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> Because fixed wings require either landing/takeoff strips, or complex systems to transition between two modes of flight For small planes you don't need a ful
by schiffern 8y ago
> Because fixed wings require either landing/takeoff strips, or complex systems to transition between two modes of flight
For small planes you don't need a full strip. You can use launch accelerator ramps and capture harnesses for a very small footprint, ala Zipline. https://www.cnet.com/pictures/take-a-look-at-ziplines-new-drone-delivery-system/ https://www.cnet.com/pictures/take-a-look-at-ziplines-new-dr...
- sandworm101 8y agoSuch systems require someone trained at the receiving end. A quad can land and take off without much, if any, human interaction needed. That can matter if you perhaps want to drop something at a location where there might not even be any people waiting to receive it. (In SAR scenarios helos often drop supplies in fields even though those who need them are hours away.) Needing any physical landing/takeoff equipment at the destination also means that you can only deliver to prepared routes. So you couldn't do rapid response to remote locations. Physical equipment can also be damaged in disasters(hurricanes) after which air transport is most needed.
- apendleton 8y agoZipline's landing system is totally automated, so I don't think it needs anyone specially trained, but it does need equipment to land. They don't land at the receiving end, though, they drop the package via parachute, with a claimed accuracy of within two parking spaces. So, the origin point (where the packages come from) is fixed, by they can do arbitrary destinations so the routes aren't fixed.