Frequently Asked Questions
Most frequent questions and answers
Why to buy a helicopter and not a quad or multicopter drone?
If you need a limited flight time and a low weight payload you can buy a multicopter, but if you need to carry equipment that weights more than 1.5 Kg, or have flight times of an hour or more or need to fly in bad weather conditions, a helicopter will be a more reliable option.
Why buy the electric Velos UAV and not a gasoline Helicopter?
Gasoline helicopters are noisy and have gas emissions and turbulence that may create problems to sensitive equipment and sensors. In addition, the gasoline motors are very prone to failures while Velos UAV has a fully redundant twin motor design. Furthermore, the maintenance of an electric motor is simpler, cheaper and less frequent.
Why buy a Velos UAV Helicopter and not a UAV airplane?
While airplanes have usually longer range, they carry less payload than a similar size helicopter. In addition, they require a larger airfield for takeoff/landing or extra equipment to achieve vertical takeoff/landing (reducing even more the payload weight). Furthermore, it is more difficult to maneuver and cannot hover, so rescue and surveillance missions are not so effective. Airplane also cannot fly in low speeds, which results in low quality data provisioning for sensitive sensors (e.g. LiDAR data).
How long it takes to receive my Velos UAV?
We need 4 to 6 weeks in order to send you your Velos UAV after your verified order. This time is less than half compared to competitive UAVs because of our modular design and the stock availability of all parts.
Do you integrate a custom payload for us?
Velos UAV designed in way that it can be easily adapted in a variety of different applications. The unique payload rail system provides plenty of flexibility and free space thus allowing almost any possible payload to be mounted on the helicopter in a fast, easy and reliable way.
More specifically, the helicopter’s payload rail has a total length of 55cm (21.5inch) and there are 14 sets of extruded bases along its length. They are placed along the rail every 4cm and there are M4 threaded holes in all of them. With 28 in total different locations for mounting payloads it is easy to integrate your payload in the way you wanted to be or even combine different payloads. In case of a special payload we can help you integrate it and test it with the UAV taking into account any project particularities you have.
Velos UAV has a fully redundant twin engine design. What are the failures that can be tolerated in air?
Our patented highly innovative drivetrain-gearbox renders Velos UAV the only UAV helicopter in its class with the ability to tolerate a complete failure of most major components allowing it to safely land and protect its payload and surroundings under those circumstances. The system automatically isolates the faulty part without introducing additional drag to the operational part of the drive-train.
Any or all of the below listed types of failures can be tolerated by the Velos UAV’s mechanics while these would lead a normal UAV to a crash: Motor failure, broken belt, gear – one-way bearing failure, burned ESC, main battery failure, BEC failure, servo failure.
How easy is to flight a Velos Rotors UAV?
Velos UAV with the included advanced autopilot system and different flight modes is as easy to fly as a common quad or multicopter in normal weather conditions. In case of strong winds, Velos UAV is easier to flight comparing to multicopter UAVs.
Is the training you provide sufficient in order to fly Velos UAV for my project?
We offer a three-day training covering all important parts of VELOS UAV hardware, parts, maintenance and actual flight in different mission scenarios. We will discuss with you any specific project details you have and payload particularities and provide extra training for your projects.
What is the flight controller you are using? What is the ground software you are using?
The flight controller we are using has a custom firmware. This is compatible with all the ardupilot supported ground control software like mission planner, Q ground control, UgSC and many others.
Do you support Autopilot mode? What are its flight capabilities?
The system has an autopilot with several capabilities used effectively in real missions. Some of the most important capabilities are the emergency auto landing, return to Land/home base, different missions with way points, automatic navigation/mission.