Anyone know whose drone this is? It must have a fancy camera for $75k.
excerpt:
The state Department of Transportation's Harbors Division has been unable to use an unmanned drone aircraft purchased with $75,000 in federal grant money to provide security at Honolulu Harbor because it falls within restricted airspace near Honolulu International Airport.
Comments
Any one hear of Williams Aerospace? They are listed as a participant on HTDV website along with Aina Kai Environmental (who is partnered with Hawaiya Tech previously mentioned). Williams has drone products. I had hoped the unknown 'useless' drone was listed in their product section but alas, no.
The other eSeaport partner with Hawaiya Tech is Prosis Network Solutions. They seem to do mostly ground/pole based video products. You can drill into their site and see no UAV/drones there. It remains unclear if Williams participated in the development of the unknown drone. They have a side business called AgriFlyte International (as well as some scary looking dudes with guns in another side business).
The AgriFlyte drone is called Snoopy II HALE UAV (Looks amazing like the Devastator linked below).
Williams has four products on their pulldown:
Many of the links and pull downs do not cross link routinely and others requires separate windows (at least with my browser).
There is much eye-candy there.
Anyone want to bet a double cheeseburger that Williams Aero was a consultant?
Well, you know if I buy a drone for $75k, I would expect more than just the hardware and software. Having worked for a company that sold multi-million dollar computers to government, the deals usually come with some sort of support contract. This would involve training, maintenance and repair services. Most of the time, these articles quite prices of drones, without understanding that.
Also, it's up to the departments in question to follow a RFP process, to ensure that the equipment will meet their operational requirements. In this case, one would think that flying is marine environments was one of the RFQ stipulations. Then again these jokers at Hawaii DOT didn't even know the regulations from their own government agency, so all bets are off.
@Gary, I agree. I suspect there will be a lot of UAV sales that amount to not much after the operators crash them. Or they break, don't work, etc. etc.
Well done that security company for selling something that can't be used! I wonder how it would have coped with salt water laden air and coastal winds.
It was always a non starter.
Mark my words there are going to be lots of very unhappy police departments with UAS that just don't do what they think they would out there soon.
The funny thing here is that DOT is the parent organization of the FAA.
"Ok Paul, you are banned from posting for 1 week."
After a gradeschool mistake like that, I would deserve it.
Funny how you go from thinking, while all bright-eyed and excited, "Gee, I hope all 22,000 members read what I have to say!" to, somewhat sheepish with tail between the legs (mixing up my animals there a bit) thinking, "Thank God nobody reads what I have to say!"
Ok Paul, you are banned from posting for 1 week.
(Just kidding.)
P.S. -- I hate it when that happens! :)
It's not Doug's mistake, it's mine. Very sorry.
-1 for not checking Dougs's math. ;-o
It's actually 5.35%. That's even more significant.
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