace technology company whose parachute recovery systems and flight termination devices are helping connect regulatory expectations and operational reality. Founded in 2017, AVSS’s products are now sold through a global network of 70+ authorised partners and integrated directly with major commercial platforms.
DroneTalks recently caught up with Mariah Murray, Vice President of Operations at AVSS, about how parachute systems are influencing regulatory frameworks, enabling BVLOS drone readiness, and unlocking real-world public safety use cases.
Drone regulations and parachute recovery systems: Why safety hardware now matters to regulators
Parachute recovery systems are rapidly transitioning from a recommended safety enhancement to a regulatory requirement in many advanced drone applications.
AVSS’s systems, including its PRS-M4S for the DJI Matrice 4 Series, are compliant with third-party standards such as ASTM F3322-24a, a globally recognised testing protocol for UAV parachute systems.
The PRS-M4S successfully passed 49 parachute deployments verified by third-party testing, supporting its FAA Category 2 approval for flight over people in the United States when used with compatible Matrice 4 drones.
“We sell hardware, that’s part of it, but we also sell compliance,” Mariah explained, highlighting that demonstrating compliance on paper and in the air is now a core function of AVSS’s technology.
Unlike procedural controls alone, parachute recovery systems offer tangible, measurable mitigation. By reducing descent rate and impact energy in failure scenarios, they directly address the criteria regulators use when assessing flights over people or beyond the pilot’s visual line of sight. As standards like ASTM F3322 gain wider regulatory recognition, safety hardware is increasingly becoming a foundational element of approval pathways.
BVLOS drone operations and ground risk mitigation: How parachute systems enable approvals
Ground risk remains one of the most challenging aspects of BVLOS drone operations. As flights extend beyond the pilot’s visual range, regulators require assurance that failures will not result in unacceptable harm to people or property on the ground.
Parachute recovery systems directly address this concern by limiting descent speed and impact forces during critical failures. In practical terms, this can mean the difference between an operation remaining confined to test environments and being authorised for routine, scalable deployment.
Rather than acting as a constraint, safety hardware is increasingly functioning as an enabler. By reducing residual risk, operators can access more complex airspace, fly closer to people and infrastructure, and operate with greater confidence under BVLOS drone approvals.
This shift is particularly important as regulators work towards more standardised BVLOS drone frameworks. Technologies that provide consistent, repeatable safety outcomes help bridge the gap between policy intent and operational reality.
Aviation drone regulation across markets: AVSS’ impact on global compliance frameworks
AVSS operates across multiple regulatory jurisdictions, and Murray highlighted how parachute recovery systems are contributing to safer drone operations worldwide.
“Where our parachutes are coming in worldwide and making a difference in the regulatory world.”
As drone regulations evolve at different speeds across regions, consistency has become critical. AVSS’ parachute systems are designed to support compliance across a range of regulatory frameworks, including FAA Operations Over People requirements in the United States, Transport Canada’s over-people rules, EASA mitigation requirements under SORA in Europe, and equivalent standards adopted by regulators aligned with JARUS guidance.
Parachute systems provide a hardware-based mitigation that complements operational procedures, detect-and-avoid technologies and airspace management tools. This layered approach aligns well with how regulators assess risk, particularly for complex operations linked to urban environments and emerging advanced air mobility concepts.
This alignment is particularly relevant in Europe, where the SORA methodology places strong emphasis on demonstrable ground risk mitigation, and in North America, where operations over people require clearly defined safety outcomes. For organisations navigating multiple regulatory regimes, hardware-based mitigations can shorten approval timelines and simplify compliance discussions, supporting more predictable and scalable deployment strategies.
DFR and public safety drones: Safety systems proven in real operations
Public safety has emerged as one of the most active and demanding areas of professional drone operations. Police, fire and emergency response agencies are increasingly deploying drones as first responders, where rapid deployment and operational reliability are essential.
Mariah highlighted this as a key focus area for AVSS, noting that the company has been working with police departments globally that have been operating DFR programmes since 2020. She cited the example of the Chula Vista Police Department in California, often referenced as a benchmark DFR programme, where community acceptance has been built through consistent, reliable operations supported by visible safety measures.
In these contexts, parachute recovery systems are not experimental add-ons. They are integrated into operational fleets flying daily over populated areas, supporting response times measured in seconds rather than minutes. According to Mariah, acceptance comes when communities understand that these operations are safe and when drones are seen not as a threat, but as a trusted public safety tool.
Drones as first responders operate in dense urban environments with very limited margins for error. Safety systems that reduce the consequences of failures play a critical role in enabling agencies to expand mission scope while maintaining regulatory compliance and public trust.
Drone industry trust and community acceptance: Safety systems beyond compliance
Beyond regulatory approval, drone operations must also earn social acceptance. As drones become more visible in cities, communities and decision-makers are increasingly focused on how risks are managed when systems fail.
AVSS’ approach reflects an understanding that safety systems must serve both technical and social functions. They need to reduce harm while also being understandable and defensible to non-technical stakeholders.
Mariah highlighted this broader impact: “Community buy-in and all these things.”
Visible, credible safety measures help agencies and operators demonstrate responsible use of technology. This is particularly important for public safety operations, where trust underpins long-term programme success.
By addressing both regulatory and societal expectations, parachute recovery systems contribute to a more sustainable foundation for urban drone operations.
What comes next for AVSS and BVLOS drone operations
As BVLOS drone operations continue to expand, the industry focus is shifting from experimental permissions to repeatable, scalable deployment. In this environment, safety systems are no longer peripheral technologies. They are becoming core enablers of how BVLOS drone operations are designed, evaluated and authorised.
For AVSS, this means playing an increasingly central role in how operators demonstrate compliance and manage ground risk as flights move closer to people, infrastructure and critical services. Parachute recovery systems offer regulators a clear, inspectable mitigation and operators a practical way to unlock higher-authorisation operations.
Mariah pointed to upcoming regulatory developments, particularly in Canada, that are expected to accelerate BVLOS drone activity in the near term. As these frameworks mature, operators will be expected to provide evidence that failure modes are understood, mitigated and managed, not just in theory but in practice.
By focusing on safety-critical hardware that has been tested, certified and deployed in real-world operations, AVSS is positioning itself as a long-term enabler of scale. As drone regulation evolves, the companies that succeed will be those that embed safety into the architecture of their operations from the outset, treating it not as an afterthought but as a foundation.
Are you a decision maker?
Are you interested in being at the forefront of drone technology? Sponsor our exclusive, invite-only event Aerial Cities, where industry leaders, government officials, and key players discuss the integration of drones into urban landscapes.
