HISTORY
High Eye was founded about 30 years ago by Jan Verhagen. He designed and built model helicopters, which he used for the filming of movies and commercials. Some of these helicopters were sold to third parties over the years.
In 2003, Jan Verhagen decided to focus on aviation services as well as the designing, building and selling of unmanned helicopters. In 2008 - 2010 several new models were designed; the HEF 26, HEF 30, HEF 80R and HEF 150. In July 2013, Joost de Ruiter joined the company as CEO and majority shareholder. Besides High Eye, Joost is an entrepreneur in several other companies. His enthusiasm for advanced technical development explains his goal to create a successful UAV development and production facility.
Jan Verhagen left High Eye in December 2013 as shareholder and CTO, after which the company changed its strategy substantially. High Eye decided to cease the helicopter services and to focus entirely on the designing, building and selling of these RPAS. The sale of the HEF 26 and HEF 150 ended due to the newest legislations in Europe. These two UAV types were not geared for the future and were not reliable enough to pass the new certification process.
At the same time, High Eye ended the development of the HEF 80R, which was based on a rotary engine and was used to research advanced technologies for future products. The testing of this helicopter was finished by the end of 2013, after which the company continued with the development of a new helicopter. This new helicopter is called the Airboxer. It will have similar technical specifications as the HEF 80R and will comply with the legislation for certification. Meanwhile the HEF 30 is going through a major upgrade, which will make it possible to pass the Dutch and British certification process as well.
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