Barnard Microsystems Limited

Here is an overview of our more recent InView unmanned aircraft system developoments.

For earlier InView developments, see InView Development 1.

• InView 07: first flight on 31 January 2011

• InView 06: first flight on 22 November 2010

• Why twin tails?

The changes made since IV-06 were as follows:

• Airframe corners have been rounded for improved aerodynamics and increased airframe strength.
• Removable nose cone added, where the nose cone can be relaced with:
  • an Internet Protocol (IP) Pan, Tilt and Zoom (PTZ) camera
  • one, or more, laser scanning rangefinders
  • a gas sensor, such as an ethane and methane gas sensor, used in geophysical surveys
• Twin tail fins have an added metallised film to reduce the visibility of the aircraft for border patrol work.
• Volume of the avionics section has been increased to allow more computers and sensors to be used.

InView IV-07 ready for pre-flight checks.

The InView IV-07 in flight, where the underside viewing windows can clearly be seen.

The tail fins are becoming more difficult to see against the blue sky, the early stages of our work to render the InView difficult to spot when flying at a few hunder feet above ground level in pipeline monitoring and border patrol work.

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The changes made were as follows:

• support for a payload mounted at each wing tip
• single rear wheel replaced by a pair of steerable tail wheels for improved ground handling stability when traversing rough terrain
• two smaller tail fins made up to enable twin tail configuration to be used
• larger, single, lift up front hatch replaces two small front hatches

The InView IV-06 with twin tail wheel assembly for added ground manoeuvre robustness.

The InView IV-06 at take-off.

Comparison between one of the twin tails and the original single tail fin.< /p>

The beauty of the modular construction of the InView is that one can easily and quickly change the aircraft configuration. In this case, the single tail was replaced by two, smaller, tails for added reliability for a late afternoon flight in Winter.

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Reasons for using two tail fins rather than one tail fin:

• safety: the InView can fly on just one tail fin

• ability to carry a large payload, such as a satellite dish or a smaller Unmanned Aircraft, above the wing

Above: the NASA Boeing 747 carrying the Lockheed Skunkworks "Phantom Ray" unmanned aircraft. Note the addition of the twin tail to the jumbo jet for added aircraft stability, especially when transporting the larger Space Shuttle.

• lower side cross section reduces aircraft visibility: useful in border patrol work

Above: profile of the InView IV-06 with a single tail.

Above: reduced cross-section profile of the InView IV-06 in the twin tail configuration.

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