Remotely Monitoring Drone Payload Line Length

If you want to have the ability to cut the line then it must be guided off the reel so that it's not swinging around and missing the cutter. Run it through a small-diameter tube or something. Cut an opening or slot in the tube for the knife. The tube may be cut away completely and the knife is "fired" through the gap.

For the first prototype, I would not want to have that extra complexity.