Gotham 7.5K: A Rare High Altitude Night Flight Above NYC • Hacker News Board

Re: Gotham 7.5K: A Rare High Altitude Night Flight Above NYC

#111

Post by matheweis » Tue, Jan 13, 2015, 10:52 PM UTC

davidw wrote: post #91

PanMan wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I was wondering about that as well. According to the manufacturer, the DJI Phantom[1] (a common consumer drone) has a max vertical speed of 6 m/s. So in 10 minutes (battery lasts about 20, 10 up, 10 down), you could reach 3600m. Higher than these pics were taken! (you remote probably won't reach that...) Not sure if the max speed is up or down... [1]: http://www.dji.com/product/phantom/feature

The heck with down, it'd be interesting to try a one-way trip! I wonder how the thinner air up high affects things.

For the one way trip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfxdeRx2fLA (Not me or anyone I know, that is a pretty stupid flight).

About the thinner air... I regularly fly a hexacopter at 7500' (MSL here in the mountains).

With all other things being equal, the thinner air means you have to run the motors at much higher speeds to appreciate the same lift, and the resulting loss in battery life is pretty significant. The same configuration that gets a 30 minute flight a 1000' MSL will only do about 12 minutes at 7500'.

Re: Gotham 7.5K: A Rare High Altitude Night Flight Above NYC

#112

Post by SocksCanClose » Wed, Jan 14, 2015, 5:48 AM UTC

notnickwolf wrote: post #84

SocksCanClose wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lately I have been wondering if macro-behaviors themselves aren't something like streets in an old world city -- laid out thousands of years ago for long-forgotten purposes. I was in a meeting with a senior (in both age and position) technical advisor, asking about an HR issues in our organization. "Why haven't we tried [optimizing]?" I asked. Sparing HN the details, my organization conducts HR to minimize risks, not…

You might enjoy the book http://www.amazon.com/Antifragile-Things-That-Disorder-Incer...

have been meaning to tackle that, actually -- thanks for the nudge. i read The Bed of Procrustes a few years ago...

Re: Gotham 7.5K: A Rare High Altitude Night Flight Above NYC

#113

Post by tlrobinson » Fri, Jan 16, 2015, 3:56 PM UTC

ganeumann wrote: post #106

larrys wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Total envy that you (and the parent commenter) actually get to do this type of thing. (Meaning fly private planes or helis).

Most people can learn to fly. It's a bit pricy but maybe not as bad as you think. Easier to do than drive a car, except for when you make a mistake. Look for a flight school nearby. The intro flight is usually at a steep discount. There is absolutely nothing like flying a small plane. My first night solo (flew down the shore, over Atlantic City) is one of my best memories.

"except for when you make a mistake"

That's the part that concerns me...