In a year in which DJI has yet to launch a new drone, the competition is heating up. Parrot keeps prodding DJI at the lower end of the market with lightweight and affordable drones. Skydio is about to launch a competitor to the DJI Mavic 2 drone series. And today. FreeFly introduces the Alta X, a drone aimed at film and documentary makers, that puts new competitive pressure to the top of the drone market. Let’s take a closer look and see what FreeFly offers us with the Alta X.
FreeFly introduces the Alta X
The Alta X is a high-end drone, priced at $15,995 (payload such as camera, lens, and gimbal not included). This new quadcopter from FreeFly features a new foldable design that allows you to deploy the drone very quickly (less than two minutes, according to FreeFly).
The drone allows you to mount a gimbal to either to bottom or top of the aircraft. With a 20-pound payload such as the Mövi Carbon, you can fly the Alta X for about 20 minutes. With a maximum payload, the flight time is reduced to about 10 minutes. However, when you mount smaller, lighter payload packages, your flight time might be as long as 40 minutes. During testing, a top speed of 85 mph was achieved.
The FreeFly Alta X drone features a new and unique propeller mechanism for drones, called the ActiveBlade. This reduces vibrations from the props to about one-fifth of the normal level. The video explains it as follows:
ActiveBlade compensates for the dissymmetry of lift and cyclic loading as the Alta X blasts through the sky.
FreeFly strived to achieve the payload-carrying capacity of a large prop quadcopter with the precision of an octocopter.
We designed Alta X from the ground up to capitalize on the benefits of large, efficient props while maintaining the crisp control and unmatched precision the Alta line is known for.
Specifications for FreeFly’s Alta X
| Alta X Specs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Dimensions | Unfolded Diameter (not including props)
Unfolded Diameter (Including Props) Folded Diameter Height Height (Skyview) |
1415 mm
2273 mm 877 mm 387 mm 434 mm |
| Powerplant | Number of Motors
Motor Max Continuous Power Output Motor Max Instantaneous Peak Power Output Equivalent Kv |
4
100 A 130 A (>3s) 115 rpm/V |
| Propellers | Make and Model
Material Propeller Orientation Propeller Type |
DJI R3390
Ultra Carbon Pro (2) CW and (2) CCW Props 840 x 230 mm Folding |
| Battery | Nominal Battery Voltage
Battery Connectors Required Minimum Battery Discharge Rating (Per Pack) |
44.4V
XT-90 320 Amps per battery (assumes |
| Weight | Maximum Gross for Takeoff
Maximum Payload Typical Standard Empty weight |
34.86kg (see performance charts)
15.9kg 10.4 kg |
| Flight Controller | Autopilot Name
Flight Modes Supported Radios Supported Radio Controller Telemetry Systems Minimum Radio Controller Channels Required Supported GNSS Default Data Logging Rate |
Custom PX4 flight control stack
Manual, altitude, position, mission, Futaba, Spektrum, PX4 compatible Voltage feed provided for Futaba 5 (roll, pitch, yaw, throttle, mode) GPS/Glonass/Beidou/Galileo Varies, 25hz for main flight data |
| Lighting and Indication | Orientation Lights
Orientation Light Color Options FPV Ability |
Boom tip mounted lights
Colors can be set in software – red, Yes |
What do you think about FreeFly’s Alta X? Let us know in the comments below.
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