R.J.: We are based at Detroit City Airport, 2nd floor, former passenger terminal. DAC was
started by Edsel Ford, William Stout and others. They developed the Ford Tri-Motor as
well as Ryan Aircraft which built the Spirt of St Louis. In 1929 DAC acquired 87% of
Lockheed Airplane Co. and in 1932 Ford family pulled out of aviation and Lockheed was
sold for $40,000. In 2011 DAC was re-started, we are an authorized manufacturer and
distributor for Lockheed-Martin and their Indago VTOL quad-rotor. A 36” dia drone which
folds up to the size of a football, and goes inside a carbon fiber case. Very portable and
comes with a control module which offers over 200 waypoint opportunities. It is semi-
autonomous and has a return home feature. We are serving 3 main markets;
1) Law Enforcement/First Responders/Fire/Police/Border Patrol/Homeland Security.
2) Precision Agriculture with a multi-spectral camera. Can determine water content of soil,
nitrogen and chlorophyll levels of plants. Also, insect infestations and sick plants will be
detected. Increasing a farmers yield is the focus.
3) Infrastructure inspections: Bridges, railroad, power lines, etc.
Me: There is an obvious quad that is very popular from overseas that seems very multi-use
and non-specific…
R.J (interrupts): It’s a toy.
Me: you could say that….you just said that… (we both laugh). People that are serious about
starting a commercial drone enterprise here in the US, will such a vehicle fit their needs?
R.J.: That all depends on your mission and the vehicle which is suited to accomplish that.
This product targets the upper end of the commercial mkt , developed by the largest
defense manufacturer in the world in Lockheed-Martin, in partnership with Procerus
Technologies. DAC is an authorized manufacturer and distributor for the Indago platform,
which are assembled at the Detroit City Airport.
Me: I have seen here at the show many companies starting at the ground level to build
commercial drones, and also many companies with extensive defense aviation experience
developing product to fit commercial US needs. This is an interesting arrangement,
partnering with Lockheed-Martin and building the drones in Detroit. Why didn't LM
simply develop their own vehicle with their own resources?
R.J.: LM realized the commercial potential for the Indago platform, DAC is really helping
them fit the vehicle to the 3 primary markets we discussed earlier.
Me: It seems you guys have a direction, where I have seen a lot of startups
targeting everything. What about when the Line Of Sight requirement is lifted by
the FAA, do you have a leg up on the competition when this happens? (based on the defense
partnership).
R.J.: We are trying to be as visionary as possible; you will be seeing autonomous aircraft.
For example, in the future a couple may want to travel to Chicago from
Detroit, they could start at the Troy airport, board a drone, leave at a scheduled time,
pilot-less…entertain themselves in Chicago for the evening and return to Detroit,
completely autonomous. Much easier than today….
Me: With the serious development taking place today with autonomous road vehicles, it is
just a matter of time isn't it?
R.J.: Autonomous aircraft will be communicating with ground vehicles as a system.
Me: What about your command center?
R.J.:Yes, something we developed, a very sophisticated Flight Control Unit. (see description
from earlier).
Me: Parting thoughts?
R.J.: We look forward to dominating this industry.
Author's comments: R.J. exudes confidence and swagger when discussing DAC!
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| R.J. King - Detroit Aircraft Corp. |
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