Flexrotor, tabletop-sized robotic aircraft, Aerovel Corporation, White Salmon, Washington, USA

[Airicist]

Developer - Aerovel Corporation

Home page - aerovel.com/flexrotor

[Airicist]

Aerovel Flexrotor UAV first transition - August 2011

Uploaded on Aug 15, 2011

Aerovel has released this video of the Aug 11, 2011, transition between vertical and horizontal flight by its Flexrotor vertical take-off and landing small unmanned aircraft. The flight included a hover and vertical recovery. Flexrotor has been designed by the same people who developed the Insitu ScanEagle long-endurance small UAV and is designed for fully automatic vertcial take-off and recovery and an edurance of more than 36 hours. Launch and retrieval is from a portable fold-out rig with widely spaced parallel bars to support the wings.

[Airicist]

Aerovel Flexrotor autonomous flight in April 2013

Published on Apr 27, 2013

Excerpts of a flight by Flexrotor "Pandora" including thrust-borne launch, transition to wing-borne cruise, climb, transition back to thrust-borne flight, approach, and landing in a servicing apparatus, all flown autonomously.

[Airicist]

Flexrotor Pandora performs two autonomous flight cycles with an unmanned skiff

Published on Oct 19, 2013

In what are believed to be the first-ever flight cycles of an unmanned aircraft based on an unmanned boat, Flexrotor launches from a remotely-controlled skiff while underway, climbs out as a helicopter, transitions to wing-borne flight, images the skiff while flying at low and high speeds, transitions back to thrust-borne flight, and retrieves autonomously onboard. The aircraft then shuts down, is automatically refueled and restarted, and repeats the first flight, finally being secured onboard in a docking station.

[Airicist]

Flexrotor Pandora demonstrates "Rutger Legs"

Published on Dec 30, 2014

Flexrotor's rear fuselage now opens into four legs for takeoff and landing. Here Pandora launches, retracts the legs, and climbs away; then returns for landing.

[Airicist]

Article "Flexrotor tail sits for the first time, demonstrates “Rutger Legs”"

by Gary Mortimer
December 31, 2014