Longest Range, Longest Flight Life, Highest Def

hangloose

Member
As the threads topic suggests, which drone in production has the longest range, longest flight time, with the highest definition aerial capture capability?
 

the quality depends largely on the camera, but theyre all pretty good nowadays. Depends what your looking for regarding long range. If youre looking for a smaller unit, perhaps think about Holystone HS170, i have one and for the size they give a decent range. DJI phantom 3 is a good shout for a bigger one, long range, and a fair battery life
 


hangloose

Member
I currently own a Phantom 3 Pro. I live out in hills of West Virginia and I have plenty of space around me to fly (lucky me).
For long flight times Foxtech is hard to beat. Their https://www.foxtechfpv.com/d130-x8-v2-a2-6s.html
Will do 50 minutes flight time and carry almost anything. I'd get it without flight controller and use a Pixhawk / FixHawk


I took a look at the specs on that machine. It looks awesome.

I have a machine that I built using a modified Tarot T18. It has T motor U7 v2.0 420kv motors, 18 in CF props, and T80A ESCs. It's a quad x configuration. The controller is a DJI A2. I can only get 20 minutes of flight time using a 22000mah battery and I'm wondering if that's good or if I should be doing better.

Based on the specs of the foxtech, I'm guessing that the 170kv motors and props are making the difference to get 50 minutes flight time. If I order a new frame, new motors, escs, and 28 inch props I should expect similar results?
 

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violetwolf

Member
Yes, long flight times mean you need large slow-turning motors and huge props for sure. These machines are "floaters" though too, so you need to understand the trade-offs. They don't handle very well, say in a wind etc.
 

hangloose

Member
Yes, long flight times mean you need large slow-turning motors and huge props for sure. These machines are "floaters" though too, so you need to understand the trade-offs. They don't handle very well, say in a wind etc.

How are companies like Amazon going to get the flight times needed to offer delivery service.
Yes, long flight times mean you need large slow-turning motors and huge props for sure. These machines are "floaters" though too, so you need to understand the trade-offs. They don't handle very well, say in a wind etc.

Good point about being a floater and not handling very well. I feel like I'm still at the mercy of the current battery technology.
 

VulcanUAV

New Member
Our quad that crossed the English Channel in February 2016 can fly for 1 hour 50 mins at 9 m/s forward flight. As already mentioned though, beware of the trade offs this involves, the 'real world' capabilities of this aircraft were severely compromised to get this level of performance. If you really want something to work well in every day use, don't expect or aim for much more than 30 mins no matter what size or spec your aircraft is. The laws of physics are the same for all, and so are the factors that govern the performance of every drone out there. Long flight times ALWAYS mean a compromise somewhere in the system so don't be fooled by manufacturer claims that appear to exceed the norm. The question is whether you fully understand and can live with the compromise you'll need to make for those extra minutes.....
 

hangloose

Member
Our quad that crossed the English Channel in February 2016 can fly for 1 hour 50 mins at 9 m/s forward flight. As already mentioned though, beware of the trade offs this involves, the 'real world' capabilities of this aircraft were severely compromised to get this level of performance. If you really want something to work well in every day use, don't expect or aim for much more than 30 mins no matter what size or spec your aircraft is. The laws of physics are the same for all, and so are the factors that govern the performance of every drone out there. Long flight times ALWAYS mean a compromise somewhere in the system so don't be fooled by manufacturer claims that appear to exceed the norm. The question is whether you fully understand and can live with the compromise you'll need to make for those extra minutes.....

Wow, you have some very specialized high end product offerings. My wife and I recently relocated to an area about 50 miles west of Washington, DC. It's basically nothing but farms and vineyards out this way. The one product that caught my eye is your crop monitor offering. I'm not aware of any farmers using drones to monitor, evaluate, and treat their crops in my immediate area. I see a crop duster once in awhile, but that's about it. Then again, drones don't make that kind of noise either. I have a question to ask, so I'll send you a message.
 

Old Man

Active Member
VulcanUAV builds carefully thought out, well designed, professional aerial systems. They are not cheap but good tools generally come at a higher price. They are not toys that quickly break down or fail in functionality. They last a very long time with reasonable attention to maintenance. The first Vulcan frame I worked with was obtained almost 3 years ago. It's still in use.
 

hangloose

Member
I sent Vulcan a private message yesterday enquiring about their farming platform. I've got this crazy idea in my head that I can support the farming community here in the Eastern Panhandle of WV, Northern Virginia, and Marlyland. Personally, I have no farming experience, but I do have a very strong technical background in systems engineering/simulation and modeling for over 20 years supporting the goverment. I also recently recieved my 333, but that seems like a moot point now. I suspect that perhaps many of the farmers either aren't aware of the emerging technologies or don't care and are happy just doing what they've been doing for the last 75 years or so.
 

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