Our UAV

Photo courtesy of Dave Roughley"Venturer": Universal Wing's UAV

HIGH PAYLOAD CAPACITY. HIGH ENDURANCE.  DESIGNED BY UNIVERSAL.

Venturer is Universal Wing’s Unmanned Air Vehicle system (UAV).  It collects geophysical and remote sensing (aerial photography) data by autonomously flying a pre-programmed path or flight plan, incorporating Universal’s payload configuration. 

Universal Wing successfully demonstrated the feasibility of capturing industry standard airborne geophysical data and aerial photography using UAVs.  Our first flight was on July 28th, 2005.  Venturer is our third generation UAV.  It incorporates all of our latest developments in payload technology, avionic improvements and flight operations.

Universal Wing is committed to continually expanding operational and performance abilities of our UAVs. 

  • Data collection often takes place in demanding locations: limited or no take-off/landing sites, water only, or extreme weather environments.  Venturer is our customized UAV; designed to overcome challenging environmental conditions.  It contains military-grade electronic components, rated to operate in extreme and variable temperatures. 
  • It is designed to carry a variety of payloads and operate efficiently.
  • Large flaps allow for STOL capabilities --   100m is needed for takeoff and 75m for landing.  Fat “tundra tires” enable the plane to operate out of a variety of rough terrain.
  • Payload capacity is 10kg, sufficient for a broad variety of instrumentation.
  • Guidance is by GPS and autopilot.  Communications w/ base station via satellite.
  • Highly manoeuvrable (can withstand 10g turns) to accommodate exacting flight patterns for intricate inspection tours.
  • Packs into crates.  Can be shipped anywhere in the world within 48 hours.
  • The Venturer now has sixty take-offs and landings without incident.  It's a proven vehicle.

Duration and Efficiency

  • Venturer is designed for 6-8 hour flight duration
  • Wingspan of 4m.  108cc twin 2-stroke engine.  Fuel consumption is 1.5l/hour.  60W on board generators.

Autopilot

  • A key component of our UAV system is the autopilot, which executes a pre-determined flight plan reliably and safely without human operator input. The autopilot includes a microcomputer for monitoring and adjusting flight functions during operations.  The autopilot is designed to far exceed human endurance.

Flexible Uses

  • Venturer is designed to collect geophysical magnetic data using a cesium magnetometer. A separate data recorder collects magnetic signals for translation into geophysical data maps at a later date. Real-time data downloading is a future goal that will allow in-flight or even remote analysis of data as it is collected. 
  • Universal Wing has also designed a system for geo-referenced/aerial photography using our proprietary housing for a specially designed camera.
  • Venturer can support a wide variety of miniaturized payloads that might, in the future, include magnetic, video, infrared, UV detectors and so on.

Geophysical Exploration

  • For geomagnetic data collection, the magnetic signature of the aircraft itself must be minimized to optimize data quality.  Venturer is a non-magnetic system, equipped with carbon fibre reinforcements, non-ferrous fasteners and power sources, and shielded electronics. Venturer is equipped with a horizontal magnetic gradiometer for optimal data quality.

Quality Data

  • Based on our clients needs, Venturer can fly at lower elevations and slower speeds than manned fixed wing aircraft (enhancing signal/noise ratios), resulting in high quality survey data acquisition.

Geo-Referenced/Aerial Photography

  • Universal Wing has successfully captured aerial photographs using Venturer.