Even got the transition to and from horizontal flight going nicely! The company is here (based in Texas). No info yet on pricing and availability.
Looks like a great UAV platform, with all the VTOL advantages of a quad with a lot better endurance for horizontal flight.
Comments
hey how did u rotate the rotors?? What mechanism did you use?
Earl
horses for courses - the main use of a UAV is as an AP platform. Small areas and obliques - heli, large areas for mapping - fixed wing. If you are doing the latter do you really need a VTOL? - me thinks not. For me the UAV is a means to an end, not an end in itself - with that in mind a decent heli and an electric glider trump all - for now.
"Chris, if I point the nose down I can land in a very small space ;-) "
but only once!
Of course its all a function of how much you have to spend, I would love an RMAX.
@Chris, if I point the nose down I can land in a very small space ;-)
"But if you want to take vertical aerial photo's, you can fly to each waypoint and hover to take a photo."
For me this is not necessary.
The wind is never null, in most cases you would need 5-20km/h forward speed to be stationary over ground.
Hovering is only necessary for T/O+landing, as ground-level wind is smaller and the space is limited.
But if you want to take vertical aerial photo's, you can fly to each waypoint and hover to take a photo. It all depends on the numbers. Does the model fly faster in airplane-mode than quad (ore other number) rotor thingy, Does it hover on a GPS point, How does it react/combine with a autopilot. Is it rigid enough? How fast does it drain the batteries. etc
@Chris: sure but tickling the human senses is worth trying and this product does tickle mine for sure! ;-)