Publications Raving About Us

Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and Draganfly Innovations have been working together to test the Draganflyer X6 for policing operations. The Colorado Grand Junction Free Press reports that the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office and the Draganflyer X6 have meet the strict requirements of the FAA in order for the Draganflyer X6 to be operated for police requirements.

The FAA controls what can be operated in United States airspace. Most of the requirements of the FAA have to do with ensuring public safety, and the Draganflyer X6 has met these requirements. This allows the Mesa County Sheriffs office to operate the Draganflyer X6 for various police operations. Using the Draganflyer X6 aircraft provides a substantial cost savings over hiring out full size aircraft for police operations.

Read more about how the Mesa Countys Sheriffs office is employing the Draganflyer X6 in this article by the Colorado Grand Junction Free Press.

For the past several years, Mark Sharpe of the Ontario Provincial Police force has been using aerial photography and videography to help with law enforcement. From homemade aircraft made from commercially available  electronics to hobby aircraft equipped with cameras, he has saved the police department approximately $20,000 in aircraft charter costs. Working with makeshift equipment helped the OPP greatly, but with today’s world issues and a vast area to patrol, they began looking for something more.

The OPP found their solution with the Draganflyer, North America’s commercially available UAV legal for law enforcement applications. Fast deployment and an advanced autopilot make the Draganflyer UAV the perfect choice for police departments who need aerial pictures and video.

So why would a police force based out of a small city in Ontario need aerial surveillance capabilities? For one thing, the Ontario police need to cover a huge area ranging all the way from the U.S border to southern Hudson Bay. They hope that using remotely operated vehicles can help reduce charter costs to remote areas. Aerial pictures and video are also very useful in court, helping judges and juries to visualize crime scenes effectively.

Featured on www.canada.com, the Winnipeg Free Press, and the Saskatoon Star Pheonix, it’s clear that there is definitely a market for UAVs in law enforcement applications.

Draganfly Innovations was awarded the SABEX (Saskatoon Achievement In Business Excellence Award) for our Draganflyer X6 Helicopter on May 14, 2009. Nominations for the award closed on March 19, and Draganfly Innovations was made a finalist on April 14. The Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce SABEX awards are designed to promote various aspects of business excellence in Saskatchewan. The SABEX awards fall under several categories, including innovation, customer service, and several others. The New Product Award is given to a business demonstrating exceptional performance in launching a new Saskatchewan-made product or device in the last three years, which is both original and currently available to customers.

Criteria for applying for a SABEX award include the following:

• Potential for Market Expansion
• Projected Product Life Cycle
• Uniqueness of Product
• Development and Developmental Stages
• Product Age

We’re very proud to be honoured with this award, and will continue to strive for business excellence.

© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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Rotary Modeler Magazine, one of the leading magazines in the RC helicopter industry, has written a 10 page, in depth review of the Draganflyer X6 UAV. Their review covers all aspects of our latest UAV helicopter, including applications, build quality, flying characteristics, and included accessories. The X6 UAV got a rave review, with the authors citing it’s simplicity, functionality, and versatility.

One of the main points of interest that the reviewers found was our optional FLIR infrared video camera. The FLIR camera is the most sophisticated available, being able to see in the dark and spot people from a great distance. When commenting on the two available FLIR cameras, the Photon 320 and the Photon 640, the reviewers made the following comment:

“With either of these cameras, people “leap” out of the video even from great distance. As a result, these cameras are perfect for search and rescue operations and over the years have been responsible for saving many lives.”

Thermal Infrared cameras like the Photon 320 and 640 used to be large, cooled units that required a huge amount of power to operate. Now, the technology has advanced to the point that we can install and deploy a FLIR camera on a Micro Aerial Vehicle (MAV) such as the Draganflyer X6.

The reviewers also noticed the build quality and design simplicity of the the UAV, commenting that:

“When you remove the X-6 from the case you can immediately appreciate the simplicity of the design, making this a very robust and easy to maintain aircraft.”

In particular, the reviewers really liked the very bright OLED display screen built in to the transmitter. You can see the screen clearly, even in direct sunlight, ensuring that you don’t miss critical flight information due to glare.

All in all, the Draganflyer X6 got a fantastic review. You can read the review by picking up a copy of the May/June 2009 issue of Rotory Magazine, available from Rotary Magazine’s Web Site and most hobby stores.

© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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The Draganflyer X6 UAV Helicopter is being featured at this year’s Wired Magazine LivingHome 2.0 at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. The exhibit is called: Smart Home: Green + Wired, Powered by ComEd and opens TODAY, March 19, 2009. The home-designed by Michelle Kaufmann Designs™ and built by All-American Homes™- also focuses on what the future may bring to consumers. New and unique home technologies are on display, courtesy of WIRED magazine.

» See the Draganflyer X6 at the Wired Home.

Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry exhibit Smart Home: Green + Wired, Powered by ComEd allows guests to tour a functioning three-story, modular and sustainable “green” home that highlights unique eco-friendly technologies and products for the 21st century.

The freshly updated exhibit home will be open from March 19, 2009 through Jan. 3, 2010 and is proudly sponsored by ComEd, Dominick’s and the Motorola Foundation.

“Smart” technologies like the Draganflyer X6 are incorporated throughout the WIRED home, including a full-home automation system that allows homeowners to control heat, lighting, window coverings, security sensors, and video cameras. A touch-screen tracks electricity consumption in the WIRED LivingHome on a real-time basis and compares it with the energy production from wind and solar power. The technologies will demonstrate how a home can inspire lifestyle choices and be equipped to save resources while residents are away, as well as keep a home and its occupants protected.

The Draganflyer X6 UAV helicopter is a “Smart” and green technology because it is safe, very quiet, a zero emissions vehicle, electric powered, small & compact, and lightweight. The Draganflyer X6 is a revolutionary GPS guided, hi-definition, aerial video and digital photography platform used by photographers, the movie industry, police, and other professionals.

Visit the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry’s Web site to purchase tickets.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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The 50 nominees for this past years’ International Academy of Science Outstanding Technology of the Year Awards included high-tech innovations, toys and gadgets from big name companies like ASUS, Canon, Ford and Ducati. The Draganfly Innovations Inc. Tango Surveillance Aircraft UAV made it to the final 10 beating out such astonishing technologies as the Lotus Exige and the Grand Canon’s Skywalk.

The Draganfly Innovations Inc. Tango Surveillance Aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used to capture professional, high quality aerial photography and aerial video. Read more about the Tango Surveillance Aircraft and its Top 10 Outstanding Technology of the Year result on the IAS Finalists Page.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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SlashGear, a personal technology blog, reviews the Firefly RC Indoor Chopper. They like the fact that the Firefly is “easier than other [indoor rc helicopter] models to control – both in flight and in hovering” and praise the Firefly’s durability and good battery life.

Read the full review at Slashgear’s Web site »

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
RSS: www.rctoys.com/pr/feed