Business Applications of Fixed-Wing Drones in Hungary

Abstract

The application of drones or unmanned aerial vehicles has opened a new chapter in many professions or industries. However, the energy efficiency of fixed-wing drones may be more beneficial in some applications, even with reduced manoeuvrability. In the article, the business application possibilities of a developed fixed-wing drone platform in the Hungarian market are reviewed. According to the analysis carried out by collecting the tasks performed with different aircraft around the world, in Hungary, the platform may be the most suitable for linear structure inspecting applications. Of these, the inspection of electric transmission lines and oil and gas pipelines is the most appropriate, since most of the time the only alternative is helicopter inspection due to the difficult access, which is much more expensive and less safe. The purchase of helicopters for this purpose is extremely expensive, so they are mostly rented, while drones with all the equipment can be bought for a fraction of the cost, sometimes less than 10% of the price of helicopters. From a value creation perspective, if the appropriate sensors are installed, this method also provides equivalent data and is suitable for identifying vegetation encroachment, tearing, leakage, breakage, and similar operational errors.