VectoADP Wing air-data pressure probe

The VectoADP Wing is a fuselage-mounted air data probe made by Vectoflow, a pitot-static type probe for measuring airspeed and flow angles on aircraft. It is the sensing head of an air-data installation on unmanned aircraft, light aircraft and other aerospace platforms, and it connects to the pressure measurement and processing equipment of the aircraft.

The probe measures airspeed, flow angles and temperature. Flow angle measurement is what separates a multi-hole air data probe from a simple pitot tube: angle of attack and sideslip can be derived from the pressure pattern at the probe tip, giving the flight control system more than airspeed alone. This matters on small unmanned aircraft and on aircraft that fly at high angles of attack during transition or landing.

Mounting is on the fuselage. A fuselage in the airflow disturbs the flow around the probe, and Vectoflow therefore offers optional aerodynamic compensation for fuselage integration, which corrects the errors caused by that disturbance and so improves accuracy once the probe is installed. The probe head is shaped for the speed range requested by the customer, so the head geometry is specified at the time of the order and is matched to the operating envelope of the aircraft, from low-speed UAV flight to higher-speed applications.

An integrated heater provides anti-icing capability, so the probe keeps measuring in all-weather conditions where ice would block the pressure ports. The heater adds an electrical load that the integrator must account for in the power budget and the wiring of the installation, and a technical data sheet is provided by the maker for the details of the installation.

Vectoflow makes its probes with additive manufacturing. This process allows complex internal channels, compact multi-sensor layouts and integrated features that conventional machining cannot produce, and the probes are designed, produced and calibrated at the maker's facilities in Gilching, Germany. Because of this, the probes are customizable to the needs of each platform.

Typical applications listed by the maker are UAV and drone air-data systems, light aircraft and further general aviation and aerospace applications, as part of the maker's wing aero products portfolio.