Case Study: Replacing a UAV Pitot Tube with an Ultrasonic Wind Sensor

By Mike Ball / 27 Mar 2020
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Unmanned seaplane with FT Tech ultrasonic wind sensor

FT Technologies has released a case study detailing how its FT205 ultrasonic wind sensor was integrated into a fixed-wing UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) as an alternative to a pitot tube.

Read the full case study on FT Technologies’ website here

Space Entertainment Laboratory’s Hamadori is a fixed-wing unmanned seaplane, featuring a flight endurance of up to two hours, that has been designed for for surveillance and monitoring services both at sea and on land. Early trials of the UAV used a pitot tube to gather airspeed data, but the Hamadori’s designers found that the tube would be blocked by water on both takeoff and landing.

The FT205 ultrasonic wind sensor was selected as an alternative type of airspeed sensor that would continue to function in seawater environments. It was fitted to the nose of the UAV via a 3D-printed mount and connected to the aircraft’s battery and flight controller.

The sensor worked as intended, delivering accurate airspeed data to the flight control system throughout the tests. To find out more about the Hamadori unmanned seaplane and FT Technologies’ FT205 ultrasonic wind sensor, read the full case study on FT Technologies’ website.

Posted by Mike Ball Mike Ball is our resident technical editor here at Unmanned Systems Technology. Combining his passion for teaching, advanced engineering and all things unmanned, Mike keeps a watchful eye over everything related to the unmanned technical sector. With over 10 years’ experience in the unmanned field and a degree in engineering, Mike’s been heading up our technical team here for the last 8 years. Connect & Contact