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Why aren't the Mavic's arms more aero?

Gringorio

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Just curious why the Mavic Pro 2's arms are not more aerodynamic/wing-like?

At first glance, it seems it would make foreword flight more efficient.

Any thoughts?
 
Hi.

Yes , if its an areo wing then this would create low pressure on the underside and cause lift when flying forward and the mavic would have to fight against that to keep it at altitude.



Hope that helps
 
In theory, a drone--any drone--should be aerodynamic in all presentations. Easier said than done! Many call it ugly :oops:, but I suppose a Phantom comes close to meeting that criterion; some other drones as well.

The Mavic family (incl. Spark) has a longitudinal axis to the body (nevermind the gimbal) which is aerodynamically optimal for bow/stern travel, but clearly deleterious in port/starboard travel.

Most critically, the aerodynamic downward vector of the prop wash certainly overwhelms the potential lift vector of forward travel, making any potentially "aerodynamic" strut more a matter a prop-efficiency than actually achieving forward-travel lift.

There's actually a case to be made for that--increased prop efficiency via streamlined prop arms--but I'm sure aerodynamics are part of all DJI design discussions. They're pretty smart, y'know! :)
 
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Yes , if its an areo wing then this would create low pressure on the underside and cause lift when flying forward and the mavic would have to fight against that to keep it at altitude.

Surely you're not suggesting that the lift from wing-like prop struts might exceed the pull of gravity?:eek: It would not, and "fighting against" any aerodynamic lift would at best amount to reducing rotor speed, because lift would counteract the massive force of gravity that the drone must otherwise cope with!

But remember, the struts are very close to the props, and the air vector there doubtless changes only a few degrees regardless of vehicle air speed or direction. I personally wouldn't want to pay a premium for "lifting profile" prop arms that provide little or no benefit.
 
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So, I understand how a wing works in regards to lift. I was thinking more in terms of creating shapes that help the drone move through the air more efficiently. The Mavic Pro 2's arms are pretty blocky when thinking of foreword movement.

I guess, in reality, if we're flying slow to capture video or hovering to capture a photo, maybe it doesn't matter. But following a moving object at speed or flying fast in sports mode or over distance...?

Thanks for the input! While I have not flown my MP2 yet (everything is charging right now), I'm very happy with the new camera and battery specs!
 
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