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Are they using auto pilot or stick and yoke? Just curious, as the article mentions in the conclusion this isn't addressed. Recent regional news would indicate t

Are they using auto pilot or stick and yoke? Just curious, as the article mentions in the conclusion this isn't addressed. Recent regional news would indicate this may be a valid concern...well, at least from a cold-blooded investor standpoint (liability vs. profitability).

kleer001 12y ago
Great question, fundamental really. If it's auto pilot what's to stop some malicious hacker from diverting the drones. If it's manual how much are the pilots getting paid and are they bonded? Seems like a huge can of worms to me.
- gatehouse 12y ago
  My guess is that they are using human operators, and they probably have a retrieval squad on standby in case they lose contact. The regulatory issues I couldn't begin to guess. The goal at this stage would be to validate the business model and to collect flight data and get a sense of the operational requirements. If it works and they want to develop an autopilot, they will then have all the flight data, landing zone choices and issues, and trained operators to consult.
  - 6stringmerc 12y ago
    Nicely put; especially with respect to the business model. It almost seems that being competitive with traditional methods (bicycle, scooter, truck) almost will require more investment than can be expected as a return on capital. If human capital is very cheap in the markets for delivery (assumption) then establishing a break-even / profit point is genuinely of concern. Also, I can't help but recall seeing pictures of some cities with smog so bad I wonder if drone pilots would even be able to see at certain altitudes. Limited scenario, I know, but seems to correspond with population density. Dense population seems kind of the ideal market, so, yeah, just a thought.
- 6stringmerc 12y ago
  Yeah, while normal aircraft seem to have plenty of regulations and training involved, the nature of the 'piloting' is of worthwhile concern. As was just the case over in Washington DC, even a weather event can have drastically unwanted consequences. It's one thing to say "Oops I crashed my drone on the White House lawn" and quite different when it comes to "Oops I crashed your X/Y/Z product into a group of children playing outside."
dharma1 12y ago
Most likely GPS autopilot with FPV human backup in case something goes wrong. And I'm sure they will have crashes sooner or later if they start doing this at scale
- 6stringmerc 12y ago
  Honestly I have doubts that the crashes-to-success ratio will be positive from the outset, or even overall. Seems like a reasonable "prove it" kind of attitude. Capable of it? No doubt...but what-goes-up-must-come-down as intended is a consistently difficult challenge.
  - kenrikm 12y ago
    Flying from known point A to known Landing Zone B via Multi-Rotor is actually a relatively routine task given current tech as you can buy a 3DR Iris for ~$750 and it will (relatively) reliably do just that. However add in unknown landing zone conditions and things get tricky.
  - mod 12y ago
    I almost think that it doesn't matter how good the ratio is, crashes here and there will be used turn the public opinion. Save the children and all that jazz. Someone mentioned crashing into children a couple of comments above, actually.

kleer001 12y ago

Great question, fundamental really. If it's auto pilot what's to stop some malicious hacker from diverting the drones. If it's manual how much are the pilots getting paid and are they bonded? Seems like a huge can of worms to me.

gatehouse 12y ago
My guess is that they are using human operators, and they probably have a retrieval squad on standby in case they lose contact. The regulatory issues I couldn't begin to guess. The goal at this stage would be to validate the business model and to collect flight data and get a sense of the operational requirements. If it works and they want to develop an autopilot, they will then have all the flight data, landing zone choices and issues, and trained operators to consult.
- 6stringmerc 12y ago
  Nicely put; especially with respect to the business model. It almost seems that being competitive with traditional methods (bicycle, scooter, truck) almost will require more investment than can be expected as a return on capital. If human capital is very cheap in the markets for delivery (assumption) then establishing a break-even / profit point is genuinely of concern. Also, I can't help but recall seeing pictures of some cities with smog so bad I wonder if drone pilots would even be able to see at certain altitudes. Limited scenario, I know, but seems to correspond with population density. Dense population seems kind of the ideal market, so, yeah, just a thought.
6stringmerc 12y ago
Yeah, while normal aircraft seem to have plenty of regulations and training involved, the nature of the 'piloting' is of worthwhile concern. As was just the case over in Washington DC, even a weather event can have drastically unwanted consequences. It's one thing to say "Oops I crashed my drone on the White House lawn" and quite different when it comes to "Oops I crashed your X/Y/Z product into a group of children playing outside."

dharma1 12y ago

Most likely GPS autopilot with FPV human backup in case something goes wrong. And I'm sure they will have crashes sooner or later if they start doing this at scale

6stringmerc 12y ago
Honestly I have doubts that the crashes-to-success ratio will be positive from the outset, or even overall. Seems like a reasonable "prove it" kind of attitude. Capable of it? No doubt...but what-goes-up-must-come-down as intended is a consistently difficult challenge.
- kenrikm 12y ago
  Flying from known point A to known Landing Zone B via Multi-Rotor is actually a relatively routine task given current tech as you can buy a 3DR Iris for ~$750 and it will (relatively) reliably do just that. However add in unknown landing zone conditions and things get tricky.
- mod 12y ago
  I almost think that it doesn't matter how good the ratio is, crashes here and there will be used turn the public opinion. Save the children and all that jazz. Someone mentioned crashing into children a couple of comments above, actually.