2003 - Volume #27, Issue #1, Page #06
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"Eye In The Sky" Helicopter
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It looks like something out of a James Bond movie but is designed for practical use. You can take photos of crops from the air for yourself, or hire out to take aerial shots for others at a fraction of the cost of conventional airplane photo services.
With four rotors and three state-of-the-art gyros to stabilize it, anyone can fly it safely. And because it has electric motors rather than a gas engine, it's quiet and lightweight. It won't spook livestock, wildlife or anything else you want to watch.
The 28-in. sq. Dragan helicopter is just 7 in. tall and weighs only 17 oz. The gyro stabilization makes it almost crash-proof (but not quite, so be careful). It's made of ultra-lightweight super-tough carbon fiber, and has only a few parts.
It carries a wireless color micro-video camera that weighs less than half an ounce and can stay aloft for about five minutes. The camera sends an excellent quality digital video signal to a small, portable base station. From there the video can be watched on a TV, recorded onto VHS by a VCR, or routed to a digital video recorder.
Range on the radio control is about half a mile, but Dragan cautions against trying to fly it that far. "We don't recommend flying it where you can't see it."
The Draganflyer III with camera sells for $899.95 U.S.; $749 without camera.
Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Zenon Dragan, Draganfly Innovations Inc., 2108A St, George Ave., Saskatoon, Sask., Canada S7M 0K7 (ph 800 979-9794 or 306 955-9907; fax 306 955-9906; E-mail: info@draganfly.com; Website: http://www.draganfly.com).
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