Commercial drone pilots in the US now have one less regulatory headache to worry about. AVSS’s parachute recovery system, the PRS-M4S, has officially been approved by the FAA for Category 2 “flight over people” operations when used with the DJI Matrice 4 Enterprise and Matrice 4 Thermal drones.
This milestone means operators no longer need to apply for time-consuming Part 107.39 waivers to legally fly these drones over people — a huge advantage for those in public safety, infrastructure inspection, and other critical industries.
The approval comes after the PRS-M4S successfully completed the ASTM F3322-24a testing protocol, which includes 49 rigorous parachute deployments verified by a third-party organization. AVSS followed all the steps outlined in its FAA-approved Means of Compliance, making this parachute system a reliable safety upgrade for Matrice 4 drone users.
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AVSS, a Canadian aerospace company specializing in drone safety, already has similar FAA approvals for its parachute systems for the DJI Mavic 3 Series and M3D/TD models. With the addition of the Matrice 4 Series, AVSS is widening access for commercial operators who need to fly in complex environments.
Priced at $1,700, the PRS-M4S includes the Automatic Triggering System (ATS), Manual Triggering Device (MTD), compliance documentation, and a rugged Nanuk case. It features an internal battery that recharges mid-flight via the drone, offering unlimited flight time — a first for many drone parachute systems.
AVSS has already started shipping pre-orders to authorized resellers, with new orders expected to ship in August. As the company gears up to release even more FAA-compliant parachute solutions, drone operators can expect growing flexibility in how and where they fly.
For those interested, the FAA’s official Declaration of Compliance for both Matrice 4 variants is now live online here and here.
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