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Concepts of flying devices for the UAV Forge Competition 2012 According to the assigned task, the main problem lies in combining three requirements: small size (must fit within a rucksack), vertical take-off, and large flight distance (up to 5 miles).
Concept 1 Transforming a plane to a tricopter. In airplane mode, the third propeller does not spin and is fixed along the tail beam. When shifting to tricopter mode, the front engines gradually turn upward, while the rear engine gradually increases its speed so the device remains in horizontal position. The drawback of the device is that the tricopter needs propellers that provide airflow from a large area at low speed, while the airplane requires the opposite.
Concept 2 Transforming an airplane into a rotorcraft. This airplane has good aerodynamics and flies at relatively high speeds. To transform into a rotorcraft, the airplane flies upward and when the speed is lost, one wing and one stabilizer turn 180 degrees. Then the engines turn on again and the entire device begins to rotate. As it rotates entirely, it takes off and lands vertically. The drawback of the device is its uncontrollable state when transforming from a plane to a rotorcraft and vice-versa.
Concept 3 Attaching an aerostat to a quadrotor. The aerostat lifts most of the weight. The quadrotor uses less energy to move and can fly greater distances. Once the aerostat is disconnected, the quadrotor continues moving and descending, while also using less energy. If the aerostat is attached above the quadrotor and additional weight is attached below, this device can unnoticeably transfer weights over protected territory at night, with tail-on wind. The device can adjust its movement using GPS coordinates, but cannot fly upwind.
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