Drone returns to Tingwall Airport but Orkney flight called off
PLANS for the first drone flight between mainland Shetland and Orkney this morning (Friday) were scuppered due to the weather conditions.
However Windracers, the company behind the unmanned flight, took the opportunity to continue to test its ULTRA unmanned aircraft in the skies around Tingwall Airport.
Windracers has previously carried out flights in Shetland, as well as between Fair Isle and Orkney.
It says it has a focus on cargo delivery – “the ability to move goods more quickly across the islands”.
Further afield, the company has also operated flights across the globe, including in Antarctica, Africa and Ukraine, with Windracers having an initial focus on delivering humanitarian aid.
The ULTRA aircraft can carry a “useful payload” of up to 100kg, and has a range of up to 1,000km.
The flight to Orkney which was cancelled was set to be a ‘beyond visual line of sight’ flight where the drone would go out of view of people on the ground.
Speaking at Tingwall Airport on Friday before the drone took flight, Windracers’ communication manager Tom Boorman stressed a key aim was to add to existing activity, not take away.
He said the flights in Shetland have been sponsored by government agency Innovate UK, through the Rural Energy Hubs project.
Some potential future uses of drone technology in the islands include delivering goods and items that need to be transported quickly, from medical equipment to agricultural supplies.
“This is about demonstrating how we can add resilience to the existing activity within the islands,” Boorman said.
Shetland News was given a closer look inside the drone’s ‘boot’ space, akin to an airplane’s hold – but with the additional capability to drop items while it is in flight.
Amid the blustery weather, the ULTRA was also fairly quiet and took flight quickly from the Tingwall runway.
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Boorman added that one long-term aim, if Windracers had a permanent base in Shetland in the future, is to enable local people to gain skills and employment.
“Our long term game is to bring skills – train people up in this equipment, and allow the people in the communities here to deliver that service,” Boorman added.
Despite the flight to Orkney being called off, he said the Northern Isles are “perfect” for Windracers, to allow the petrol-fuelled drones to fly in changeable weather and land on varied airfields.
Boorman described the ULTRA drone as “rugged” with a wingspan of up to 10 metres, while it can cruise at nearly 90mph.
As it is an autonomous drone, it does not need to be remotely controlled by a person on the ground.
There is set to be further flights from Shetland in the future, while Windracers is also planning a drone journey from the isles to Norway.
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