All About VTOL UAVs and VTOL Aircraft

VTOL is an abbreviation for Vertical Takeoff And Landing, and is used to describe an aircraft which has the ability to take off and land without a runway, completely vertically. VTOL aircraft have been important in the aerospace industry for many years, and first began when helicopters were invented. Helicopters are by far the most common type of VTOL UAV, with other types being invented only recently.

VTOL aircraft are useful for a number of reasons, including:

• No Runway Space Needed - By definition, VTOL aircraft do not need a runway to take off or land.
• Increased Portability – Because VTOL aircraft do not need a runway to land or take off, they can be used and flown in locations that conventional aircraft don’t have access to.
• More Useful For Aerial Photography and Videography – This advantage applies mostly to small UAVs designed for reconnaissance, such as our Draganflyer X6. The ability to stop the aircraft and hover over one location is invaluable when it comes to taking still and precise images.

A History of VTOL Aircraft

Besides the helicopter, which had always been a successful VTOL aircraft, there have been several technological innovations over the years. The first major contribution was the Rolls-Royce Thrust Measuring Rig, otherwise known as the”flying bedstead”. This aircraft used 5 engines for flight, 4 to control vertical motion and one to move horizontally. A similar device was used to train pilots to fly the Nasa Lunar Lander.

More sophisticated VTOL aircraft designs used a single engine with thrust vectoring. Thrust vectoring means that the aircraft can redirect thrust from the engine in different directions, so that one engine can be used to control both horizontal and vertical flight. The Hawker Harrier was one aircraft to use thrust vectoring, being able to alternatively take off and land vertically, or with a conventional runway.

Smaller VTOL UAVs are almost exclusively helicopters, because of the complexities of designing fixed wing aircraft. One such aircraft is the Camcopter S-100, a fuel powered UAV helicopter. With a weight of 200 kg, and a maximum endurance of 6 hours, this UAV is designed for longer and more extensive missions.

The Draganflyer X6 – A Modern VTOL UAV

The Draganflyer X6 is a great example of a VTOL UAV. Foregoing the complexities of building a VTOL fixed wing UAV, we have opted for a helicopter design. Because of this, the Draganflyer X6 UAV can take off vertically, land vertically, and hover in one place to take pictures. You can learn more about the Draganflyer X6 VTOL UAV by visiting the product page on our website.