VTOL (vertical take-off and landing) aircraft are a popular choice for passenger-carrying "air taxis," but it's easy to forget that they also make for quite versatile consumer drones. One such beast, the Swan Voyageur, could be yours for US$1,299.
Currently the subject of a Kickstarter campaign, the Swan Voyageur is made by Hong Kong startup HEQ.
It's a tail-sitter VTOL, meaning that it sits in a vertical orientation – with its nose pointing straight up – when taking off, landing and hovering. In that orientation, its four propeller/motor units function like the rotor blades of a helicopter.
For forward flight, it simply tips forward into a horizontal orientation. Its fixed wings then provide lift, allowing for much more energy-efficient (and faster) flight than would be possible if it were a conventional quadcopter. Unlike a purely fixed-wing drone, however, the Swan Voyageur doesn't require a runway – it can take off and land on the spot.
A gimbal-mounted camera slung under the aircraft's nose streams real-time 1080p video to the operator (up to a distance of 8 km/5 miles), plus it records 4K/30fps video onto an onboard SD card. It does look like that camera won't work well for straight-down shots when the drone is hovering, as the drone's own body will likely be in the shot.
According to HEQ, one charge of the Swan Voyageur's 5,500-mAh lithium-polymer battery should be good for up to one hour of use – that figure is presumably based on mostly fixed-wing flight. The drone's top forward speed is claimed to be approximately 25 meters per second (90 km/h or 56 mph).
As mentioned, assuming it reaches production, a pledge of $1,299 will get you a Swan Voyageur of your own. The planned retail price is $1,599.
You can see it in action, and see footage shot by it, in the video below.
Source: Kickstarter
