Hood River, OR, August 07, 2013 -- The first commercial operation, following limited certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), uses Hood Technology’s imaging system to survey ice floes and whale migrations in the arctic.

From: Hood Tech Corp Vision, Inc., Hood River, Oregon
Date: August 6, 2013
Subject: First Certified Commercial Use of UAV Features Hood Technology’s Imaging System
Contact: Dr. Andy von Flotow, Hood Tech Corp Vision, Inc., 541-387-2288, [email protected]

One of Hood Technology’s imaging systems will soon be surveying ice floes and whale migrations (http://www.sparpointgroup.com/News/Vol11No32Energy-firm-to-launch-first-commercial-UAS-operation/) as part of the first commercial use of a UAV. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently certified the UAV that carries Hood Tech’s cameras, and one other UAV, for limited commercial use. And almost immediately, an energy company announced their intention to use the technology “this August off the Alaska coast to survey ocean ice floes and migrating whales in Arctic oil exploration areas”. That means Hood Tech’s equipment will be going back to the arctic, where previously it supported research projects, this time for commercial operations. “We’re pleased to be among the first companies to explore the commercial ramifications of this technology”, said a Hood Tech representative. “It marks what I think will be extended commercial contributions by UAVs, promising new views and sources of information about the natural world.”

The project, by an unidentified energy company, will be joined in using the UAV and Hood Tech’s imaging by another, similar use of a second certified platform, which is “expected to support emergency response crews for oil spill monitoring and wildlife surveillance over the Beaufort Sea”, according to the FAA.

When Hood Tech began producing 800-gm video-camera turrets in 1998, it enabled an entirely new class of small unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). Hood Technology Vision now designs and manufactures imaging and video processing systems at the highest level of the National Imagery Interpretability Rating Scale (NIIRS): level 9. Hood Tech matches improved stabilization technology with electro-optical lenses that zoom up to 170 times. This results in a field of view of 0.3 degrees, in a package that weighs less than six kg. Designed for manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), boats, land vehicles, and stationary mounts, the reliability and utility of Hood Tech’s daylight and thermal imaging products has been demonstrated over more than 700,000 hours of use in a variety of temperatures, humidity, dust, smoke, haze, and other environmental factors (http://www.hoodtechvision.com).

Dr. Andy von Flotow founded Hood Technology in Hood River, Oregon in 1992. Along with the design and manufacture of stabilized imaging systems, Hood Tech:

Develops, tests, and manufactures launch and retrieval systems for UAVs

Operates controlled launch and quiet wind tunnel test facilities

Monitors blade vibrations in industrial turbines and jet engines, including diagnostic methods that predict possible future failures.

The Hood Tech web site is: www.hoodtech.com

Contact:
Lars Bergstrom
Hood Tech
3100 Cascade
Hood River, OR 97031
54149099099
[email protected]
http://www.hoodtech.com