41137665•01/31/13


Swift Current area man builds unmanned helicopters for RCMP


MATTHEW LIEBENBERG


A farm northwest of Swift Current has become a regular visiting spot for RCMP officers who are learning how to fly remote- controlled helicopters.


These specialized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are designed and custom built by 26-year-old Monty Allan, who has turned his interest in remote-controlled aircraft into a unique business.


If he is not out on the farm with his dad during seeding and harvesting, he is usually working in his hobby shop.


"It started as a normal hobby and then I started pushing it and started making my own stuff and then it led into this," he said.


The small building is overflowing with parts for a variety of remote-controlled aircraft, but most notable is the strange looking UAVs that appear to be straight out of a science fiction movie.


The six electric motors and rotor blades are located on top of a cradle that provides a platform to mount a digital SLR camera. At a mere fraction of the cost to operate a full-size helicopter, a UAV can provide an operator with a birds-eye view of a scene.


"The police got wind of it and then they wanted me to start building stuff for them," he said.


He has already supplied 13 UAVs to RCMP units in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. As part of the process, he provides officers with training in the control and operation of a UAV.


"They all have to comply with Transport Canada regulations," he explained. "They come out to the shop and they get their two days of training and they're on their own."


According to Allan, it is quite easy to fly a UAV as it is controlled in a similar way as other remote-controlled hobby aircraft. It can also be linked to a laptop computer and the keyboard can be used to control the vehicle's flight via Google Earth.


"From the time you come in to the shop until you could fly it by yourself is, at the most, two hours," he said. "What takes a bit more time is the maintenance, charging the batteries, learning weather conditions and just how to get good with it."


continued on page 17 THE WESTERN CANADIAN PIPELINE | WINTER 2013 11


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24