Colorado Search and Rescue

To FliteTest Community;

This episode features the MESArcFF team finishing up its Creative Grant Project called Multirotors.  If you guys have been staying with us you know that before the year started we won a Creative Grant for a 1,000 dollars to explore the realm of multirotors. We had no idea what was going to happen to us along the way, gaining additional sponsors, acquiring a 10,000 grant from a foundation for 3D printers, and so much more.  We truly thank you guys for your support in watching us and contributing because you made this year become amazing for our students.

With two weeks left in school and the wind finally moving out of the Front Range enough so we can bring something out to fly, we conducted a simulated search and rescue scenario with the team using our MF-Black Widow multirotor.  It has been awhile since we have shown the progress of our creation, the next few pics will get you caught up as well as show you where we went with it.

The Problem: Create a multirotor that serves as search and rescue device.

Once the problem was presented to the students, the students spent about a week or so just investigating everything and anything about Multirotors. The one they chose to go with was the quadcopter, a lot of this had to deal with what we had available to them.  Once they had all came to the table with design concepts and what they wanted to be on the copter, they then seperated in groups to that would design each part in CAD.  This was the magic part because the students had to stay in communication with each other in order for all the pieces to go together.

This process of communication and moving drawings back and forth for editing took awhile, but well worth it, the drawings were then converted to Corel which is the program used with our epilog laser.  Here is the pic of our laser room.

Here is a pic of the final product.

Now it was the matter of training on it with FPV so we can successfully pulloff a search and rescue.  Below is pics of the students practing flying the FPV with their creation.

So with the training out of the way and the boys feeling like they can fly this thing anywhere.  We then conducted the search and rescue.  Below are some pics showing the simulation unfold.

Scene 1: The MESArcFF team gets a call from the Colorado Search and Rescue department stating that they need extra eyes in the sky for three missing hikers over the weekend! 

Scene 2: Has the team getting the copter ready, we placed a two way radio in the holding device.  You can also see the servo on the side facing us, this was the release mechanism we had controlled by another rx/tx.

Scene 3: The team shows up to the area, pretend the houses are not in the background! Lol.

Scene 4: Simulated calling the Search and Rescue telling them we will be in the airfield that they wanted us to search around.  Jake is the pilot flying in the back of the truck, Jack with the hand held monitor as the spotter, and Chris in the front seat has the controller for the release.

And the Black Widow is in the air!

Footage from the survivors waving down the black widow.

The team spots the missing hikers, Jake moves in position for Chris to drop the radio!

Item deployed...

Hikers open up the device and retrieve the radio.

Marshall seen here communicating the hikers to see if they were alright and what was their condition.  We then sent confirmation to CSR that we found the hikers and what exactly they need to bring to take care of these guys when they rescue them.  All smiles, a success!

The MF-Black Widow comes safely home!