TexasCHLforum.com

Your tax dollars have brought forth a drone flyer the size of a large hummingbird. At this point the small craft are planned to carry cameras, but science-fiction and suspense writers are already writing plots.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... 319f9c1bfe" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

- Jim

...just what this world needs...another hummer!!! Oughta been the size of an eagle...it'd carry bigger bombs!!!

I've seen a hawk looking bird in Pasadena swoop down and pluck small birds out of the air .... I wonder how that will work out for that expensive little birdie.

implanting live insects during metamorphosis with video cameras

I'm wondering if the bats in Austin will get indigestion from those .... we need an environmental impact statement after millions are spent studying the issue.

...kinda like a high-dollar hors d'oeuvre...

RPB wrote:I've seen a hawk looking bird in Pasadena swoop down and pluck small birds out of the air .... I wonder how that will work out for that expensive little birdie.

Ya know, this is one of those "if it saves one life it's worth it" situations that really is valid.

Helicopters are expensive to buy and maintain, and they have a fearsome crash rate. Even conventional airplanes are expensive. If these little birdies cost some 5-figure price and can replace that role, I think they are worth it.

A lot of things that the U.S. military consumes like popcorn cost hundreds of thousands or millions a pop. Stinger missiles cost around $40,000. Machine gun cartridges around $5.

Raptors are impressive. I've never forgotten after something like 25 years, I was out in the woods when I heard what I could only describe as a bowling ball being dropped from the sky and crashing into the trees. My horse flinched a bit. Then a large bird flew back up with some unlucky small creature in its claws screeching out its last gasp.

Bats eat tiny insects, mosquitoes, gnats, and so forth. This thing is bigger than a bat.

- Jim

While a novel idea, I really consider the practicality of the device. Size-wise i would think it would be limited on lifting capabilities and heavily influenced by strong winds. Additionally, as mentioned, it could look like a $1M a plate dinner. And to an eagle or large hawk, it would be easy pickings. Here is video of an eagle chasing a remote controlled model airplane.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=-AHbRIGLqQI[/youtube]

Keith B wrote:While a novel idea, I really consider the practicality of the device. Size-wise i would think it would be limited on lifting capabilities and heavily influenced by strong winds. Additionally, as mentioned, it could look like a $1M a plate dinner. And to an eagle or large hawk, it would be easy pickings. Here is video of an eagle chasing a remote controlled model airplane.

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=-AHbRIGLqQI[/youtube]

Hmm, wonder if the eagle had dinner, or romance in mind...

One of the performance factors involved with drones of any size is their
"loiter time", which is the time that the aircraft can linger on station doing
surveillance.

IIRC, some of our present drones have something like a 30 hour loiter time.
But some of the newest drones will have a loiter time measured in DAYS without landing.

Speaking of military expenditures, I've seen many videos from the sandbox (Iraq/Afghanistan)
where a Hellfire missile has been used to kill one BG. One source said that a Hellfire missile
costs $77,716. I'm all for killing the bad guys, but wouldn't a 30MM cannon do the killing for
less money?

By the way, earlier Hellfire missiles were supposed to be for anti-vehicle destruction. To modify it
for greater anti-personnel deaths (those in the open/not in a vehicle), the engineers simply
made the body of the missile a more shrapnel-prone alloy. Mission accomplished.

SIA

sjfcontrol wrote:Hmm, wonder if the eagle had dinner, or romance in mind...

You don't know. You can't know what an animal is thinking, if we can even use that word about animals. Sometimes they play. Why do dolphins follow ships and boats?

Accomplishing goals costs money. If this device accomplishes a goal at lower cost than alternatives, it is worthwhile.

Plenty of planes with fragile human beings inside have crashed because birds got sucked into the engines.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote:You don't know. You can't know what an animal is thinking, if we can even use that word about animals.

Accomplishing goals costs money. If this device accomplishes a goal at lower cost than alternatives, it is worthwhile.

Plenty of planes with fragile human beings inside have crashed because birds got sucked into the engines.

- Jim

I am sure there would be areas where the drone could be used and perform well. I guess I am more in favor of pending money on development of tools that are multi-functional rather than single task oriented. However, they both have their good and bad points. I like the capabilities and multi-functionality of the Shopsmith. But using one when you have to change it around a lot for the different tasks and functions is a pain. And while it is cheaper overall, if you can probably get through a project a lot faster with separate single function tools.

So, I guess it really depends on the application and the ROI for the development and cost of the item.

surprise_i'm_armed wrote:Speaking of military expenditures, I've seen many videos from the sandbox (Iraq/Afghanistan) where a Hellfire missile has been used to kill one BG. One source said that a Hellfire missile costs $77,716. I'm all for killing the bad guys, but wouldn't a 30MM cannon do the killing for less money? SIA

What if the lone BG is aiming an RPG at a Hummer carrying six U.S. soldiers? I'd say that's a fair trade.

Keith B wrote:I guess I am more in favor of pending money on development of tools that are multi-functional rather than single task oriented.

As you suggest, many big projects have turned into debacles because the planners tried to make them all things to all people. Probably that was the biggest defect of the STS.

Your favorite handgun does exactly one thing well. You don't see them hanging nail clippers and can openers on Colt .45s.

- Jim

seamusTX wrote: Your favorite handgun does exactly one thing well. You don't see them hanging nail clippers and can openers on Colt .45s.

- Jim

Nope, that is what the AR is for.

The can opener is right in there. That thing has more lights than the mother ship in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. Check out the hood ornament.

- Jim