Quadrotor configuration I think is the most common configuration for drones. Why has it not been made into a full-size production aircraft? I think that it could be better than helicopters as it does not need a tail.
In: Engineering
Quadrotor drones with fixed pitch propellers are cheap to manufacture and light enough that electric power is viable
Such designs only work with electric or hydraulic power – a traditional engine cannot spin up or down fast enough to make a quadrotor work.
By contrast, things like variable pitch propellers are very expensive for drone sized platforms….. So you really only want 1 or 2 if you are doing that, which means helicopter….
Electric power doesn’t scale up – the weight of batteries and multiple motors quickly becomes too heavy for efficient flight.
Also full sized aircraft aren’t as cost constrained as hobby drones.
So when you are doing a full size aircraft it’s easier to use variable pitch constant speed rotors…. And since you aren’t trying to use differential thrust for control you only need 1 or 2 of them, and when you do that you have a helicopter.
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