XM2 Labs announced a new retractable landing gear upgrade for Freefly Systems Alta X Drone. SLG-20-AX is a retractable landing gear kit from XM2 Labs, designed to upgrade Freefly Systems Alta X Drone.
SLG-20-AX is a bolted and flying solution that provides Alta X with a durable four-pillar system driven by a powerful Hitec servo motor and calibrated for peak performance.
Carrying DJI Ronin 2 and Freefly MoVi Pro is a good solution. SLG-20-AX is the first retractable landing gear system specially manufactured for heavy lifting operations on the Alta X Drone. Until now, many Alta X users have been using retractable landing gear designed for small drones that were never intended to bear the weight of a fully loaded Alta X.
XM2 Labs’ design considerations are to make everything as tool-free and light-weight as possible, while still maintaining durability for heavy-duty operations. The standard landing gear for Alta X users is the "Aero landing gear", which is a tripod configuration fixed on the gimbal frame. Although the Aero landing gear is light in weight and has no moving parts, this simple design adds to the complexity of the actual operation. Since the Aero landing gear is connected to the gimbal, the drone operator needs to carry a heavy bracket with him to install the drone until the gimbal is ready. When flying in windy conditions or flying on uneven ground, the drone may start to rotate on the gimbal before takeoff, and landing may be tricky due to the small footprint of the tripod gear.
The SLG-20 retractable landing gear has been developed in the XM2 laboratory for approximately three years. A Beta testing program was launched for further development, and retraction devices were dispatched to a series of professional Alta X operators around the world to help optimize landing gear performance.
The SLG-20 module is pre-installed on a custom-designed carbon fiber adapter board for Alta X (AX) and allows users to connect the kit directly to the frame of the aircraft.
There are two versions of the SLG-20-AX retractable landing gear for Freefly Alta X. Customers can choose 600mm or 700mm carbon fiber tube. The 600mm tubing is specially designed for the Freefly MoVi Pro gimbal, and the 700mm tubing is specially designed for the DJI Ronin 2 gimbal. The SLG-20-AX retractable landing gear kit is priced at $3,300 and is now available for purchase from XM2store.com.au. Spare parts can be used for all components, and other accessories can also be purchased. Other accessories include the 65mm Ronin 2 bracket for Alta X. The XM2 Labs 65mm R2 bracket replaces the stock bracket with the toad in the hole that comes with Free Alta-X. With XM2 Labs R2 Quick Release, users can directly install the DJI Ronin 2 gimbal without modification. The purpose of these accessories is to keep the R2 gimbal unchanged and switch seamlessly between other modes (handle, crane, cantilever, etc.).
Matthew Allard is an award-winning, ACS-certified freelance photography director with 30 years of work experience in more than 50 countries around the world. He is the editor of Newsshooter.com and has been writing articles on the site since 2010. Matthew has won 42 ACS awards, including four prestigious golden tripods. In 2016, he won the Best Photography Award at the 21st Asian Television Awards. Matthew can work as a DP in Japan or anywhere else in the world.
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