Pitot-static probes air-data pressure probe

The Aeroprobe pitot-static probe family is a set of air-data pressure probes for pitot tube installations on unmanned aircraft and other aircraft, supplied by Aeroprobe. A pitot-static probe samples the airstream in two ways: the total-pressure port at the tip senses the pressure of the oncoming flow, and the static-pressure ports along the barrel sense the ambient pressure. Together these two pressures are the raw inputs for indicated airspeed and pressure altitude.

The probes are built for airspeed and altitude measurement on small and medium airframes, including fixed-wing and VTOL platforms. The family covers several geometries: straight probes, L-shaped probes and strut-mounted versions. Tip diameter is selectable between 9.5, 7.9, 6.4 and 3.2 mm, so the integrator can match the probe to the available mounting space and to the airframe size. Heated and drained versions are offered for operation where icing or moisture in the pressure lines is expected, a point that matters for long-endurance and all-weather missions.

For the integrator, the practical consequence of the two-port design is that the probe itself carries no electronics in its basic form. It delivers pneumatic pressures through its total-pressure and static-pressure connections, and the accuracy of the final airspeed figure depends on the quality of the downstream pressure sensing, the tubing run and the probe position relative to the propellers and fuselage. The heated variants add an electrical heater supply that must be allowed for in the power budget.

On the integration side, the probe is meant to be paired with the Aeroprobe micro air data computer, abbreviated uADC, which converts the pressures into air-data outputs for the flight controller. It can also be connected to existing pitot and static hardware on the aircraft, which allows a retrofit without replacing the entire pressure system. Mounting is by the chosen geometry: a straight probe projects forward from a nose or wing leading edge, an L-shaped probe places the tip clear of the local boundary layer, and a strut-mounted probe stands off from the surface.

Typical applications are airspeed and altitude sensing for unmanned aircraft, flight-test installations and research platforms, as well as air-data redundancy on larger UAS and eVTOL prototypes that need a dependable pitot-static reference. The probe suits integrators who need a compact pitot tube with a defined tip size and a choice of heated or unheated construction.