WingtraOne over Ladybower

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On the hottest day of 2019 so far the COPTRZ team took the WingtraOne PPK Fixed Wing VTOL Drone down to Ladybower Reservoir for a product demonstration with Severn Trent Water.

History of Ladybower Reservoir

Ladybower Reservoir is historically significant as the place Guy Gibson and his men trained for the raid on the dams of the Ruhr Valley. In April and May 1943, the reservoir and dam were one of the training locations used by 617 Squadron in the run-up to the Dams Raid in Germany. For six weeks this dam was used by the Lancaster bomber pilots to practice the bombing runs and target practice. Much to the annoyance of the local population. The reason for this dam being used is it bares a close resemblance to the German dams.

Why are Severn Trent Water using Drones?

Following a series of consultations, Severn Trent Water decided to invest in a fleet of drones for a number of different use cases, including using their drones for industrial inspection. Since making this strategic decision,  they have found savings of over £750,000 in the last year alone. They are expecting this to double in their 2nd year, and more beyond that.

Their fleet includes:

• Flyability Elios
• Inspire 2
• Matrice 210
• Phantom 4
• Mavic Pro

Severn Trent Water have been using drones for their inspection operations for some time and have now been looking at adding a WingtraOne into their fleet.

The WingtraOne PPK VTOL

The Wingtra PPK VTOL is a fully autonomous fixed-wing drone designed specifically for long-distance surveying applications. Fully autonomous, the Wingtra allows a flight to be pre-planned via the intelligent WingtraPilot software. With the touch of a button, the Wingtra is up in the air and automatically capturing surveying data.

For example, in a single one-hour flight, the WingtraOne can cover 130 ha (320 ac), which is equal to 240 football fields and deliver maps at GSDs below 1 cm/px (0.4 in/px) with absolute accuracy down to 1 cm (0.4 in).

Unlike other fixed-wing drones available, the WingraOne can take off vertically like a quadcopter, even on difficult terrain. This eliminates the need to hand launch the aircraft or use catapults, making the Wingtra an ideal solution for use in locations with confined takeoff areas.

Capable of flying for up to 55 minutes, the Wingtra is tailor-made to cover large distances of up to 400ha at 3cm/px. The Wingtra VTOL is compatible with a variety of payloads including the Sony QX1, Sony RX1RII and the Micasense RedEdge.

Key accuracy stats:

• Down to 0.7 cm/px GSD
• Down to 1 cm absolute accuracy
• Covers 400 ha at 3 cm/px GSD
• Hands-off: truly safe & easy to use

The Wingtra VTOL is suitable for the following applications:

• Surveying
• Precision agriculture
• Infrastructure inspection

We spoke to Duncan Turner at Ladybower Reservoir to find out why they are considering a WingtraOne drone? 

If you are interested in a WingtraOne product demonstration then Get in touch.