Can Drones Be Good?

[macoman]

It was a cool day in Dallas last November, when a small quadcopter lifted itself off the ground of an American Airlines hangar and buzzed towards a Boeing 777. The drone, a DJI Mavic Enterprise, had been outfitted with a spotlight, but otherwise looked a lot like what you might see your neighbor flying in the backyard. The remarkable difference was that this particular aircraft had been programmed to inspect the hull of the much larger aircraft, the jet. It could do in a matter of minutes what it would take a maintenance crew hours to do. It was, in its own way, a tiny flying robot with a job.

A small gaggle of journalists watched the drone slowly make its way around the airplane, spotting specially located indicators that resembled bullseyes on the fuselage and sending alerts back to a pilot. This was just a demo, though. The drone had been programmed to spot the innocent-seeming bullseyes, but the airline says it could just as easily spot damage. Currently, American and other airlines employ a group of workers on a cherrypicker to inspect aircraft between flights, but some think that drones could do the job just as well—or at the very least, drones could help streamline the process. That is, if the airline decides to make the demo a part of everyday operations.

“This is a tool of the future that should be in every professional technician’s toolbox,” said Lorne Cass, American Airline’s VP of Operations and Industry Affairs, who went on to say that drones could also be used for all kinds of things, like spotting debris on runways.

Read more on: https://gizmodo.com/can-drones-be-good-1830831747

 

[Former Member]

Great idea especially with the hi-res ability of the camera to pick up even small inconsistencies.

 

[AMann]

NASA could have used one to pre-inspect Columbia before launch, too.

 

[787steve]

To answer your question, No. Drones can not be good.

 

[mrreddog]

"Afterall, they bring down aiplanes and helicopters"

 

[calmar81]

There are also marketing videos from DJI on that particular demo from AA:

 

[macoman]

There are also marketing videos from DJI on that particular demo from AA:

They try to sell it to other airlines. That's a smart move.

 

[calmar81]

They try to sell it to other airlines. That's a smart move.

Yes... And the use of the M2E could make even more sense now that it can have a built-in thermal sensor on the Dual.

I mean, I'm not a technician or engineer, but I could well imagine that detecting temperature differences could also show material fatigue, production errors, or other hidden issues.

 

[macoman]

Yes... And the use of the M2E could make even more sense now that it can have a built-in thermal sensor on the Dual.

I mean, I'm not a technician or engineer, but I could well imagine that detecting temperature differences could also show material fatigue, production errors, or other hidden issues.

Yup, we are at a time in which drones are so modern, flexible and stable that can do any job that require inspection in a tall area. For example, a job that I found terrified to do it is the inspection of tall antennas. This thing can go as high as 2000 feet and they are so tiny in space. You feel yourself with so little to grab that you can fall easily and be dead. Drones can make this risky job easy and fast.

 

[calmar81]

Yes, you’re absolutely right. Also wind power plants and cable cars etc.

There are so many possibilities. Maybe that helps in the „bad drone news“ dilemma

 

[787steve]

"Afterall, they bring down aiplanes and helicopters"

And they take pictures of me when I take a pee in my back yard

 

[Mavic Pro Platinum]

There are also marketing videos from DJI on that particular demo from AA:

Drones are very useful![emoji16]

 

[JDawg]

"Afterall, they bring down aiplanes and helicopters"

LOL. Like any inanimate object they can be good or bad depending on who is in control.