QuarryDesign invest in next-generation VTOL drone technology

Company says latest vertical take-off and landing fixed-wing drone set to be a game changer

SINCE winning an MPA Safety Award in 2013 for their use of unmanned aerial vehicles for quarry surveys, QuarryDesign say they have continued to invest in numerous types of multi-rotor and fixed-wing drones.

And according the company, its latest investment in a next-generation ‘Trinity’ VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) fixed-wing drone looks to be a game changer in obtaining photogrammetric surveys for large quarries and open pit mines.

Weighing 4.5kg, the Trinity drone falls within the Civil Aviation Authority classification as a ‘Small’ Unmanned Aerial System (SUAS). With its one-hour flight time and a flight speed of 35 knots, this three-rotor fixed-wing drone can cover a very large area in one flight but does not require a large landing space.

‘Trinity complements QuarryDesign’s existing inventory of seven multi-rotor and fixed-wing drones, and continues our commitment to be a leading provider of safe, cost-effective survey solutions for difficult or hazardous environments,’ said Adrian Wilkinson, managing director of QuarryDesign.

The Trinity drone has already been deployed at Aggregate Industries’ Bardon Hill Quarry extension and Tarmac’s Stancombe Quarry, and survey enquiries have also been received from two very large open-pit mines in Spain.