The Draganfly X4-P is a UAS designed to support commercial companies conducting inspections, companies requiring video or still photography applications and law enforcement/security agencies. The Draganfly has the ability to carry one of three cameras. The Sony RX100, contains an integrated remote shutter, remote zoom capability and live digital video transmission. The Sony NEX5R, offers improved low light performance and high quality HD video. The FLIR offers detailed IR imaging.
The X4-P is equipped with 11
sensors to ensure the helicopter maintains level flight and orients as
required. This includes the newly designed gyro stabilized gymbal. The on-board
computer monitors battery life, altitude, bearing and heading. The AUVs control
system provides for telemetry, camera control and the video downlink. The
Draganfly offers semi-autonomous flight with GPS return to origin and landing
capabilities.
The X4-P was specifically designed with
the camera and sensor payloads for aerial photography. The company advises the
vast majority of flights with these cameras are below 400 feet; however, the
X4-P has a ceiling of 8000 feet. The innovative engineering offered by the
company makes this an ideal UAS for the mission requirements. The company also
offers certified flight training to ensure the customer uses the system for
their optimum purpose. The base model price is around $12,000.
FPV Racer
Reviewers of the FPV racing circuit tend to
delineate the FPV UAVs into three categories: beginner, intermediate and
expert. As I am a novice to FPV racing I researched the beginner FPV UAVs.
The Hubsan X4 H107D Quadcopter FPV is highly
recommended as a beginner FPV racer by several racing publications. The Hubsan
X4 is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand. This racer is very agile
though it is vulnerable in windy conditions. The racer is low cost, in the area
of $150 and is hard to damage, making it ideal for beginning FPV racers.
The Hubsan X4 has a fixed mount camera and is
not designed with a gimble making the video image unstable at times. The camera
transmits the video image to the controller via WiFi and allows for recording
on a MicroSd memory card. The range is approximately 100 yards/300 feet, though
this range has been exceeded during racing. The video image is projected onto a
4.3" screen which is part of the control mechanism. This allows for FPV
sight as well as knowledge of the surrounding area. These factors are important
for beginners. One should learn to fly FPV racers by line of sight first, as
the video link drops occasionally. If one only learns to fly FPV racers solely
by goggles, when the video link drops, they lack the experience and generally
the ability to fly by line of sight.
The UAS is designed with a 6 axis flight
control system with gyro stabilization; 2.4 GHz transmitter; 5.8 GHz streaming
video; 3.7 volt battery for a flight time of approximately 7 minutes; LED
lights for nighttime operation and the video camera has the ability to capture
still photographs.
The Hubsan X4 is the ideal FPV UAV for a beginner.
This system provides a low cost package with enough sophisticated sensors to
have fun and learn to fly an FPV racer. The 6 axis flight control system is an
excellent training system if one plans on moving up to larger more
sophisticated FPV racers.
References:
Draganfly Innovations Inc., Draganflyer X4-P.
(N.D.). Retrieved on June 16, 2016, from http://www.draganfly.com/products/x4-p/overview
Dronenthusiast. The Ultimate FPV System
Guide. Introduction to FPV Systems. (2016). Retrieved on June 17, 2016, from http://www.dronethusiast.com/the-ultimate-fpv-system-guide/
Korey. (2016, June 1). MyFirstDrone.com. Best
Drones for Sale and Why. Retrieved on June 17, 2016, from http://myfirstdrone.com/tutorials/buying-guides/best-drones-for-sale/
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