Start-Up Drone Company Flying High At City Airport In Detroit [Video]

By Edward Cardenas

DETROIT (CBS Detroit) - Attendees at the recent Techweek Detroit conference gathered around the field at Ford Field to see a demonstration - not by the Lions - but of a Detroit-built drone.

"We are here to change the conservation about drones," said Jon Rimanelli, founder and president of the Detroit Aircraft Corp. "They can do the jobs that are dirty, dull and dangerous and save time, lives and money."

Rimanelli founded the company in 2011, which is currently located on the second floor of the terminal building at Detroit City Airport.

The Detroit Aircraft Corp. has partnered with Lockheed Martin to manufacture and distribute the company's Indago drone. DAC also conducts training and support out of its 19,000-square-foot Detroit location.

Inside the former passenger terminal, employees conduct 3D printing, milling and final assembly of the drone. There is also a training area where local, at-risk students are being trained to become drone pilots.

The five-pound Indago drones that are being built in Detroit are capable of vertical take-off and landings, with four independent motors which allow for stability in-flight, and a battery that provides 45-minutes of flight time.

It can be controlled from a laptop, or by a hand-held controller which allows the operator to steer the drone, operate the cameras and program a route through waypoints.

The Indiago can also be folded and transported in a backpack, which gives it a number of commercial uses.

The Detroit Fire Department utilizes the drones - which feature standard cameras and thermal cameras - to fly around fires and give crews a birds-eye view of the blaze.

Additionally, the company has been contracted by a foreign government to provide the drones for search and rescue after natural disasters.