Helo UAV turning heads here
First-time Heli-Expo exhibitor Cybaero (Booth No.

First-time Heli-Expo exhibitor Cybaero (Booth No. 150) is attracting a lot of attention with a tiny helicopter UAV powered by a rotary diesel engine. The Apid Vantage UAV has a removable nose for quick swapping of payloads, an electric tail rotor and three-blade rotor system.

It can be flown by an operator or set to fly on a preprogrammed route using its built-in autopilot. The nose payload system can mount video and infrared camera systems, contaminant sensors and other systems datalinked to ground stations. Five Apid 55 models are currently being used in Sweden, Norway and the United Arab Emirates for power-line inspection and surveillance, according to Cybaero president Peter Muhlrad. Cybaero is offering the Apid Vantage for offshore industry uses such as pipeline inspection, climate-change analysis and oil-platform inspection.