One interesting thing we noticed recently during high-temperature desert evaluations using the Cube Orange+ and Here3+ was how much small installation details can influence overall system consistency during prolonged operation.
Some of the testing sessions were conducted in ambient temperatures ranging between 45°C and 47°C, with aircraft remaining under direct sun exposure for extended periods between consecutive flights.
After several evaluation cycles, we noticed that avionics compartment heat buildup itself became an important engineering factor to monitor, especially during prolonged hover operations and low-speed flight profiles.
A few relatively simple integration adjustments actually produced noticeably better consistency during testing:
• Increasing the physical separation between high-current power wiring and the Here3+ cable routing
• Raising the Here3+ mounting position approximately 25–30 mm higher above the fuselage surface
• Adding small passive airflow paths inside the avionics compartment instead of fully sealing it
• Avoiding direct mounting of the Cube Orange+ against heat-soaked structural plates
• Using quality silicon mounting pads with balanced damping characteristics instead of overly soft isolation mounting
• Fine-tuning vibration filtering and harmonic notch filter configuration after thermal flight evaluations rather than relying only on default values
• Performing precise propeller and motor balancing before thermal evaluation flights
Some of the results were quite interesting.
After improving airflow management and reducing thermal concentration around the avionics compartment, average internal compartment temperature during extended hover operations dropped by approximately 6–9°C during repeated test cycles.
We also observed noticeably improved GPS consistency after increasing separation from power-distribution wiring and adjusting the Here3+ mounting height slightly higher above the airframe.
Another interesting observation was related to vibration behavior during elevated-temperature operation. After refining motor/prop balancing, optimizing silicon damping stiffness, and adjusting filter configuration, overall vibration levels during hover operations became noticeably more stable, especially during prolonged flights in turbulent hot-air conditions.
One thing that surprised us a bit was that prolonged hover operations in very hot conditions sometimes generated higher internal avionics temperatures than moderate forward-flight profiles due to reduced airflow through the fuselage.
We additionally noticed that lighter-colored upper fuselage surfaces reduced external surface heating quite significantly during prolonged ground standby under direct sun exposure.
So far, the Cube Orange+ and Here3+ combination has been showing very solid operational consistency throughout these evaluations, especially considering the harsh environmental conditions involved.
Would be very interested to hear whether others operating in extreme environments have noticed similar thermal, vibration, or integration-related behavior during long-duration operations.
Fares
Al-Etihad Industrials – UAE