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Local Company Leading Work on Unmanned Aircraft – Springfield News Sun
Photo: Bill Lackey

frank beafore executive director of selecttech geospatial — Frank Beafore executive director of SelectTech GeoSpatial

SPRINGFIELD — An industry report this week predicted that unmanned aircraft systems will create more than 2,700 new Ohio jobs by 2025, but for one Springfield company, unmanned aircraft already make up 20 percent of the bottom line.
“I had intended to get into it. I didn’t intend to get into it so soon,” said Frank Beafore, executive……

“Don’t use the word drone. Ever,” Beafore said. “A drone is a dumb aircraft towed behind another aircraft for target practice.”

SelectTech GeoSpatial

Full Story:Local Company Leading Work on Unmanned Aircraft – Springfield News Sun

Dave’s Comments:
The above quotation is important. The “D” word is being used as a pejorative to attack our hobby and those that fly multi-rotors and experiment with FPV and other types of advancements in our hobby. It’s our job as experienced participants to use the correct language in order to disarm those that would try to redefine the model aircraft pastime as a bunch of peeping toms, spys or other nefarious operators. Many of the program advancements in military and defense vehicles are directly attributable to fellow RC’rs participation. Advancements from out own hobby is what makes these devices and the saving of American lives possible. I would suggest when you hear the “D” word, be quick to point out your model is not an object of target practice, nor is it an autonomous robot. Our models are remotely piloted by a human being.

Wiki Target Drone

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A reluctance motor is a different breed. It is a form of a brushless motor. However, the brushless motors we use in the RC hobby, the number of stater teeth (each iron segment that is wound with copper wire) will always be 3,6,9,12…; A number always divisable by 3. Magnets will always number 2 or 3,6,9,12 some number divisable by 3. Each magnet is considered a pole. So, a 6 magnet motor is called a 6 pole motor.

The cause of investment into the development of Reluctance motors is communist China produces most of the materials described as rare earth that are used to produce modern high power magnets. China has limited the export of these materials and magnets in order to help China monopolize permanent magnet motor production. The reluctance motor does not need any of these materials and is hence much cheaper to manufacture. Also our ability to produce motors in the USA would not be hindered by the unholy alliance between government and business as is so common in socialist/communist states. Regardless of the type of government, anytime governments stick their fingers into business, supply problems and shortages ensue. Perhaps these developments will stifle the anti-capitalists this time. Sustained monopoly’s are only possible when governments collude with business (or nationalize industry). It’s an interesting side note to mention there have never been any long lived monopoly’s that were not created and maintained by government regulation.

Clean Tech Open 2012 Winner HEVT

According to HEVT the spot price for neodymium increased from $19 a pound in 2010 to $129 a pound in 2011.

HEVT Hybrid Electric Vehicle Technologies

Many times technologies are developed and press releases fly all over the internet. These products offer great promise yet often the creators are just looking for somebody to buy the technology and when they are unsuccessful (most of the time) we never see the great new products. This development strikes a different tone with me, I feel this very well could be the beginning of a new paradigm shift in motor technology. Lets just hope it makes it down to us modelers sooner rather than later.

Gigaom Story: An Electric Motor That’s Ditched The Rare Earth Materials

Reluctant Hero’s (The Economist)

Learn more about Switched and Synchronous variations here: Reluctance Motor Wiki

Many photo’s and drawings: Google Images Reluctance Motors

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Local Company Leading Work on Unmanned Aircraft

Reluctance Motor In The News