Just in from Hawkeye UAV, their end of 2012 newsletter…

2012 is nearly at the close and since the last update there has been much to report.

Our new operators, in Turkey and South Africa respectively, have been busy flying sorties with their new AreoHawks.  Quickly settling into their work and undertaking a range of tasks and a lot of flying.  Some sample data from a Middle East survey task is shown here.

One of our AreoHawk airframes is currently being used as a testbed aircraft for the development of hydrogen fuel cell technology.  The Defence Technology Agency (DTA) here in New Zealand is undertaking a project to perform airborne testing and a capability study in conjunction with the Australian Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), who are sponsoring the project.  The AreoHawk has been selected as it is considered a robust and stable platform, with the ability to support modification and more weight.  The fuel cell technology is expected to push flight endurance out to 5-6 hours!

Serious game changer for Class I UAVs which have been traditionally limited by short legs…all of a sudden a CLASS I UAS could have a 200 km operating radius and still have a two hour loiter time over its objective…

Another AreoHawk airframe has been on display as part of an exhibition at The National Library of New Zealand, in Wellington.  Part of the “Big Data / Changing Place” programme, our aircraft represents a Kiwi company that is contributing big things in the world of data.  The exhibition and events run until the end of Aril 2013.

If you’re in the capital, GO AND SEE IT!!

Also here at home we have good news on covering the domestic services market.  Hawkeye UAV is forming partnerships with 3 established North Island survey companies.  Within their distinct regions these agencies will operate the AreoHawk, and grow the UAV survey capability around New Zealand with ongoing support from Hawkeye.  This collaborative arrangement will greatly help all parties and ease the pressure from the influx of domestic services work that keeps building month to month.

Amongst the tasks mentioned above are extended contracts for road building and engineering survey, conservation work and an extensive government facilities management portfolio (more on this next year).

We are making successful inroads into the development of both infra-red and multispectral data acquisition capabilities.  These will add some powerful tools to our arsenal and once again cement UAV technology as a very viable alternative to traditional manned aerial photography.

We have been mentioned in dispatches lately with a good news piece about our development of industry training packages for the safe and legal operation of UAV technology.  Published by the Aviation, Tourism and Travel Training Organisation (ATTTO) this article reaffirms our safety-first and procedural approach, and recognises Hawkeye UAV Ltd.’s commitment to working as an operator certified by the Civil Aviation Authority.

Long overdue and about time…this will both make the skies safer by requiring operators to be trained AND certified AND accountable.

A new and exciting development for us that has only occurred in the past few days is the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA)certification of the AreoHawk for commercial use by our partner, AeroMetrex.  They are now the first AreoHawk UAV operator in Australia.  AeroMetrex, with the support of Hawkeye have been working very diligently with CASA for the better part of 2012 to obtain this endorsement. They promptly capped off this great news by announcing the sale of six AreoHawk systems within Australia.

Look for our write-up in the January edition of Coordinates magazine in the article “UAV/UAS – Potential and Challenges.”  Hawkeye has made a contribution on how we see the development of the technology and any hurdles to overcome.

Very way cool and great to see the Kiwi influence on the other side of the ditch…

Coming up early next year is a road trip of tasks and demonstrations in the western United States.  We have a succession of jobs to undertake that have been generated by the good work of Hawkeye UAV Americas (HUA).  There are some really interesting things on the list here, including the mapping of a whole town.  We hope to have some interesting shots and even more interesting stories to tell on our return.

Also in January Hawkeye will be running another UAV operators course for up to six new students.  These students, on completion of their conversion are likely to receive some serious on the job training as they are employed to assist with New Zealand tasks.  The summer months should permit plenty of flying and see each gain a lot of experience in a relatively short timeframe.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!