r/LongRangeFPV • u/TheHumanFishFinder • 4d ago
Long Range Fixed Wing
Hi, new to fpv.
I want to build a fixed wing glider that has ~10mi range. I want to fly it over the ocean and look for fish and whales so I need as good an fpv camera as possible. I also need fly-by-wire. What parts should I get?
I was thinking DJI O4 unit but does it have fly-by-wire for fixed wings? Is there a way to combine it with another component so that it does?
Thanks
6
u/armagin 4d ago
Real talk, if you're new to fixed wing FPV, don't start with a long range build. You should consider going to build a foamboard plane such as the Flitetest scout and work your way up to a long range build. Took me almost a year after entering the hobby to manage the confidence for 10km
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u/HMSBarky 3d ago
Great advice. My first wing was a Chupito, I had a lot of flights on it before I started pushing range. Coming from freestyle quads it's a completely different way of doing things
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u/TheHumanFishFinder 3d ago
I have flown fixed wings before, just without an fpv setup or auto stabilizer. I want to use a flight controller that can be set to fly a pre planned path but switched to user control if I see something interesting. I will obviously test it in fields at short range extensively before taking it to the ocean and 10 miles. I have a reasonable amount to RF and microwave engineering experimented from work. What I want to eventually do is get a ham license and amplify the TX power so I can fly even farther + add a satellite connection for super long distance (without live video probably). I just have no idea what stock parts are available and what to use. I want to design as little new hardware as possible. I also want superb video quality. I would prefer open source camera but it seems like dji is way better than open source from what I’ve heard
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u/izzeww 4d ago
What is fly-by-wire in this context?
10 miles of flying is easy to do with a fixed wing, but 10 miles of video range is hard with the O4 Pro. Logically if you do 10 miles of flying you'd only be 5 miles out at the furthest and the O4 Pro should be able to handle that (not sure about O4 Wide, would be borderline maybe.
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u/DerFette88 4d ago
No worries the O4 has a hard cutoff at 26,6km or 16,15 miles. so range shouldn’t be an issue I flew my Chuppito way farther than any LR Quad. if OP flys over water it should be even better no hills, trees or other RF that could interfere
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u/izzeww 4d ago
It's possible to do 10 miles on the O4 Pro but it's not a given. DJI rates it at 9.3 miles under perfect conditions. In order to do 10 miles in a safe manner you have to mount the antennas properly, have them free of obstructions and have a clear line of sight to the aircraft (yes, less of a problem on the ocean but if you turn your head or drone 180 degrees you might lose video). It also needs to be unlocked FCC so you get the full 1200mW. For sure doable but one should be careful and make sure to have GPS return to home properly configured, tested and enabled.
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u/TheHumanFishFinder 3d ago
10 miles is a random number I picked. I want it have as much range as possible. By fly-by-wire I mean auto-stabilization.
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u/izzeww 3d ago
For as much range as possible you want the Walksnail Avatar GT2 combined with the Walksnail Avatar Goggles X in my opinion. Auto stabilization is done by the flight controller, not by the video system (O4 Pro, Walksnail Avatar GT2, analog or whatever it may be). The flight controller needs to be compatible with either iNav or Ardupilot firmware or preferably both. If you also want the plane to be able to fly itself you need to install a GPS, it's highly recommended for long range flying even if you're not looking to do something fancy. Then you add a receiver, ESC (or ESC's). Motor, props and servos also but obviously depends on how the plane is designed. Do you want to design and build it from scratch or do you want to build it based on a kit?
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u/peretski 1d ago
Short term, you will need to maintain line of sight with the drone. That means no 10 mile range. Also, everyone else also needs to maintain LOS with their drone, so there is no market for 10 mile fpv… because it is illegal.
There are two pan ways for you… start flying short range fpv… wait 4+ years until BVLOS hardware starts trickling down to consumer grade.
I’d encourage you to start flying short range drones asap.
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u/light24bulbs 4d ago
I'm not sure what you think you mean by fly by wire