New QUESTUAV Aircraft Released

September 2011

A new range of UAS were released for sale to the research community at the Bournemouth Annual Conference. The QUEST UAV 100, 200 and 300 form the new range and the design have come from the experience we have built up over the years using UAV's for research and survey work.   Single person operation, low cost, repeatable surveys, operation over remote sites, easily exchangable payloads are just some of the requirements that have been built into the design.  For more information go to www.questuav.co.uk

National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS)

 September 2011

Blue River Studios seemingly has a first when it flew one of it's it's Quest 200 aircraft with aerosonde equipment on board.  It seems that atmospheric equipment has never yet been flown by a UAV in UK and we were the first to do it.

The event happened at the NCAS summer school in the Isle of Arran.  Unfortunately the day chosen for the test was probably the windiest day of the two weeks with winds at height in excess of 70kph and severe turbulence being generated in the valley where the summer school lies. However information from a Vaisala Radio Sonde relayed information to the schools ground station equipment. A temperature logger was also carried, but this unfortunately got ejected out of the aircraft on it's second flight due to the extremem turbulence!  NCAS staff were happy with the results though and it gave students a first opportunity to see a UAV in action.  The QUEST 200 performed exceptioanlly well in the conditions and both flights ended in a safe landing.

Bournemouth RSPSoc Conference

 Blue River Studios will be exhibiting at the RSPSoc Annual Conference at Bournemouth University in their Talbot Centre.

As well as displaying the services that Blue River Studios provides, this event is the official release of the new QUEST UAV lineup of small unmanned aircraft, designed specifically for purchase by the research community.

Bournemouth Conference runs from 13th to 15th September and is preceded by the NERC ARSF Annual conference.

For more details go http://blogs.bournemouth.ac.uk/rspsoc/ 

Blue River moves into New Premises

 August 2011

In order to admisiter our workflow better and to start manufacturing airframes for public release, we moved into a 1200sq ft industrial estate premises in Northumberland.  This move allowed us dedicated space for each of the major tasks such as administration, aircraft servicing and task preparation, as well as providing a stock room and dedicated area for our new CAD foam cutter.

The preimises has also provided the base for our production of the new line of aircfraft for release to the research comminity, QuestUAV, which has it's own website at www.questuav.co.uk. 

BBC COAST Filming

Despite difficult weather, a rough sea with a heavy swell and only a rocky outcrop to take off and land from, Blue River Studios, succeeded in imaging the Filey Brigg Spittal, a rock structure normally underwater other than at the lowest tides of the year.  Two days of flying and one day of filming brought in the images required to complete twenty years of research on the the history of the Brigg.

The five hours of filming will be compressed into a four minute article that will be aired during July 2012.

BBC COAST Preparations

On 30th August, when the lowest tides of the year hit Filey Briggs, the BBC's COAST crew are filming a normally subterranean structure that is believed to be a well preserved roman harbour. Blue River Studios is being filmed imaging this structure in high resolution at low tide and the subsequent processing of the images. The task is a challenging one though, with a cramped, rocky take-off off area, no suitable landing area, flight over sea, turbulence from cliffs and a very small window of opportunity whilst tides are at their lowest. Staff will be working closely with the BBC and the local researchers and custodians of Filey Brigg to ensure the best possible outcome.

Blue River in Journal: Premier North East News Article

Nigel King's drones have a clearer focus on the natural world.

Unmanned drone aircraft are one of the weapons of war employed in Afghanistan. But a former RAF pilot based in Northumberland is now using similar drone technology to safeguard, enhance and protect landscapes and wildlife in the North East.

Nigel King joined the RAF in 1978 after studying electronic engineering at Newcastle Polytechnic, later Northumbria University where his wife Dr Helen King is a senior lecturer.

Nigel flew Gazelle, Puma, Wessex and Sea King helicopters for 16 years, serving across the world.

Latest News - Blue River Hits The Highs at UAV Conference

July 2011

Following static and flying demonstrations of the capabilities of the Quest 100 and Quest 300 in typically wet and windy UK conditions, Blue river Studios received a raft of inquiries to lift remote sensing equipment in many places around UK as well as such far flung places as Saudi Arabia, Pategonia and Antartica.  

The workshop also highlighted the need for simple, low cost sUAV's that will allow new operators to learn on and develop into full grown sUAV's as time goes on.  This is the role of the Quest 100, 200 and 300, a system allowing growth in payload and complexity but with economics and repairability as key aspects to the products.

Within five minutes of landings we were able to show the images to the workshop group on our mobile display facility.

Blue River to Demo at Remote Sensing Convention

 June 2011

We have been invited to demonstrate at an annual a remote sensing convention at Durham University on 7th and 8th July. Both the standard Manta 200 and the larger Manta 300 are planned to fly in a lineup with other fixed and rotary sUAV organizations such as SmartUAV and Helipix. 

This two-day workshop is a joint initiative of the NERC EO Technology Cluster Programme and the RSPSoc UAV Special Interest Group and will take place at the Calman Centre and the Maiden Castle Sports Centre, Durham University, UK.

Manta 300 Operational

 June 2011

After a considerable design and construction phase, the Quest 300 took to the skies, ready to deliver a payload that could lift multiple cameras and remote sensing equipment.  The design encompassed the needs and lessons from all it's twenty airframes in order to achieve it's objectives of bigger, higher, better, bolder.  

A normal sUAV in this class can lift a payload of about 200g to 300g.  The Quest 300 can lift upwards of 2000g, which makes it possible to lift high end photogrammetric equipment and FLIR.  Equipped with the well proven Attopilot IMU driven autopilot, the airframe can complete digital mapping tasks with considerable ease in winds of up to 25mph.

East Neuk Festival

 July 2011

Blue River Studios and the team from Sand In Your Eye provided another fantastic sand display, this time on the beaches of Fife during the seventh East Neuk Festival.  The festival is primarily a music festival with concerts throughout the towns of Elie to Crail (the East Neuk area) and appearances from internationally acclaimed classical artists. Accompanying the music were the sand designs on the Saturday at Elie and a huge three dimensional bust of Beethoven in the centre of Crail that took four days to construct.

The images in Elie were part of a public participation event for the festival where adults and children took part in the designs of huge starfish. For more images see "Gallery - Art & Culture". To see other news on the East Neuk festival go to

www.facebook.com/pages/East-Neuk-Festival/79525871362 

BIPP Fellowship Award

 May 2011

On 23 May 2011 Nigel King was awarded the highest level of membership in the British Institute for Professional Photographers, a Fellow.   The unanimous decision to make this level of award for work in the Scientific category was a very pleasant surprise. As an award that requires "extremely high levels of technical and creative ability" it gave welcome credence to the years of work dedicated to flying, photography and the UAV industry.

Release of Working Portfolio

 April 2011

In preparation for  becoming an Associate of the British Institute of Professional Photographers, Nigel King has produced a working profile of the last three years of development work.  This document gives an insight into what a UAV is, and what is involved in designing and operating one.  The document also show the processes involved from planning an image shoot right through to presentation of the images in a high resolution, georeferenced and orthorectified map.

A full preview of the book is at  www.burb.com/books/2080975.  

Bird Reserve Restructure

 March 2011

Following the vandalism that burnt down the iconic visitor centre at Hauxley Bird Reserve, the Wildlife Trust met with NWT members and members of the public to consult on any new directions that might be appropriate for the area whe a rebuild takes place.

Blue River Studios were tasked with producing a large scale georeferenced wall display that was the centrepiece of the discussions. 

COAL and COAST Project Swings into Action

 February 2011

With aerial imaging almost complete, the mammoth task of integrating and georferencing the database of images for the COAL and COAST project is now underway.  

BlueRiverStudios ia working with the Wildlife Trust to prepare the first Habitat Survey.

Consultation for NE Coast Project

 July to Dec 2010

Blue River Studios was approached to survey a 24km stretch of the Northumberland coastline for a Stage One Habitat survey. The images are intended for more than the survey though, and the intention is that the high resolution images will form a baseline for the archiving of a one hundred year history of change in the area.

Working with the Wildlife Trust, Northumberland County Council, English Nature and many other partners, the LEADER funded project looks at managing environmental change throughout the area.

Dancing in the Moonlight With Jamie Wardley

 Taking beach sculptures to a new height, we ventured into Druridge Bay in the full moon and got a series of amazing, out-of-this world shots in the moonlight.

Just two workers, myself and Jamie, and the blessing of an atmospheric, spookily clear night and a beach ready for a little creativity brought some unique shots.  

Enjoy!

Hauxley Mini Shoot

Continuing the theme of the RSPB shoot, Jamie Wardley (Sandinyoureye sand sculptor) wanted to look at developing the concept.  However, wind, rain and technology were against us. After a morning of driving rain, winds reaching 30 mph that blew sand into the sculpture filling designs, and camera problems that seemed affected by the weather, the best of what we achieved is shown here.

Thanks go to Chris and Mike Davies, and Helen King, volunteers dragged from their peace into the winds of the beach to write signatures, fan feathers with rakes and battle the elements.  Well done!   Sadly the images were not what we hoped for, but as always they produced unexpected results.  Its hard to imagine that this image is over 120 ft by 120ft and the spots below it are the workers. Check "Portfolio" for others.

RSPB Scotland Shoot

 October 2010

Following the success of the Druridge Bay Youth Sand Event, a request was made for us to do a similar Sand Sculpture with Jamie Wardley. This event was to mark a protest against the plans to build a new coal fired power station (Hunterston B) in an area that would have significant impact on wildlife, particularly as coal technology is still as dirty as ever despite there being promises that carbon capture will be used.  Carbon capture will be expensive, hasn't actually been developed yet and may be nothing more that a pipe dream in reality, leaving the area exposed to pollutants that  could be disastrous to wildlife.

The designs are of birds under threat and the signatures are from the petitions against the development. 

The Ben Lawyers Project, Loch Tay

August 2010

 The Ben Lawyers National Park area is just North of Stirling, Scotland. Part of this Park, around the shores of Loch Tay, forms the Ben Lawyers area of Historic Interest.

The task was to provide high resolution aerial photography so that soil data collected in the area can be interpreted in a visual context. This whole process is intended to become a paper looking at method development (using UAV’s for aerial photography) for integrated digital technology in archeological studies. Over the four days of the project,  aerial photography was combined with survey grade GPS data to provide an exceptionally high degree of ground position accuracy.

Blue River and Jamie Wardley

 September 2010

Blue River Studios worked with the highly acclaimed sand sculptor Jamie Wardley from Sandinyoureye to bring aerial photography to his most recent work.  Both were  commissioned by the RYWU (Regional Youth Work Unit) to do the work, which invloved sixty young adults from Tyneside.  RYWU is the first company you receive a grant from the 2012 Olympic Games for youth work.

The aerial photography linked many visual elements that the the young adults will work on to produce a finished video. Time lapse photography, ground based images and video interview footage, all combined with 500 aerial images taken on the day will go towards producing the final cut.

Blue River Goes Fully Mobile

 July 2010.  Blue River is now on 48hr call, fully mobile and ready to roll anywhere in the UK. The aim has been to bring both the workshop and post processing equipment to a site as well as all the Aerial Photography facilities. 

The equipment now also includes (when available) Northumbria University survey grade Trimble DGPS for very accurate georeferencing of sites. Normal aerial photography is 50m to 100m accuracy but use of this equipment in generating ground control points can improve that accuracy by a factor of over a hundred to sub-10cm accuracy.

APA-ACPO Exhibition Display 2010

 June 2010.  Blue River Studios was invited by Northumbria University to participate in the APA-ACPO exhibition (Association of Police Authorities / Association of Chief Police Officers) in Manchester.

Northumbria University is offering a blend of Crime Sciences, Forensic Sciences, and Laser Scanning and UAV imagery to the Police Authorities and considerable interest was shown in the sUAV for forensics purposes. 

Northumbria Police UAV demo

 On 24 June, following a dialogue with Northumbria Police, Blue River Studios demonstrated the background operation, flight and operational capacity of it's sUAV to the Air Support Manager of the North East Air Support unit.

2010 Wetlands Study

 In June Blue River Studios undertook the photography of a large area of wetlands on the North East coast of England for the Applied Sciences department at Northumbria University.   The imagery becomes part of a long term study into the biodiversity of pondlife, and how it is affected by aspects such as climate change, seasonal change and agricultural runoff.

2010 CAA Air Operator Licence Achieved

18 June 2010

Blue River Studios are proud to announce the results of the successful application to the CAA (Civil Aviation Authority) to operate the fleet of Flying Wings for operational purposes. This new style of certificate clears us to operate, within UK limits, for a year. The requirement for certification has only recently become a legal requirement (Jan 2010) and has posed a major challenge for sUAV operators to achieve as we have been "fumbling in the dark" to work out what exactly is required.

Not only is the issue of our certificate a sign of our operational competence, we also received the accolade from the CAA of of having submitted a "Model Application that sets the standard for others"...... something to be indeed proud of.

2010 Blue River Studios Adopts New Technology

 Continuing on the development route to improve imaging results, we moved from "full house" aircraft to a new design in the style of a flying wing with no tailplane and the propellor at the rear. The allows us to take forward photography, operate from remote sites and handle rougher situations.  

The aircraft still employ the tremendous safety factor of being constructed primarily from foam, so any impacts have very little energy for either the aircraft or anything it might accidentally hit. The design also allows the carrying of a top quality digital camera as well as a high definition video camera. 

Continuing with the mobile/remote theme we are now able to launch from just about anywhere with our new "Zip" launch (bungee line) system, where the aircraft very quickly reaches a safety height and without requiring any ground take-off space.

2010 Breathtaking Resolutions in River Study

  Following the severe floods of 2009, areas surrounding Cockermouth suffered severe damage when the river flooded and many bridges were swept away. River routes changed and vast areas of gravel and sediment were deposited on farmland.

 Blue River Studios provided detailed aerial photography in three areas of interest - Camerton , Papcastle and Isel for researchers at  Northumbria University and Durham University. Current aerial photography of the sites using satellite and full size aircraft (National Emergency Research Council aircraft)  provided a resolution of  30cm to 50cm. Blue River Studios UAV technology managed to produce average resolutions of 3 to 5 cms, and on specific low level images 0.2cm resolution.

2009 Sierra Navada, Spain

Northumbria University makes an annual field trip to Trevelos in South East Spain. At almost 5000 feet it is considered the highest inhabited village in Europe. Because of its steep and rugged terrain and the result of a population shift, sustaining quality arable land has become a growing issue for farmers of these degrading terraces over the last half century.

We accompanied the last visit and conducted an aerial survey. 450 Images were stitched together and presented as reference material for future field visits and agricultural studies.

2009 (Ongoing): River and Sediment Change

Newcastle University - Mapping river change in the Upper Coquet (June 2009, ongoing)

A ten mile stretch of of the upper Coquet in Northumberland provides the richest and fastest rate of change of any river in the UK, according to Newcastle University.

Blue River Studios, in association with Northumbria University, have been providing aerial imagery (still and video) between 1000ft and 200ft, to assist with the research being carried out here. Resolutions down to less than 0.5 cm have been achieved, which allow the surveying of sediment deposits.

2009: Archeological Survey

Low Farnham and it’s local area has a rich history dating all the way back to the Bronze age. The Border Reivers, the Plagues and the Augustinian Convent at Holystone have all had major influence on the archeology of this area.

We were approached to conduct a low level survey of an area that had the evidence of a former garrison and Peel (bastle) tower. Indistinct from the ground, aerial photography produced exactly the results that the client required.