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We brought an antenna to Davos to track private airplanes, here's what we found
- jgrahamc 11y agoAnd what they found was... nothing? This is a strange article, you keep thinking they are going to tell you something interesting. And then they don't. For example, they have a map showing that helicopters took the same routes: it's almost as if people are flying to and from the same airports and there's some sort of plan in place for where they fly. Who knew? Chartering a helicopter flight from Zürich to Davos can cost as much as $10,000. We built our helicopter-tracking rig for under $200. Is that supposed to be some weird juxtaposition? Almost feels like this entire article is a justification for them being able to expense the cost of building an ADS-B set up.
- koliber 11y agoThe InterContinental hotel at which many attendees were staying cost $56 million to build. We bought our lunch for $8.
- nashashmi 11y agoI thought about submitting this article to HN, but I thought it would a waste of everyone's time. There was no "point" of the article. Except for maybe that helicopters are used in Davos.
- brudgers 11y agoI found the story about collecting the data intellectually interesting. [1] That there isn't some earth shattering pseudo-analysis for the sake of link bait is okbyme. Maybe something will pop out of the data or maybe I can simply use it to confirm my own beliefs. Anyway, it reminds me of hacking for the sake of hacking [1] and I appreciate the attention given to the write up: line drawings of helicopters rather than Medium style meme GIF's. YMMV [1] [1]: Admittedly, that may be a greater reflection of the low quality of my intellect than the high quality of the article.
- mynewtb 11y agoAbsolutely nothing of relevance? What a sad piece, this should have gone into the drawer or better as a sidenote in some actual reporting to keep others from wasting their time on it.
- aeaejei 11y agoThe title should indicate that the article focuses on private helicopters as opposed to other private aircraft.
- deleted 11y ago[deleted]
- yanofsky 11y agoWhile clearly some of you folks don't find it interesting, we found: - The approximate volume of helicopter traffic that fly into and out of Davos, which was previously unknown - The approximate number of helicopters that fly into and out of Davos, which was previously unknown - The exact types of helicopters that were flying around Davos, which was previously unknown This data also provide a benchmark for future analysis of and reporting on helicopter use patterns at Davos and elsewhere.
- Gys 11y agoGenuinely wondering: why do you think that is of interest ?
- yanofsky 11y agoI find it interesting because it is the only data that exist that can quantify and contextualize the anecdotal reports of the volume and impact of helicopter use at Davos.
- mynewtb 11y agoAnd why would the helicopter use be of any significant interest to the public?
- yanofsky 11y agoFrom the piece: "We went to all this trouble because there is perennial fascination with the flying habits of the 2,800 Davos delegates. Use of private aircraft, though often wildly overstated, highlights the vast wealth and power that descends upon this small skiing town in the Swiss Alps each year. And their transportation choices are frequently criticized for their environmental impact at a conference that seeks solutions to reducing carbon emissions, among other topics."
- Gys 11y agoI was on the island of Sint Maarten for a while. Its a hub in the Caribbean for megayachts and superyachts. You should have a look there around Christmas... Talking about helicopters, wealth and power... And there are many more of those of places and events around the world.
- rasz_pl 11y agoWe brought an antenna to Davos to track private airplanes, you wont believe what happened next.