The sky is the limit at Felton Road
Felton Road Wines is using an electric drone sprayer to apply organic fungicides and monitor crops, cutting emissions and transforming management.
However, most use a wing or multi-rotor layout, so it's interesting to see a new player enter the market in the shape of the newly formed Yamaha Sky Division.
The Yamaha RMAX uses a helicopter layout, to all intents and purposes a scaled-down version of the real thing. The machines are about 2m long with a similar rotor diameter and capable of a maximum speed of 100km/h.
Powered by a 250cc two stroke engine, it can do spraying and seeding and suits camera operations; it carries up to 28kg and flies for one hour between re-fuelling stops.
The machine is currently controlled from an operator-controlled terminal and relies on visual line of sight. However, plans are advanced for the introduction of an auto-pilot system in the next few months, which will allow the machine to fly a pre-loaded route.
Yamaha says the machine, used widely in farming in Japan, has its first buyer in New Zealand.
The company reckons it could sell 5-6 units per annum here.
A choice of purchase or lease includes a three training package and a set of manuals. The lease option offers the benefit of a piggy-back on Yamaha's certification to meet Civil Aviation Authority requirements.
At a recent demonstration – under the Kaimai ranges, near the Wairere Falls — a unit sprayed thistles and blackberry on near vertical ground, coping well with wind gusts up to 8m/sec and showing its ability to cover tough terrain.
Asked about the benefits of the Yamaha RMAX over traditional drone layouts, business development manager Geoff Lamb says it has a far superior payload.
"The increased flying time of the R-Max is far more productive on a daily basis, while the quality of build and back-up from the Yamaha organisation is second to none."
