A Cape Town drone pilot has earned a place in the Guinness World Records after keeping a custom-built multirotor drone in the air for an astonishing 4 hours, 21 minutes and 39 seconds, setting a new benchmark for endurance flying.
Image: Screenshot via video
The achievement comes after months of redesigns, testing and meticulous engineering, turning what started as an ambitious experiment into an officially recognised world record.
As highlighted by MyBroadband, the record-breaking aircraft, aptly named the Endurance Drone, surpassed the previous Guinness World Record by a significant margin.
Rather than settling for an earlier prototype that had already unofficially exceeded the existing record, videographer and drone pilot Luke Bell returned to the drawing board with one goal: to build something even better and secure official recognition.
A lighter, stronger drone
Earlier this year, Bell also made headlines after he and his father, Mike Bell, reclaimed the Guinness World Record for the world’s fastest battery-powered remote-controlled quadcopter.
Every gram counted, as Bell refined nearly every component of the aircraft to maximise flight time while maintaining structural strength.
One of the simplest yet most effective improvements came after viewers of one of his previous videos suggested replacing two-piece clamp mounts with single-piece C-style clamps.
The change shaved around 26 grams off the drone’s overall weight.
He also rebuilt the frame using continuous 1.88-metre carbon fibre tubes for each rotor arm, eliminating weak connection points found in the original design.
Additional reinforcement between the front arms helped improve stability during long flights.
Power was another critical factor, as Bell equipped the drone with high-density SMC battery packs and designed a custom mounting system to securely hold the roughly 5kg battery, preventing movement during flight.
To absorb the impact of landings, he also designed and 3D-printed specialised landing gear featuring flexible thermoplastic polyurethane joints.
The mechanical upgrades were only part of the challenge, as early test flights exposed vibration issues that affected the drone’s flight controller, prompting Bell to install a Cube Orange Plus controller with improved internal stabilisation.
He also fitted an advanced positioning system capable of achieving navigation accuracy to within a single centimetre.
Software optimisation became just as important as the hardware. Bell monitored live flight data through a Wi-Fi connection linked to his transmitter, allowing him to analyse power consumption while the drone remained airborne.
One unexpected discovery changed the record attempt entirely. The data showed the drone actually used less power while turning than when flying in a straight line.
Instead of sticking to the original flight path, Bell adjusted the autonomous route mid-flight, creating a shorter circuit with more frequent turns to squeeze every possible minute from the batteries.
The drone maintained an average cruising speed of about 20km/h before eventually returning to the landing zone.
With only a small reserve of battery power remaining, Bell allowed the aircraft to hover until almost every available watt had been used before bringing it down safely.
Watch the video below to see how Luke Bell engineered and flew his record-breaking Endurance Drone.
Article by Lulama Klassen for Cape ETC
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