Hood River, OR, United States, October 30, 2013 -- The Aerovel Flexrotor becomes the first aircraft to launch and be recovered by an autonomous water vessel. Between two flights it also refueled autonomously.

From: Hood Tech Corp Vision, Inc., Hood River, Oregon
Date: October 29, 2013
Subject: Aerovel (VTOL Craft with Hood Tech Vision Imagers) Sets New Standard
Contact: Dr. Andy von Flotow, Hood Tech Corp Vision, Inc., 541-387-2288, [email protected]

Setting yet another standard, the Aerovel VTOL UAV became the first to use as its launch vehicle an autonomous watercraft (http://www.suasnews.com/2013/10/25645/first-flight-of-unmanned-aircraft-from-unmanned-boat/?utm_source=sUAS+News+Daily&utm_campaign=c71c4ed42a-RSS_EMAIL_CAMPAIGN&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_b3c0776dde-c71c4ed42a-303664173). Autonomous refueling punctuated a fully automated two rounds of take-offs and landings. From the point of launch, no human hand touched the Aerovel, until the unmanned boat (a tiny skiff) came to its trailer and then headed west (into the sunset, as the saying is). The Aerovel Flexrotor’s autonomous capability in the operations cycle, combined with a small footprint, long range, low noise, and two-day endurance are economical and technically impressive. The Flexrotor offers economy sufficient to enable long-promised civil applications at sea and ashore. Those applications include geological survey, weather reconnaissance, fishery surveillance, environmental monitoring, offshore patrol, and search and rescue. “We had little to do with this demo,” said a Hood Tech Vision representative. “We’re just pleased to be associated as a supplier to this innovative UAV.”

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:
Andy von Flotow
Hood Tech
3100 Cascade
Hood River, OR 97031
541-387-2288
[email protected]
http://www.hoodtech.com