Case Studies
DJI FlyCart 100: Drone trials for forestry and deer recovery
An innovative trial is demonstrating how heavy-lift drones can transform deer recovery and forestry logistics, improving efficiency and safety in remote areas.
DroneWild is deploying DJI FlyCart 100 heavy-lift drones, supplied by heliguy™, in trials with Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS) to transport deer carcasses and forestry materials across challenging terrain. The project highlights how heavy-lift drones can reduce manual handling, improve safety, and make remote logistics faster and more efficient.
Key takeaways
Real-world heavy lift: DroneWild is deploying DJI FlyCart 100 drones in trials with Forestry and Land Scotland, including transporting fencing materials and deer carcasses.
Safer remote logistics: Heavy-lift drones can reduce manual handling and reliance on ground vehicles or helicopters, while moving loads efficiently across difficult terrain.
BVLOS operations: The CAA-approved trials include BVLOS-VM operations at distances of up to 2km from the pilot, supported by a spotter.
DJI FlyCart 100: With a maximum 100kg payload capacity, and a flagship winch system, the FC100 is suited to demanding aerial logistics.
heliguy™ and DroneWild: heliguy™ supplied DroneWild with two DJI FlyCart 100s for the project and provided handover training, continuing a multi-year relationship supporting its use of DJI technology for wildlife and conservation.
Expert insight
“The early results of the trial have been very encouraging. Working alongside the FLS team has been a real pleasure, and the trials are already showing where this technology can reduce cost, carbon and risk while opening up parts of the estate that are otherwise hard to reach. We look forward to building on this and developing the work further over the coming months.”
- Ben Harrower, DroneWild Director and drone pilot
Heavy-lift drones for forestry and wildlife management
NatureTech company DroneWild is putting the DJI FlyCart 100 to work in trials with Forestry and Land Scotland (FLS), testing heavy-lift drones for demanding forestry and wildlife management operations.
Applications include transporting fencing materials to hard-to-reach locations and extracting deer carcasses from difficult terrain.
Both can be physically demanding and time-consuming tasks when using traditional methods. Installing or removing deer fencing can involve moving heavy rolls of wire, fence posts and tools across terrain that is often inaccessible to ground vehicles, while helicopters add carbon emissions and expense.
Deer recovery presents similar challenges. FLS says a ranger can spend five hours or more moving a carcass - which can weigh up to 100kg - across difficult terrain to a location accessible by a ground vehicle. Carcasses need to reach a larder for processing as quickly as possible to be safely entered into the human food chain.
Heavy-lift drones offer a different approach: fly the load over the terrain rather than requiring people or vehicles to move through it.
Carcasses can be secured inside a dedicated carry bag and flown to a forest road for vehicle collection, while fencing materials can be transported directly to where they are needed.
This reduces manual handling and physical strain, improves efficiency, and reduces reliance on ground vehicles or helicopters.
Grant Carson, FLS Wildlife Ranger Manager, said: “These heavy-lift trials could be a major step change for our field work with several potential applications.
“They are proving how effective drones can be in significantly reducing the health and safety challenges that foresters and wildlife rangers have to plan for and manage.
“Whether it’s taking fencing materials to or away from remote and difficult to access locations, or extracting deer carcasses, many forestry jobs are extremely physically demanding.
“The potential applications to which drones like these can be put could be a real game changer for forestry operations.”
From CivTech challenge to field trials
The project was developed through FLS' fourth collaboration with the Scottish Government's CivTech programme, which challenged participants to improve the effectiveness of wildlife management and the health and safety of Wildlife Rangers.
The trials have taken that challenge into the field, assessing whether heavy-lift drones can provide a practical alternative for tasks traditionally reliant on manual handling, ground vehicles or helicopters.
Taking heavy lift further with BVLOS
The trials also demonstrate how heavy-lift capability can be combined with Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) operations to support work across larger and more challenging environments.
DroneWild is licensed and insured to conduct the flights, with the trial allowing BVLOS with Visual Mitigation (BVLOS-VM) operations up to 2km from the pilot's position.
A spotter positioned part-way along the route provides radio guidance to the pilot and, during carcass recovery, confirms that the load is securely contained before giving clearance to lift.
The Specific Operations Risk Assessment (SORA) and field trials were approved by the UK Civil Aviation Authority.
Combining heavy payload capacity with extended operating range is particularly relevant to forestry, where the distance between a load, its destination and the nearest practical vehicle access point can be significant.
Why the DJI FlyCart 100?
The FlyCart 100 is DJI's latest-generation heavy-lift delivery drone.
It expands the capabilities of DJI’s original delivery drone - the FlyCart 30 - with increased payload and range, designed to help operators carry heavier and reach further.
For this project, the additional lifting capacity is particularly important.
The FlyCart 100 can carry up to 100kg with a single battery, or 85kg in dual-battery configuration, expanding the scope of loads that can be transported by drone.
It also supports two payload systems, including its flagship winch system.
The winch enables loads to be lowered and retrieved without requiring the aircraft to land - a major advantage in forests, on steep terrain, or in areas where vegetation and ground conditions make landing impractical.
DroneWild Director and drone pilot Ben Harrower said: “The winch system is one of the standout features for us. Its accuracy means we can position a load very precisely, while making the overall process extremely efficient.
“For this type of work, using heavy-lift drones is a no-brainer. The FlyCart 100 is a very capable machine.”
Ben also highlighted the FC100's integrated parachute, providing an additional layer of safety for heavy-lift operations.
DroneWild has a purpose-built trailer for its FlyCart 100 equipment, supporting transportation and deployment of the aircraft in the field.
Why use heavy-lift drones in remote environments?
The value of heavy-lift drones in forestry isn't simply how much they can carry. It's their ability to move loads across terrain that makes conventional logistics difficult.
Potential benefits demonstrated by the trials include:
Reduced manual handling: Heavy or awkward loads can be moved by air instead of being physically hauled across difficult terrain.
Improved safety: Reducing strenuous manual transportation can lessen the physical demands placed on Wildlife Rangers and forestry teams.
Faster logistics: Loads can travel directly between locations rather than following accessible ground routes.
Improved access: Drones can operate above forests, bogs, watercourses, steep terrain and other obstacles that restrict ground vehicles.
Reduced vehicle dependency: Aerial logistics can decrease the requirement for ATVs and other vehicles to enter remote or sensitive areas.
An alternative to helicopters: For appropriate missions, electrically-powered heavy-lift drones can provide an alternative to more expensive and higher-emission crewed aviation.
For deer management specifically, faster extraction helps carcasses reach a larder for processing sooner, reducing the risk of spoilage or contamination while freeing Wildlife Rangers to focus on other priorities.
Grant said: “Heavy-lift drones have the potential to reduce the risk to wildlife rangers’ physical health and well-being, make better use of their time and also help to reduce the risk of carcasses spoiling or being contaminated during transportation.
“Drones open up deer management in challenging locations to more people, which has the added benefit of giving us greater workforce flexibility.”
DroneWild: Expanding the role of drones in wildlife management
The FlyCart 100 project is another example of DroneWild applying drone technology within the natural environment.
DroneWild specialises in using drones and emerging technologies for wildlife conservation and management, working alongside sister company BH Wildlife Consultancy.
The companies utilise DJI drones, thermal imaging and AI to support wildlife monitoring, including deer surveys and species identification. Read the full case study, here.
DroneWild has also worked with FLS on previous trials using drone-mounted thermal cameras to locate deer, supporting population monitoring and deer management.
Heavy lift adds a new dimension.
Ben said: “We've seen how drones can improve wildlife monitoring and data collection, but heavy lift opens up another range of possibilities, and the early results with FLS have been very encouraging.”
heliguy™ supports DroneWild's move into heavy lift
The project continues a multi-year relationship between DroneWild, BH Wildlife Consultancy and heliguy™.
DroneWild procures its DJI drone technology through heliguy™ and also uses our in-house UK repair centre to support its fleet.
For this project, heliguy™ supplied DroneWild with two DJI FlyCart 100s and provided handover and familiarisation training to help the team integrate the technology into real-world operations.”
Ben said: “heliguy™ has supported us for a number of years as our drone operations have developed. Moving into heavy lift is another significant step for DroneWild, and having access to Heliguy’s product knowledge, training and technical support has been really valuable as we've expanded our capabilities.”
Matthew Cairns, Enterprise Account Manager at heliguy™, said: “It has been a pleasure to support DroneWild as their service provision evolves into operations with the DJI FlyCart 100.
“The UK drone industry is characterised by a large cross section of well established data-driven workflows but with the advent of FlyCart from DJI, we are seeing industry partners becoming excited about reliable heavy-lift drone operations for a whole host of new use cases.
“Projects like this represent a corner of the multi-rotor drone industry that is set to grow. They demonstrate how these platforms can solve rugged operational challenges - reducing manual handling, improving efficiency, and providing new ways to access difficult environments.”
Start your DJI FlyCart programme with heliguy™
heliguy™ can support organisations throughout their heavy-lift journey, from understanding the technology and identifying suitable use cases through to operational deployment.
Our DJI FlyCart support includes:
DJI FlyCart 100 supply and consultancy;
Product demonstrations, using our own heavy-lift authorisation;
Handover and familiarisation training;
Operational and regulatory consultancy;
UK SORA and BVLOS support through our in-house regulatory team.
heliguy™ also supported Aureos Energy's heavy-lift drone programme, supplying the equipment and securing the authorisation required to deploy the DJI FlyCart 30 for overhead line construction.
The drone was used by Aureos to install high-strength rope for conductor work, reducing ground movements and improving efficiency across challenging terrain. Read the case study.
Summary
DroneWild's work with Forestry and Land Scotland demonstrates the growing potential of the DJI FlyCart 100 for real-world heavy-lift operations.
By flying fencing materials and deer carcasses across challenging terrain - including through BVLOS operations - the trials are showing how aerial logistics could reduce manual handling, improve safety and make forestry and wildlife management more efficient.
With its increased payload capacity, flagship winch system, and increased capability over the FlyCart 30, the FC100 provides DroneWild with a powerful new tool for operating in the natural environment.
For heliguy™, the project marks the latest stage in a long-standing relationship with DroneWild, supporting its evolution from wildlife monitoring and data collection into heavy-lift drone logistics.
