We are excited to announce that we’ve started shipping full production units of our Eagle XF long duration flight time quadcopter to customers.
Currently, we offer two 3-axis payload packages, the XF3 (up to 3 pounds), and the XF6 (up to 6 pounds). The XF3 comes with standard landing legs, the XF6 with extended or retractable legs. Both units come standard with our silicon damper gimbal mount. For those of you who want an exceptionally stable platform for zooming or use with rolling shutter cameras, we offer our own, all aluminum anti-vibration mount with quick disconnect attachment point that was previously only available for high-end heavy payloads Please contact us for ordering..
Our new all aluminum gimbal anti-vibration mount.
Upcoming Events
Come meet us at AUVSI New Orleans from May 2 through 5. We will be hosting at booth number 1062. We would love to talk with you about our products and how we can make your business better. At the Xponential 2016 conference you can learn about dozens of topics from defense leaders and commercial experts. If you are attending AUVSI or will be in the NOLA area please contact us and we can schedule a meeting.
NEHC Annual Safety Day
Chris Walsh, from our Business Development team, presented at the New England Helicopter Council’s annual safety event at JBI Helicopter in Pembroke, NH last month. Speakers presented the latest information on safety issues facing the sUAS industry. Chris and members of Media Wing (an aerial services company) gave background on the FAA’s rules and regulations regarding sUAS, different uses for sUAS in the commercial market, proper training and education of operators to safely use sUAS as tools in the commercial market, and technical background of the software and hardware to ensure safety in the air.
New Partnerships
MicaSense
Red Edge and Sequoia Multispectral Sensors
UAV-America has been expanding partnerships within the supplier chain of the sUAS market. We are proud to announce our most recent partnership with the sensor provider MicaSense. MicaSense specializes in multispectral sensors for precision agriculture which can also be used for many types of data collection.
MicaSense offers both the hardware and data processing services necessary to complete your precision projects. The agriculture, mapping and surveying markets will see the most direct correlations to service, but we are constantly surprised by how creative our clients are in identifying new ways to use our systems.
Avion Solutions - Training and Consulting
Avion Solutions has spent many years training military and civilian personnel on all aspects of helicopter maintenance and operations. We have partnered with them to provide exceptional training for our customers. Training is available at their training center in Alabama or at any customer location worldwide.
Topics Include:
We can customize any course to include as much or as little as required. Please call or email us for further information.
FAA Update
If you are not already aware of the change, the FAA recently increased the standing COA 200 foot altitude restriction to 400 feet. Reportedly, the requests for COA exceptions were simply requiring too many of the already stressed resources at the FAA. The FAA expects the increase will reduce the workload on COA applications for industry UAS operators, government agencies and the FAA's Air Traffic Organization.
The DOT also came out with a list of approved platforms of which the Eagle XF is included, meaning you no longer have to list every drone you use on your 333 application.
Early Adopter Program
For those of you contemplating purchasing an Eagle XF, our Early Adopter Program is ending on June 30. The Early Adopter Program, included with your purchase at no cost, provides 12 months of coverage on any structural, component or other major defects detected in Version 1.0 of the Eagle XF. This covers the first year of ownership and if UAV-America determines a defect will adversely affect safety or flight characteristics, UAVA will repair or replace whatever is necessary, free of charge to original purchaser of the Eagle.
For more information, see our website or email us.
5th Graders Visit UAVA
Last month we had a fifth grade STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) class visit our offices. A STEM-based curriculum helps to develop teamwork along with thinking, reasoning, investigative and creative skills. Lessons focus on real world issues and are guided by an engineering design process. The students had just completed an assignment to come up with a need and then design, build and test their solution product.
The group talked to Jim Cooper (our founder and CEO), Dave Norman (one of our mechanical engineers) and Matt Koestner (our CTO). This was followed by a product demonstration by Chris Walsh and Matt Mullins. All of the students asked insightful questions about our process for designing new products and how different drones are used to meet specific needs.
Customer Service in the Field
In March, two of our team members drove to Hazon Solutions in Virginia Beach. Hazon is a service provider to various industries and they use our products to inspect high voltage transmission lines among other precision projects. On this visit we hand-delivered new equipment, spent time troubleshooting issues, provided maintenance on their current fleet, and trained users on new products. It was also a great opportunity for us to hear directly from clients about their challenges in the field along with needs for future product development. As a bit of incentive for our showing up, Matt and Chris also got a once in a lifetime experience - an acrobatic flight in a T-6.
