Prosumer drones are an excellent option to consider when finding a suitable drone for agricultural use. These drones are designed for serious recreational users and professional pilots and often come with a built-in camera or the ability to mount one. They are typically ready to use right out of the box without additional expenses or assembly.

There are three types of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to choose from multirotor copters, fixed-wing/hybrid UAVs, and VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) drones. Each type comes at a different price point, with multirotor quadcopters being the most affordable. A quadcopter might be a good choice for vineyard management, as it’s a good starting point. Fixed-wing and VTOL hybrid UAVs are more expensive but can fly faster and cover a larger area per battery charge.

It’s important to consider what you want to achieve with your drone missions, as this will determine the features you need in your drone system.

Multirotor Copter UAVs

The most common multirotor UAVs are Quadcopters. However, Hexacopters and Octocopters drones are also in the commercial drone lineup. The extra rotors are beneficial for more stability in the flight patterns, hovering, and maneuvering, but these drones are more expensive.

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Fixed-wing UAVs

Fixed-wing drones look like little airplanes, and their wings use airlift to fly. Thus, to launch and land fixed-wing UAVs, you must have an area large enough to have a launch pad and runway to safely launch and land the drone.

The main benefits of fixed-wing drones include longer flight times per single battery charge, faster speed, and higher altitudes. Thus, they can cover a much larger area during a single flight session. Typically, fixed-wing drones can carry a heavier payload than multirotor UAVs.

There are some drawbacks to consider when choosing fixed-wing drones. Generally, the learning curve for flying and operating is steeper than the typical multirotor drones. Also, you cannot hover in place or change the flight path as quickly as multirotor drones.

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VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) Hybrid UAVs

With VTOL hybrid UAVs, you can launch and land the drone in smaller or more confined spaces but still have the advantage of a fixed-wing drone’s ability to fly at higher speeds and cover more area during a single flight mission. Like fixed-wing drones, VTOL drones are more expensive than multirotor drones and have a steeper learning curve compared to the piloting skills involved.

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Reference: My Drone Professional, “The Breakdown on Fixed Wing Drones: Commercial Uses Pros and Cons” (accessed 26 June 2023)

Drone Type	Purpose	Pros	Cons
Multirotor (Quadcopter)	Flight survey and mapping projects.	Quadcopters are more affordable than the other types of drones. Easier for beginning drone pilots to navigate than fixed wing or VTOL hybrid drones. Can use a small area for launching and landing. Flexibility for maneuvering around field (up, down, side-to-side).	Shorter flight duration per battery. Sensitive to windy condition A malfunction of one of the rotors can crash the drone. (Generally, multirotor drones can’t fly as high in the air.)
Multirotor (Hexacopter and Octocopter)	The same as quadcopters plus potential spray applications.	More stability and higher payloads	More expensive than quadcopters
Fixed-Wing	Survey mapping spray applications	Can cover more areas in less time and within each session of flying. More stable in flight than multirotor types. If a malfunction occurs during the flight, the user can glide the drone down to land safely. Can carry a heavier payload.	Needs a larger launch pad area and room to land. Less flexible in its maneuverability, i.e., it can only fly forward. Requires more skills to fly. Must stay in motion during flight and has no hovering capability. More expensive
VTOL (Vertical Take Off and Landing) Hybrid	The same as the fixed wing drones	It does not require a launch/landing strip for flights. Some models can switch from flight to hovering during the middle of the flight.	Generally, the most expensive of the drone listed here. More complicated piloting skill level = not very beginner friendly.