Yamaha R-MAX: 200-lb RC Helicopter that Sprays Crops!

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In this episode, the Roswell Flight Test Crew talks to Steve Lawn, a pilot, engineer and UAV operator for Digital Harvest who flies the Yamaha R-MAX: a 200-pound, gas-powered RC helicopter developed in Japan to spray crops. Lawn demonstrated the R-MAX at the Future Farm Drone Rodeo, held in Pendleton, Oregon. The R-MAX uses a stabilized flight control system, similar to a DJI drone flying in GPS mode – and is even piloted using a conventional, two-stick radio control, operating in Mode 2. Owing to its weight, the R-MAX goes well beyond the operational limits established by Part 107, requiring operators to obtain a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as a Part 137 certification: the same licensing requirement for manned crop-dusting pilots. Lawn adds: “You kind of feel like a rock star flying this giant helicopter.”