Feasibility of Using ArduCopter for a 300 km/h High-Speed FPV Quadcopter

ArduCopter Copter 4.7
1

Hi everyone,

I’m currently working on developing a high-speed FPV quadcopter, somewhat inspired by builds like those from Luke Maximo Bell (though I’m not aiming to reach those extreme speeds). My target is around 250 to 300 km/h, and I’m exploring whether ArduCopter is a suitable platform for this type of project.

So far, I haven’t come across any discussions or examples on the forum specifically focused on ultra high-speed FPV copters, which makes it a bit unclear how feasible this is within the ArduCopter ecosystem.

I’d really appreciate guidance on a few points:

  • Can ArduCopter be effectively used to tune and stabilize a quadcopter designed for such high speeds?

  • Are there known limitations (such as control loop rates, filtering, or EKF performance) that could become problematic around ~300 km/h?

  • Would standard tuning procedures apply, or would this require a different approach due to the extreme flight envelope?

Additionally, if I manage to tune the copter successfully for stable high-speed flight, would it be realistic to use flight modes like Loiter at those speeds? Or is Loiter fundamentally unsuitable for such fast-moving platforms due to position control limitations?

Any insights, experiences, or pointers to relevant discussions would be very helpful.

Thanks in advance!

2

Yes it works. Just tune like you normally would and expect issues to get amplified. No issue with the control loops. There are some limitations on lean angle which might mean that you can only get to the speeds you want in acro.

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