1 hour agoSportsmania, Strings, and others feel ripple effect of Jaguars slumpRead full article: Make household chores easier and more with these Insider DealsThis $23 scarf is the ultimate accessory for people who refuse to be cold and boringA Rotor Technologies unmanned semi-autonomous helicopter flies away from a van containing a ground control pilot/operator during a test flight over Intervale Airport, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in Henniker, N.H.
A Rotor Technologies unmanned semi-autonomous helicopter flies near Pat's Peak ski area, rear, during a test flight over Intervale Airport, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in Henniker, N.H. Hector Xu, CEO of Rotor Technologies, gestures during an interview at the company's hanger where unmanned semi-autonomous helicopters are being assembled, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in Nashua, N.H. A Rotor Technologies unmanned semi-autonomous helicopter flies away from a van containing a ground control pilot/operator during a test flight over Intervale Airport, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024, in Henniker, N.H.
“People would call us up and say, ‘hey, I want to use this for crop dusting, can I?’ We’d say, OK maybe,” Xu said, adding that they got enough calls to realize it was a huge untapped market. The Associated Press reporters were the first people outside the company to witness a test flight of the Sprayhawk. It hovered, flew forward and sprayed the tarmac before landing.
The California-based Pyka announced in August that it had sold its first autonomous electric aircraft for crop protection to a customer in the United States. Pyka's Pelican Spray, a fixed-wing aircraft, received FAA approval last year to fly commercially for crop protection. The company also sold its Pelican Spray to Dole for use in Honduras and to the Brazilian company, SLC Agrícola.
But Koch acknowledges autonomous aviation systems could introduce new dangers to an already chaotic airspace — though that is less of a concern in rural areas with plenty of open space and fewer people.