Executive Summary

Changing the position of a battery is a customary practice in the hobby, sport and newly-found business venture of flying remotely piloted aircraft. But is there any consequence for doing this? It was proposed that moving the battery on a quadrotor would not only change the center of gravity but may deplete batteries faster. The testing of a 3DR IRIS, manipulating the batteries position, showed significant results when the battery was moved compared to the control. This investigation uncovered that not only did the quadrotor become less stable but the batteries were drained faster resulting in slower and reduced flight times and poor stability. It is suggested that, although not disastrous, it is unwise to change the position of the battery.

Recommendations

Here are some recommendations when using an RPA, of any sorts:

• Make sure that the CoG is correct and the battery is secure before taking off

• Establish the quality and performance of a quadrotor before making any modification

• Research the capabilities of any aircraft before flying or making changes

• If modification is needed for an aircraft, justify and compare the decision of modifying your current drone or spend extra money on a more compatible drone

References

1. Civil Aviation Safety Authority. (2017). Casa.gov.au. Retrieved 24 March 2017, from https://www.casa.gov.au/