Thu, Jan 21, 2010
Site Is An Emergency Response Training Center In Kansas
The FAA has issued a Certificate of Authorization (COA) for the
FH 500 UAV which is operated and built by Flint Hills
Solutions of Augusta, KS. The COA allows for safe
operations at Crisis City, an emergency response training area in
the NAS located in Kansas. AirStar is a major contributor to the FH
500 UAV production as the FH 500 is built on one of AirStar's gas
helicopter platforms.
Flint Hills Solutions uses AirStar International's state of the
art gas RC helicopters as the platform to host FHS's UAS technology
for autonomous navigation. In addition to integrating an autopilot
system onto AirStar's helicopters, fully stabilized gimbal cameras
and video transmitters are also integrated allowing for remote live
video feeds to emergency responders. The ability to fly the FH 500
UAV over Crisis City allows it to be integrated into extensive
training conducted there for search and rescue operations.
Training includes hovering over simulated disaster sites such
as rubble piles and transmitting geo-referenced video to the
emergency response team on the ground. Roger Powers, founder and
CEO of Flint Hills Solutions said, "The COA is a huge step in
opening up the market for the utilization of AirStar platforms and
FHSs UAVs in Emergency Response scenarios. The fact that the FAA
has granted us this COA is proof that AirStar's helicopters are a
solid addition to our autonomous UAV systems by providing a
reliable, safe, and long endurance platform for our systems."
Having successfully received a COA, Flint Hills Solutions and
expects to be able to obtain an Emergency COA allowing them to fly
in different locations across the state or U.S., including tornado
disaster sites within a matter of hours.
The FAA had previously authorized the use of the Aerosonde UAS,
also manufactured by Flint Hills Solutions, at the
facility by Kansas State University. Crisis City is an emergency
response training area that is part of Great Plains Joint Regional
Training Center, and is adjacent to the Air National Guard's Smoky
Hill Weapons Range near Salina.
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