YHQ-07 Pelican

YHQ-07 Pelican

Student - Thesis 2019

Pelican U-RAV is a fixed-wing drone built for one job: getting critical supplies to search and rescue teams faster than any existing option. It carries a 25-pound payload up to 10 miles, with hot-swappable batteries that keep it in the air with almost no downtime between flights. The project ran nine months total: six months of research, followed by a two-month build. Washington State saw search and rescue missions climb over 68% between 2010 and 2017, peaking at 1,007 in a single year. That growth tracks with how the region gets used: 69% of Oregon residents participate in outdoor recreation annually, well above the 48% national average. More people in the backcountry means more missions, straining a system that still runs largely on helicopters and ground teams.

Pelican U-RAV is a fixed-wing drone built for one job: getting critical supplies to search and rescue teams faster than any existing option. It carries a 25-pound payload up to 10 miles, with hot-swappable batteries that keep it in the air with almost no downtime between flights. The project ran nine months total: six months of research, followed by a two-month build. Washington State saw search and rescue missions climb over 68% between 2010 and 2017, peaking at 1,007 in a single year. That growth tracks with how the region gets used: 69% of Oregon residents participate in outdoor recreation annually, well above the 48% national average. More people in the backcountry means more missions, straining a system that still runs largely on helicopters and ground teams.

Photos by: Gabino Perez/USMC, Amanda Green, Crag Rats

I interviewed seven search and rescue professionals across multiple organizations, from high-angle rescue teams to K9 units to volunteer pilots. A few things came up again and again. Helicopters usually aren't dispatched until a subject's location is already confirmed, and weather at takeoff can ground them entirely. Even where drones are already in use, tree cover defeats visual search almost as often for a drone as it does for a helicopter crew with night vision. What teams actually wanted wasn't a better camera, it was a way to get supplies, splints, and medical gear to a subject before a second team or helicopter ever had to be called.

The skilled teams needed for these rescue operations frequently live several hours away leading to long response times, Photo by: Air Force

A request comes in for a subject on Mt. Hood. The team reaches base three hours later, then spends over four more hours hiking in over rough terrain. Once they reach the subject, an injury needs a leg splint, but with temperature and time working against them, the only real option is sending a second team or a helicopter, both hours away. The question driving this project: what if a drone could meet the team mid-mountain with what they needed, before that second call ever had to be made?

A request comes in for a subject on Mt. Hood. The team reaches base three hours later, then spends over four more hours hiking in over rough terrain. Once they reach the subject, an injury needs a leg splint, but with temperature and time working against them, the only real option is sending a second team or a helicopter, both hours away. The question driving this project: what if a drone could meet the team mid-mountain with what they needed, before that second call ever had to be made?

Fixed-wing flight is the most efficient form of air travel, especially when paired with electric power

I explored three flight architectures before settling on a direction. A folding fixed-wing offered the longest range and a simple single-motor thrust setup, but payload was capped by the fuselage and recovery in forested terrain was difficult. A thrust-optimized hex rotor gave excellent stability and self-balancing payload, but had the lowest range and cruising speed of the three. A VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) capable fixed wing split the difference, fixed-wing range and payload with a rotor system's vertical launch and recovery. To validate the direction before committing to a final airframe, I built a scaled-down RC test rig and flew it to confirm the numbers held up in the air, not just on paper.

I explored three flight architectures before settling on a direction. A folding fixed-wing offered the longest range and a simple single-motor thrust setup, but payload was capped by the fuselage and recovery in forested terrain was difficult. A thrust-optimized hex rotor gave excellent stability and self-balancing payload, but had the lowest range and cruising speed of the three. A VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) capable fixed wing split the difference, fixed-wing range and payload with a rotor system's vertical launch and recovery. To validate the direction before committing to a final airframe, I built a scaled-down RC test rig and flew it to confirm the numbers held up in the air, not just on paper.

The goal for the airframe was to create negative space behind the nose for modular payload options

The final body was hand-built from over 90 different parts, mostly 3D-printed pieces welded together into the final airframe, with carbon fiber running the full wingspan and visible airfoil-shaped CF tubing supporting the tail. That combination kept the model genuinely stiff while preserving the exterior design intent, nothing about the structure had to compromise the form. The tail section is fully removable for easier transport.

The final body was hand-built from over 90 different parts, mostly 3D-printed pieces welded together into the final airframe, with carbon fiber running the full wingspan and visible airfoil-shaped CF tubing supporting the tail. That combination kept the model genuinely stiff while preserving the exterior design intent, nothing about the structure had to compromise the form. The tail section is fully removable for easier transport.

For increased strength, I welded the PLA pieces together using a temperature-controlled soldering iron

A fixed-wing platform with VTOL capabilities meant larger propellers and a bigger launch footprint than the alternatives, but it was the only option that could carry a real payload.

A fixed-wing platform with VTOL capabilities meant larger propellers and a bigger launch footprint than the alternatives, but it was the only option that could carry a real payload.

The wingspan including propellers is around six feet

Hitting that performance meant real engineering, not just a CAD exercise. I sized the motors, ESCs, batteries, and propellers using actual thrust and efficiency calculators, matching output to exactly what the airframe needed to carry.

Hitting that performance meant real engineering, not just a CAD exercise. I sized the motors, ESCs, batteries, and propellers using actual thrust and efficiency calculators, matching output to exactly what the airframe needed to carry.

For the final model, I integrated the stand into the payload, so it simply slides onto the rails for display

The delivery method I landed on was a GPS-guided parachute, similar in principle to the airdrop systems the military uses with C-130s. Once released, the payload steers itself to a precise landing point using GPS, rather than requiring the drone to hover or land directly at the subject's location. It was the same reasoning behind the drop-vs-winch decision: lighter, fire-and-forget, and far more energy efficient than trying to hold a stable hover over rough terrain just to lower a payload by cable.

The delivery method I landed on was a GPS-guided parachute, similar in principle to the airdrop systems the military uses with C-130s. Once released, the payload steers itself to a precise landing point using GPS, rather than requiring the drone to hover or land directly at the subject's location. It was the same reasoning behind the drop-vs-winch decision: lighter, fire-and-forget, and far more energy efficient than trying to hold a stable hover over rough terrain just to lower a payload by cable.

For vision, the front of the aircraft has a single main camera, along with two spotlights for night operations

The finished model demonstrates the full VTOL fixed-wing configuration, three tilting rotors, one nose-mounted and two at the wingtips, with variable pitch propellers and remote-controlled linear actuators that let me demo the actual flight transition live. It went on to take the front-most position at the senior show.

The finished model demonstrates the full VTOL fixed-wing configuration, three tilting rotors, one nose-mounted and two at the wingtips, with variable pitch propellers and remote-controlled linear actuators that let me demo the actual flight transition live. It went on to take the front-most position at the senior show.

The tail of the design also functions as the rear landing point, the black area shown is a replaceable foot

The tail of the design also functions as the rear landing point, the black area shown is a replaceable foot

Boston, MA

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© 2026 Kevin Kelemen

© 2026 Kevin Kelemen