joefigura

8 ms·

61.
by joefigura 5y ago
Standard drone regulations in the U.S. allow mostly unrestricted flight up to 400 feet. We think that's about the right altitude to stay below general aviation - no obvious advantages to flying higher - but TBD depending on how regulat
62.
by joefigura 5y ago
We think we're starting at about the right time to skip straight to aviation hydrogen. Several companies are working on fuel cells and infrastructure specifically for aviation. We're starting with the battery version, and by the t
63.
by joefigura 5y ago
Agreed, nice to meet someone else who knows what a hybrid airship is! it solves a lot of challenges around ground handling and cargo loading/unloading. The full scale design is a fatter shape that approximates a flying wing. That'
64.
by joefigura 5y ago
> Is this a case of people over-hyping the problem... As best I can tell, this is the case. The price of helium has gone up quite a bit, but non of the commentary links that to the actual production volumes of helium or size of remaining
65.
by joefigura 5y ago
We'll spend a lot of time on certification. We need two things: a type-certification of the aircraft, and operator certifications for the organizations flying them. Both require a lot of flight hours, which will be our main development
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by joefigura 5y ago
Good question! Airships do get more efficient as they get larger (more volume to surface area). But at the 650 lb payload size our vehicles fly more efficiency than a comparably-sized plane - small planes are also aerodynamically inefficien
67.
by joefigura 5y ago
Good questions. Helium is non-renewable, but there is still plenty in the ground. It's a byproduct of natural gas extraction, and as long as there's more gas in the ground there will be helium available. We do think that declining
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by joefigura 5y ago
You're right, 650 lbs is the full scale version. The current prototype carries 0-10 lbs, depending on battery load. Edited the post to make that a bit clearer.
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Launch HN: Buoyant (YC S21) – Blimp drones for air freight
302 points by joefigura 5y ago|173 comments
70.
by joefigura 5y ago
Interesting piece! I think the article makes some good points, but I don't think that helium is the reason that airships have failed to find use cases. The benefits of hydrogen do not change the fundamentals of the business case. Hydro