A new Aero Scout - Walkera Tali H500

The new Aero Scout, a Walkera Tali H500 and it's Devo F12e controller in the field

I'm very excited to announce that a new Aero Scout has arrived, it's a brand new Walkera Tali H500 hexacopter. This is going to give me the ability to conduct aerial missions in hotter, higher and windier conditions than my previous quadcopter. It is also capable of carrying a greater payload, typically 600g, which means I can use different cameras/sensors such as a compact camera or a FLIR camera.

Hexacopters are exciting, and I believe, we'll see more of them as the multicopter drone industry develops. The main reason is that they are safer and the Authorities are keen to see safer drones being manufactured. The extra motors mean that if one motor failed (and theoretically even if two motors failed) then the flight controller would be able to maintain stable flight long enough for the pilot to bring the aircraft down for a safe landing. Not that quadcopters have a tendency to always fall from the sky, but with only four motors there is no room for a malfunction. Regular maintenance checks certainly helps, however some components are some small that a pilot is unlikely to spot any problems.

The other bonus that a hexacopter delivers is the ability to lift more weight. I'm looking forward to having more options on the size, quality and type of camera/sensor that I can use. For now that will most probably be a GoPro style actioncam on a 3 axis gimbal, however in the future I'd like to have a  FLIR camera for spotting and mapping temperature gradients or hotspots. A compact camera would be very useful for higher resolution maps and 3D models , you can purchase modified cameras (NDVI) that filter certain light waves to make it easier to determine plant health or crops. There's lots of new options now available for me to explore.

For now though, I'm just familiarising myself with the new airframe, it's very different to my last quadcopter the QR X350 Pro. It has alot more power, hovering with no payload at 25% throttle and is also a lot faster. I'll be spending a few weeks just honing my basic flying skills with this new airframe before I add a gimbal and camera and start running mapping missions.

First flight with the Tali H500 plus basic test FPV system.

A big thanks to Walkera for it's generosity in sponsoring the Aero Scout and supplying this air system at a discounted price.  I have always had a good experience with dealing with Walkera and own (and have owned) a handful of their drones, all of which are excellent and I treasure very much.

This has been another 'drone adventure' in aerial surveying, inspection and mapping by The Aero Scout.