FireFLY6 Demonstrates Half Hour Flight Time

 

Read the whole story here.

Today we loaded down the FireFLY6 with double the "normal" battery load.  In addition, it carried a full suite of avionics, including a Naza M V1 for hover control and an APM 2.6 for forward flight control.  The APM was decked out with GPS, telemetry, and an airspeed kit (crucial for maximizing flight time).  For propulsion, our PowerPACK.  Finally, to make it a realistic load out, it was fitted with our GoPro nose cone and equipped with a Hero 3 camera and a wireless video link with dedicated battery.

We arrived at our normal flying field to discover it flooded thanks to New Hampshire's spring thaw.  No problem for the FireFLY6.

We did a standard FireFLY6 vertical takeoff, transitioned to forward flight, entered Auto mode, monitored and waited.  At an average cruise speed of ~32 knots (16.5m/s), and after a vertical landing of course, the result was a total flight time of 32 minutes, 38 seconds.

For those who are looking to use the FireFLY6 in applications where ground range is paramount (mapping, agriculture, search & rescue, and package delivery quickly come to mind), half an hour at such an airspeed results in a total coverage of nearly 30km (~18.5mi).  In comparison, viable multicopter solutions generally fly 15-25min at ground speeds of around 5m/s, which would result in a maximum total coverage of about 7.5km (~4.7mi), less than a third of the range that the FireFLY6 demonstrated today.  While pure fixed wing platforms can boast higher ground ranges, they come with the weakness of needing large spaces for takeoff and landing, something that is often hard to find in everyday life.

This demonstration was in direct response to feedback that we received here at DIYDrones.  Thanks!

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