Help! Need Help to Build 1524 mm (60") Search And Rescue C-130 J-30 LRF/FPV

[Brett_N]

I can't believe not one of you asked the simplest question.

What's the $$ Budget? $10K? $20K? $50K - PER AIRFRAME? There's easily $8K in electronics in the wishlist alone.


And 90% of what's on the wish list isn't going to be effective in a scale model size.

Search lights? On an RC at 350 to 400 feet? Useless. The heatsink alone for LED's that bright are going to be 3#'s and you'd need an additional 12V battery to run them. Why use them if you have FLIR anyway. UV would be useless for the mission profile. You want IR. That's $5K for the gimbal and camera.

Best option would be the simplest.

A giant flying wing with wing mounted "payload bombs" if we go with the 2L bottle idea. A simple external wing mounted mechanism that would easily drop them is going to be a helluva lot easier than multi-drop PCS in a scale form.

A wing is going to be your most efficient in terms of speed, flight time and lift capability.

 

[Merv]

Have you considered splitting the task. One plane for search, one for rescue? Make the search plane the endurance plane, build it with lots of batteries for longer flight time. Make the rescue plane the cargo hauler. No such thing as a ones size fits all plane.

 

[Scooter The White Rabbit]

That is an excellent idea. No power required and light. Brilliant.

Got them online from a toy source, like party supply store. Always check them before install. That's why you can get big bags cheap!

 

[Scooter The White Rabbit]

Have you considered splitting the task. One plane for search, one for rescue? Make the search plane the endurance plane, build it with lots of batteries for longer flight time. Make the rescue plane the cargo hauler. No such thing as a ones size fits all plane.

Looking into that. Was thinking Cub, or similar smaller stable plane, then the SC-7 Skyvan for the Cargo role.

 

[Scooter The White Rabbit]

I can't believe not one of you asked the simplest question.

What's the $$ Budget? $10K? $20K? $50K - PER AIRFRAME? There's easily $8K in electronics in the wishlist alone.


And 90% of what's on the wish list isn't going to be effective in a scale model size.

Search lights? On an RC at 350 to 400 feet? Useless. The heatsink alone for LED's that bright are going to be 3#'s and you'd need an additional 12V battery to run them. Why use them if you have FLIR anyway. UV would be useless for the mission profile. You want IR. That's $5K for the gimbal and camera.

Best option would be the simplest.

A giant flying wing with wing mounted "payload bombs" if we go with the 2L bottle idea. A simple external wing mounted mechanism that would easily drop them is going to be a helluva lot easier than multi-drop PCS in a scale form.

A wing is going to be your most efficient in terms of speed, flight time and lift capability.

Wing? Hmm. Now that style hasn't come up before... Interesting. Something like a modified Kraken? Camera systems IR-thermal wide angle night vision/ day vision as well. Gimbal... not needed.

 

[jross]

Something like a modified Kraken?

@Brett_N makes a good suggestion to use a flying wing. Planes like the Ritewing Drak and VAS Chimera (neither of which is still in production but can still be found) would be good examples to look at. Cargo/electronics area on the Drak can hold a foot long sub, a can of coke, some cookies and an apple. Put 5S or 6S in your long range plane as suggested. Looking at the design of a Volantex Ranger would be a good idea. A decent out of the box solution with tons of room for gear. Lots of locations to mount cameras. Wheeled or belly landing. The Drak, Chimera and Ranger are all used for long range FPV. I think you can solve at least part of your problem with an off the shelf plane. My thoughts while driving around in the snow today. Why reinvent the wheel? Start looking around at what off the shelf planes people are using for long range FPV.

 

[jross]

The more I think about it, the more I like the Ranger as your recon plane. Guys are running 16,000 mah 4S and getting 90 minutes. You could bump that up. Easy to fly. Readily available.

As a former member of SAR and new flyer, I think you're trying to combine 3 disciplines. Building, flying and Search and Rescue.

You can build an airplane that will serve your needs from foam board or whatever, but is it repeatable? Will anyone else in your organization be able to build these planes? If you get hit by a beer truck tomorrow, how likely is it this plane will keep flying?

Flying quad copters is the norm for SAR now. Why? Because they're generally easy to fly. I know a guy who flies the Inspire 2 for a local government agency. He couldn't keep a plane in the air if his life depended on it. Are you willing to go through LOS and FPV training for all your pilots? Will you train them all to understand the relationship between optimal amps and long flight times? You're going to need more than one pilot. Whatever you're trying to do, it must be repeatable and sustainable when that beer truck runs you over.

SAR. Complex. More than most people recognize. A combination of art, science and intuition. Add fixed wing FPV planes with imaging and you bump that up a notch or ten. There is more potential in fixed wing than multi rotor if you want range and flight time. Use a wing to provide lift with one or two motors, not four motors. Makes complete sense. Can you find pilots capable of that?

Time for a beer. Never know when that truck's coming.

 

[Scooter The White Rabbit]

The more I think about it, the more I like the Ranger as your recon plane. Guys are running 16,000 mah 4S and getting 90 minutes. You could bump that up. Easy to fly. Readily available.

As a former member of SAR and new flyer, I think you're trying to combine 3 disciplines. Building, flying and Search and Rescue.

You can build an airplane that will serve your needs from foam board or whatever, but is it repeatable? Will anyone else in your organization be able to build these planes? If you get hit by a beer truck tomorrow, how likely is it this plane will keep flying?

Flying quad copters is the norm for SAR now. Why? Because they're generally easy to fly. I know a guy who flies the Inspire 2 for a local government agency. He couldn't keep a plane in the air if his life depended on it. Are you willing to go through LOS and FPV training for all your pilots? Will you train them all to understand the relationship between optimal amps and long flight times? You're going to need more than one pilot. Whatever you're trying to do, it must be repeatable and sustainable when that beer truck runs you over.

SAR. Complex. More than most people recognize. A combination of art, science and intuition. Add fixed wing FPV planes with imaging and you bump that up a notch or ten. There is more potential in fixed wing than multi rotor if you want range and flight time. Use a wing to provide lift with one or two motors, not four motors. Makes complete sense. Can you find pilots capable of that?

Time for a beer. Never know when that truck's coming.

You know @jross I've been putting some stinkin' thinkin' into this as well. Now for me is the idea of shaking out the bugs in such a system. KISS = Keep It Simple Stupid plays a lot into this when you talk about putting together a system for SAR units to use. First off at this time I want to put something together to see if the idea is viable. If I go with pre-built aircraft at this point I'm not in favor of cutting up injected Styrofoam to install equipment, when I can build using either a kit or a modified version from scratch and add in the mod's required as built. This way I can adjust for any additional structural concerns during build, not chop up after. After testing/during I can see what pre-built or change of material will work best. Thus my back-burner idea of switching to Corroplast corrugated polystyrene as material for build.

Yes, more than likely I will encourage local RC flight groups/clubs to become involved, with pilots who already know how to fly, just train on the protocols of the system I.E. SAR. They will also be able to train new SAR members to fly and be trained on the system.

Once the viability of such a system can be proven, refining the plane/s and converting Air Force/Coast Guard/Air Guard SAR protocols into a system with coordination with ground SAR will be a jump. I also understand most current SAR groups will require training in understanding what an RC Air Wing will bring to the SAR table, what it can, and can't do. This isn't an overnight "Ah Ha!" thing.

Another point in my idea of using/building with corrugated polystyrene is to produce kits that are in sections for ease of transport and parts replacement.

 

[buzzbomb]

Scooter I've been following your build threads since the beginning. They are awesome. I have to ask a question that needs to be addressed, though. Are you planning on selling anything that's been developed with the help of this forum to anybody? If you are, there are some serious legal considerations you need to think about. The person who gave you "that idea" owns that idea. It's in writing, right here on the forum. It is all for fun, until a profit is made.

if you intend to design your bird for SAR and then sell it, it should be clearly stated. Otherwise you are opening yourself up to multiple lawsuits. I'm just not sure if you'd looked at it that way. As always, we are all here to help, if we can

I can actually envision a large (large enough and heavy enough to handle high winds) RC aircraft with lots of good cameras that can scour a mountainside in search of a lost hiker. If that's where you are headed, then I'm thinking really big batteries and a military style drone.

What I just suggested is a total departure from your current design. If you were to adopt it, without informing me that you intend to make money off of my idea, that's a lawsuit that would have to be decided in court. In writing, I'm giving it to you. Military style drone with large batteries and lots of cameras. You're looking for an ability to handle high winds, a long flight time, and as many eyes on the ground as you can get. I agree, two operators is a good idea.

The cameras can actually be operated from their own batteries. It's amazing how small those cams (not the FLIR perhaps) can be. I'm watching your back. I love your idea and I want to see it happen. I'm just saying please make sure there is full disclosure. I think it could end badly if there is not.

 

[buzzbomb]

Oooh. I get where you are going. You want to drop a drone out of the payload door. That's good! That's brilliant! Assuming you can make it work with what I've written about, there is still one major problem. There might be a mountain in the way of the radio signals. There are two options as I see it. One: Bounce the signal off an aircraft. Two: Be on the aircraft.

I'm trying to envision being on the opposite side of a mountain from where I'm flying an RC plane and trying to figure out how to do it. Honestly I think that's where you should start. The rest is pretty simple, comparatively speaking.

I love your project. I'll help if and when I can.

 

[ScarryOwen]

I'm a n00b to this hobby so I don't have a lot to offer, but I love thinking about the SAR applications, and that's one of the things drawing me into the hobby. I look forward to seeing where this takes you.

You should read up at OtherHand.org. This guy is a prolific blogger who has done A LOT of real-world SAR work and a lot of rotor and fixed-wing drone flying and has written a lot about it. His SAR work is mostly in the desert looking for the remains of people presumed dead so that's something of a different game than saving the living.

He has a great post called Drones & Bones about the technical challenge of finding human remains and he's got some great specific advice about relatively cheap, gps-enabled digital cameras and how to use them for look-down recon. He takes a series of still photos that have to be downloaded and analyzed after the aircraft returns. This strategy is likely too slow for live SAR, the search for bones is obviously much less time-sensitive. But he's got a ton of real-world experience that you may find useful.

I agree with the recommendation that you divide the recon and cargo-delivery functions between two different, specialized aircraft. I can see that you are thinking about this in terms of scaling down the extremely multipurpose C-130. Digression: my real-world C-130 experience consists of having jumped out of one exactly five times for which I was given a nice shiny pair of wings that allowed me to cop a superior attitude toward "legs" for the rest of my enlistment.

But I'm thinking your optimal aircraft, whether for recon or cargo-delivery, is going to end up looking nothing like a miniature C130. The guy at OtherHand.org is partial to the Storm Chaser which he affectionately calls the "ugliest drone on the planet."

Finally, for SAR when you're flying a search grid of some kind, it may make sense to have the plane on a programmed autopilot which would free up people to support having several aircraft in the air at the same time. If the goal is to recon a large land area, it would certainly be optimal to have several aircraft flying the grid at the same time.

 

[Scooter The White Rabbit]

Scooter I've been following your build threads since the beginning. They are awesome. I have to ask a question that needs to be addressed, though. Are you planning on selling anything that's been developed with the help of this forum to anybody? If you are, there are some serious legal considerations you need to think about. The person who gave you "that idea" owns that idea. It's in writing, right here on the forum. It is all for fun, until a profit is made.

if you intend to design your bird for SAR and then sell it, it should be clearly stated. Otherwise you are opening yourself up to multiple lawsuits. I'm just not sure if you'd looked at it that way. As always, we are all here to help, if we can

I can actually envision a large (large enough and heavy enough to handle high winds) RC aircraft with lots of good cameras that can scour a mountainside in search of a lost hiker. If that's where you are headed, then I'm thinking really big batteries and a military style drone.

What I just suggested is a total departure from your current design. If you were to adopt it, without informing me that you intend to make money off of my idea, that's a lawsuit that would have to be decided in court. In writing, I'm giving it to you. Military style drone with large batteries and lots of cameras. You're looking for an ability to handle high winds, a long flight time, and as many eyes on the ground as you can get. I agree, two operators is a good idea.

The cameras can actually be operated from their own batteries. It's amazing how small those cams (not the FLIR perhaps) can be. I'm watching your back. I love your idea and I want to see it happen. I'm just saying please make sure there is full disclosure. I think it could end badly if there is not.

My idea is to first test and de-bug the idea. Second (in line with the lawsuit question/point) "Open Source". I found a company nearby that commercially builds drones, fixed wing and rotor. The fact when I wrote them, of their interest into looking into SAR operations to me is great! Yet my idea/s I think have some advantages. SAR units/organizations are mainly non-profit. Thus small budgets.
A. DTFB break-down portable, fixable, quick build replacement, electronics reuse fixed wing aircraft are... face it... cheap!
B. It's not hard to upgrade electronics to your area/weather needs.
C. Easy to change aircraft design to what works best for your teams/local conditions.
D. If you have to work in wet year-round conditions, DTFB can be weatherized for long term use.
E. If your operating in constant rough terrain that can beat up a bird, Corroplast corrugated polystyrene is an easy build alternative.
F. Use battery and lost plane alarms! The few dollars they cost will pay for themselves the first time a bird goes down. And if you can install OSD (On Screen Display) w/GPS, you can write down, review recording at ground station, where the bird went down.
G. More than one RECON bird goes along with standardized military style SAR operations. These protocols are the basis for my operational idea/mind set. (I have worked in several ops during my service time).

Another consideration I have had is tuned to what design I am planning to build based on the effect of such being seen from the victims point of view. A lost child to injured adult will happily attempt to be seen by something they know as RESCUE. Siren whistles on an RC bird to mock Turbo-Prop engines, Bright White/Red Striped/Large Black Lettered birds that look full scale, will draw attention. Especially if it looks like a C-130, or how about a Bright Yellow/Red Striped Storch/Piper Cub? Canada's SAR full scale birds are Bright Yellow and Red Striped for more than just being pretty to look at. They draw attention. Paint and 3 M translucent tape are cheap, and weather protect at the same time.

Lighting during inclement weather is in my mind a must. Not just so your team, searchers can see it, but too the people your looking for. A bright search light may not reach the ground to aid in what your camera sees, but may help a person on the ground see YOU! And most people have seen enough plane lights (Navigation/Anti-Collision) they can tell which way a plane is going, and that it is a plane. That low cost rechargeable battery Tactical Flashlight can be taken apart removing the heavy metal shell, and rewired into a very visible look down search light. My dad for Christmas bought me a wide array two stage handy rectangle work light. It runs off of a 9-volt battery. The light unit is 4" X 7" and would perfectly fit the bottom of a RECON plane. It has enough light to look like a commercial grade yard light. I think someone would see that through some terrible weather on a black moonless night.

Bottom line... RC for years has been seen as nothing more than toys for rich people with nothing to do. I would like to change that image. I'd love to see RC groups around the globe make up SAR operations task forces within the clubs that assist SAR ground ops. What better way to invite bright young/older minds to RC than help find those lost or injured souls that can happen everyday? The media won't hurt either. And basically how much faster can several smaller RECON birds working together with local SAR ground troops find you, than ground forces alone?

Quick point. I believe a local RC Club/Group could get to the scene, and airborne faster than waiting for Coast Guard/National Guard/Reserves aircraft. Not to knock them at all. Sometimes their response times can be long due to notification/distance from site/and flight prep times. As is has been proven smaller well built RC birds can fly in bad weather at lower altitudes than a full sized bird. Local Police/Firefighters part of a local RC SAR unit could respond in minutes.

I know if I was stuck... alone or with family... lost... maybe injured... to see a plane fly over, roll back around, dip its wings, flashes its belly light/landing lights. Minutes later another larger plane flies over dropping a package with a beacon radio, bottle of water, space blanket, first aid kit, protein bar. That to me equals... "HOPE". It screams "Someone knows I'm here, help is here and on its way, and I will survive!" A gift you can't put a price tag on.

 

[Scooter The White Rabbit]

Oooh. I get where you are going. You want to drop a drone out of the payload door. That's good! That's brilliant! Assuming you can make it work with what I've written about, there is still one major problem. There might be a mountain in the way of the radio signals. There are two options as I see it. One: Bounce the signal off an aircraft. Two: Be on the aircraft.

I'm trying to envision being on the opposite side of a mountain from where I'm flying an RC plane and trying to figure out how to do it. Honestly I think that's where you should start. The rest is pretty simple, comparatively speaking.

I love your project. I'll help if and when I can.

Thanks @buzzbomb. My idea is to use multiple RECON birds to search a grid pattern in correlation with SAR ground ops. Once found, a cargo bird can drop Emergency Supplies to the victims. With Day/Night/Thermal cameras being as small and light or lighter than a GoPro, with re-transmission back to a ground station, and Long Range UHF radio systems that can reach great distances, I think we have a chance at developing the basics for a viable network of RC SAR Club/Group backed search teams.

 

[Scooter The White Rabbit]

I'm a n00b to this hobby so I don't have a lot to offer, but I love thinking about the SAR applications, and that's one of the things drawing me into the hobby. I look forward to seeing where this takes you.

You should read up at OtherHand.org. This guy is a prolific blogger who has done A LOT of real-world SAR work and a lot of rotor and fixed-wing drone flying and has written a lot about it. His SAR work is mostly in the desert looking for the remains of people presumed dead so that's something of a different game than saving the living.

He has a great post called Drones & Bones about the technical challenge of finding human remains and he's got some great specific advice about relatively cheap, gps-enabled digital cameras and how to use them for look-down recon. He takes a series of still photos that have to be downloaded and analyzed after the aircraft returns. This strategy is likely too slow for live SAR, the search for bones is obviously much less time-sensitive. But he's got a ton of real-world experience that you may find useful.

I agree with the recommendation that you divide the recon and cargo-delivery functions between two different, specialized aircraft. I can see that you are thinking about this in terms of scaling down the extremely multipurpose C-130. Digression: my real-world C-130 experience consists of having jumped out of one exactly five times for which I was given a nice shiny pair of wings that allowed me to cop a superior attitude toward "legs" for the rest of my enlistment.

But I'm thinking your optimal aircraft, whether for recon or cargo-delivery, is going to end up looking nothing like a miniature C130. The guy at OtherHand.org is partial to the Storm Chaser which he affectionately calls the "ugliest drone on the planet."

Finally, for SAR when you're flying a search grid of some kind, it may make sense to have the plane on a programmed autopilot which would free up people to support having several aircraft in the air at the same time. If the goal is to recon a large land area, it would certainly be optimal to have several aircraft flying the grid at the same time.

Thank you so much @ScarryOwen. I will look into OtherHand.org and the Storm Chaser. Any idea is appreciated greatly.

 

[buzzbomb]

My idea is to first test and de-bug the idea. Second (in line with the lawsuit question/point) "Open Source". I found a company nearby that commercially builds drones, fixed wing and rotor. The fact when I wrote them, of their interest into looking into SAR operations to me is great! Yet my idea/s I think have some advantages. SAR units/organizations are mainly non-profit. Thus small budgets.
A. DTFB break-down portable, fixable, quick build replacement, electronics reuse fixed wing aircraft are... face it... cheap!
B. It's not hard to upgrade electronics to your area/weather needs.
C. Easy to change aircraft design to what works best for your teams/local conditions.
D. If you have to work in wet year-round conditions, DTFB can be weatherized for long term use.
E. If your operating in constant rough terrain that can beat up a bird, Corroplast corrugated polystyrene is an easy build alternative.
F. Use battery and lost plane alarms! The few dollars they cost will pay for themselves the first time a bird goes down. And if you can install OSD (On Screen Display) w/GPS, you can write down, review recording at ground station, where the bird went down.
G. More than one RECON bird goes along with standardized military style SAR operations. These protocols are the basis for my operational idea/mind set. (I have worked in several ops during my service time).

Another consideration I have had is tuned to what design I am planning to build based on the effect of such being seen from the victims point of view. A lost child to injured adult will happily attempt to be seen by something they know as RESCUE. Siren whistles on an RC bird to mock Turbo-Prop engines, Bright White/Red Striped/Large Black Lettered birds that look full scale, will draw attention. Especially if it looks like a C-130, or how about a Bright Yellow/Red Striped Storch/Piper Cub? Canada's SAR full scale birds are Bright Yellow and Red Striped for more than just being pretty to look at. They draw attention. Paint and 3 M translucent tape are cheap, and weather protect at the same time.

Lighting during inclement weather is in my mind a must. Not just so your team, searchers can see it, but too the people your looking for. A bright search light may not reach the ground to aid in what your camera sees, but may help a person on the ground see YOU! And most people have seen enough plane lights (Navigation/Anti-Collision) they can tell which way a plane is going, and that it is a plane. That low cost rechargeable battery Tactical Flashlight can be taken apart removing the heavy metal shell, and rewired into a very visible look down search light. My dad for Christmas bought me a wide array two stage handy rectangle work light. It runs off of a 9-volt battery. The light unit is 4" X 7" and would perfectly fit the bottom of a RECON plane. It has enough light to look like a commercial grade yard light. I think someone would see that through some terrible weather on a black moonless night.

Bottom line... RC for years has been seen as nothing more than toys for rich people with nothing to do. I would like to change that image. I'd love to see RC groups around the globe make up SAR operations task forces within the clubs that assist SAR ground ops. What better way to invite bright young/older minds to RC than help find those lost or injured souls that can happen everyday? The media won't hurt either. And basically how much faster can several smaller RECON birds working together with local SAR ground troops find you, than ground forces alone?

Quick point. I believe a local RC Club/Group could get to the scene, and airborne faster than waiting for Coast Guard/National Guard/Reserves aircraft. Not to knock them at all. Sometimes their response times can be long due to notification/distance from site/and flight prep times. As is has been proven smaller well built RC birds can fly in bad weather at lower altitudes than a full sized bird. Local Police/Firefighters part of a local RC SAR unit could respond in minutes.

I know if I was stuck... alone or with family... lost... maybe injured... to see a plane fly over, roll back around, dip its wings, flashes its belly light/landing lights. Minutes later another larger plane flies over dropping a package with a beacon radio, bottle of water, space blanket, first aid kit, protein bar. That to me equals... "HOPE". It screams "Someone knows I'm here, help is here and on its way, and I will survive!" A gift you can't put a price tag on.

The whole thing is absolutely wonderful and very deeply thought-out. You might really be on to something. I've no doubt at all that many RC Pilots at local RC clubs would want to get involved, it if it was inexpensive enough. I can envision the call going out, the plane being thrown into the back of a truck and off they go in minutes. Just because they want to help. Brilliant.

Keep at it, Scooter. You might just save a life. Or many.

 

[kilroy07]

Just tripped over this thread...
I'll echo others in stating you really aren't going to beat a fling wing for payload/loiter.

My suggestion, build a Kraken... Then we will talk about designing a detachable center pod... And boom there's your "mission specific aircraft."
my idea stems from taking the basic Kraken form and building the Blohm & Voss Bv-38; http://fictional-flying-machines.wikia.com/wiki/BV-38_Flying_Wing
My idea is to have detachable wings so I can lug the thing around. The current idea is plywood forming mating ribs with a connector from the wing getting locked in place by sliding a CF rod where the cannons are. I have it all in my head right now, I just haven't started the CAD work yet (WAY too many projects currently, although I hope to have her flying for FF 2019)

So the idea would be, you could have a search center pod (where your Flir setup would be and maybe extra batteries)
Then a rescue pod (heavy lift version with a drop mechanism for survival gear/radio.)
This would also allow you to have spare wings on hand... sort of a plug and play option...

But, build a Kraken first... Not only is it an absolute riot to fly (like a big butterfly!) but it will give you an idea of weight limits you can throw on a DTFB aircraft... (I haven't even worried about drag and such during my experiments, I just slap stuff on her and off she goes like nothing has changed.... there's a reason I think they had so much fun with it in the early videos....) The real question is.... (duh dunt duh) is when the LARGE FT foamboard comes out... can we make a 200% Kraken?!!! You could darn near ride in it yourself!!

Just my input on this awesome project.
And oh, if/when this takes off, I fully expect you to hire me on as a technical advisor!

 

[jross]

and building the Blohm & Voss Bv-38; http://fictional-flying-machines.wikia.com/wiki/BV-38_Flying_Wing

Dude. That is so cool. Another rabbit hole for me to go down.

 

[Scooter The White Rabbit]

Just tripped over this thread...
I'll echo others in stating you really aren't going to beat a fling wing for payload/loiter.

My suggestion, build a Kraken... Then we will talk about designing a detachable center pod... And boom there's your "mission specific aircraft."
my idea stems from taking the basic Kraken form and building the Blohm & Voss Bv-38; http://fictional-flying-machines.wikia.com/wiki/BV-38_Flying_Wing
My idea is to have detachable wings so I can lug the thing around. The current idea is plywood forming mating ribs with a connector from the wing getting locked in place by sliding a CF rod where the cannons are. I have it all in my head right now, I just haven't started the CAD work yet (WAY too many projects currently, although I hope to have her flying for FF 2019)

So the idea would be, you could have a search center pod (where your Flir setup would be and maybe extra batteries)
Then a rescue pod (heavy lift version with a drop mechanism for survival gear/radio.)
This would also allow you to have spare wings on hand... sort of a plug and play option...

But, build a Kraken first... Not only is it an absolute riot to fly (like a big butterfly!) but it will give you an idea of weight limits you can throw on a DTFB aircraft... (I haven't even worried about drag and such during my experiments, I just slap stuff on her and off she goes like nothing has changed.... there's a reason I think they had so much fun with it in the early videos....) The real question is.... (duh dunt duh) is when the LARGE FT foamboard comes out... can we make a 200% Kraken?!!! You could darn near ride in it yourself!!

Just my input on this awesome project.
And oh, if/when this takes off, I fully expect you to hire me on as a technical advisor!

I have heard about a flying wing many times here. It does have me thinking. Swappable center sections seem nice. But my protocols so far work better as two actual aircraft in operation. In this way the cargo bird is on the tarmac awaiting take off as soon as the persons are found. (Quicker response times.)
I'm looking into this "Search And Rescue Challenge" I've heard about in Aussie land. Is there anything like it in the States?

 

[Scooter The White Rabbit]

Just looking up the "UAV Challenge" in Aussie Land I ran across something interesting.

One team used a "Over Flight Communication Link Aircraft", i.e. a aircraft that relayed the data (Flight Controls, Return Video, Return Telemetry) between the ground station and the actual search craft! This aircraft can not only extend the Search Aircraft's electronic range, but provide Non-Line Of Sight Operation capability. That is huge. This long flight loitering UAV could carry a RE-Transmission package for multiple near the ground SAR UAV's covering a vast search area, into canyons and at distances not available before. Something to think about.

 

[Scooter The White Rabbit]

Am I being silly here. I'm not... comfortable with single servo wire Control Surface systems. Servo wire flex do to a "Wild Hare" gust of wind flexing my rudder/s, elevator or ailerons seems... Spooky and looking for trouble. Yes I know this adds weight, but the few grams an extra horn and wire seem like a formula for better control. Am I over cautious about this?