First fully automated cross-border rescue flight in Aachen
As part of the GrenzFlug (engl.: border flight) project between Lehrstuhl und Institut für Flugsystemdynamik, RWTH Aachen and Stadt Aachen, City of Aachen facilitated the first border crossing from Germany to the Netherlands of an unmanned aerial system to be used in future search and rescue missions.
The cross-border flight premiere is an important step for the Urban Air Mobility Initiative of the MAHHL-cities (Maastricht, Aachen, Hasselt, Heerlen, and Liége). As Sibylle Keupen, lord mayor of the City of Aachen, emphasizes: „Drones provide versatile innovation potentials for our society. I am delighted that we can now develop such innovative technologies for citizens on either side of the border.“
The tilt wing aircraft Maverix takes off and lands vertically. It covers long distances at a high speed and operates fully automatically even beyond the visual line of sight of the controller. It is well equiped to aid emergency services in search and rescue missons even in critical weather conditions.
(source: press release – cover photo: Heike Lachmann)
