An unmanned aerial vehicle for transporting items between locations, comprising: a frame having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a thickness from the top surface to the bottom surface; a propulsion system coupled to the frame, the propulsion system including at least one transmission and at least one motor, characterised in that: the at least one motor is horizontally mounted such that an input shaft of the at least one motor is coupled to the at least one transmission to provide rotational energy to a mast such that the input shaft is perpendicular to the mast (214, 216) coupled to the at least one transmission; and the frame includes a load support area planar to the top surface and the bottom surface of the frame at a fixed position relative to the propulsion system, the load support area comprising at least one of a different material than the frame with higher structural strength or rigidity than the frame, and the load support area being centered along an axis of the propulsion system coinciding with the yaw axis, wherein the forces generated by a load secured to the load support area, from the items, are isolated from at least one of the at least one transmission and the at least one motor, and directed toward the load support area. a frame having a top surface, a bottom surface, and a thickness from the top surface to the bottom surface; a propulsion system coupled to the frame, the propulsion system including at least one transmission and at least one motor, characterised in that: the at least one motor is horizontally mounted such that an input shaft of the at least one motor is coupled to the at least one transmission to provide rotational energy to a mast such that the input shaft is perpendicular to the mast (214, 216) coupled to the at least one transmission; and the frame includes a load support area planar to the top surface and the bottom surface of the frame at a fixed position relative to the propulsion system, the load support area comprising at least one of a different material than the frame with higher structural strength or rigidity than the frame, and the load support area being centered along an axis of the propulsion system coinciding with the yaw axis, wherein the forces generated by a load secured to the load support area, from the items, are isolated from at least one of the at least one transmission and the at least one motor, and directed toward the load support area. the at least one motor is horizontally mounted such that an input shaft of the at least one motor is coupled to the at least one transmission to provide rotational energy to a mast such that the input shaft is perpendicular to the mast (214, 216) coupled to the at least one transmission; and the frame includes a load support area planar to the top surface and the bottom surface of the frame at a fixed position relative to the propulsion system, the load support area comprising at least one of a different material than the frame with higher structural strength or rigidity than the frame, and the load support area being centered along an axis of the propulsion system coinciding with the yaw axis, wherein the forces generated by a load secured to the load support area, from the items, are isolated from at least one of the at least one transmission and the at least one motor, and directed toward the load support area.