Working with WaterNSW & Transgrid, V-TOL Aerospace Flight Services has just completed extensive marking of Transgrid energy infrastructure at five sensitive sites, including three river gorges in the Illawarra water catchment area of NSW, Australia.

Spanning more than one kilometre tower to tower, the three transmission lines over the Gallahers Creek, Flying Fox Creek and Avon River gorges, could only be hazard marked for birds and aircraft using Rotamarkas® and V-TOL Aerospace’s RotaFix® drone technology. A key benefit of using RotaFix is the ease of access where helicopters should not go and where EWPs (Elevated Work Platforms) could never go.

The provided images show once again the clear benefits of using robotics to conduct dangerous tasks and capture digital information are many and significant. Through the close cooperation of industry and infrastructure operators, V-TOL Aerospace has assisted Transgrid and WaterNSW protect this critical infrastructure by providing hazard warning for birds and aircraft.

V-TOL Aerospace RotaFix® is a unique fit-for-purpose robotic, AI and IoT asset management capability developed for the installation of Rotamarka® (Aircraft & Bird Hazard markers), to elevated critical electrical infrastructure, be it energised or de-energised.

Approved by Transgrid to operate onto its Energy Infrastructure and cleared by the Australian Army to operate on Defence property due to its sovereign nature, a V-TOL Rota-Fix Flight Services Team, has just completed V-TOL’s largest single job installing Rotamarkas by drone at the Holsworthy Military Training Range in NSW, Australia.

“Working closely with GenusPlus Group, the prime contractor on site, 100s of Rotamarkas have been installed for the safety of Army Aviation assets operating day and night, close to ground, around Transgrid infrastructure,” says Dr Kye Morton CTO at V-TOL.

“We demonstrated how to commercially install and accurately register a large number of Rotamarkas crossing public and military roads, difficult to access gorges, and river crossings, plus easy to access open areas,” says Robert Hughes, GAICD COO at V-TOL.

“V-TOL has demonstrated how our innovative approach to drone technology, our strong long-term partnerships, underpinned by two decades of drone flight experience, can safely & effectively install and register Rotamarkas in sensitive areas.”

“We aim to set the global benchmark standard in the supply & installation of the best in-class Rotamarka bird & aircraft hazard deflector on electrical transmission infrastructure,” says Mark Xavier CEO of V-TOL.

V-TOL ROTA-FIX is a unique fit-for-purpose robotic, AI and IoT capability developed for the installation & asset management of Rotamarka, to energised & de-energised electrical infrastructure.

V-TOL Aerospace recently completed the important marking of Ausgrid critical electrical infrastructure adjacent to a seaplane landing zone at Calabash Bay, on the Hawkesbury River north of Sydney, NSW.

“Our solution is perfect for marking conductors that cross waterways, particularly where boats with high masts transit, or where aircraft fitted out for seaplane operations, occur”, says Robert Hughes COO of V-TOL Aerospace.

He continued, “The V-TOL Aerospace Rota-Fix solution also removes the need to de-energise the target conductors, hire a barge and drop the lines or put personnel in Elevated Work Platforms, or operate a manned helicopter close to the infrastructure within the potentially energised danger zone to conduct the same job. The safe and cost-effective Rota-Fix installations result in significantly improved and potentially lifesaving work practices.”

“V-TOL Aerospace, using the Balmoral Engineering Pty Ltd Rotamarka, provides the energy industry a 21st century fit-for-purpose Australian Standard solution to significantly reduce the risk of aircraft strike, as well as the potential loss of bird and human life on their @
critical electrical infrastructure.”

The V-TOL Aerospace Rota-Fix (patent pending) is a critical Australian designed and manufactured sovereign capability that has been tested and approved by various infrastructure owners across the energy industry in Australia. V-TOL Aerospace is a sovereign Australian company approved to operate on this critical infrastructure including where it is in sensitive Defence areas.

V-TOL Aerospace recently completed the positioning and marking of critical Powerlink electrical transmission line infrastructure adjacent to the Origin Energy Darling Downs Gas Power Station in South East, Queensland. 

“Working closely with Powerlink and overseen by Origin Energy, a V-TOL Rota-Fix® Team has successfully marked electrical transmission line infrastructure adjacent to the Emergency Services helipad located within the Origin Energy Darling Downs Power Station,” says Robert Hughes, COO of V-TOL.

He continued, “The combination of our unique robotic service using the award-winning Balmoral RotaMarka® aircraft, bird and ground strike deflector, V-TOL provides the energy industry a 21^st century fit-for-purpose Australian Standard solution for significantly reducing the risk of aircraft strike, loss of life and loss of power supply due to collision with critical electrical infrastructure. Just as important, when installing the markers, no person leaves the ground or comes within the energised sphere of the infrastructure.”

Globally distributed by SICAME, the Balmoral Engineering RotaMarka® is approved to attach to energised and de-energised elevated electrical infrastructure using V-TOL Rota-Fix®.  Both the Hornet aircraft & its Rota-Fix® payload (patent pending) are made in Australia and tested to industry standards.

V-TOL is a sovereign Australian company, and with exclusive rights globally to undertake drone attachments of RotaMarka®. V-TOL is also approved to undertake operations in nationally sensitive locations.

A V-TOL Flight Services Team has just completed a contracted demonstration of its ROTA-FIX® Rotamarka® Drone Installation services with Powerlink, a company that focuses on delivering safe and reliable electricity to more than 5 million Queenslanders and 214,000 businesses through its electricity network solutions.

Conducted on Transmission Infrastructure at the Swanbank Power Station Precinct in windy and variable conditions, ROTA-FIX® successfully conducted multiple attachments for Powerlink.

“Along with Powercor and AusNet, Powerlink is coming onboard to mark their electrical transmission infrastructure assets using ROTA-FIX®. V-TOL has now been engaged by eight (8) utilities in two countries using it’s technologies,” says Mark Xavier CEO of V-TOL. He continued, “It is our aim to supply a family of robotic & AI assisted products & services supported by our IoT to the global utilities market commencing with our ROTA-FIX® solution leading the way in Australia.”

The V-TOL ROTA-FIX® is a unique fit-for-purpose robotic solution (patent pending) developed specifically for attaching the Balmoral Engineering ROTAMARKA®, (globally distributed by SICAME Group), to energised & de-energised elevated electrical infrastructure to protect birds, aircraft & people. Both ROTA-FIX® & ROTAMARKA® are made in Australia and industry tested by Energy QLD Limited. As a joint sovereign capability, this service & product are approved for use on critical infrastructure within sensitive Defence locations. For ongoing Customer Asset Management and Quick Lookup online of Rotamarka® positioning information, V-TOL has developed and supports the digitaltwin.energy IoT platform.