Fixed Wing Drones : The Basics
A typical fixed-wing drone, also known as a fixed-wing UAV (Unmanned Aerial Vehicle), is designed to glide like a plane, using lift generated by its fixed wings to stay in the air.
Fixed-wing drones are commonly used for tasks that require a long flight time and the ability to cover large areas, such as mapping, surveying, and surveillance. Check out these top 5 examples here in the Best Fixed Wing Drones.
Unlike multi-rotor drones, which use motorized propellers to generate lift, fixed-wing drones require a runway or a launch mechanism to take off and land by ‘controlled crashing’ on their belly to touch down.
Fixed-wing drones typically fly faster and further than multi-rotor drones, but are less maneuverable and are unable to hover in place.
Wingtra VTOL Fixed Wing Drone
Fixed Wing Drones vs Multirotors
The main difference between these two types of drones is that fixed wing drones generate lift with their wings rather than propellers. Fixed wings are constantly gliding in the air unlike multi-rotors which can hover in place.
This ability to hover and move instantly in any direction has made multi-rotors the dominant drone type, making up 97% of the market.
The skill of flying and photography with fixed wing drones take longer to master but there ability to stay in the air for such long periods makes them ideal for commercial use. Creating large scale orthomosaic drone maps involves the UAV taking thousands of photos while flying a set flight path. These photos are then spatial corrected and stitched together to create surveys, 3D models and maps.
Multi-rotor drones require a lot more battery power. If they are used to map the same area as a fixed wing drone they would need to return to the drone pilot more frequently for battery swap out.
Fixed Wing Drone Battery Life
The average battery life of a fixed wing drone depends on several factors such as the size and weight of the drone, the payload capacity, and the power requirements of the systems and sensors on board. On average, a fixed wing drone can have a flight time of 30 minutes to 2 hours. However, some larger drones with higher payload capacities and longer flight times can last up to 4 hours or more.
It’s important to consider the battery life when choosing a fixed wing drone, as a longer flight time may be required for some applications. Additionally, some drones come with interchangeable batteries, allowing for extended flight times by swapping out depleted batteries with fresh ones. Before purchasing, check the total flight time needed for your task, the battery life of the drone, and the cost and availability of additional batteries.
Pros and Cons of Fixed Wing Drones
Advantages
- Longer flight time: Fixed wing drones use less energy than multirotor drones and have a more aerodynamic design giving them a far longer flight time.
- Higher payload capacity: Generally speaking, fixed wing drones have a higher payload capacity compared to multi-rotors because of their aerodynamic design. Fixed wing drones are less dependent on battery power which is the greatest limitation on multi-rotor drones.
- Faster: The design of fixed wing drones creates less drag and resistance than multi-rotor drones allowing them to reach faster speeds
- Able to cover large areas: The gliding style of flight of fixed wing drones allows them to rely less on battery power. Like a plane, the curved design of the wing cross section generates lift to keep the drone in the air. Even if the drone loses power, the aerodynamic design allows it to continue forward motion, gliding to the ground rather than dropping out of the air.
Disadvantages of Fixed Wing Drones
- Require a larger take-off and landing space: Fixed wing drones require a runway to build up speed unlike multi-rotors which take off vertically. Hybrid designs incorporate the two flight types to get around this issue. These are called Fixed Wing VTOL drones (vertical take-off and landing).
- Can’t hover: A big benefit of multi-rotor drones is that they can hover in place while you line up the perfect photo, fixed wing drones require forward momentum to stay in the air so can’t hover in place.
- Often more expensive: While there are some very expensive multi-rotor drones, fixed wind drones are generally more expensive. They are often designed and tailored to commercial use like agriculture and have specialized software, sensors and hardware.
- More complex to operate: Fixed wind drones are constantly gliding forward unlike multi-rotor drones which can hover. This means lateral movement (side to side) takes more skill to master when flying a planned trajectory or avoiding obstacles. Fixed wing drones require more space to take off, land and turn.
What are fixed wing drones used for ?
Fixed wing drones are popular for commercial applications which can take advantage of their long flight time and ability to cover large areas.
Fixed Wing Drones for Agriculture
Fixed wing drones are used in agriculture for many purposes:
- Crop monitoring: When equipped with high resolution cameras, fixed wing drones can capture images to asses crop health, detect diseases and monitor crop growth.
- Irrigation management: Fixed wing drones can be used to survey fields to detect areas with inadequate irrigation and to monitor water distribution systems for efficiency.
- Precision agriculture: Fixed wing drones equipped with sensors can collect data on crop health, soil moisture and nutrient levels, which can be used to optimize fertilizer and pesticide application. More detail on that in The Best Agriculture Drone for Spraying Fertilizer and Pesticides.
- Livestock monitoring: Fixed-wing drones can be used to monitor the health and movements of livestock as well as survey pasture conditions.
- Mapping: Fixed wing drones can be used to create high resolution maps of farm fields, which can be used for land management and planning purposes.
Fixed Wing Drones for Surveying
Fixed wing drones are used for surveying by capturing high-resolution aerial imagery and topographical data. They can cover large areas quickly and efficiently, providing a cost-effective alternative to traditional survey methods.
The collected data is processed and analyzed to produce detailed maps, 3D models, and other valuable information for various industries such as agriculture, construction, and environmental monitoring.
Drone surveying is different to drone mapping due to the level of accuracy. In Drone Mapping I explain the process, the use of ground control points, drone mapping overlap and orthmosaics.
Fixed Wing Drones for Areal Mapping
Fixed wing drones equipped with high-resolution cameras are coupled with mapping software so the images captured from flying over the target area can be spatially corrected and stitched together.
The data is processed to create high-resolution maps and 3D models that can be used for a variety of applications, such as urban planning, land use management, and environmental monitoring.
Thermal map created with the eBee X mapping drone.
- Speed: Fixed wing drones can cover large areas quickly, reducing the time required to complete a mapping project.
- Efficient use of resources: Fixed wing drones can fly for longer periods compared to multi-rotor drones, which allows them to cover more area on a single flight.
- High-resolution imagery: Fixed wing drones can be equipped with high-resolution cameras that can capture detailed images of the terrain and other features.
- Cost-effectiveness: Fixed wing drones offer a more cost-effective solution for mapping large areas compared to traditional methods such as aerial surveys conducted with a plane or ground-based surveys which are time consuming.
- Flexibility: Fixed wing drones can be deployed in a variety of environments, including rural and urban areas, and can be equipped with different sensors and cameras for different mapping tasks.
- Safety: Fixed wing drones can fly at higher altitudes (where permits allow), reducing the risk of collisions with buildings, trees, and other obstacles.
Fixed Wing Drones for Construction
Fixed wing drones are used in construction for several purposes, including:
- Surveying and mapping: Capturing aerial imagery and topographical data for site analysis, planning, and design.
- Progress monitoring: Tracking the progress of construction projects and identifying potential issues.
- Quality control: Inspecting construction sites for compliance with plans and specifications.
- Safety inspections: Performing regular inspections of structures, roofs, and other hazardous areas to ensure safety.
- Volume calculations: Measuring the volume of stockpiles, excavation sites, and other materials.
- Marketing and presentation: Capturing aerial photos and videos of construction sites to showcase progress and promote the project.
Fixed wing drones offer a cost-effective and efficient alternative to traditional construction monitoring methods, but there are several costly mistakes to avoid which I go through in this article on drone inspection.
Fixed Wing Drones for Surveillance
UAVs are becoming a popular tool for surveillance and with the longer flight times offered by fixed wings, they are becoming the more popular type of drone for this purpose.
Types of surveillance that fixed wind drones are used for include:
- Border patrol and surveillance: monitoring borders, coasts, and other sensitive areas to detect and deter illegal activities.
- Law enforcement: supporting police and other law enforcement agencies in operations, such as search and rescue, crowd control, and investigations.
- Environmental monitoring: surveilling wildlife and natural habitats to assess populations and migration patterns.
- Emergency response: providing real-time information during natural disasters, oil spills, and other emergencies.
- Infrastructure inspection: monitoring pipelines, power lines, and other critical infrastructure for damage and potential security threats.
Regulations for Flying Beyond Visual Line of Sight
If you already own a drone you’re probably aware of the FAA regulation for flying a drone within your line of sight. This regulation is set because there are many blind spots surrounding a drone they the pilot can’t see from the live feed of the drone camera.
But fixed wing drones are designed to fly way beyond the distances we can see with our eyes (~1km).
BVLOSS Waiver
To ensure the FAA that your taking the necessary precautions to protect other people and aircraft you’ll need to submit a BVLOSS waiver (Beyond Visual Line of Sight waiver). The waiver assures the FAA that you’re taking the necessary action to have full situational awareness of the blind spots around the drone.
This could include having other observers that have constant communication with the drone pilot, obstacle avoidance sensors or a radar system for spatial awareness.
The waiver will allow you to fly beyond your natural line of sight for a set location (your farm or infrastructure). You need to show the FAA that you understand the regulations and risks involved in your flight for example:
- What is the distance to the nearest airfield?
- What obstructions are nearby?
- What is the change in elevation of the area?
- Will you only fly in daylight hours?
- What is the density of people in the area?
- How people can be kept safe if you have staff in the area? i.e. Is everyone is aware when the flight is staking place?
How do I get a waiver to fly a fixed wing drone beyond visual line of site?
The waiver process involves addressing each of the concerns set out in the Part 107 Waiver Safety Explanation Guidelines and Guiding Questions (downloadable here).
This document covers:
- Operation from a moving vehicle or aircraft
- Operation at night
- Visual line of sight aircraft operation (loss of line of sight of the pilot)
- Visual observer (communication latency between the observers and the pilot)
- Operation near aircraft; Right of way rules
- Operation over human beings
- Operating limitation for small unmanned aircraft:
- Ground speed
- Altitude
- Minimum Flight Visibility
- Cloud Clearance
- Operation over moving vehicles
To submit the application you’ll need an account with FAADroneZone. The drone doesn’t need to be registered at this stage if you want to make sure you can get approval before buying the drone. Skip past the payment section and select Operational Waiver to upload your application. The FAA aims to give there decision within 90 days.
The Wrap Up on Fixed Wing Drones
Fixed wing drones aren’t often used by the general public because they take longer to learn to pilot, require wider open spaces to launch, land and maneuver and generally have a higher price.
However, fixed wings are offering huge time and financial benefits when engineered for commercial use. Their longer flight time and ability to quickly cover large areas means this type of drone is being leveraged in many industries and replacing other technology and traditional processes.
For more on specific models of fixed wing drones for commercial use check out this article on the Best Fixed Wing Drones Changing The Way We Do Business.
