EssexBOF Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 It will be interesting to see if they publish the corridors that these drones will be flying along, as their paths might cross existing model flying sites. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-54582888 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
satinet Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 Deliveries? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
isoaritfirst Posted October 22, 2020 Share Posted October 22, 2020 Storks replaced with drones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve J Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 21 hours ago, EssexBOF said: It will be interesting to see if they publish the corridors that these drones will be flying along, as their paths might cross existing model flying sites. https://airspacechange.caa.co.uk/PublicProposalArea?pID=281 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc RC pilot Posted October 23, 2020 Share Posted October 23, 2020 14 hours ago, isoaritfirst said: Storks replaced with drones? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssexBOF Posted October 23, 2020 Author Share Posted October 23, 2020 Feel there will be only one winner as to where they are allowed to fly. Airspace conflict I have just had a very interesting conversation with Skylift and am getting a more detailed flight plan sent to me. The model they are using runs on 3 lipo’s, has a 3m wingspan and weighs 25kg! They are keen to not prevent us from flying and are happy to work with us. I have also contacted the BMFA who are aware of the situation and whilst they believe the flight zone does not encroach on us they have objected to the CAA. Gary Nunn CMFA Chairman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssexBOF Posted October 24, 2020 Author Share Posted October 24, 2020 After checking the map of the air corridor shown, it potentially affects 5 sites where model or full size aircraft fly from. So there could not have been much research as to where they would fly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve J Posted October 24, 2020 Share Posted October 24, 2020 On 23/10/2020 at 15:10, EssexBOF said: I have also contacted the BMFA who are aware of the situation and whilst they believe the flight zone does not encroach on us they have objected to the CAA. I would have hoped that the BMFA would have agreed a template co-ordination procedure with the CAA for clubs and companies performing BVLOS UAS trials to use. Like it or not, BVLOS UAS operations are coming and are going to impact more and more model flying sites. Is there anybody on here who flew off the Orme during the recent Coastguard UAS trials and who contacted RAF Valley? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssexBOF Posted October 24, 2020 Author Share Posted October 24, 2020 https://www.aerosociety-events.com/raes-events-terminal/urban-air-mobility-conference-2020/?fbclid=IwAR2-GNl0tgDm4zs85ToKFokUAK9wndjH_4_Zn9VCXlaBTIwL--Ih-JLmZb8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jef Ott Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 This has me worried now. I would be very interested in seeing the risk assessment for use of such a practically poor design, to carry hospital pathology test samples over our countryside. The fact it "only" has a 3m wingspan and a relatively low wing area, and an AUW of 25kg, means to fly at all efficiently, it will need to be going fast. Such speed will make it difficult to avoid bird strikes. (What a great film "Sully" is.) If it had six rotors and lost one, it would at least be capable of losing a rotor blade and still landing safely. A quad losing a motor/blade will lose height uncontrollably. Think of a table with four legs, take away one and the table is unstable, whereas one built with two sets of three legs will remain stable if it loses any of one set. When is the first flight in anger going to take place, and how will the "pilot" be able to convince him/herself that they can make the complete flight and landing safely, as we do before we fly? Edit to add picture taken on 14th Oct less than 2 miles from Basildon Hospital. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 Picture of the “drone”, a conventional aircraft with additional rotors for vertical take off and landing. The trial has been going on for a while now and there was a full news report on BBC look east a few weeks back. It is designed to fly at 300ft and to follow a route over open country avoiding populated areas en route. I guess that has the potential to put it in direct conflict with model flying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jef Ott Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 It is in full operation now. Just been chatting with one of the managers there. It is an awful design though, if a bird strike takes a rotor out, it cannot land safely. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jef Ott Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 They're doing it by drone now Pete. That's what I meant when I said "It's in full operation now." Previously, it was done by men in vans. As far as I know, vans can be parked safely having withstood multiple bird strikes It's shocking. I don't know what to do about it. But the design needs a re-think, and a proper risk assessment needs to be done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jef Ott Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 3 hours ago, gem said: It is designed to fly at 300ft and to follow a route over open country avoiding populated areas en route. I guess that has the potential to put it in direct conflict with model flying. Large birds at around 300ft are also likely to be flying in the same uninhabited corridors, and are more likely to be in direct conflict with this drone than model flying areas, which can probably be routed around, if the NHS are made aware that the flying areas are there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 5 hours ago, Jef Ott said: Think of a table with four legs, take away one and the table is unstable (Pedant’s corner) This isn’t true. The table may not be level, but it will be stable even on an uneven floor. With four legs of equal length it will be stable on a flat floor, but unstable otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssexBOF Posted October 26, 2020 Author Share Posted October 26, 2020 3 hours ago, oipigface said: (Pedant’s corner) This isn’t true. The table may not be level, but it will be stable even on an uneven floor. With four legs of equal length it will be stable on a flat floor, but unstable otherwise. Can't see that, taking one leg away from a table wit 4 legs one in each corner, it would be definitely unstable! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 Supposing all the legs are the same weight, taking the leg away from one corner moves the CG towards the opposite leg. The bottom ends of the three remaining legs are sufficient to define a plane and a triangle on it. The projection of the CG onto that plane lies within the triangle (as long as the floor is close enough to horizontal). Therefore the table is stable. It’s true that if you put a pint on the legless corner (or anything heavier than the leg that’s been removed) the table falls over, but the pint falls too. The table on its own won’t. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jef Ott Posted October 26, 2020 Share Posted October 26, 2020 OK you win. Look at the picture and imagine a bird strike disabling either of the front rotors, now imagine what will happen when the drone tries to land. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve J Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 @oipigfaceA quadcopter with one motor u/s would not have yaw control. 22 hours ago, gem said: The trial has been going on for a while now and there was a full news report on BBC look east a few weeks back. I would be surprised if that is the case as I can't see a Temporary Danger Area for it. There was a similar trial around Oban earlier in the year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oipigface Posted October 27, 2020 Share Posted October 27, 2020 I can’t actually tell from the photo what controls the device might have. It is certainly not a simple quadcopter. It is hard to see whether the fins are fitted with rudders, and even harder to see what kind of fail-safe system it has. What is its glide angle? It looks as if it can probably be operated as a fixed wing aircraft powered by that pusher prop. Is that black blob on the inside of the fin a rudder servo? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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