Above the Peaks Ep.3 | Sky convenience: connecting remote lives

[00:00:10]In the mountains of Southwest China, drones aren't just flying for show.

[00:00:14]They're spotting fires, mapping roads, delivering meals, and quickly becoming part of daily life.

[00:00:20]>> I'm now at the Pengzhou Smart Governance Center, which collect real-time data on the city's people, vehicles, locations, resources, and events, acting as the city's smart brain.

[00:00:35]>> This is an application built for official administration. It shows real-time airspace conditions, tracks equipment numbers and distribution, and monitors task progress.

[00:00:46]One case I remember clearly, during a routine patrol, a fire hotspot was detected.

[00:00:52]The emergency command center immediately issued an alert. Different departments were activated, coordinated on the ground, and the fire was quickly brought under control.

[00:01:03]>> And feeding this brain is a growing fleet of low-altitude aircraft flying across the city and deep into the mountains.

[00:01:11]>> This is the latest generation from JOUAV, the Kunlun P200 drone hanger system. It's an all-in-one design with a swappable battery system, allowing 24-hour continuous operation.

[00:01:23]In Pengzhou alone, 10 of these units have already been deployed.

[00:01:28]>> Onboard equipment is matched to task.

[00:01:31]Some drones scan mountains and roads, others monitor disaster risk [music] and inspect remote areas difficult for people to reach. For a mountainous city like Pengzhou, low-altitude operations [music] aren't just faster, they help the city run more smoothly.

[00:01:48]But Pengzhou is more than just a smart [music] city. It's also a giant testing ground for the low-altitude industry.

[00:01:56]Within the city limits, [music] the elevation wrist from around 400 m to nearly 4,800 m above sea level. This creates [music] ideal conditions for testing aircrafts in complex mountain environments.

[00:02:10]But as I was getting excited about trying an aircraft myself, well, it's pouring right now and just a few minutes ago the weather is very hot and sunny. The weather condition is also a big challenge in a mountainous area for the low altitude operation.

[00:02:33]>> If it suddenly rains heavily during a flight, the drone can still complete its mission.

[00:02:38]But it may not be able to take off again for the return trip. We get a lot of rain here in summer, so it's also a real-world test of how well the drones can handle wet conditions.

[00:02:49]>> And maybe that's exactly the point of a testing ground like this. To expose aircraft to every possible challenges and solve those problems before large-scale deployment.

[00:03:03]>> Going forward, we're focusing on two main directions.

[00:03:06]First, leveraging our national-level testing base to strengthen flight trials, verification, and inspection services. Second, in line with China's growing focus on low-altitude safety, we're working with AMAP to build an integrated low-altitude [music] system, including route planning and flight services. The goal is to develop a comprehensive [music] low-altitude flight service platform, making operations across the region more efficient and safer.

[00:03:35]>> From tourism and agriculture to public services and emergency response, low-altitude aviation is steadily becoming part of everyday life. Across the mountains of Southwest China, it's helping people overcome the challenges of distance, terrain, and access. What was once a vision of the future is now taking shape in the skies above us.