FWF Chapter 131 Regulatory Breakthrough
Chapter 131 Regulatory Breakthrough
Shen Yiming pushed open the conference room door, holding a stack of printed documents in his hand.
"Mr. Zuo, there's new information from the Civil Aviation Administration."
Zuo Cheng put down his coffee and gestured for him to sit down.
Shen Yiming spread the document on the table and pointed to one of the lines.
"The Civil Aviation Administration of China will officially open applications for the first batch of commercial drone operation licenses next week. The pilot program is called the 'Low-Altitude Commercial Operation Zone,' and only five licenses will be issued nationwide. The application window will only last three weeks."
Zuo Cheng's eyes lit up. The Sky Dome Phase IV contract had just been finalized, the Starry Sky cooperation agreement had been reached, and 402 held the exclusive license for the neuromorphic chip, having conducted internal testing of the flight control system for over six months. This timing wasn't a coincidence; it was an opportunity they had been waiting for.
What materials are required?
"Technical solutions, security systems, proof of commercial operation capabilities, and on-site demonstrations are all required, with an approval cycle of forty-five days." Shen Yiming paused, "The competition is fierce; we're not the only ones eyeing this."
Han Lu entered through the side door, her expression becoming more serious.
"The competitors have been confirmed. Huafeng Technology, a subsidiary of Huaxin, has also submitted a letter of intent to apply. Lin Jianhua personally went to the Civil Aviation Administration, ostensibly for industry research."
Zuo Cheng flipped the intelligence report to the other side, his expression unchanged. Huafeng Technology, Lin Jianhua's pawn—it was expected. He mentally calculated: Huafeng had been established for five years and possessed a wealth of commercial flight records—a hard advantage that 402 couldn't currently match. But could flight records compensate for a technological gap? No.
"Han Lu, you're in charge of maintaining government relations. Keep in regular communication with the Civil Aviation Administration's Technical Review Committee, focusing on technical exchanges and answering questions. Chen Hao, you're responsible for preparing the materials; give me a first draft by tomorrow afternoon. Shen Yiming, conduct another round of complete testing on the flight control system, getting all the performance indicators of the neuromorphic chip running. I need the latest data."
The three people responded, but Shen Yiming did not get up immediately.
"Mr. Zuo, Huafeng has an advantage. We can't match their commercial operation record, but I have an idea: to incorporate urban air traffic management integration solutions. We have the underlying architecture of Starlink, so if drones are connected to the urban traffic management system in real time, each aircraft will no longer be just a flying machine, but a node in the urban infrastructure. Huafeng has never even considered this aspect."
Zuo Cheng nodded.
"The plan is feasible; let's start working on it tonight. Remember one thing: we need to show the Civil Aviation Administration that drones connected to 402 are making urban skies safer. This is a matter of perspective, not simply comparing parameters with Huafeng."
---
The material preparation took ten days. Chen Hao's technical solution was printed out in 120 pages, and Shen Yiming went through the flight control test report three times from beginning to end, with each number having an independent verification record. Han Lu found two logistics companies and signed letters of intent for cooperation as an endorsement of her business operation capabilities.
The Civil Aviation Administration's approval meeting is scheduled for 9:00 AM on Wednesday.
The seven members of the judging committee took their seats in turn. Zuo Cheng glanced around and noticed an unfamiliar face sitting on the far right. The man was dressed in a sharp suit and had a scrutinizing look in his eyes.
The official in the middle of the platform spoke.
"402 Technology boasts leading technological solutions, but it has no historical record in the commercial operation of drones. How do you explain this?"
Zuo Cheng stood up, pressed the remote control, and a data chart popped up on the screen.
"Let me first show you some data. The StarLink IoT platform has deployed 5,000 sensor nodes and 150 edge gateways in Hangzhou, processing over two million pieces of urban sensing data daily. In nearly two years of operation, there have been zero failures and zero data leaks. This is proof of our operational capabilities on city-level infrastructure."
He turned to the next page, and the core parameters of the flight control system appeared on the screen.
"The 402's flight control system is equipped with a neuromorphic chip, consuming only 0.8 milliwatts of power and boasting a response speed twenty times faster than the industry average. It has passed the Civil Aviation Administration's Class A certification standard test, as reported on page 37 of the materials. More importantly, each drone connected to our system has a unique identifier and connects to the city's air traffic control platform in real time. In the event of an anomaly, the system automatically responds within 0.1 seconds, triggering a backup landing procedure."
There was a moment of silence in the meeting room.
The person sitting on the far right spoke, in a calm and unhurried voice.
"The metrics are impressive, but there's a significant difference between lab data and real-world flight conditions. Have you conducted large-scale testing in real-world urban environments?"
Zuo Cheng understood the intention behind the voice; it belonged to Hua Fei's men.
"Yes. Three months ago, we completed a formation flight test of 36 drones in Xihu District, Hangzhou. We coordinated with the local air traffic control department, and the approval documents and original flight data are attached. The Civil Aviation Administration can access and verify them at any time."
The man pursed his lips and said nothing more.
The official glanced down at the documents, then turned to his colleague and whispered a few words to him.
"We will carefully study the plan and notify you of the time and location two weeks after on-site testing."
---
On the day of the test, a light mist rose over Hangzhou in late autumn.
The test site was in the suburbs, in a designated airspace. The reviewers stood outside the fence, holding record boards. Some were talking in hushed tones, while others said nothing and just stared at the sky.
Two drones were positioned in the takeoff area, their sensor indicator lights having completed self-checks. Shen Yiming stared at the data screen in the back, the data stream scrolling across it. He scanned each line, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Zuo Cheng stood beside him, his gaze calm.
The command was given, and the drone took off.
Flight path planning test: Flying along the preset path with deviations within 10 centimeters. Obstacle avoidance test: Three obstacles were temporarily added to the flight path; the drones adjusted autonomously without touching them. Low-speed hovering: Maintaining stability in crosswinds with almost no flight attitude swaying. Emergency landing: Upon receiving an interruption signal from the ground, both drones completed automatic landing within three seconds, with a landing accuracy of half a meter.
I went through all eighteen subjects one by one, the whole process took forty minutes, and there was no human intervention once.
The presiding judge closed the notebook and walked towards Zuocheng.
"402 Technology, approved." He paused, "Your urban air traffic control access solution is recommended as a pilot template for other applicants."
Han Lu secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Of the five licenses, 402 got two, Huafeng got two, and the other company got one. Lin Jianhua was in a meeting in Beicheng when his assistant sent him a message. He glanced at it, then put his phone face down on the table without saying a word.
That evening, Zuo Cheng sent Yu Ying a message: The license plate has been issued.
Yu Ying replied quickly: Where should we celebrate?
Zuo Cheng looked at these words and the corners of his mouth curved up.
The license is just the beginning, not the end. From today onwards, 402 officially enters the commercial operation track of drones. Lin Jianhua certainly won't stop here; the real battlefield is just beginning to take shape.