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A larger drone for ATC ?

Chinese drone maker unveils human-carrying drone | The Seattle Times

Quote:

By RYAN NAKASHIMA
The Associated Press

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Chinese drone maker Ehang Inc. on Wednesday unveiled what it calls the world’s first drone capable of carrying a human passenger.
The Guangzhou, China-based company pulled the cloth off the Ehang 184 at the Las Vegas Convention Center during the CES gadget show. In a company video showing it flying, it looks like a small helicopter but with four doubled propellers spinning parallel to the ground like other drones.
The electric-powered drone can be fully charged in two hours, carry up to 220 pounds and fly for 23 minutes at sea level, according to Ehang. The cabin fits one person and a small backpack and even has air conditioning and a reading light. With propellers folded up, it’s designed to fit in a single parking spot.
After setting a flight plan, passengers only need to give two commands, “take off” and “land,” each controlled by a single click on a Microsoft Surface

goes on

New meaning for the blue screen of death ??

Given the propensity for Chinese "hover boards" lith-ion batteries to catch fire, I'd give this a miss. Still, it'll make the 787 battery issue look like a triviality. Maybe they'll call it a Firefly?

Quote:

After setting a flight plan, passengers only need to give two commands, “take off” and “land...”

Seems unnecessarily complicated to me!

Why "land"? After "take off" the landing is not generally optional. :p

I also would have thought simple commands like 'left' 'right' 'up' 'down' 'stop' and 'go' might have a place in this vehicle's vocabulary. But there again, I'm old fashioned. But not too old to realise that these things are going to be with us for evermore. The market has the demand and the electronics world has the where-with-all. So it's only a matter of time before they are all over this earth like a rash.

But it is not unreasonable to have expected EASA to have put some thought into this problem some years ago. But no, they'll make sure manned public transport aircraft are flown by fatigued pilots, that pointless hurdles have to be jumped to get licences, that totally unnecessary restrictions are placed on private pilots but most of all that they have nice fat pensions. Bar Stewards!

PM