Is THIS the Most Versatile VTOL Design? (Forward Flight Testing)

In part 1 of this series, we explored this unique drone concept and demonstrated a more efficient way for a multirotor drone to fly by essentially turning itself into a tip-jet helicopter. In this video, we take it a step further and try out fast forward flight. Patreon: Part 1 - The Spinning Drone Paradox: AIR Lab’s Transformable HOvering Rotorcraft (THOR): In the drone world, there’s a bit more flexibility in aircraft design since we don’t have to worry about carrying a human payload. A classic multirotor converted to a tip-propelled design with the addition of rotor blades mounted on rotating arms is the perfect way to drastically increase hovering efficiency with the only downside being the fast rotation rate of the whole vehicle. This may pose an immediate challenge to integrating a camera payload, but there are plenty of other applications too. With some small design trade-offs, it is even possible to fly like an airplane in forward flight using the same wings used to increase hovering efficiency. This is what makes this particular drone concept so versatile: the simplicity and agility of a multirotor, hovering efficiency of a helicopter, and increased range and efficiency of fast forward flight. While it may not be the most efficient in forward flight, it is still an improvement over a conventional drone. In the next video, we’ll expand this vehicle’s abilities even further by adding intuitive directional control as it spins at over 250 RPM--so be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss it! 00:00 Intro 01:31 Collecting Forward Flight Data 02:31 Potential Applications 03:50 Forward Flight Data 04:25 Comparison to Hover Power 05:34 Conclusions and CRASH #VTOL #Drone #Tricopter