I was back at the Corona Airport today!!

[DennisFetters]

I took a flight out of Dayton Ohio at 6:00 this morning and flew to Los Angeles, where I picked up a new 2019 BMW X3. Tomorrow I'll start the long drive back to Dayton, where I'll retitle the car and then ship it off to Abu Dhabi UAE so when I relocate there in January I'll have it to drive. I'm starting a new UAV helicopter project where it will last 4 to 5 years. Who knows where I'll be after that. May decide to stay with this company because it is the highest caliber company in the UAV business I've seen yet. It will be fun. The car was a deal I couldn't refuse, worth the drive! I also enjoy a cross country drive from time to time.

In the meantime, I drove by my old home airport in Corona CA. Looks the same, but happy to see that helicopter life is coming back. I snapped the attached picture today.

I had a good life in Corona, and somehow I always seem to be driving through from time to time.

I'll stop at my parent's old farm in Lawson Missouri on the drive back as well, and see my good friend Roger O'Roark in Liberty MO, as many of you may remember him as the Air Command California dealer for me back in the '80s.

Well, here we go again, another great adventure!!!

 

[giro5]

Dennis first that helo - a contractor built the Navy a power line down a mountain in Fallon NV used one. It was quite interesting to see the pilot leaning out the window to drop the poles into holes on the side of that mountain. And Corona. I went to work there at the Navy lab in Norco in 1969. Took my first flying lessons and soloed out of Corona in Tri Champ. This was with a flying club. Later we moved the plane to Flabob. I probably spent only 3 years out of 25 living at Corona or Riverside while I worked for that Navy Lab. Last time I flew into Corona was about 1994 when I had a Grumman AA1b. A lot had changed there with the addition of lots of hangers. Just a little trip down memory lane.

 

[hillberg]

That's my old job - Scott has been working Sikorskys from around 1990 odd - He started as a Mechanic at Hiser Helicopters and became the director of maintenance - He Flew the Brantley I have now to his girl friends home on the river (now long time wife) all the time.
I worked for him about 9 years before my County work, Scott's a real go getter and a great guy to work with.
The S-58 with the 1820 Wright was sweet, He went to turbines after the ass hole insurance company wouldn't renew the policies even after data showed the turbines suffered more fatal crashes. Oh the good ole days

 

[DavePA11]

Dennis - May I ask what the name of the UAV company?

 

[DennisFetters]

Dennis - May I ask what the name of the UAV company?

I don't have permission yet to say the name. However, after I get there on Ja 28 I will be soon after updating my LinkedIn page, so the name will be revealed then.

Here is a picture of the facility;

 

[DavePA11]

Good luck with the new job. Sounds exciting.... What will you be doing for them? Aren’t there a lot of restrictions when living there such as no beverages with alcohol? What is the application of the UAV helicopter? Is it military or some other use?

It looks like a desert there. I thought it was bad here in Colorado without trees...

 

[DennisFetters]

Good luck with the new job. Sounds exciting.... What will you be doing for them? Aren’t there a lot of restrictions when living there such as no beverages with alcohol? What is the application of the UAV helicopter? Is it military or some other use?

Thank you. The UAE is a very liberal country. They have nightclubs and those that drink can drink, many restaurants have liqueur on the menu. Of course, you need to respect their culture and way of life. I have lived in the UAE for many years and I very much feel comfortable there.

The drones I'll be designing and building are for civil use, such as search and rescue, medical supply, fire fighting, etc.

 

[DavePA11]

I've never been there. Sounds like a nice place. I moved to Colorado from Boston area expecting the home prices would be cheaper, but after moved here I found out the home prices are double so financially it wasn't a good move for me since now need mortgage. Will you be renting since its a different country?

What scale of UAV helicopter will you be working on? Found this diagram on line. Not sure the scale.


Did a quick search on UAV helicopters and was surprised how many companies there are in this field. These are just small listing I found.

 

[DennisFetters]

I've never been there. Sounds like a nice place. I moved to Colorado from Boston area expecting the home prices would be cheaper, but after moved here I found out the home prices are double so financially it wasn't a good move for me since now need mortgage. Will you be renting since its a different country?

What scale of UAV helicopter will you be working on? Found this diagram on line. Not sure the scale.
View attachment 1150774

Did a quick search on UAV helicopters and was surprised how many companies there are in this field. These are just small listing I found.
View attachment 1150773

I never rent. That's just throwing money away. I sold one of my houses here in Dayton OH (made a killing on it selling to someone escaping San Fransisco), but I'll keep the one I'm living in now and rent it out, just in case someday I return.

I'll buy a house (villa) in Dubai, where my wife and 5.5year-old daughter will stay (so my daughter can still go to a bilingual English-Chinese school), and I'll buy a small studio flat for me to stay in Abu Dhabi during the workweek. It's only a 1.5-hour drive for me to spend the weekends in Dubai or dart home for dinner during the week if I want. I shipped my BMW X3 on Tuesday to arrive in Abu Dhabi a few weeks after I get there. Car's in UAE cost much more than in the USA even with the $3,400 shipping cost and 4% UAE import tax.

The drawing you posted is the StarLite-2A that I designed residentially, and that is the first UAV I'll be building with this new company.

 

[DavePA11]

Your famous with your own company! That is so great to see! Are there any YouTube videos of the 2A flying?

 

[DavePA11]

Here is the Yamaha r-max

 

[DavePA11]

 

[DavePA11]

This is interesting for Dubai...

Importantly, Dubai’s new law will allow Dubai Civil Aviation Authority to roll-out its Dubai Sky Dome initiative, which is being developed to provide the physical and virtual infrastructure needed for a full spectrum of drone services. The authority has already invested in the development of an air traffic control system to manage drone traffic and will specify air corridors, height restrictions and radio frequencies.

The new law issued by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) regulating the use of drones in the emirate is a key component in the development of the ground-breaking “Dubai Sky Dome” initiative, according to the body’s president, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

The new law issued by Dubai Civil Aviation Authority (DCAA) regulating the use of drones in the emirate is a key component in the development of the ground-breaking “Dubai Sky Dome” initiative, according to the body’s president, Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum.

Law No.4 facilitates the development of an integrated framework for licensing and issuing certificates, permits, NOCs and inspection services related to drone systems, and a legal system for investigating drone accidents and incidents.

As such, it will create “a structural eco-system for drones” that will transform Dubai into a virtual airspace infrastructure for unmanned aerial vehicles systems able to connect places and buildings through runways and miniature airports across the city, Sheikh Ahmed said.
This is has all been designed to facilitate the DCAA’s “Dubai Sky Dome” initiative, which is set to be a virtual airspace for unmanned aircraft capable of executing a host of functions from delivering goods, monitoring traffic and even acting as an alternative “sky taxi” system.

Drone airports​

The new Dubai Sky Dome network will include ground stations to be used as drone airports and loading and connecting stations, plus stations for maintenance, operation and freight stations. It will also classify the main urban areas of Dubai with the aim of building a model for the distribution of ground and air service sites.

The move is the latest piece in Dubai’s Smart Autonomous Mobility Strategy, which seeks to ensure a quarter of all journeys in the emirate are take on autonomous transport by 2030. Back in June 2019, The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced the signing of an agreement with the German Volocopter Company; a specialist in the manufacturing of Autonomous Air Vehicles, to launch the first vehicle capable of carrying two passengers.