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This is why the cape is perfert for a test center. Fly them over the ocean and not houses!
"Recently, the FAA has begun citing privacy issues as a reason for delaying UAS integration. However, the primary mission of the FAA is safety. The establishment of UAS test sites will help the FAA establish safety criteria for UAS, which is a completely separate issue from privacy concerns. Yet, in a letter to Rep. Howard McKeon (R-Calif.) earlier this month, Acting FAA Admistrator Michael Huerta wrote that the FAA must fulfill its obligations in a manner that, among other goals, “addresses privacy issues.”
http://www.auvsi.org/AUVSI/AUVSINews/AssociationNews/#AUVSIFAAMission
Interesting delays:
http://www.defensenews.com/article/20121210/DEFREG01/312100002/Thales-Covers-ISTAR-Tab-Amid-Watchkeeper-Wait?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CFRONTPAGE
The more i think of this thread/research the more it gets my creative juices going (which I worry it is going to start costing me $).
I was researching vendors at AUVSI this past year. I really like what the kids at Embry Riddle brought to the show: laser system on the quad copter, 3d printing in the MAV context, and most of all the delta wing controled with a smartphone. Perfect location as well for an academic teaming agreement.
By the way, does anyone remember our booth number at AUVSI? I thought it was changed at the last minute and I cannot find it now.
"And a USMil approved Procerus flight controller is $12,000"
Thanks. I was curious.
"A Raven B costs $179,000"
I admit I am new to MAV tech. I just did some initial research and that is just plain silly. Demand has no clue what supply can do.
"Habitat: As the most prevalent UAV on the planet, with more than 7,000 units in service, you’d be hard pressed to find any Army combat brigade in Afghanistan or Iraq that doesn’t have one.
Behavior: Three feet long and 4.2 pounds, the Raven is typically fitted with an electronically stabilized color video camera or an infrared video camera for night missions, which pan, tilt and zoom digitally to provide ground troops with “situational awareness.” The fleet is getting a digital upgrade that turns each one into a comm relay, effectively extending its six-mile range.
Notable Feature: Light and durable, if it crashes, the wings just pop off, and are easily replaced."
http://www.popsci.com/technology/gallery/2010-02/gallery-future-drones
twenty five years ago I had a styrofoam glider with the same pop off wings. Really?
"IMO Glenn has been moving like a one armed paper hanger for some weeks. At the speed I perceive he is moving I don't think a Director could interject much."
I agree. He has been criticized on this board as the surfing CEO. From my experience, he is a high energy NY/NJ type personality. Now that Clark is no longer involved, this has turned into his baby. I see him going full speed ahead. All IMO.
Indy, I did not mean to imply any ill will on your part. You are a smart man and you have mentioned the ability to conduct various background checks, etc. related to WSGI. You even mentioned doing DD on various members of this board. As my name suggests, I dabble in many areas and have many interests. You were able to discern where my brush strokes have the most technique. If you did not find out who I am through your connections, I am disappointed that I was not able to hide any weaknesses or strengths in my posts. I thought I was being more careful.
"Your answer is good--even a legal eagle can't tell without a specialized practice and a bunch of billable hours."
- to be honest, "it depends" is the standard lawyer answer. The success of an attorney depends on how you sell it to the client.
From what I understand, "new managment" wanted to make most of the corporate changes required by the SEC anyway. As for the information exchange with shareholders, I believe it will be dictated by our partners/customers and SEC requirements on a forward basis.
I have spent the last half hour looking at old posts trying to confirm a memory. I cannot find a copy of the actual SEC settlement. However, it was approved by the judge on Dec 16, 2010. There were two posts on this board, one by Warp and one by ColeT, mentioning a two year window of increased scrutiny by the SEC. Do we have an anniversary to celebrate?
Thanks, Indy.
I would say I grew up as an R/C hobbiest. With all of our tech paradigm shifts, I think too many are trying to over complicate things. Im not saying new tech cant help (sat uplink vs. r/c signal), but the more I read the more I beleive that many are over doing things just because they can or think they can.
"Any speculation whether GTC's agreements would endure past the demise of GlobalStar? Perhaps that is a question for Barb or Ren maybe."
Indy, I feel like I am being baited into an answer.
"Demise" is not exactly a precise term. It could try to avoid bankruptcy with an asset sale, but it would need to have creditor approval. Three or more creditors can force an involuntay bankruptcy and the asset sale would liekly be subject to a clawback provision. Once in bankruptcy, there are too many variables to answer your question here, i.e. type of contract, is there a partial property posessory right (similar to a lease of one floor of an office building), if so what kind of posessory right, etc. Put all of that in the conext of a satllite and I have no clue. These variables determine how far the trustee can go to maximize the return for the creditors. By that I mean how far can the trustee go to strip us of any freebees.
I would not even bother BJ with it. Getting a detailed, correct answer factoring in all variables would likely need to be farmed out to outside counsel and that costs $.
If Globalstar does fall into bankruptcy, I have full confidence in BJ and outside counsel to advocate for our rights. And no I do not mean the same outside counsel that takes forever to write the legend restriction removal letters.
Indy:
"If I were designing a large LTA craft today, I would design it for ammonia--since it is used for fertilizer it is like 1/10 the cost of helium. It also perfuses more slowly. Non-flammable but dangerous to breathe."
so is helium
http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2012/12/10/death-of-woman-found-in-ridley-creek-state-park-ruled-suicide/
http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-02-23/news/31093120_1_helium-face-more-charges-huffing
I agree with Einstein in that everything is relative.
This is off the shelf.
http://microuav.com/btc195
The more I familiarize myself with the tech, I believe we should be further along in development. I think together we could slap a sat interface on this camera system and build the platform on which to put it. All in a weekend.
Also, I am begining to love the idea of incorporating room for micro uav's into the payload capability of the Argus.
http://www.canadadrones.com/ArduCopter-Hexa-KIT-HEAVY-LIFT-Full-Electronics-p/ac-hexa-kit-full-hl1.htm
"Needs: Radio, Receiver and Battery to make it fly!
Fully assembled weight: 1.8 Kg (no camera mount using 880kv motors and 10 inches props)
Payload Capacity: at very least 1.5kg (higher payloads just shortens flight time)
User may also use two 4S Lipo to make this beast more powerful! (but it's recommended to use 10 inches composite propellers when using more power as 12 inches may spin too fast and lose some stability)"
That should be enough to cary current lethal munitions or additional ISR.
Not sure of all of your connections, but imagine if we had this tech:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lockheed-martin-procerus-technologies-brings-high-performance-surveillance-to-small-unmanned-aircraft-systems-165274526.html
and this software:
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lockheed-martin-acquires-procerus-technologies-137512478.html
"Procerus is a privately held company that provides autopilot, targeting and payload technologies for micro UAS to domestic and international governments, as well as industry and academic institutions. Among its key technologies is the Kestrel autopilot system, the smallest and lightest full-featured micro autopilot system on the market – ideal for surveillance and reconnaissance applications."
Again, I agree that the future is going mini.
Mr. Ambrosius,
I was attepting to respond to your joke with a personal anecdote, but alas, I violated the posting rules.
I believe hogman was right. It mentions the Stratellite 2A. Not sure if it is the same ship. I was not following this company back then.
http://airshipworld.blogspot.com/2007/04/la-county-sheriffs-to-levy-and-seize.html
I am glad we saw the inclusion of electric power/photovoltaic in the patent for the Argus.
This article explains some cool tech...
"Here’s how it works. The ground (or ship) based Laser Transmitter converts electrical power from a primary source into a 1000W single wavelength beam of light. Photovoltaic cells installed on the underside of the UAV that are matched to the laser’s wavelength and beam intensity converts the laser light back to electric power."
"The technology can be used for all sorts of aerial vehicles including micro UAVs, quad copters, more traditional aircraft UAVs and aboard US Navy vessels that deploy UAVs or even Aerostat LTA (lighter than air) blimps for extremely long duration observation and communication missions."
http://www.modelairplanenews.com/blog/2012/10/17/laser-powered-uavs/
CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida (AP/Florida Today) - A top-secret mini-space shuttle has blasted off from Cape Canaveral.
The Air Force launched the unmanned spacecraft Tuesday aboard an Atlas V rocket. Cloud coverage in the area threatened to scrub the launch all day, but the weather cleared just enough for an on-time liftoff at 1:03 p.m. at Launch Complex 41.
http://www.wtsp.com/news/topstories/article/286637/250/Air-Force-sends-mystery-mini-shuttle-back-to-space
North Korea is 14 hours ahead of the eastern time zone. This puts the 9:51am Wed local time launch of its missle at 8pm Tuesday on the east coast.
I first heard about the X37B launch early Tuesday morning (east coast). The goal was to launch asap. I can confirm the weather was poor to delay the launch.
It had seven hours to get into place. If any of this is related.
and so these posts are on topic...
the Army JLENS project was decreased from 16 to 2 airships per document in Sami's post. Maybe the military should rethink the program with Bib or Argus in mind.
and as far as I can tell Indy, Lemnios joined IBM after leaving his post and the position is still empty.
"In good times and bad, he observed, I.B.M. has had the managerial patience to continue financing long-range, exploratory research. That is a model, Mr. Lemnios suggests, that the federal government would do well to follow.
Given the need for budgetary belt-tightening in government, Mr. Lemnios said, “There is great pressure to take funding for exploratory research to pay today’s bills. That can prove to be a shortsighted mistake.”"
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/03/pentagons-top-technologist-joins-i-b-m/
North Korea appeared to successfully fire a long-range rocket Wednesday
Pyongyang's state media quickly claimed that the country had succeed in its mission of putting a peaceful satellite into orbit with its long-range Unha-3 rocket. Officials at the North American Aerospace Defense Command, or NORAD, said North Korea appeared to have put an object into space.
South Korean Defense Ministry spokesman Kim Min-seok told a nationally televised news conference that a South Korean Aegis-equipped destroyer detected the launch at 9:51 a.m., local time, and the first stage fell into the Yellow Sea about a minute later; the rocket then flew over a South Korean island near the border with North Korea a minute after that. The rocket was seen flying west of Okinawa at 9:58 a.m., and then disappeared from South Korean radars, Kim said.
Japan protested the launch and said one part of the rocket landed west of the Korean Peninsula, and the Philippines said another part landed 300 kilometers (186 miles) east of the Philippines. South Korean President Lee Myung-bak planned an emergency national security council meeting Wednesday, and South Korean Foreign Minister Kim Sung-hwan warned that North Korea will face grave consequences.
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/A/AS_NKOREA_ROCKET_LAUNCH?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2012-12-11-20-12-45
After Wednesday's launch, which saw the second stage of the rocket splash down in seas off the Philippines as planned, Japan's U.N. envoy called for a Security Council meeting. However, diplomats say further tough sanctions are unlikely to be agreed at the body as China, the North's only major ally, will oppose them.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/12/12/us-korea-north-rocket-idUSBRE8BB02K20121212
In June 2005, China began sea trials of its new Luyang II guided-missile destroyers. When the armaments were unveiled, jaws clenched in the Pentagon. The ships were equipped with a knockoff of the latest version of the U.S. Navy's Aegis battle management system, a critical command-and-control technology. The technology enables U.S.--and now Chinese--forces to simultaneously attack land targets, submarines and surface ships.
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/military/news/3319656
We want to get on the good side of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering ...
p.24 "The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012 directed the Secretary of Defense to designate a senior official with principal responsibility for DOD’s airship programs. In June 2012, the Deputy Secretary of Defense designated the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering as the senior official who will be responsible for the oversight and coordination of various airship-related programs across DOD. The statutory direction and appointment of the senior official are positive steps, but it is too early to assess the effectiveness of this official’s authorities and responsibilities in integrating and overseeing these activities. As of August 2012, the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering was defining the details relating to the authority, scope, and responsibilities of this new position. The overarching direction by the Deputy Secretary of Defense, in accordance with the statutory mandate, provides the senior official with authority over airship-related efforts."
p. 25 "While DOD’s overall investment in this area has totaled nearly $7 billion in the past 6 years, near term funding estimates sharply decline beyond fiscal year 2012 and the level of future investment beyond fiscal year 2016 is not known. Until DOD makes the decisions regarding its investments in this area, the proper role of the senior oversight official will not be known. If DOD decides to make significant future investments in aerostat and airship capabilities, the senior official could play a key role in shaping those investments. If no future investments are anticipated, the role of the senior official may necessarily be focused more narrowly on the systems that are fielded or already in development."
The man who was holding the position, Zachary Leminios, allegedly submitted his resignation to Obama three weeks ago.
http://fedscoop.com/tag/zachary-lemnios/
I tried to pull up his bio on defense.gov and it appears to have been scrubbed. Whoever is appointed to this position is key to our future.
I thought I remembered an old article and saw potential...
http://www.jaunted.com/story/2009/6/12/14505/2680/travel/Has+the+Oasis+of+the+Seas+Test+Blimp+Vanished%3F+
ISR vs. upcharge "excursion"
BIB did not exist at the time.
Unfortunately, it does not look like they need the services of GTC...
http://www.marinetraffic.com/ais/default.aspx?oldmmsi=245206000&zoom=10&olddate=lastknown#
You can turn on the tracker feature of the GPS locator, zoom in, and see where they backtracked several times searching along the prior sailing route.
This is occurring right now...
http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/1621667/
I know three people on this ship. All of them are fine. This sounds like a job for: 1) the BIB on each ship (USCG and Eurodam) and 2) the Argus searching from above.
The scuttlebutt is that the guy was drunk and got into a fight with another passenger before he disappeared.
Indy:
I see a problem that can be solved.
"§ 101.35 Equipment and marking requirements.
(a) No person may operate an unmanned free balloon unless—
(3) The balloon envelope is equipped with a radar reflective device(s) or material that will present an echo to surface radar operating in the 200 MHz to 2700 MHz frequency range."
"According to WSG, it is designed specifically for intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions and is virtually undetectable by radar, making it ideal for stealth use."
http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/06/27/argus_one_drone_from_world_surveillance_group_.html
Also, I think many of these payment plans are almost paid in full.
I have not gone back and looked in detail, but I think that these were disclosed final Q of 2011 or 1stQ 2012.
Brio Capital: entered into a settlement agreement to pay $57,661 in legal fees as required by the Court order
Tsunami Communications v. GlobeTel: the terms of the settlement, the Company is required to pay them a total of $60,000 over a 12-month period
GlobeTel Wireless Europe GmbH: Under the terms of the settlement, the Company is required to pay $80,000 over a twelve-month period
I also note that the Khoury case is gone. That settlement must be fully paid.
It will be nice to be able to divert these monthly allocations to more productive line items
I found this to answer the question of D&O insurance. They self insure:
"We provide indemnification, to the extent permitted by law, to our officers, directors, employees and agents for liabilities arising from certain events or occurrences while the officer, director, employee, or agent is or was serving at our request in such capacity."
Also, it appears that there was settlement activity:
"We reached a settlement with Ms. Siegel resolving this matter, without admitting or denying the allegations. Under the terms of the settlement, we are required to issue 4.0 million shares of our common stock, once the Court approves the settlement agreement."
Not sure if the 4mm is set aside and included in the 54mm. Also, not a bad settlement. Her claim was $300,000 principal, so she gets $0.075/share.
Thank you for your generosity, Warp. However, my statement was more wishfull thinking. I can edit my posts much better than I can edit my mouth. As of now, I still like the relative anonymity this board provides. I do know some of the non-material whys behind some of the material whats (if any of that makes sense). I have a feeling you know alot of the whys too .
I would share more gossip with this board if I was not restricted (by confidentiality not on the basis of inside information).
And if anyone is concerned reading this post, FYI, I have never owned shares in this company nor profited from my knowledge.
I deleted my previous post because I thought it was getting too personal. I try not to call out individuals. I guess you caught it as soon as I posed it.
I think we all brushed up against the line there. I would love to have an off the record conversation with you about some of the back story.
I think it is funny that an event may (or may not) be material requiring disclosure, but we are almost never told the why in the five Ws.
Warp and Fly, IMO, you are both right and the truth is never black and white.
I never heard the rumor that HW was on a bad guy list. However, wasn't HW, or one of his companies, the subject of an SEC investigation back in the day? I could be wrong. I did hear the rumor that the issue with the SEC settlement was more related to personal issues of an indivudal in the SEC, i.e. a personal vendeta. IMO, HW was wraped up in that by association and it was just another reason for the company to push him away.
It is not my area of expertise, but I believe that it is okay for a company to promote and sell its own private placement to qualified investors. If a company uses a consultant or brokerage (and gives compensation for the services), then that person/entity needs to have the proper registrations with FINRA. Thus, it makes sense that MC and GE pushed HW away as a consultant and, according to Warp's post, MC may have offered to put HW on salary after the SEC settlement.
To be clear, Indy...
I am not an insider. Any material non-public information I may have posessed was disclosed by the company long ago.
Yes, I jest.
"And my comment about managment was meant to be tongue in cheek. Of the managment I have met, they all have great personalities."
http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=81432922
and dont call me Shirley.
Just to clarify. I have not met Mr. B. I have not had as much interation with the company since MC left (coincidence only).
I believe it is the most current.
And my comment about managment was meant to be tongue in cheek. Of the managment I have met, they all have great personalities.
http://www.wired.com/autopia/2012/10/sasquatch-airship/
"The Falcon Project has been ongoing for several years, ever since Barnes started tinkering with ideas for aerial filming platforms. He needed to find an unmanned aircraft that could hover for long periods of time, low enough to capture a photo but quiet and small enough not to disturb a Sasquatch. His search ended when he got in touch with Stephen Barkley of Aerial Tripods, a Canadian manufacturer of airships used in the film industry.
Barkley’s alcohol-powered, dual-engine, 45-foot Aurora Mk II airship is capable of four to six hours of unmanned flight, can turn on a dime, and is able to carry a payload of up to 85 pounds. That’s more than enough to carry the sophisticated thermal imaging camera equipment that the researchers in the field will use to zoom in on any suspected Sasquatches."
Indy...FLIR on an airship. Is your other career a sasquatch hunter?
Lockheed Martin Ousts Future CEO Over Relationship With Subordinate
http://washington.cbslocal.com/2012/11/13/lockheed-martin-ousts-future-ceo-over-relationship-with-subordinate/
An opportunity to hire talent at rock bottom prices? We only have four employees, and IMO none of them are "lookers."
I do not remember if anyone posed an update to the Army LEMV...
http://www.blimpinfo.com/uncategorized/armys-giant-spy-blimp-plan-for-afghanistan-set-adrift/
Funny observation...
When I typed "airship" into Google images, the Argus came up at the end of the third page of pictures.
When I typed "LTA UAV" into Google images, the Argus/STS-111 was the 2nd, 4th, 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th image on page one.
I never met MC personally so I can only form an opinion based on dd and conjecture. His presentation in Colorado and the focus of WSGI in his first six months tends to show you are correct. He was aiming for the sky.
The falling out was not related to the strategic direction of the company, but rather side issues (part business/part personal).
And just so everyone knows, I have been here a while. My first post was a few months ago, but I have read every post on this board since MC and GE came aboard (excet the ones deleted before I could get to them). I feel like I know everyone quite well.
You are correct. I did not mean to offend. I am just sick of the overhype in the news. IMO, the winds wont factor into any significant damage. The storm surge will cause large $ damages but the number is allways overblown by insurance companies. The largest loss of life will come from inland flooding/flash floods, etc.
And so this post is on topic:
1. I agree with Nil. There should be some squilry things going on Wed.
2. I hope the Argus is properly tied down in the Easton hanger and the hanger is stronger than it looks in the pictures.
Ditto on the well wishes. I dont want to see anyone get hurt, etc.
But you northerners are so funny when it comes to weather. I have lived in FL for the last 30 years and seen multiple category 4 and 5 hurricanes.
Sandy is a wimp.
Actually Cole, you are wrong about WSGI. No matter how many times you repeat it on this board, WSGI (Sanswire, GlobeTel) was never "proven" to be a scam. Huff, Jiminez, etc. were scam artists. It is clear from the judgments against them in the SEC and criminal actions. You made up the WSGI "proven scam" acguments to keep up the basher narative.
I understand that the SEC alleged that GlobeTel was "an engine of theft" but the allegation was never proven at any stage of the action.
WSGI entered into a settlement agreement with the SEC. As a part of the settlement agreement WSGI agreed to have a consent judgment entered against it re: oversight over future business for two years. The consent judgment clearly states that the allegations made by the SEC are not admitted or denied by WSGI and there was no specific finding of fact that WSGI was "proven" to be a scam. There was no proof of anything as decided by a trier of fact (judge or jury) and accordingly, your continued defamation of WSGI remains illigal.
IMO, if WSGI was flush with cash in thier legal department, you would be a defendant in a lawsuit.
The Navy program was almost canceled at a time when the Army and various (alleged) other companies were testing the Argus' capabilities and payload integration at no cost. Do you think the company would tell the Army that all of the testing was taking too long and to give the ship back? Not sure myself. I don't know the details. We do know from the article that the Army is now paying the Navy to do some of its testing again. The article did not mention private customers were coming back. Maybe WSGI is still testing the Argus as the company has previously stated and offering free testing in hopes of showing performance capabilities.
Maybe it is too much of a stretch.
All IMO
"The Raytheon-designed spy blimps, called the Joint Land Attack Cruise Missile Defense Elevated Netted Sensor or JLENS, used its radars to home in on a test cruise missile during a demonstration Friday at White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico."
"But the JLENS also has an inglorious history. First proposed in 1998, the Pentagon had by 2007 planned to build 28 blimps — divided into 14 pairs of two when deployed — at a total cost of $1.4 billion. By 2012, the military had already spent $1.9 billion, more than the original cost, and didn’t have a single blimp ready to go. The program also needed another sum of $6 billion to field all the blimps by the year 2014."
"In the fall of 2010, a prototype was destroyed when a commercial airship crashed into it after becoming unmoored during inclement weather. That further added to costs as the Army built a replacement."
http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2012/09/spy-blimp/
Did the Argus go canibal on another airship when it had the infamous tear? I love it. Eat the competition.