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I tried doing some back of the envelope math but it doesn’t come out in favor of drones. The CL-415 that you shared in the link has a reported capacity around
by klodolph 2y ago
I tried doing some back of the envelope math but it doesn’t come out in favor of drones.
The CL-415 that you shared in the link has a reported capacity around 6100 kg of water. When I searched for “heavy lift drones” I got the Draganfly Heavy Lift, which can reportedly carry 30 kg but only for 18 minutes of flight time (according to the company’s web site). I think the plane’s flight time is around 3 hours but obviously the math is a little more complicated than that.
- bwhiting2356 2y agoMy thinking is that maybe * there aren't enough pilots * pilots understandably don't want to fly too close to the fire But a drone might be able to get away with carrying less water and do more of a targeted squirt.
- klodolph 2y agoWe’re talking, like, $10 million in drones to replace one pilot for 18 minutes. I don’t see any reason to believe there’s a pilot shortage, and I don’t understand what’s wrong with the current targeting, or how that could be improved. There’s a whole strategy to fighting fires of this scale. I don’t think the strategies are obvious to people on the ground.