Estimate the geographic service area reachable from delivery-drone hubs. Usable flight time, cruise speed, round-trip reserve, route efficiency, hub count, and hub overlap are converted into an effective one-way radius and combined coverage area.
The calculated area is a geometric planning estimate. It shows theoretical territory inside equal service circles, not the number of reachable customers or guaranteed air routes.
No-fly zones, terrain, population distribution, payload, wind, alternate landing requirements, and asymmetric routes can materially change service reach.
With 30 usable minutes, 6 non-cruise minutes, 60 km/h cruise speed, and 85% route efficiency, the one-way radius is 10.2 km. Three hubs with 20% overlap cover an estimated 784.4 km².
A delivery drone normally needs energy and time for both the outbound and return legs.
Include takeoff, landing, hover, lowering a package, and other airborne time not spent cruising along the route.
It is a planning adjustment for duplicated territory; use GIS analysis for precise geometry.
No. Airspace, line-of-sight, operating approvals, and local rules must be assessed separately.
Customers are unevenly distributed and routes may be blocked by airspace, terrain, weather, or facility constraints.
| Input | Role in the estimate |
|---|---|
| Usable flight runtime | Flight time already available after battery reserve. |
| Average cruise speed | Average outbound and inbound ground speed. |
| Non-cruise flight time | Takeoff, landing, hover, and handoff time. |
| Route efficiency | Straight-line reach retained after routing constraints. |
| Delivery hubs | Equivalent hubs with the same reach. |