Drones could be wings of the future – First drone made in Montana tested south of Columbia Falls

The first test flight of a Montana-made drone designed for commercial uses was conducted at an airfield south of Columbia Falls on Tuesday.

"It was flawless," said Ed Buttrey of Great Falls, a coordinator with Whitefish-based Center for Remote Integration.

During the test flight, the 8-foot-long aircraft with a 15-foot wing span was alternately operated by two pilots — one using remote controls and the other working on the Internet, Buttrey said.

The aircraft, which can be powered by either battery or jet engine and carry 20 to 40 pounds, recently received an experimental airworthiness certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration and can be flown via the Internet.

Unmanned Systems Inc. of Las Vegas built the drone, which is called Sandstorm, in Kalispell.

Written by
KARL PUCKETT

Full Story: http://www.greatfallstribune.com/article/20111102/NEWS01/111020305/First-drone-made-Montana-tested-south-Columbia-Falls

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Drones could be wings of the future

Maybe it had the appearance of being an undersized aircraft, a radio-controlled toy, but backers of the Center for Remote Integration see big things for Montana in the unmanned aircraft that was demonstrated on a remote airstrip south of Columbia Falls on Tuesday.

The Sandstorm unmanned aircraft, with a 15-foot wingspan and an 8-foot fuselage, took off and landed smoothly with pilot Don Bintz flying at times via the Internet and pilot Justin Sands flying it with a radio-control handset.

"We’ve flown this plane from 1,300 miles away," said Bintz, who has remotely controlled the Sandstorm from Las Vegas over the Internet.

JIM MANN/Daily Inter Lake

Full Story: http://www.dailyinterlake.com/news/local_montana/article_e1a71c58-04ed-11e1-8da4-001cc4c03286.html