In pursuit of longer flight times and better aerodynamics. Would adding large, very light weight wings be feasible with a drone the size/weight of a phantom? I imagine it might add substantial flight time by reducing drag, increasing lift and reducing motor load. Any aeronautics engineer here available for some calculations?
Drones & gliding
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I'm no aeronautical engineer but I can see that wings would not work.
I suspect that a typical drone flight would have a high percentage of maneuvers where wings would be more of a hindrance than a benefit, ie when ascending, defending, hovering etc.
Even during forward flight where wings could help, the angle of attack of the wing will vary with speed and would be wrong the majority of the time and would make the drone have to work harder not less, to maintain altitude.
I suspect that a typical drone flight would have a high percentage of maneuvers where wings would be more of a hindrance than a benefit, ie when ascending, defending, hovering etc.
Even during forward flight where wings could help, the angle of attack of the wing will vary with speed and would be wrong the majority of the time and would make the drone have to work harder not less, to maintain altitude.
I know parrot is coming out with a fpv fixed wing drone sometime this year. I would wait for that and see how it goes. Supposedly can do up to 50mph. I wonder how the range will be on it though.
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Well that's true that some movements would require more power but others will require much less. It will definitely make the quad less agile but may allow it to stay for longer times in the air. We won't know until someone does the math.
I'm sorry but it doesn't take maths to work out it just won't work. The wing would only work in forward flight at high speed, and only if the angle of the wing is perfect. As said before, as the angle of the phantom changes to perform forward motion, and will vary constantly as speed changes or wind speed changes, it will have an overall negative effect.
And if there is any wind, those wings will just act like a huge sail that will drag your drone all over the sky.
And if there is any wind, those wings will just act like a huge sail that will drag your drone all over the sky.
You don't need maths to know that it won't work!
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I'm no aeronautical engineer, but I imagine there's a very good reason helicopters don't typically have wings...
Helicopters are big machines. Their wings would have to be gigantic to create enough lift for the weight of the chopper. Also real would choppers need to be quick and agile. I'm talking about sacrificing some of the quads capabilities and trading them for other traits. Google x-wing, also check out wingcopter beta on YouTube.
Apparently the wingcopter beta is no longer in beta.
Check out wingcopter.com. It's an ingenious solution to everything we've discussed here.
Check out wingcopter.com. It's an ingenious solution to everything we've discussed here.
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You're in the wrong business.
The point of VTOL crafts like a quadcopter is to gain the flexibility for VTOL. It gives up on having less range and and inability to glide like a fixed wing craft can. The real world compromise is something like the Osprey where it can transition from VTOL to fixed wing flight.
If you really wanted long range, then you need to be looking at fixed wing UAVs and not rotar style UAVs like helicopters or quadcopters.
The point of VTOL crafts like a quadcopter is to gain the flexibility for VTOL. It gives up on having less range and and inability to glide like a fixed wing craft can. The real world compromise is something like the Osprey where it can transition from VTOL to fixed wing flight.
If you really wanted long range, then you need to be looking at fixed wing UAVs and not rotar style UAVs like helicopters or quadcopters.
Well, well...
Here we go... BirdsEyeView Aerobotics - Welcome to the Revolution
Here we go... BirdsEyeView Aerobotics - Welcome to the Revolution
alokbhargava
Premium Pilot
To get the benefit of gliding you would need tail planes with elevators and a rudder. You would probably also need aielerons on the wings or you would need significantly more power in the existing propolsion system to bank and turn. You are looking for a glider that can hover and i suspect it cant be done in the absence of significant compromise.
We need one like the birdsEye but the motors on the wings. Its the wings that should pivot , not the motors.
If the wings could be linked to a gimbal-type device, then they could hold position as the phantom tilted forward for flight. 
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