The Mesa County’s Sheriffs office was among one of the first law enforcement agencies in the United States to obtain FAA approval to operate a UAV. The Draganflyer X6 can serve a number of purposes to aid law enforcement personnel in their jobs. Everything from aiding in traffic investigations to being used in SWAT applications.
The video below shows the Draganflyer X6 being used by the Mesa County’s Sheriffs office in a SWAT training exercise.
The association for unmanned vehicle systems international is the world’s largest non-profit organization devoted exclusively to advancing the unmanned systems community. Ever year AUVSI hosts a major trade show where leaders in both unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV), and unmanned ground and marine vehicles display their latest innovations. This year Draganfly Innovations released the Draganflyer X8 and new hand held ground control station.
These new cutting edge technologies from Draganfly Innovations represent the ultimate in UAV RC Helicopter technology. Draganflys leading edge hand held ground control station incorporates all the features of their already awesome hand held controller with the features of their video base station. You can view live video transmitted from the Draganflyer X6 or the Draganflyer X8 in the palm of your hand while you fly the helicopter. The Draganfly hand held ground control station has an embedded computer running a linux operating system which allows the user to run Draganview software on the 6.3 inch bright day light viewable LCD screen.
Draganfly Innovations has been making big news at the 2010 AUVSI conference in Denver Colorado. For two days in a row they have been written about in AUVSI daily published newspaper Unmanned News. The first article talked about the newly released heavy payload Draganflyer X8, and the second article focused on the exciting new hand held ground control station.
The Denver post has even published an article on the Draganfly X6 being used by the Mesa County Sheriffs department. This article details how the Mesa County Sheriffs department is working with the FAA in order to use the Draganflyer X6 for police operations.
Draganfly Innovations continues to lead the way in UAV RC Helicopter Technology.
Draganfly Innovations has made another UAV helicopter. The new Draganflyer X8 follows the same general layout of the smaller X6, but they’ve added an extra arm and two more rotor blades. The Draganflyer X8 UAV will be flying inside a 10×10 foot octagonal cage, inside the conference hall at the AUVSI 2010 international conference. You can see the Draganflyer X8 UAV in action at booth # 2025 from August 24 to 27 2010. The Draganflyer X8 will also be flying in the aviation demonstration area from 11:00 to 12:00 AM on each day of the conference.
The Draganflyer X8 UAV is larger than the X4 and the X6, and it can carry up to 1 kilogram in camera payloads. The X8’s going to offer some more features, such as compatability with DSLR cameras and digital video transmitters. Check out this video (a computer rendering of the X8 in flight with an SLR camera).
One of the major new improvements to the Draganflyer X8 is the inclusion of support for the new IP video camera systems. IP cameras use the same technology your laptop uses to connect to the internet to communicate and transmit video. Basically, the IP cameras form their own network with your computer, allowing you to view the live video feed over the internet. IP cameras support the following features:
Simultaneous pictures and video – Each IP camera has an internal memory buffer that stores video before it is transmitted. This means that you can take high resolution digital still photos with the IP camera while it is still recording video, allowing you to get exactly the pictures that you need.
Security and encryption – The IP cameras operate over their own wireless network, which can be encrypted to prevent unauthorized access to the video stream.
Reduced interference – Digital video is much less susceptible to interference than analog video. Reduced signal strength usually results in a lower frame rate, but not decreased image quality.
IP video cameras will work with the Draganflyer X8 and X6 sometime in the near future, but can’t be used on the smaller X4 due to weight limitations.
Interested in UAV helicopters? You can learn more about the Draganflyer X8 UAV helicopter on Draganfly’s website. You can also visit the AUVSI website for scheduling, hotel, transport, and entrance fee information regarding the AUVSI 2010 conference.
Are you into RC planes? Many RC helicopter pilots are former airplane pilots, or now fly both. There are many similarities between airplane and helicopter flight, but there are also some major differences that people new to helis should be aware of.
Similarities between RC Helicopter and RC Airplane Flight
Both RC helicopters and RC airplanes behave in similar ways when flying forward. Left and right bank will still cause you to turn your heli in the expected direction, and pitching up or down will cause you to slow down or speed up.
If you can keep track of your RC planes orientation, then it won’t be difficult to do the same with a helicopter.
The basic radio layout is the same across transmitter modes.
Differences between RC Helicopter and RC Airplane Flight
Any helicopter pilot who can hover can takeoff and land. With an airplane, taking off and landing is usually considered harder than straight and level flight.
When flying forward with a helicopter, you have to keep the nose down to keep flying forward.
Hovering a helicopter is a completely different process than hovering a 3-D airplane.
Airplanes generally need a larger area to fly in than helicopters.
When more than one person is flying an airplane at a field, they generally fly planes in a pattern around the runway. Helicopter pilots tend to choose their own zones in the air, which they stay in and do not leave.
Recent radio systems generally have modes for both airplanes and helicopters, but there are a few other differences. RC helicopter radios lack the ratchet that RC airplane radios have on the throttle. The ratchet is great for keeping the throttle setting constant on an RC airplane, but it is not good for helicopters because variations in the throttle setting smaller than the graduations on the ratchet may need to be made. RC helicopter radios also have a 3 position flight mode switch on the left side (normal, idle up 1, idle up 2) and a 2 position throttle hold switch on the right side.
Motors, engines, batteries, and ESCs are usually interchangeable between helicopters and airplanes. Motors that are specifically designed for helicopters use more oil in the fuel and have a larger heatsink.
RCtoys.com has been selling the MASH rescue helicopter by E-flite for a few months now, and it’s turned out to be a great little scale helicopter for indoor flight. The MASH helicopter looks great in the air and handles better than most co-axial RC helicopters out there. It’s also got a fair bit of weight, making it great for flying outdoors in low winds. The MASH helicopter is so easy to fly that it’s perfect for anyone who’s new to RC, but sometimes we make mistakes and the helicopter can require repair.
If you’ve crashed your MASH helicopter and need new rotor blades, grips, or even a new flybar then you’re grounded until new parts arrive. Enter the crash kit – a carefully chosen assortment of the most commonly needed replacement parts, all in one convenient and discounted package. If you keep one of these on hand, you won’t have to stop flying and wait for new parts in the mail again. The MASH helicopter was designed to be user-serviceable just like larger fuel and electric helis. If you’ve got a broken part, then it’s almost certain that it can be replaced without anything more complicated then a screwdriver. This guide will walk you through replacing the most common parts:
Replacing Main Rotor Blades
The main rotor blades can become cracked in a severe crash and pieces can break off. While it’s completely possible to fix small cracks and dings with some medium CA glue and accelerator, this can negatively affect blade balance and make the helicopter vibrate. It’s easier and faster to replace the old blade so here’s how to do it:
Get a small Phillips head screwdriver and unscrew the single aluminum screw at the root of the damaged blade. The blade will now be free, and you can remove and dispose of it. Damaged blades can be sharp, so be careful not to cut yourself.
All the top rotor blades come with a white warning label on their upper surface. Choose from the upper and lower rotor blades as needed so that the rotors look like this when viewed from the front. As viewed from the front, the right top rotor blade should curve upwards and the bottom right rotor blade should curve downwards. This picture shows the correct blade orientation.
Install the replacement blade and tighten the screw just enough so that the blade swings freely when you tilt the helicopter, but is secure enough that it won’t fly off. This has to be done by feel – it’s not critical that the screw is perfectly adjusted, but the blade should feel secure and move freely.
Repeat this for any other rotor blades that need replaced. It’s helpful to install them one at a time to keep track of the orientation.
Replacing the Blade Grips
The blade grips / holders are black clevis like objects which clamp down on the root of each blade and hold it to the main shaft. If one of these becomes damaged, use this procedure to replace it:
Remove the both of the rotor blades that the blade grips are holding by following the instructions above.
Lay the helicopter on its side and observe the two screws that hold the blade grips together and on the main shaft. This picture shows one screw removed, viewed from the bottom of the helicopter.
Unscrew the blade grips and keep the screws in a safe place where they can’t roll away.
Replace the broken blade grip and install the screws.
Replacing Ball Linkages:
Ball linkages connect the RC helicopter’s servos to the swashplate and flybar. It’s fairly unlikely that these will get broken in a crash, but if they do, here’s how to replace them:
Snap off the damaged ball link using your fingers or a screwdriver.
Find the replacement link that matches the one you took off and press it on to the spherical plastic nubs where the broken link connected. This picture shows a partially disconnected ball linkage on the flybar:
What makes the MASH helicopter unique is its ability to be completely disassembled and user serviceable. You don’t usually find this on helicopters in the 100 to 200 dollar price range, which are usually meant to be flown and then discarded when they break. Want to learn more about the MASH helicopter, or get one to fly around your living room? RCtoys sells them at a great price. If you just want the crashkit, RCtoys.com has that as well.
The swashplate isn’t included in the crashkit, because it rarely breaks. If you need a replacement swashplate, you can get one online for a low cost.
The Draganflyer RC helicopters will be featured at the 2010 AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International) conference. Draganfly Innovations will be demonstrating all their RC helicopter UAVs indoors at their information booth. The upcoming Draganflyer X8 UAV helicopter will also be there lifting payloads for demonstrations. A prototype for the upcoming Draganflyer X8 UAV helicopter will be flown as well. Draganfly Innovations will be at booth #2025 and will be demonstrating for the duration of the conference which runs from August 24 to 27 2010.
The AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International) was created in 1972 when the use of unmanned target drones in the Vietnam War prompted the creation of the National Association of Remotely Piloted Vehicles (NARPV). NARPV eventually grew as the industry expanded, leading to the formation of the current AUVSI organization. The AUVSI is promotes the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) through education, communication, and leadership. This year’s AUVSI conference is expecting record attendance of over 5000 visitors from over 30 different countries. There will also be more than 100 international speakers giving presentations on the UAV industry and latest developments. This years tradeshow will feature live demonstrations from a wide variety of exhibits. Draganfly Innovations Inc. was the first company to demonstrate live at the AUVSI at the 2009 conference, blazing the trail for other live demonstrations in the following years.
Draganfly Innovations Inc. staff will be flying their RC helicopters indoors, and will be demonstrating their helicopters features including aerial photography, aerial videography, and the computer controlled base station with wireless telemetry and an HUD display. Because we will be flying indoors we will not be able to demonstrate the GPS hold feature. The following AUVSI promotional video shows some of the technology that will be present at this years conference.
April 22, 2010 – History Television has released an episode of Modern Marvels about helicopters and their applications. The episode takes the viewer through all the most used and coolest helicopters , like the:
Apache Longbow, an attack helicopter used by the military
Blackhawk, one of the most sophisticated manned helicopters in the world
Coast Guard helicopters which fly over water on rescue missions
Popular Robinson made helicopters used by the police and civil aviation
RC Draganflyer X6 and Grumman MQ8 Firescout UAVs
The episode talks about how the Draganflyer RC helicopters use a new and very very cool flight control system; which controls the RC helicopter by changing each electric motors speed individually. The simplicity and reliability of this design has applications in future helicopter designs, and also makes the Draganflyer X6 UAV perfect for aerial reconnaissance and photography. The Draganflyer X6 UAV helicopter’s advanced flight computer is also demonstrated, and the auto-land and GPS features are shown.
Draganflyer RC Helicopters have a new mini wireless video base station. The new Mini Base Station has all the features of its larger counterpart, but is smaller and easier to transport. The new base station can to collapse to an extremely small size and fit snugly in the Draganflyer X4 and (soon to be released) Draganflyer X6 soft transport cases. This makes the new mini base station weigh less than the standard version and also allows it to be set up quickly and easily. The Mini Base Station supports all the features of the Draganview HUD, flight instrument and information HUD. Here’s a video demonstrating the benefits and features of the new Base Station:
Features of The New Mini Base Station
The Mini Base Station can fit in the pre-cut slots of the soft transport case. Each part is secured with high density foam, which protects and secures parts during transport. The Mini Base Station features a special collapsible design which allows it to deploy in seconds, and fold up for storage. The base station legs are held together with a high tension elastic chord so that they click together easily. The top of the base tripod features a precision machined metal head, which securely locks all 3 collapsible legs together and holds the base station electronics and antennas.
The telemetry software allows you to quickly and easily see what the helicopter is seeing in real time. Geo-tagged photos allow all your aerial pictures to show up in Google Earth and flight data logging shows the GPS position and altitude where each was taken. The Draganflyer UAV’s flight path is also displayed, with photo thumbnails showing where and at what altitude pictures were taken along the flight path. A full compliment of flight instruments is displayed and the display can be quickly toggled between instrument and Heads Up Display mode, which displays critical flight information over a live video feed. The Draganview software is also compatible with all the camera payloads we offer, even special purpose models such as FLIR infrared and low-light night vision.
Unlike the watertight case of the Standard Base Station , the new Mini Base Station uses a lightweight and strong rubber platform to securely hold your laptop or video recording device. The rubber mesh detaches easily for storage in the soft transport case, and sufficiently small laptop computers can even be stored in the case alongside it.
The new Mini Base Station is powered by a high energy density Lithium Polymer Battery for fast charge times and long run times. The included charging station automatically charges and balances the cells in each battery pack, ensuring long life and good performance. The base station electronics are all contained in a precision machined aluminum case.
The Draganflyer X6 RC helicopter was recently featured at the Blue Line Police Tradeshow as part of the Ontario Provincial Police Department’s (OPP) booth. The Tradeshow runs once each year and provides an opportunity for companies to demonstrate their products and innovations to Canadian Police Services. These Include:
Federal, Provincial, and Municipal Police Agencies
Parks Canada
Customs Canada
The Ministry of the Environment
Correctional Services
Other security and law enforcement services that work for hospitals, transit systems, colleges, and also private business attend the Blue Line Tradeshow to keep up with the latest law enforcement technology developments.
This year’s event also had demonstrations of ambidextrous assault rifles, new generation gas masks, and even color-coded handcuffs. As CTV Toronto reports: “It (The Blue Line Tradeshow) comes as the city prepares for the G20 convention and the arrival of some of the world’s top leaders – giving officers a glimpse of how the latest technology can combat everything from rowdy crowds and bomb threats to outward acts of terrorism.”
Security is more than just weapons though, as forensic officer with the Ontario Provincial Police Department (OPP) Richard Cunningham elabortates: “It’s about all the tools that are available to keep the public – and the officers – safe.” Officer Cunningham is one of the Ontario Police Departments two pilots authorized to fly the Draganflyer X6 helicopter UAV. The Ontario police use the Draganflyer X6 UAV helicopter as a stable, secure UAV aerial platform to take pictures and video of crime scenes.
Officer Cunningham goes on to say that the Draganflyer X6 UAV may see other future applications, including those which directly endanger police officers (such as a bomb threat).
You can learn more about the Draganflyer X6 and X4 UAV RC helicopters on our website, or read the CTV Toronto article.
The helicopter became a prominent military asset during the Korean conflict of the early 1950s. The United States Army started using helicopters for medical evacuation in order to increase the survival rate of critically wounded soldiers. Helicopters were used in conjunction with forward mobile army surgical hospitals (MASH units).
When many people think of helicopters being used for medical evacuation in Korea the Bell H13 Sioux (designated the Bell-47 by the US Army) is the one that most comes to mind. Most people know this helicopter as the MASH helicopter because of its important role in the TV series MASH. EF has come out with an amazing flying replica of this famous MASH helicopter.
Included with the EF MASH Rescue Chopper
The EF MASH Rescue Chopper includes everything you need to fly, right out of the box. This is what is included:
2.4 GHz 4 Channel Transmitter
RTF MASH Rescue Chopper
7.4v 800 mAh LiPo Battery for the Helicopter
Two 7.6 gram Micro Servos
3 in 1 2.4GHz receiver
Main Features of the EF MASH Rescue Chopper Indoor RTF RC Electric Helicopter
The EF MASH Rescue Chopper is easy and fun to fly while still maintaining the stand off scale looks of the helicopters used in the TV series MASH. The dual rotors (co-axial) make this micro electric helicopter easy to fly and perfect for the beginner RC helicopter pilot. Experienced helicopter pilots can work on there skills to make the flight look as realistic as possible.
It is very quick to get the EF MASH Rescue Chopper ready to fly. All you will need is a screw driver and 8 AA batteries. The MASH Rescue Chopper Indoor RC electric helicopter does require a small amount of assembly. Before you begin the assembly start charging the LiPo battery. This way you will be flying the helicopter in no time.
This mini indoor electric helicopter has a coaxial rotor design which provides great stability, and eliminates the need for a separate tail rotor to control torque induced yaw (rotation around the main rotor axis). Coaxial RC electric helicopters are great for flying indoors, because they are both stable and offer precision control.
A 3.7 volt LiPo battery powers the EF MASH Rescue Chopper for a flight time of eight to ten minutes. The battery is charged in the controlled and takes about 30 minutes to charge. To get maximum enjoyment out of your helicopter it is a good idea to buy a spare battery for it. This way you can be charging a battery while flying and cut down your down time.
If you do happen to have a mishap and crash the MASH Rescue Chopper you will be amazed at how incredibly resilient it is. However things do and can break, but not to worry as a full line of inexpensive replacement parts are also offered for this helicopter.
In summary if you want to try some basic scale electric RC Helicopter flying you should look into buying the EF MASH Rescue Helicopter.
buffer that stores video before it is transmitted. This means that you can take high resolution digital still photos with the IP camera while it is still recording video, allowing you to get exactly the pictures that you need.
Are you into RC planes? Many RC helicopter pilots are former airplane pilots, or now fly both. There are many similarities between airplane and helicopter flight, but there are also some major differences that people new to helis should be aware of.
The Draganflyer 
The AUVSI (Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International) was created in 1972 when the use of unmanned target drones in the Vietnam War prompted the creation of the National Association of Remotely Piloted Vehicles (NARPV). NARPV eventually grew as the industry expanded, leading to the formation of the current AUVSI organization. The AUVSI is promotes the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) through education, communication, and leadership. This year’s AUVSI conference is expecting record attendance of over 5000 visitors from over 30 different countries. There will also be more than 100 international speakers giving presentations on the UAV industry and latest developments. This years tradeshow will feature live demonstrations from a wide variety of exhibits. Draganfly Innovations Inc. was the first company to demonstrate live at the AUVSI at the 2009 conference, blazing the trail for other live demonstrations in the following years.
April 22, 2010 – History Television has released an episode of Modern Marvels about helicopters and their applications. The episode takes the viewer through all the most used and coolest helicopters , like the:
The Mini Base Station can fit in the pre-cut slots of the soft transport case. Each part is secured with high density foam, which protects and secures parts during transport. The Mini Base Station features a special collapsible design which allows it to deploy in seconds, and fold up for storage. The base station legs are held together with a high tension elastic chord so that they click together easily. The top of the base tripod features a precision machined metal head, which securely locks all 3 collapsible legs together and holds the base station electronics and antennas.