What is an Airspeed Sensor

It measures the speed of the drone relative to the air, by measuring the positive and negative pressure differences around the drone. When purchased, they usually come together with pitot tube and connection cables. It is recommended for advanced users or drones only, as it necessitates an extra layer of control and tuning. Through pitot tube, the pressure is measured and then this is converted to air speed. Air speed varies with the square root of air pressure. The pitot tube, which takes in the air, transmits it to the sensor through rubber tubing. The sensor is connected to flight controller through a 4 wire I2C cable. Air speed of drone is different than its speed relative to ground. When calculating flight time for a certain distance, the ground speed is used. For example, if the aircraft is moving in the air with 200 km/h, into a headwind of 5 km/h, then its ground speed is 195 km/h. This is how fast the shadow of the aircraft moves on the ground. When airspeed is corrected for pressure and temperature, true airspeed is obtained. This is the true speed at which the aircraft moves through the air fluid that surrounds it.

 

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