Building Georgia's first VTOL drone delivery prototype

ArduPlane
1

Hello everyone,

My name is Goga Chkheidze, founder of Wing Caucasus, a drone delivery initiative based in Georgia.

Our long-term vision is to connect mountain villages, seaside resorts, and remote communities using autonomous drone delivery.

We are currently building what we hope will become Georgia’s first autonomous VTOL drone delivery prototype based on ArduPilot.

This is not a commercial project yet. At this stage, our goal is to build a safe and reliable prototype while selecting the right aircraft and system architecture before investing in hardware.

Phase 1 – Prototype

Our initial mission requirements are:

  • VTOL aircraft
  • ArduPilot
  • Autonomous missions
  • Flight distance: 3–5 km
  • Payload: 0.5–1.0 kg
  • Hover delivery from approximately 10–15 m
  • Lightweight winch or tether/release mechanism (inspired by Wing’s concept, but much simpler)

Long-term objective

Once the prototype is proven and the system is validated, our long-term goal is to develop a platform capable of:

  • Flight distance: 10–15 km
  • Payload: 3–5 kg

At the moment, we’re considering platforms such as the Finwing Albabird X4+1, but we’re completely open to better suggestions based on real-world experience.

I’d greatly appreciate advice from people who have practical experience with VTOL aircraft and autonomous delivery systems.

Specifically:

  1. Would you choose a VTOL or a multirotor for this type of prototype?
  2. Has anyone successfully integrated a lightweight winch or tether delivery mechanism with ArduPilot?
  3. Which VTOL platforms would you recommend for Phase 1, while keeping the long-term objective in mind?
  4. Are there any common mistakes we should avoid before purchasing hardware?

Safety and regulatory compliance are our highest priorities from the very beginning.

I’m here to learn, and I genuinely appreciate any guidance from those with more experience.

Any advice, recommendations, or lessons learned would be greatly appreciated.

Project website:

Thank you very much for your time and for sharing your experience.

Best regards,

Goga Chkheidze
Founder – Wing Caucasus
Tbilisi, Georgia

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