Practical, physics-backed notes on designing drones and UAVs — the same methods behind the free design calculator.
Why angle of attack — not speed — is the real cause of a stall, how weight, altitude, flaps and banked turns change stall speed, and what it means for a VTOL during transition. Includes a free stall & AoA calculator.
How to turn a weight estimate into a wing area and a power requirement — the stall-speed formula for W/S, the cruise + climb formula for W/P, a worked example and a free calculator.
Every drone subsystem explained — propulsion, avionics, airframe and ground station — and how to sum them into total weight (with and without battery) and total cost. Includes a free BOM calculator.
The full design loop — mission and components, weight and sizing, airframe and aerodynamic analysis, propulsion and battery, dynamics, trim, stability and control — with hardware selection and iteration.
A simple, physics-based way to pick propeller diameter and pitch from your target speed, available thrust and motor RPM — plus the tip-speed limit to avoid.
From hover power to endurance and range: how to size a LiPo pack (capacity and weight), why flight time peaks at a certain battery mass, and the C-rating trap.
Why your propeller makes less thrust as the drone speeds up, what "pitch speed" means, and how to keep enough thrust at your cruise speed.
Where high-fidelity CFD pays off in a UAV program — drag reduction, propeller and duct flow, stability and transition — and when it's worth the cost.