• regul [any]@hexbear.net
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    6 days ago

    Also, fixed-wing aircraft can still take off even if their thrust-to-weight ratio is less than 1, because they generate lift from forward motion.

    Basically you sacrifice accuracy for capacity, but with the unpredictability of winds over wildfires, I doubt how much accuracy you’d truly gain using a drone.

      • TheDrink [he/him]@hexbear.net
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        6 days ago

        I don’t think there’s a particular reason why you couldn’t equip a 737 with the remote controls of a Predator drone and fly it like that, but the question is would moving the pilot from the cockpit to a ground-based control center be worth the cost of R&Ding such a system.