Our DOT is finally approving budget for a fixed wing. We're mapping 50-100 mile highway corridors regularly and the M3E just can't keep up. Too many battery swaps, too many days in the field.
Looking at WingtraOne GEN II and Quantum Systems Trinity F90+. Both VTOL which we need (no runways on highway shoulders obviously).
Anyone have experience with either for long corridor work? How's the PPK accuracy? We need survey grade.
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Sign inRun a WingtraOne GEN II with the Sony RX1R II (42MP). Absolute game changer for corridors.
We mapped 340 miles of transmission line ROW last year. Would have taken weeks with multirotors - did it in 4 days with Wingtra. PPK accuracy is solid, consistently hitting 1-2cm horizontal when processed correctly.
The VTOL is clutch. Literally land it on the shoulder, swap batteries, launch again. 400+ acres per flight at 400ft AGL easy.
We evaluated both. Went with Wingtra because:
Trinity has slightly longer endurance on paper (90 min vs 59 min) but real world difference is smaller. Both are excellent.
Wingtra PPK is rock solid. I'm in Alaska doing remote sites with zero cell coverage - RTK is not an option. Wingtra + base station + DroneDeploy PPK processing has been flawless. Just make sure you log RINEX from your base for the whole flight.
Different question - are you considering LiDAR for corridors? If there's any vegetation encroachment into the ROW, photogrammetry won't see it. We do a lot of utility work and ended up adding an M350+L2 for the vegetated sections.
Wingtra is great for open corridors though.
If you're DOT, definitely look at the Blue List configuration for Wingtra. Some state DOTs are starting to require it. Better to have the option even if your state doesn't mandate it yet.
@LidarLarry Good point. Our corridors are mostly open but we do have some vegetated sections. Budget only allows for one platform right now though. Thinking Wingtra for coverage and we'll outsource the LiDAR portions if needed.