Two Hour Endurance Target Hit

AV-2 in Flight

On a battery that yielded less than one hour of flight time on the Im VII prototype air vehicle, AV-2 squeezed over two hours of flight time out of the same battery.  “AV-2 flew a beautiful sortie today and exceeded all of my expectations,” said Jeff Imel, designer of the Im VII.  “We kept flying until the flight computer warned us of a low battery state and that took over two hours.” 

The Im VII has been designed specifically for precision agriculture remote sensing applications.  The characteristics that make the Im VII the choice airborne sensor platform for agriculture has also generated demand from organizations performing atmospheric and geological research.

Flight Test Card: Endurance

Air Vehicle 2 (AV-2) enters the flight endurance portion of its six week flight testing program today.  AV-2 will be flying at maximum payload weight using a variety of power systems over the next four days, weather permitting.  Previous testing using the now retired prototype (AV-P) yielded flight times of over two hours.  Standard payload for most spectral remote sensing operations include a hyperspectral sensor that measures crop canopy reflectance at narrow wavebands.

Airborne Scientific Payload Platform

The Im VII is the solution for your airborne scientific payload requirements.  It features an airframe that absorbs rough handling, requires no runway and is 100% electric powered.  The Im VII offers the highest lift, greatest endurance and most rugged airframe for any unmanned systems in its size class. 

High Lift.  The Im VII is the lift leader for its class.  The high-lift airfoil designed specifically for the Im VII allows you to carry the greatest amount of payload without the need for a runway and heavy wet-fuel engines.  Launch and land in a small clearing close to your mission site using quiet electric power.  Get to altitude quickly and allow the wing do the work of the heavy lifting.

Airborne Persistence. The all-wing design of the Im VII eliminates the parasitic drag and excess weight found on conventional aircraft.  One hundred percent of the Im VII is dedicated to lift. You can carry your scientific instruments and sensors aloft longer using the Im VII than in any other platform on the market today.

Impact Tolerant.  Field conditions are never perfect and anyone with experience will tell you that the life expectancy of a conventional small UAS in the field can be short.  We have eliminated the two most vulnerable areas, the fuselage and the tail group, and constructed the Im VII out of light-weight, energy dissipating materials.  In situations where other small UAS break, the Im VII simply bounces and is ready for another flight.

Indiana UAS on Inside Indiana Business

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Im VII Air Vehicle II – First Flight

Im VII Air Vehicle II - 82" Wingspan

Air Vehicle II (AV-2) took to the air for the first time on November 9, 2008 at 1630 Hrs.  The platform required no center of gravity adjustments and flew flawlessly in less than perfect flight conditions.  Sustained winds at the time of flight were 15 knots with gusts up to 25 knots with light snow showers.   AV-2 has an 82″ wingspan and weighs 23 ounces with flight control avionics.  Typical gross take-off weight (GTOW) for an agricultural imaging mission is less than three pounds.  Maximum payload for the AV-2 platform is five pounds for hand launch and twenty pounds for catapult launch.

The production versions of the Im VII feature removable wing panels that require no tools for assembly.  The entire aircraft fits into a suitcase for easy transport in the trunk of most vehicles.  The high lift airfoil, quiet electric powerplant and efficiency of the all wing platform delivers flight endurance times of over two hours and as long as four hours.  The Im VII is easily hand launched with a gentle toss and requires only a small clearing for landing.  Optional spoilers allow the pilot to land the Im VII in a clearing as small as 40 feet.