Saskatoon-made drone flies into Smithsonian

An unmanned aerial vehicle produced by Draganfly Innovations of Saskstoon will be on permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.

A creation of a Saskatoon company is making a flight into history.

An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) made by Draganfly Innovations will soon take its place as a permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Virginia.

The UAV is being recognized for its role in locating a man who went missing near Saskatoon in May 2013. Images from a camera on the craft led searchers to a man who had become lost in a wooded area after being in a vehicle accident.

According to the Smithsonian it was the first time in the world a drone aircraft was used to save someone's life.

"It was a huge honour to make a product that helped save someone's life and it made all our work worth it,” said Zenon Dragan, the company's president and founder.

The drone's story attracted a lot of attention in the United States, where a debate is raging about how to regulate them. The museum plans to put the drone on display in January.

"It’s ideally suited for our mission and really touches on this critical moment of time,” said museum curator Roger Connor.

The RCMP use the UAV for search and rescue as well as collision reconstruction and tactical situations.

The UAVs produced by Draganfly Innovations are also used for research and industrial applications and monitoring crop yields in agriculture.