The FAA has given permission for Nevada to authorize unmanned aerial vehicles to fly. Today there was a ceremony to watch a demonstration flight. During the hand launch the craft did a wing tip stall and landed very rough on its nose a.k.a. crash.
For more see 1st drone in Nevada test program crashes in demo
Comments
Looks to me like total inexperience. So, if they are going to be inexperienced, next time they better make sure they add more power. I know we all start somewhere.....but don't make it be public...sheeeesh
Should have used a Talon for the demo :-)
Not a good week for legit drone flights. Speaking about failures, anyone have details of the pictorvision fly away incident last Wed? I'm wondering what AHRS they were using (which we all have a good idea what brand). LIRC they were using at least Cinestar 8 frame, which narrows down what electronics can be used. Looks like that incident is getting swept under the covers, considering Pictorvision is one of the 6 hollywood firms with an exemption.
Very poor launch technic, motor stopped immediatly after launch and probably was never at full power. Inexperienced pilot and inexperienced launcher.
Anyway the wing looks really terrible, with that vertical servo and cheap linkage: poor design for something surely expensive.
If you can't hand launch without a running start, it is either overweight or to big to be hand launched in the first place. The running full speed throwing like crazy launches are a steady source of entertainment (i.e. carnage) at local RC sites.
And no matter how much electronics you put inside the plane, human skill and experience is still a big part of the picture.
Watch the (black) elevator. Looks like it was near max up pitch the whole time. Couldn't have helped, along with terrible throwing technique..
That plane is grossly under powered, or grossly overweight for the power it does have. It never really stalled, just didn't have enough power to maintain flight let alone accelerate and climb. It could have also been not a full power launch. That prop looks like it should be driven with enough motor to fly no problem.
#2 LOL.... SOOOOO much truth to that
There are two main reasons it crashed ;
1) No technique - though the launcher runs along he has not achieved any airflow over the control surfaces whatsoever. Also launches it nose up with not enough power and the inevitable tip stall happens. We practice our hand launches religiously and our vehicles are much bigger.
2) Safety vests - Whenever you involve people with safety vests it all turns to poo as process replaces experience.
The drone crash looked just like an RC plane being hand launched.
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