Wingtra and Sensefly’s Ebee are two of the finest fixed-wing drones available. If you’re on the lookout for a fixed-wing drone, there’s no doubt you will have come across these two. But which one is best suited to your commercial applications?

There are many reasons why you would choose a fixed-wing for you commercial drone operations. They have been specifically optimised for professional use to collect data at distance. They can fly for incredibly long lengths at a time, and also cope excellently in harsh weather which is often a key aspect of choosing to use a fixed-wing over a multirotor. Fixed-wing drones resemble a more traditional looking aircraft. They are made up of a central body that has two wings and also has a central propeller.

Head-to-head

Before we go into the nitty-gritty, let’s have a look at how they stack up head-to-head:

WingtraOne Overview

The WingtraOne is a fixed-wing drone that has been specifically designed for long-distance surveying applications. Fully autonomous, the Wingtra can allow a flight to be pre-planned via the intelligent WingtraPilot software. With the simple touch of a button, the Wingtra is up in the air.

Unlike the majority of other fixed-wing drones, the Wingtra is able to take off vertically like a quadcopter. This takes away the need to hand launch the aircraft or use catapults, thus making the Wingtra an ideal solution for locations with confined takeoff areas.

With a flight time capability of 55 minutes, the Wingtra is tailor-made to cover large distances.

Key accuracy stats:

• • Down to 0.7 cm/px GSD
  • Down to 1cm absolute accuracy
  • Covers 400 ha at 3 cm/px GSD

The Wingtra VTOL is also suitable for the following applications:

• Surveying
• Precision agriculture
• Infrastructure inspection

senseFly eBee Overview

The senseFly eBee is a fully autonomous, and incredibly easy to use mapping drone. The eBee has the capability to cover 12km2 in a single automated mapping flight, as well as fly over smaller areas at a lower altitude. The eBee is also able to capture images with a ground sampling distance of down to 1.5cm per pixel.

It weighs just 700g, thus vastly minimising its kinetic energy and making it a very transportable fixed wing solution. As you would expect of a fixed-wing of this calibre, senseFly’s cutting-edge autopilot also includes a wide range of intelligent failsafe behaviours.

Like many fixed-wing solutions on the market, the eBee needs hand launching and will require a sizeable amount of land to facilitate a belly landing.

The eBee is compatible with the following accessories:

• senseFly S.O.D.A.
• Parrot Sequoia
• thermoMAP
• senseFly Corridor
• senseFly SmartCharger

The senseFly eBee is also suitable for the following applications:

• Surveying
• Precision agriculture
• Infrastructure inspection

Endurance

When it comes to endurance, there isn’t much that put’s them apart. As you would expect of a fixed-wing, both are capable of operating in harsh conditions.  Even in heavy winds, the Wingtra has the ability to land vertically due to its smart controller alignment. The eBee is more lightweight and can be transported easier, however, many would suggest this makes it far less stable and capable in harsh weather conditions.

The WingtraOne can also cover more in-flight with a range of up to 50km. – Something to take into account for BVLoS operations.

The eBee does, however, win when it comes to flight time, but only marginally.

Take-off & Landing

Take-off and landing are where the Wingtra really sets itself apart from the eBee. Benefitting from unique VTOL capabilities, the Wingtra can take off and land vertically like a multirotor. The Wingtra’s vertical takeoff and landing technology allow it to touchdown even in the most confined of spaces, such as boats and forest lanes. The COPTRZ team were particularly impressed with how well the VTOL system works in high winds.

On the other end of the spectrum is the eBee, which takes off and lands like a more traditional fixed-wing. Hand-launching with the eBee is fairly easy, however, it’s the belly landing which can take some time to master, particularly when space is limited.

The Wingtra would arguably save you precious time on site without the need to find large, suitable takeoff and landing areas which you may find yourself doing regularly with the eBee.

Payload Capabilities

It’s also worth noting the Wingtras significantly better payload capacity of up to 800 grams, compared to eBee’s estimated payload of 200 grams. A lot of work has gone into building a craft that can carry full frame cameras and third-party LiDAR units.

Wingtra Payload Options

• Sony RX1RII
• Sony QX1,
• MicaSense RedEdge-M

eBee Payload Options

• senseFly S.O.D.A.
• Parrot Sequoia
• thermoMAP

Software

Surveying users will be pleased to know that both have the ability work alongside the popular Pix4DMapper program.

When it comes to flight planning, both the Wingtra and eBee benefit from their own dedicated software that makes both drones a breeze to use, even with limited experience. WingtraPilot includes various ways to plan missions, monitor and revise the mission during flight and inspect the data output in the field. It’s extremely easy to use and doesn’t compromise on required features.

Similarly, the eBee uses the impressive eMotion software. With eMotion, flights are built using mission blocks. Simply choose a block, highlight the region you want to map, define the key settings, and eMotion will autogenerate your drone’s flight plan.

Summary

In conclusion, both the Wingtra and the eBee are excellent solutions for your commercial enterprise. If you’re looking for something easy to transport, you may opt to go with eBee. However, it’s hard to look beyond the WingtraOne and its impressive VTOL capabilities. This is often the game changer for many in the market for a fixed wing platform.

You could also argue that the Wingtra is more future proofed for BVLoS operations if you will be operating in this area. An 8KM radio link range simply dwarfs that of the eBee (3KM).

Looking at the features, the Wingtra is arguably better equipped, but the eBee is still a very good fixed-wing drone and shouldn’t be overlooked. As with any drone purchase, it all comes down to your particular needs and budget. The COPTRZ team would recommend that you arrange a full demonstration of each platform before making your decision. To find out more about our fixed-wing solutions, contact the COPTRZ team or call 0330 111 7177.

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