Administration (FAA) waiver to operate
drones beyond visual line of sight
(BVLOS) across the US using the
Skydio X10 and the X10 Dock. The
waiver, secured in partnership with
Skydio’s regulatory team, enables MFE to
conduct fully remote inspections—pilots
can operate the drones from MFE’s office
in Houston, Texas, while the systems are
deployed at client sites nationwide.
The company plans to use the waiver
to demonstrate remote drone operations
in real-world scenarios, allowing clients
to see the value of autonomous drone
inspections without needing a pilot
onsite. Clients receive a pre-configured
dock and drone, set it up, and MFE
handles the rest remotely.
This BVLOS capability is a step
toward scalable, autonomous moni-
toring solutions, particularly valuable for
hard-to-access or hazardous sites. It also
positions MFE for the FAA’s upcoming
Part 108 rule, which aims to simplify
BVLOS drone use for industrial inspec-
tions and other commercial applications. MFE Inspection Solutions has been granted a broad BVLOS (beyond visual line of sight) waiver
by the FAA to operate the Skydio X10 and Dock for X10. MFE plans to use the waiver to conduct
demonstrations of remote drone operations at client locations across the US.
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A U G U S T 2 0 2 5 • M AT E R I A L S E V A L U AT I O N 13
CREDIT:
COURTESY
MFE
INSPECTION
SOLUTIONS

DATA-SHARING STANDARDS FOR MRO
Background
Standards are vital to the ability of
different digital systems to exchange
data. Without such standards, it would be
nearly impossible to work in a digital envi-
ronment. We envision these standards as
three stacked layers. The bottom physical
layer is the most fundamental, including
standards for the physical flow of infor-
mation (wired and wireless), hardware
and software for data management (such
as sensors), network and data-exchange
protocols, and data storage.
The next level is where much of
the engineering work of data usage
happens. In this logical or functional
layer, models are developed, enter-
prise data systems control and monitor
processes, financial data is exchanged,
and digital threads, simulations, and twins
are created. Many standards develop-
ment organizations (SDOs) are active in
these two lower layers.
However, our focus is on the top layer:
data governance, which covers data privacy
and security, intellectual property (IP) and
ownership, and sovereign control of data.
Governance standards have typically
been the purview of governments and
intergovernmental agencies such as the
United Nations’ International Civil Aviation
Organization (ICAO). Because many tools
for data usage are built by individual
companies for their own use, or the use
of their clients, considerations such as
standards for data sharing are not high
on their list of priorities.
There is a need for industry-created
consensus standards for data usage that
are accepted by all, providing a level
playing field. While necessary for all areas
of the aviation industry, it is especially
critical for maintenance, repair, and over-
haul (MRO) activities. A group of leading
industry stakeholders has joined together
to create an Independent Data Consortium
for Aviation (IDCA dataforaviation.org) that
seeks to address some of these gaps in the
standards landscape.
Up Until Now
As mentioned above, the players
most active in developing governance
standards for data sharing have been
governmental or legal entities. The
recently published European Data
Act is a case in point. It aims to break
down some of the barriers to accessing
aircraft-generated data—whether oper-
ational or maintenance-related—for all
participants, to reduce monopolies and
enhance fair competition. But this brings
with it higher risk related to security and
data ownership. These are issues that
need to be addressed, and that is what
the IDCA has been established to do.
Many governments, for example, do
not allow data generated within their
borders to be exported, which creates
barriers for the aviation sector because
their products cross these boundaries
regularly as part of normal operations.
Relying on narrow sovereign laws to
govern data sharing becomes cumber-
some therefore, there is a need for
industry-developed consensus standards
to govern data exchange—standards
that will be accepted by the industry as a
whole as well as by regulatory bodies.
Additionally, areas such as IP, data
security and privacy, and data ownership
need standards that will enable different
industry players to work together without
inefficiencies. While topics like data
privacy and sovereignty have been
addressed to an extent by recent rulings
from different governments, there are
many aspects of data sharing that have
not been considered.
Outlook
The IDCA was set up in 2022 to tackle
this gap in the standards landscape. The
magnitude of the data-sharing problem
can be seen in the figure to the left,
which shows just some of the mate-
rial flows in the lifecycle of an aircraft.
Due to the highly regulated nature of
the industry, there is a vast amount of
paperwork—or, in the modern era, digital
information—that must change hands
with each transaction.
Developing governance rules for each
of these transactions is the goal of the
IDCA, and the work is currently being
SCANNER
|
NDEOUTLOOK
OEM
Repair
vendor
MRO
facility
Base
operations
Parts
trader
Airline
Parts for
repair Repaired/
replaced parts
Surplus parts
New aircraft &
rotables
Serviceable A/C
&rotables
Serviceable A/C
A/C in need of checks
Overhauled
rotables
New parts
Parts
A/C &rotables
for repair
Flowchart based on
International Air
Transport Association
(IATA) concept.
14
M AT E R I A L S E V A L U AT I O N • A U G U S T 2 0 2 5