Help me build a Fixed Wing Mapping Drone

[mesolost]

put the camera on a gimbal so you can ensure a straight down photo and take too many pictures, use a big card, use a wifi card, do pit stops to cool down, swap batteries, and dump the card to a laptop, whatever it takes to get total coverage and then some. Then if you have the gps stamp on every photo you can just align everything to a grid and let the overlaps figure themselves out. Won't that work?

 

[Burly]

Ideally, for aerial mapping, I'd think you'd want a plane that flies as straight and level as possible. And even with an autopilot controlling the yaw, pitch, and roll of the plane, that alone may not be precise enough to mesh with the accuracy of the GPS side of the equation. Even under the best conditions, a puff of wind may pitch or roll the plane, resulting a picture many meters off-line...or in the case of the yaw axis...off course.

So instead of a fixed position camera, now you are looking at a precision gimbal holding the camera. This would improve accuracy of the position of pictures being taken of the ground below.

The Versa wing has been proposed, but the problem with wings is that they fly like a drunken sailor. And having the wing set up as a pusher is the worst of all worlds. The Kracken is a puller, but it cost's $85.00, and is a limited run...

Which craft would you then recommend to fly not less than 30 min on auto pilot with GoPro.

Regarding the "Durability", I believe you mean the foam frame. If so, then I am ready get 10 wings and switch to new one for every project

Please, share your opinion.

Are you sure you want to be building kits?
As many as 10 of them at a pop...lol...
The durability of a plane this size, does become an issue.
Do you want to constantly be in repair mode?

It sounds like money is not a problem...
It also sounds like this is a commercial venture, where time is money...

In my opinion, there is not a FliteTest kit available to fit your needs.

So why not buy an airframe?
A plane that gives you room to grow... possibly for a larger camera...or more batteries.

ReadyMadeRC has a number of larger platforms designed for jobs like aerial mapping.
Here are the likely candidates...Air Titan, Penguin, and Sabre....
http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=112_113

The Penguin is the smallest of the lot.
http://www.readymaderc.com/store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=112_113_117
An easy to set up Penguin for $99 that readily fits your needs vs. $85 for a Kraken Kit that requires multiple hours of building, and in the end, may not be adequate...that's no contest...

The ReadyMadeRC Penguin is what I'd look at...

 

[Maker]

Here's the fellow who setup a similar POC based on the Versa wing, who inspired me to setup mine the same way:
http://forum.flitetest.com/showthre...rial-Photography-Platform&highlight=versa+apm
...

That is exactly what I want to set up! That thread confirmed once again that the task is doable and achievable.

Can you help me finish the list below?

1) FT Versa Wing Speed Build Kit https://store.flitetest.com/ft-versa-...eed-build-kit/
2) Blunt nose Versa Conversion https://store.flitetest.com/blunt-nose-versa-conversion/
3) Power Pack?
4) Pushing Propeller?
5) Battery?
6) Transmitter GRAUPNER MZ-10 - 5 CHANNEL https://store.flitetest.com/graupner-...l-transmitter/
7) Receiver?

All the best

 

[Maker]

put the camera on a gimbal so you can ensure a straight down photo and take too many pictures, use a big card, use a wifi card, do pit stops to cool down, swap batteries, and dump the card to a laptop, whatever it takes to get total coverage and then some. Then if you have the gps stamp on every photo you can just align everything to a grid and let the overlaps figure themselves out. Won't that work?

I do use a gimbal on a quad, but not on a fixed wing.

You are right that plenty of photos with good overlap is crucial.

I am not worried with the GPS tagging and photogrammetry matters now. To me the purpose of this thread is to get the specs for the fixed wing that would fit my requirements, i.e. more than 30 min in the air at a decent speed (5-10 m/s)

All the best.

 

[Maker]

To: Burly,

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and opinion.

It sounds like my task is not achievable with the FT crafts and without a gimbal.

Please, take a look at this Fixed Wing drone then: https://www.sensefly.com/drones/ebee-rtk.html Yes, it costs a heck of a lot of money. However:

1) EPP Foam
2) Pusher
3) 96 cm wing span (very much looks like the Versa with the Blunt nose)
4) More than 30 min in the air
5) No gimbal
6) GPS RTK


I don't want to be in a constant repair mode.
Money always talks and time is money.
I am ready to re-build a new foamie for every other project, if the foamie really wears out.

I am ready to go for an airframe, but I want to avoid "gigantic show-off FPV hobby" style planes. And I would prefer switching to an airframe once I gain experience with cheaper foamies.

I will always have a brand new foamie available to get all the mechanics and electronics on it. I won't be able to repair an airframe as easy and fast as the foamie.

Please, comment.

All the best!

 

[Maker]

All cameras have their inner delay, different for every picture, this is why an external trigger sync is not reliable. I think this is the same case with GoPro, its inner clock can be great, but we can't determine, how much it takes for the camera to take a picture. 1 ms delay can lead to offsets of cm's. On the other hand, it may be ok, depending on the accuracy you are expecting to receive.

Regards

We should dig deeper on this. I will follow up and consult GoPro on the "inner delay".

I agree that it can take different time interval for a camera in auto mode to physically shoot a picture. I've specifically mentioned the "auto mode", because, for instance, if I manually set up the aperture, shutter speed and ISO then it should take same time interval for a camera to shoot a picture all the time. And yes there is a time delay between pressing a button and the actual capture, but that time delay would remain constant.

I started and even progressed a bit on some tests to find out how accurate and constant is this "inner delay" on GoPro Hero3+ Silver. Started the camera on Time-Lapsed mode at a frame every 0.5 seconds and placed it still in front of my PC screen with a big running stopwatch for a minute. I later realized that my tools are wrong to catch a millisecond offset since the screen's refresh rate is 50 Hz, which is 20ms and the screens own "inner delay" is unknown. (Photos are here , if anyone is interested).

I wonder how sensefly stamps their photos with these cameras?

From the unfinished research I can confirm that GoPro's time-lapsed photos are likely NOT taken at a millisecond accuracy interval.

So for a cm grade coordinates the log should have a time when the photo was actual taken with a millisecond accuracy. Is Emlid's Reach GPS Log has the same accuracy or the cm grade coordinates are taken from interpolation?

Please, elaborate on this.

All the best!

 

[Maker]

Ok, I am finalizing my list as below:

1) FT Versa Wing Speed Build Kit https://store.flitetest.com/ft-versa-wing-speed-build-kit/
2) Blunt nose Versa Conversion https://store.flitetest.com/blunt-nose-versa-conversion/
3) Power Pack C with EMAX GT2215 1100KV MOTOR https://store.flitetest.com/power-pack-c-fixed-wing-large/
4) HQ 9x4.5 Reverse (CW) Propeller (pushing) https://store.flitetest.com/hq-9x4-5-reverse-cw-props/
5) GRAUPNER MZ-10 - 5 CHANNEL Transmitter https://store.flitetest.com/graupner-mz-10-5-channel-transmitter/
6) D4R-II 4ch Telemetry Receiver https://store.flitetest.com/d4r-ii-4ch-telemetry-receiver/
7) Lumenier 2250mah 3s 35c lipo Battery x 4 https://store.flitetest.com/lumenier-2250mah-3s-35c-lipo-battery/
or
7) 3DR IRIS+ - 5100 mAh 3S 8C Battery http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00OJFW4QK/?tag=lstir-20

FPV (optional)

1) Lumenier RX5GR 5.8G AV Receiver with Raceband https://store.flitetest.com/lumenier-rx5gr-5-8g-av-receiver-with-raceband/
2) Lumenier TX5G6R MINI 600MW 5.8GHZ FPV Transmitter with Raceband https://store.flitetest.com/lumenier-tx5g6r-mini-600mw-5-8ghz-fpv-transmitter-with-raceband/
3) Lumenier CM-650 MINI - 650TVL 26X26MM Camera https://store.flitetest.com/lumenier-cm-650-mini-650tvl-camera-26x26mm/

Please, share your thoughts. I am keen to get the goods above.

All the best!

 

[dayve]

I've been watching the YouTube videos that Bearospace Industries puts out. They have shown 4+ hour flight times with their Gemini V-2 plane and their DIY battery pack. They also recently did a payload test with over 4 lbs. of cargo. I seems like a very capable and versatile plane. I've been toying with the idea of building a similar style plane using Flight Test style construction techniques.

I am neither affiliated with them, nor a customer. I don't know anything more about them than what I've seen on YouTube, so do your research.

 

[earthsciteach]

Thanks for posting here!

Limited flight time due to the size? Less than 30 min? Should I go for a smaller craft or a bigger one?

Which craft would you then recommend to fly not less than 30 min on auto pilot with GoPro.

Regarding the "Durability", I believe you mean the foam frame. If so, then I am ready get 10 wings and switch to new one for every project

Please, share your opinion.

All the best!

Sorry for not replying sooner. I would want a larger aircraft with low wing loading for this mission. Slow and steady. The 3 meter plane linked above would work, but is probably way more than you need. This wing would likely work very well: http://www.crashtesthobby.com/gladiator-xl-66.html Also, its EPP foam, so you pretty much can't hurt it.

 

[Maker]

I've been watching the YouTube videos that Bearospace Industries puts out. They have shown 4+ hour flight times with their Gemini V-2 plane and their DIY battery pack. They also recently did a payload test with over 4 lbs. of cargo. I seems like a very capable and versatile plane. I've been toying with the idea of building a similar style plane using Flight Test style construction techniques.

I am neither affiliated with them, nor a customer. I don't know anything more about them than what I've seen on YouTube, so do your research.

Thanks for sharing! Honestly I don't think I am ready for this type of wing.
I will consider it after getting more experience.

All the best!

 

[Maker]

Sorry for not replying sooner. I would want a larger aircraft with low wing loading for this mission. Slow and steady. The 3 meter plane linked above would work, but is probably way more than you need. This wing would likely work very well: http://www.crashtesthobby.com/gladiator-xl-66.html Also, its EPP foam, so you pretty much can't hurt it.

Thanks for sharing!

This is a pretty good option. I am sure it can fit APM, GPS and Camera. I will seriously consider that.

All the best!

 

[makattack]

Another great option if you're looking for a more durable, large wing, is the Chimera:

http://www.stoneblueairlines.com/airplanes/chimera-flying-wing-pro-kit.html

 

[Maker]

Another great option if you're looking for a more durable, large wing, is the Chimera:

http://www.stoneblueairlines.com/airplanes/chimera-flying-wing-pro-kit.html

Can this be modified to fly on APM?

 

[makattack]

I suspect any airframe can be used to fly apm. I've seen small 12 inch wings flying the micro set, so really it's just a matter of doing it.

Heck, if you search apm in the forums here, you'll see many different implementations.

That's the thing about apm/px4 that's nice. There are configurations for all sorts of ground and aerial vehicles.

 

[Maker]

I suspect any airframe can be used to fly apm. I've seen small 12 inch wings flying the micro set, so really it's just a matter of doing it.

Heck, if you search apm in the forums here, you'll see many different implementations.

That's the thing about apm/px4 that's nice. There are configurations for all sorts of ground and aerial vehicles.

Yes, px4 is the one familiar to me, but I am open to other autopilots as long as the Mission Planner supports them.

I am not sure if any of these supports auto missions.

All the best!

 

[makattack]

Mission planner is designed to mostly work with apm/pixhawk controllers. I suppose you could use it with potential for limited functionality with anything that supports mavlink for telemetry, but as I mentioned, it won't be an officially supported platform if it even works.

Px4 is actually another opensource branch of pixhawk that pixhawk is based on. Qgroundcontrol is popular for use on px4 software.

Those others you list are not mission planner compatible. One is a proprietery receiver/fc aio from graupner. Naze32 is more of an open source multirotor flight controller that can talk with most multiwii protocol ground software since it's a fork of multiwii. That can be used for fixed wing but it isn't the most popular for that.

Vector is a proprietery fc that can work with fixed or rotary wing aircraft but I don't believe it uses a ground controller. I know very little about it though.

This is probably late in the game, but is never too late to check some basics.

What is your flying background in rc aircraft? If it's extensive enough for you to be intermediate or advanced, this is a great project. If you are a beginner, this would be a highly challenging and risky (especially to the wallet) and a big test of patience.

I understand if this is part of your learning and inquiry process, but some of the questions you ask makes me think you might just be starting out with this great hobby. Definitely ask more before you try to buy, but expect to take more time to learn.

 

[Maker]

Thank you very much for sharing your knowledge with me. I am quite familiar with drones. I current own 2 rotary ones. Fixed Wing is relatively new to me. Since ready to fly products for professional mapping works are extremely expensive I have deliberately selected DIY option and do understand that it involves tests and trials. I still expect to save a lot.

All the best!

 

[gus7119]

I have just finished a mapping Spear

Hello Everyone!

My goal is to build a Fixed Wing Drone for aerial mapping that would be capable to fly autonomous missions for at least 30 minutes at an average speed of 15 meters per second.

Such drone would probably consist of:

1) Pixhawk Autopilot (or any other autopilot that supports Mission Planner)
2) GoPro Hero 3+ Silver Camera (looking vertically down @ 90 deg.)
3) Emlid Reach RTK GPS
4) FPV system (preferred but optional)

Note, that since the plane will have a GoPro I think the power pack should be installed as a pusher.

Would you recommend FT VERSA WING SPEED BUILD KIT as a starter?

All the best!

hey
Im in Australia and have just started a 3D Mapping business using the Spear its perfect in combo with Pix4D. I get 30 min flight time and am going to install a UHF mod 100 buck 9 channel glysky th9x. I use a 1.2g FPV so I can view whats going on and a gopro rip off works great. My gps data is matched to the pictures and can be used in the spay equipment for precise spraying of fertiliser and such.
It came out of the blue and cant keep up with the work as we do stuff for Agronomists and surveyors on job site. And have just started doing tower inspections for cell towers so you go for it theres a huge amount of work. I use planes and drones and started with no cash so built my planes as I already had the bebop 1 and 2 and a Phantom so they are all now a business right off. if you have any questions please let me know.
Cheers
Gus