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High-Altitude Adventure with a DIY Pico Balloon

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Re: High-Altitude Adventure with a DIY Pico Balloon

#31

Post by NoiseBert69 »

pingou wrote: post #2

Pretty cool, although it's polluting so hopefully it wouldn't become too popular (probably not). "And because such diminutive payloads don’t pose a danger to aircraft" even though they are small and wouldn't make a plane crash, I can imagine they would cause some damage if they ever enter a jet engine, although that would be unlucky as they would mostly fly higher than aircraft. I also wouldn't like it to fall on my…

There are thousands of weather balloon starts every day without any damages to airplanes.

It's not factor as long they are not crossing a specific size/weight - jet engines and windows from airplanes are tested to withstand a direct impact.

Re: High-Altitude Adventure with a DIY Pico Balloon

#33

Post by NoiseBert69 »

buildsjets wrote: post #26

I wonder what your liability would be in the event your balloon were to be struck by a commercial aircraft and cause injury to the flight crew or passengers? https://komonews.com/news/local/weather-balloon-launched-in-...

Jet engines are tested for this.

They basically can shoot (not only throwing!) entire frozen chicken cadavers into engines with zero damage.

The only way they managed break the entire engine was to place little explosives on the turbine wings. Even that didn't cause a fatal disintegration of the jet engine.

Somewhere on YT there's a super entertaining video from a test facility.

Re: High-Altitude Adventure with a DIY Pico Balloon

#35

Post by ankit_mishra »

squeefers wrote: post #9
voidUpdate wrote: post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It also reminds me of the recent incident where an object (potentially a weather balloon) struck a plane windscreen and caused significant damage to it, as well as injuring one of the flight crew. I don't know if it would cause the same amount of damage given it's size, but hitting any solid object at cruising speed is sure to leave a mark

shouldnt be cruising in the balloon lane then

Balloon doesn't teleport to the balloon lane though

Re: High-Altitude Adventure with a DIY Pico Balloon

#37

Post by 1024core »

jacquesm wrote: post #27
daemonologist wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you keep the payload under 4 pounds I believe it's theoretically unregulated in the US except section 101.7 - don't create a hazard. I would still try to be approximately in compliance with part 101 though. Not a laywer.

Four pounds of hardware ingested by a jet engine is going to do a shitload of damage.

Exactly. Given that most birds weigh less than 4 pounds and bird strikes can take an engine out completely.

Plus, if @jacquesm says it, it must be true. ;-)

Re: High-Altitude Adventure with a DIY Pico Balloon

#38

Post by m4rtink »

HNisCIS wrote: post #30
jacquesm wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Four pounds of hardware ingested by a jet engine is going to do a shitload of damage.

These pico balloons weigh grams.

Yeah, I think ours was less than 10 grams.

As rules go, IIRC at least here in the Czech Republic anything below 100 g is unregulated, you just need to have a licensed amateur radio operator, so that the probe can broadcast in the 20 meter WSPR band under his callsign.

Re: High-Altitude Adventure with a DIY Pico Balloon

#39

Post by ankit_mishra »

NoiseBert69 wrote: post #33
buildsjets wrote: post #26

I wonder what your liability would be in the event your balloon were to be struck by a commercial aircraft and cause injury to the flight crew or passengers? https://komonews.com/news/local/weather-balloon-launched-in-...

Jet engines are tested for this. They basically can shoot (not only throwing!) entire frozen chicken cadavers into engines with zero damage. The only way they managed break the entire engine was to place little explosives on the turbine wings. Even that didn't cause a fatal disintegration of the jet engine. Somewhere on YT there's a super entertaining video from a test facility.

FAA explicitly requires birds used in strike tests NOT be frozen, because frozen birds do not realistically simulate real bird strikes.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicken_gun

Re: High-Altitude Adventure with a DIY Pico Balloon

#40

Post by m4rtink »

NoiseBert69 wrote: post #31
pingou wrote: post #2

Pretty cool, although it's polluting so hopefully it wouldn't become too popular (probably not). "And because such diminutive payloads don’t pose a danger to aircraft" even though they are small and wouldn't make a plane crash, I can imagine they would cause some damage if they ever enter a jet engine, although that would be unlucky as they would mostly fly higher than aircraft. I also wouldn't like it to fall on my…

There are thousands of weather balloon starts every day without any damages to airplanes. It's not factor as long they are not crossing a specific size/weight - jet engines and windows from airplanes are tested to withstand a direct impact.

Yeah, and pico baloons are extremely tiny, often at 10 grams or less, comprising some very thin plastic, some thin wire and tiny PCBs - this is also how they can fly so high for so long.

Lost of types of hail will be much heavier and harder on impact for example.

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