Tag Archive for: e455

EVENT 38 ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL BVLOS PIPELINE INSPECTION DEMO WITH  FIXED-WING VTOL DRONE 

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(Richfield, Ohio) – February 12th, 2025 – Event 38 Unmanned Systems, a leading manufacturer of American-made mapping drones, announces that a successful BVLOS pipeline patrol demo has been completed using the E455, Event 38’s largest fixed-wing vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone. The E455 flew 320 miles in just under 7.6 flight hours. The demo was executed by Phoenix Air Unmanned (PAU), a drone service provider that specializes in aerial inspection and surveillance for utilities. 

The demo was a proof-of-concept exercise to determine whether PAU could achieve the goal of patrolling 300 miles of pipeline, owned by Shell Pipeline Corporation, with a drone in just one day. “We woke up to a two-hour delay with fog, so we crossed the 300-mile mark at noon on the second day,” said Will Wheeler, Director of Operations, Phoenix Air Unmanned. “But our goal was achieved within a day of flying time, so it was a success.” 

Event 38 trained a team of six PAU pilots in just three days and integrated the E455 into PAU’s existing command control stations in less than a week. The demo was completed the following week. 

Wheeler credits much of the demo’s success to the user-friendly design of the E455. “Ease of use and reliability is a big deal for us. We have the foundational knowledge of how to execute BVLOS flights at scale, however we had never flown the E455 before,” he said. “We received training, the E455 was integrated, and then we were out there doing 300 miles. What will we be capable of once our whole crew has experience with this platform and it’s truly integrated into our workflow? It’s repeatable and scalable.” 

For the purposes of the demo, the E455 was outfitted with an Iris Casia 3-camera system, which is critical for BVLOS missions, two redundant radio links, and an ADS-B in, in addition to a standard live gimbaled camera. Drone communications were handed off between three ground control vans to increase efficiency, and ground control received a constant live video feed from the E455’s on-board cameras. Thanks to the E455’s bonded radio solution, the drone never lost signal with PAU. 

Even with the abundance of equipment required for a BVLOS mission, the E455 flew for up to sixty minutes on a single charge. With a standard payload, the E455 can fly for over two hours on a single charge. In optimal conditions, the E455 can travel at 50 miles per hour. speed is 50 miles per hour in optimal conditions. 

“This demo was an excellent opportunity for us to learn more about how the E455 operates in real-world scenarios and make some other modifications that will translate to a better user experience going forward,” said Mathew Wright, VP of Engineering and Operations, Event 38. 

About Event 38 Unmanned Systems: 

Event 38 designs and manufactures fixed-wing VTOL drones in Richfield, Ohio. Since 2011, we’ve sold over 500 drones to people and organizations all around the globe. Our drones capture geo-tagged data for a range of industries and applications. Event 38 drones can be customized for high-resolution aerial photogrammetry, thermal and multispectral imagery, LiDAR, and live video streaming.

Event 38 Unmanned Systems Teams Up with AviSight in Selecting Elsight’s BVLOS Connectivity Solution

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Elsight’s BVLOS Connectivity Solution: Achieving Precise Data Collection

Event 38 Unmanned Systems Teams Up with AviSight in Selecting Elsight’s BVLOS Connectivity Solution to Achieve Precise Data Collection in its Oil and Gas Pipeline Inspections over Difficult Terrain

June 13, 2024 – Leading manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles Event 38 and AviSight, a provider of critical infrastructure inspections, announced the use of Elsight’s Halo, an AI- based UAV connectivity solution, to enable beyond the visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) inspections with precise data collection in extensive oil and gas pipeline inspections over difficult terrain.

At the heart of this collaboration is Elsight’s Halo, a lightweight, highly reliable communications system. Halo’s AI-based software aggregates multiple IP links to a secure bond using public and private cellular, satellite, and RF technologies ensuring uninterrupted drone communications even in the most challenging environments. Whether it’s disaster response, surveillance, deliveries or lengthy remote inspections, UAV (uncrewed aerial vehicle) flights powered by the Elsight Halo complete the mission with continuous transmission of high-bandwidth video and data to the command-and-control center (C2).

When facing the operational and economic challenges of data collection from major pipelines, AviSight’s CEO, Suzanne Herring, was quite rigorous in her selection of the optimal VTOL drone and the BVLOS connectivity solution for these missions and required connectivity with the highest bandwidth, lowest latency, highest redundancy, and of course, the most reliable link.

“AviSight’s reputation is dependent on our ability to provide accurate, timely and consistently critical infrastructure inspections through the use of unmanned ariel systems in a cost-effective manner. In a technology market that is rapidly developing, it is essential to remain innovative in our systems methodology while also embodying the challenges of an efficient execution of the mission. With C2 linkage being a primary priority for our BVLOS missions, it was essential to find a partner with the capabilities to maintain communications throughout our volatile terrains. Elsight has provided us with the ability to maintain C2 through vast wetlands, mountainous regions, and remote areas. While Event 38’s E455 has given us the ability to fly extensive linear inspections efficiently and more cost effectively,” said CEO of AviSight, Suzanne Herring

“We sought the right combination to maintain command and control over more than 2,000 miles of pipeline inspections in a variety of terrains. Event 38 and Elsight enabled us to overcome terrain and distance challenges and provide precise data to our customers ensuring their regulatory compliance,” added Herring

Event 38 Unmanned Systems latest VTOL, the E455 is a premier fixed wing, vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) drone. At just under 55lbs, the E455 offers a 2 hour flight endurance on battery power alone. The E455 is designed to carry a diverse range of payloads, including mapping sensors, LiDAR, and EO/IR surveillance sensors, meeting the strict demands of various applications such as lengthy pipeline inspections.

“The high bandwidth and low power usage of the Elsight Halo paired with the E455 open endless possibilities of inspections over long distances and rugged terrain that were not possible previously,” said Jeff Taylor, CEO of Event 38 Unmanned Systems. “Our E455 VTOL was able to get closer to the pipelines with the help of Elsight.

“Working with Event 38 and AviSight has been very fulfilling from both technological and business perspectives. Our Halo was designed for mission-critical goals, particularly, in difficult situations,” said Yoav Amitai, CEO of Elsight. “Elsight optimizes the use of drones in many industries with reliable BVLOS connectivity for operational effectiveness. At the same time, we enable industry growth by using only one operator to control a drone fleet from remote locations anywhere. This is how we see our Halo as a market catalyst for drones in pipelines, and inspections in many industries, in which removing the human element delivers better and safer results.

About AviSight

AviSight provides industrial inspections of critical infrastructure and advanced data solutions for regulatory compliance, asset management, and predictive maintenance. We work with fortune one hundred partners in all verticals of critical infrastructure including Power, Gas, Oil, Telecom, and Transportation. Our mission is to create a generational paradigm shift in data collection and actionability that increases safety exponentially while achieving significant cost savings for our clients. We have been working with our partners and customers on legislative activity and regulatory expansion to ensure the ability to create BVLOS programs that will help take inspections into the 21st century.

About Event 38 Unmanned Systems

Established in 2011 and with customers all over the world, Event 38 Unmanned Systems is a leading provider of Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS). Our customers use their drones in diverse fields including Security, Surveying, and Environmental Conservation. Our hybrid fixed wing VTOL aircraft offer an extended endurance capability for covering dozens of miles or hundreds of acres. With a variety of payload options and customizable solutions available, our aircraft collect thermal, multispectral and high-resolution imagery and with centimeter-level geotagging accuracy.

About Elsight

Elsight (ASX:ELS) Elsight delivers Connection Confidence with proprietary bonding connectivity that incorporates both software and hardware elements to deliver reliable, secure, high bandwidth communications – even in the most challenging areas for stationary, portable, or actively mobile situational requirements. Elsight provides robust, secured connectivity to unmanned aerial and ground systems manufacturers, operators, and integrators globally.

Event 38 and Inertial Labs Partner to Bring Large Scale Lidar Mapping to the Drone Industry

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Event 38 Unmanned Systems, a leading manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles, has announced their Heavy VTOL E455 Drone can now be paired with multiple LiDAR systems.

The Resepi Hesai LIDAR XT-32 developed by Inertial Labs can now be integrated onto the E455 Drone for all Event 38 customers. This all-around attractive system boasts best-in-class data accuracy, good detection range, high point density, and versatility, making it an industry-standard choice for professionals. Additionally, the E455 will also carry NDAA Compliant LiDAR models such as the RESEPI Ouster OS1-64.

RESEPI (Remote Sensing Payload Instrument) is a sensor-fusion platform designed for accuracy-focused remote sensing applications. RESEPI utilizes a high-performance Inertial Labs INS (GPS-Aided Inertial Navigation System) and a high-accuracy single or dual-antenna GNSS receiver, integrated with a Linux-based processing core and data-logging software.

One of the many notable features of the E455 is its versatility and unique ability to carry heavier payloads. Flight time with Event 38’s LiDAR compatible systems extend beyond 2 hours and allows for advanced operations, giving operators greater range and efficiency during each and every flight. The RESEPI featuring HESAI’s XT-32 along with its NDAA Compliant counterparts was strategically designed for multiple application bases and can support projects of all different varieties.

Jamie Marraccini, Inertial Labs CEO, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership, stating, “By combining our advanced RESEPI Payload LiDAR with Event 38’s sophisticated E455 drone, we are setting a new standard for aerial surveying and mapping technology. This collaboration represents a leap forward in our mission to provide comprehensive, turnkey solutions that empower industries to achieve more.”

“The high pulse rate and accuracy of the RESEPI Lidar systems paired with the E455 is a powerful combination giving operators the ability to collect thousands of acres of survey grade data in a single workday,” said Jeff Taylor, CEO of Event 38 Unmanned Systems. “It’s a new level of capability not previously available to our customers.”

The new E455 with LiDAR is now available for purchase. For more information, please visit
www.Event38.com and contact us at sales@event38.com