A 55-pound Vertical-Takeoff-and-Landing Fixed-Wing sUAS for Science: Systems, Payload, Safety Authorization, and High-Altitude Flight Performance

As small, uncrewed systems (sUAS) grow in popularity and in number, larger and larger drone aircraft will become more common–up to the FAA limit of 55 pound gross takeoff weight (GTOW) and beyond. Due to their larger payload capabilities, longer flight time, and better safety systems, autonomous systems which maximize the CFR 14 Part 107 flight drone operations regulations will become more common, especially for operations such as imagery or other data collection which scale well with longer flight times and larger flight areas. In this paper, a unique all-electric 55-pound VTOL transition fixed-wing sUAS specifically engineered for scientific data collection named "GreatBlue" is presented, along with a scientific payload, ground control station, and mission simulation system. Able to fly for up to 2.5 hours while collecting multispectral remote sensed imagery, the unique GreatBlue system is shown, and, after more than a year of operation, flight data from scientific data collection flight over California Almond Fields are shown including flight plan vs. as-flown, and information about VTOL to fixed-wing transition.