Aerovate soars on prop order: UAV propeller system makes the grade.

• Author: Ross, Ian

A Thunder Bay innovator has landed a deal with a U.S. defence contractor that could take his small aviation firm soaring to new heights.

Andrew Kondor, president of Aerovate, has sold two units of his leading edge passive variable pitch propeller system to a U.S. military supplier for use in light observation drones.

For confidentiality reasons, Kondor was unable to identify the company, but said this supplier's unmanned aircraft are currently active in global combat zones and they will be working with him in the coming months to further test and tweak his technology.

If adopted for military use, Kondor said the potential is there to manufacture up to 100 units that could become a very lucrative US $500,000 annual order, pending upon the success of the units.

"It's sort of a next-level breakthrough for us. All of our work and research has paid off to the point where our first customer has actually paid money for it."

The propeller system used for unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), or drones, has been Kondor's work for the past six years through many phases of prototypes.

It's designed for low horsepower (50 TIP or less) craft that can fly missions of up to 10 hours.

"In the world of hunt and kill machines, it's small."

His system changes prop pitch in flight without the use of electronics or hydraulics. Offered as a direct replacement to conventional light and fixed-pitch propellers, it promises greater efficiency on takeoff and cruise. The technology automatically senses the load on the propeller and changes the pitch.

"Ours is a bolt-in-and-go system."

With the trend in UAVs moving toward miniaturization, Kondor said weight and incorporating light material is an ongoing consideration.

"It's about smaller aircraft, less fuel and the range to go just as far," said Kondor. "We would like to adapt our technology down one size."

That means replacing aluminum with titanium or possibly casting one-piece carbon fibre systems.

"We're willing to entertain that but it all costs so much money. There's so much we want to do with this thing with practical good-quality testing."

His UAV prop systems range from 28 inches in diameter to up to 37 inches. But for another emerging market, he needs to scale up his prop to a canoe paddle-sized 72 inches.

Through a partnership with Sensenich Propellers of Plant City, Fla, one of the most respected manufacturers in the manned and unmanned aviation market, he's adapting his UAV technology to design a prototype hub...