By Robin Dudgeon Southport Aerospace Centre Inc. played host this past weekend to the 2012 Unmanned Systems Canada student competition, which saw five university teams compete for cash prizes. Students from five Canadian universities – including Carleton University, the University of Alberta, University of Sherbrooke, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Victoria – pitted their unmanned aerial vehicles...
BY DAVID J. MITCHELL The Advocate River Parishes bureau Nicholls State University in Thibodaux is testing a new kind of eye in the sky to track coastal erosion and the health of Louisiana’s barrier islands more closely. The islands are an important habitant for migratory birds and a frontline protection against hurricanes, but the islands have undergone heavy erosion...
ZALA AERO has confirmed that it has won a tender to supply MVD with Unmanned Systems which include ZALA 421-08 and ZALA 421-16 fixed wing UAVs. This is the another UAS supplied to the Krasnodar region which already has a wide spectrum of UAV capabilities. Current and future UAS will be formed under future surveillance and reconnaissance system to...
Aerial Photography Specialists (APS) has launched its latest unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) solution, making it safer and easier to conduct detailed inspections of difficult or inaccessible locations. Known as “micro-drones”, the remote-controlled UAVs require just 1 metre square for launch and retrieval, making them suitable for offshore projects where the UAV can be launched from a ship or a...
By John Hollenhorst KSL SALT LAKE CITY — These days, almost anyone can put an eye in the sky with a new generation of drones — tiny, unmanned aircraft. While a recent Congressional order directing the FAA to loosen restrictions on drones will certainly mean spectacular imagery, it’s also raising concerns over privacy. In addition to military drones that...
We are edging ever closer to an off the shelf $500 mapping drone. By the time regulations are in place in the USA to allow civil UAS commercial flight $500 platforms will more than likely be everywhere. The development of post processing solutions such as Microsoft’s Photosynth are making it easier to create product from simple platforms. Many of the more...
By the virtue of their size and speed, birds are uniquely capable of efficient flight while flapping their wings and while gliding. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have duplicated the control functions that allow birds to successfully perform a soft landing—in this case, perching on a human hand. “We believe we have the first demonstration of...
In December 2011, the Secretary General of EUROCAE took the decision to establish a separate working group to deal specifically with Light Remotely Piloted Aircraft Systems (RPAS). Consequently, this activity has now shifted from WG73 SG4 to the new WG93 on Lightweight RPAS. Subsequently, this decision was approved by the EUROCAE Council and a small team elaborated the Terms...
The global UAV market is expected to increase at a Combined Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 4.08% in the ten-year period between 2011 and 2012, a recent ICD report forecasts. ICD estimated the global UAV market value at US$7.1 billion in 2011, this market is projected to grow to a value of US$10.5 billion in 2021, reflecting 4.08% CAGR....
By Melissa McCoy As Army Blackhawks sat ready on the ramp, K-State Skyhawks practiced touch and go’s and SeaPort Airlines carried passengers to Kansas City, K-State students and faculty launched their own operation from a parallel runway on the Salina Municipal Airport. UAS Chief Pilot Kirk Demuth took a running start and launched a K-State built Crow while UAS Chief...
