Stratodynamics Wins Prestigious Upper Airspace Traffic Management Award
Along with collaborator UAVOS Inc., this aerospace innovator takes home top honours.
STAMFORD, LINCOLNSHIRE, UK, June 22, 2022 —Air Traffic Management magazine just announced the winners of their recently concluded ATM Awards. Amongst winners in a variety of categories, Stratodynamics Inc. along with their collaborator UAVOS Inc. took first place honours in the Upper Airspace category, intended for “new aircraft, new traffic management requirements [and] new ways of working” in the upper atmosphere.
From the New RCSD article Like Soaring on Mars in the July, 2021 issue: “Stratodynamics’ HiDRON™ high altitude research platform likely has achieved a new ‘high bar’ for great places to start a great flight — how about 30km (98,000ft) above the New Mexico desert, as was the case on June 6th, 2021. Five hours after being released from its weather balloon launch vehicle, HiDRON™ landed safely at Spaceport America, located at Truth or Consequences, New Mexico…”
Of particular note to New RCSD readers is that HiDRON™ is based on “a Simitri F5J main wing with a customized fuselage and empennage, designed to improve stability in low Reynolds number conditions”, said Stratodynamics CEO Gary Pundsack.
When questioned about the nature of their winning entry, Stratodynamics Vice-president of Business Development and Marketing Nick Craine told the New RCSD: “We’re so proud of out team’s accomplishments over the last 12 months. In the case of this particular campaign, we were able to demonstrate fully controlled flight over 300 mph at 28 km (91,860 ft) which is about 7000 ft higher than a Blackbird SR-71. We’re ever grateful to the crew at Spaceport America, our collaborators at UAVOS for their incredible autopilot as well as our balloon handlers from New Mexico State University whose assistance helped the University of Kentucky achieve its high altitude goals”.
The New RC Soaring Digest will continue to track this pioneering project and will bring further developments to readers just as soon as they are available.
©2022 The New RC Soaring Digest Staff
Resources
- Stratodynamics Inc. — From their website: “Stratodynamics provide high altitude flight services for global clients and collaborators requiring remote earth observations or in-situ monitoring.…”
- UAVOS Inc. — From their website: “We provide services in engineering, design, customization, system integration, training, and operational support for platforms equipped with our autopilot as with third-party autopilot…”
- ATM/UTM Awards Announcement — “The time has come to announce the winners and runners up for the 2021 ATM/UTM Awards…Upper Airspace Winner: UAVOS, Inc. and Stratodynamics Inc. — HiDRON™…”
- ATM Awards — “The ATM awards aim to encourage pioneering concepts and acknowledge significant achievements in the performance areas of safety, innovation, cost efficiency and environmental responsibility. They are open to all ATM, UTM, UAS stakeholders…”
- Air Traffic Management magazine — “the most influential and respected global publication in the ATM/ATC field for more than 25 years. In print and online, ATM keeps the sector’s leaders informed…”
- Like Soaring on Mars — From the July 2021 issue of the New RC Soaring Digest.
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