When did we start using M/S vs MPH or KPH???... and why?

[vindibona1]

Think what you want, but here in the US there was a push in the 60's to convert to the metric system. It was official... but didn't "take". Most folks still used Imperial measurements of feet, yards, miles, acres. As the global economy came over here we knew we'd have to be able to use (convert) to cm, mm, M and Km. But to many of us it was like having to translate to a different language rather than know the language. It seems that pretty much only the scientific community embraced the metric system fully. To the rest of us it was something to be "translated" into the familiar imperial measurements.

Yards into approximate meters could get us a spitball estimate of distance. Kph into Mph was a little harder (and disconcerting when I lived in Mexico and had a car). [Also seemed like an easy way to bump the price of gas when measured in litres.} BUT NOW "METERS PER SECOND"???? You lost me here. I can calculate Mph from Kph... But reducing the distance and the time into a m/s equation has just left me in the dust.

So why m/s as opposed to Kph or Mph. . I know we can select the unit of measurement in our drones' preferences. But often when looking at demo vids and only m/s is provided as speed, I have to pause and go "Alexa....". Until I started droning I had never heard speed spoken of as m/s. Is there really a point to using m/s when the world uses either mph or kph? I know we can change it to meet our needs, but when used as the sole reference it just doesn't register with me as something I can grasp as actual speed. "Splain it to me, Lucia".

 

[Phantomrain.org]

I think its so we have to use Alexa , they may be in koooo hoooots with them . lol

Phantomrain.org
Gear To fly in the Rain. Land on the Water.

 

[vindibona1]

I think its so we have to use Alexa , they may be in koooo hoooots with them . lol

Phantomrain.org
Gear To fly in the Rain. Land on the Water.

Alexa is my co-pilot :0.
I had to use her this morning. Apparently 3.5/ms = 7.83mph... so I guess I can multiply m/s by 2.2 (same as pounds into kilos) to get mph. I suppose that computation is easier than kph>mph :0. Seems like an easier in-the-head conversion than m/s>kph!

 

[ThatBeardedDroneGuy]

It's collusion from the metric world trying to further confuse us so we imperials can be more easily overtaken.

 

[DaveG]

As a Brit born in the 80s (and now living in the EU), I grew up using both metric and imperial formats, so I haven't bothered to change this. Actually, I'm not even sure if I'm set to mph or kph right now.

I quite like m/s though, I graduated in Physics and m/s is the SI unit for speed (velocity), so maybe we have a lot of scientists flying drones? I also find speeds in m/s instinctively quite easy to visualise, so I might actually change to m/s next time I fly...

 

[Yorkshire_Pud]

Somethings are easier to understand in one unit system than another or a given unit system is habitually associated with a given measurement.
To me expressing rate of climb in km/h or mph would be meaningless for something 'limited' to 400ft. I associate mph and miles with long distance travel, I am not metricated in my thinking of long distances.
For the distances and speeds involved in drone usage, m & m/s or ft & ft/s seem more appropriate to me.
Curiously in this respect and due to my age, I am bi lol, height and climb rate are generally thought of in ft & ft/s but distance and horizontal speed is thought of in m & m/s.
Even more perversely, total flown distance for my drone/s is thought of with in km or miles, I can not get my head around the DJI forums use of "ft" for the flown distance.
I am a mixed up kid lol.

 

[vindibona1]

As a Brit born in the 80s (and now living in the EU), I grew up using both metric and imperial formats, so I haven't bothered to change this. Actually, I'm not even sure if I'm set to mph or kph right now.

I quite like m/s though, I graduated in Physics and m/s is the SI unit for speed (velocity), so maybe we have a lot of scientists flying drones? I also find speeds in m/s instinctively quite easy to visualise, so I might actually change to m/s next time I fly...

Physicist? You're completely disqualified from this conversation. First, you're a math brainiac. Second, you work with this micro equation every day while many of us hadn't even considered there was such a thing in our whole lives until now. I wish I was as smart as you, and quick with the math. But that ain't never gonna happen.

 

[Jagerbomb52]

Physicist? You're completely disqualified from this conversation. First, you're a math brainiac. Second, you work with this (Mod Removed Language)every day. I wish I was as smart as you, and quick with the math. But that ain't never gonna happen.

LOL
When was the last time you measured a 2x4 stud? Seem we pay for the whole 2x4 but only get 1-1/2 x 7-1/4

 

[vindibona1]

LOL
When was the last time you measured a 2x4 stud? Seem we pay for the whole 2x4 but only get 1-1/2 x 7-1/4

I wonder how whacked the 2x4 would seem if you tried to measure it in cm?

 

[RadioFlyerMan]

Think what you want, but here in the US there was a push in the 60's to convert to the metric system. It was official... but didn't "take". Most folks still used Imperial measurements of feet, yards, miles, acres. As the global economy came over here we knew we'd have to be able to use (convert) to cm, mm, M and Km. But to many of us it was like having to translate to a different language rather than know the language. It seems that pretty much only the scientific community embraced the metric system fully. To the rest of us it was something to be "translated" into the familiar imperial measurements.

Yards into approximate meters could get us a spitball estimate of distance. Kph into Mph was a little harder (and disconcerting when I lived in Mexico and had a car). [Also seemed like an easy way to bump the price of gas when measured in litres.} BUT NOW "METERS PER SECOND"???? You lost me here. I can calculate Mph from Kph... But reducing the distance and the time into a m/s equation has just left me in the dust.

So why m/s as opposed to Kph or Mph. . I know we can select the unit of measurement in our drones' preferences. But often when looking at demo vids and only m/s is provided as speed, I have to pause and go "Alexa....". Until I started droning I had never heard speed spoken of as m/s. Is there really a point to using m/s when the world uses either mph or kph? I know we can change it to meet our needs, but when used as the sole reference it just doesn't register with me as something I can grasp as actual speed. "Splain it to me, Lucia".

Yeah, especially when we drive to our favorite drone flying location, we use a vehicle that registers in mph and obeys speed limits in mph. We physically know what 25 to 35 mph feels like. And we want to relate that feeling to what the drone is doing.

 

[vindibona1]

Yeah, especially when we drive to our favorite drone flying location, we use a vehicle that registers in mph and obeys speed limits in mph. We physically know what 25 to 35 mph feels like. And we want to relate that feeling to what the drone is doing.

Yeah... I lived in Mexico City for a year, bought a car that metered in Kph and it was quite disconcerting. Speed limit, as I recall on the Anillo Periferico was 80kph I think, and yet in mph it's only 50mph. Total cognitive dissonance. M/S... I don't know how anyone relates unless because I don't see any other practical reference that we use to visualize speed. Who came up with this m/s nonsense?

 

[Meta4]

Total cognitive dissonance. M/S... I don't know how anyone relates unless because I don't see any other practical reference that we use to visualize speed. Who came up with this m/s nonsense?

Metres/second is a common standard using two of the fundamental units that the metric system is based on.
If you ever need to make calculations like to estimate a likely search point for a drone last heard of blowing away at 12 mph, 800 feet up with 38% battery, you'd appreciate the metric system.
It's simple and intuitive.

 

[thispilothere]

I guess it's whatever you're used to. It's strange that, when you get below 1/2 inch, I'd rather see the measurement in millimeters. As a semi-retired stockbroker, I still miss the days of stock quotes being in fractions.

 

[Rotorfreak]

I recall when we adopted the metric system, what a PITA. There was lots of resistance due to conversions and retooling. It even caused an aviation incident, remember the Gimli Glider? In any case, I personally use both systems but prefer metric. There's no fractions in the metric system, freezing is at ZERO degrees C not 32F and the more you use it the easier it gets. The way I see it is, use what suits you. As for indicating speed in M/S.........one gets used to 'visualizing' it but I have to admit that it threw me for a loop when I first saw that reference.

 

[Flying Shroppie]

As a Brit who spent forty years working in the construction industry I am totally used to working in both the imperial and metric systems. One of the amusing anomalies that is regularly used in the UK is when describing building materials. I would specify 20 mts of 3x2 ins timber or 40 tonnes of 1/2 inch stone chips. Small areas would be in sq mts but larger areas might be either acres or hectares .
The other curious anomaly is in the US, timber would be described as 2x4 but in the UK the same timber would be 4x2.
The one item however is the 21 miles of The English Channel which is always described in imperial so much so I can't even think what it is in kms.
One mixed up Brit but at my age I'm not going to change now.
Flying Shroppie (from Bagley in N W Shropshire which is 5 miles or 8 kilometers from the Welsh border but if I lived 6 miles further west I would refer to it as the English border).

 

[Chaosrider]

As a Brit born in the 80s (and now living in the EU), I grew up using both metric and imperial formats, so I haven't bothered to change this. Actually, I'm not even sure if I'm set to mph or kph right now.

I quite like m/s though, I graduated in Physics and m/s is the SI unit for speed (velocity), so maybe we have a lot of scientists flying drones? I also find speeds in m/s instinctively quite easy to visualise, so I might actually change to m/s next time I fly...

M/S is an entirely alien unit to me. I can do most of the basic conversions in my head, kg-->lbs, km-->miles, cm-->inches, maybe a couple of others. But M/S just seems WRONG somehow.

Hopefully the 2.2 conversion rate will eventually sink in, and become natural, but it sure hasn't happened yet!

NASA bunged up a couple of Martian spacecraft about 25 years ago because of the forced march to metrification.

 

[Fun Flyer]

As a retired tradesman in Canada, I spent my whole working life using both systems. Then add in that I’m a private pilot and had to learn about knots and several other units of measurement. So at my age, I’ve found it easier to to just find a good conversion app and use that when needed. So much easier on my old brain.
Safe flying everyone.

 

[Meta4]

M/S is an entirely alien unit to me. I can do most of the basic conversions in my head, kg-->lbs, km-->miles, cm-->inches, maybe a couple of others. But M/S just seems WRONG somehow.

Hopefully the 2.2 conversion rate will eventually sink in, and become natural, but it sure hasn't happened yet!

NASA bunged up a couple of Martian spacecraft about 25 years ago because of the forced march to metrification.

The key to understanding metres/sec is to learn your drone's max speed from the specs.
eg For the Mavic 3:
5 m/s (C mode)
15 m/s (N mode)
19 m/s (S mode)

If you know your drone's max speed in Normal Mode is 15 m/s ... it's a simple matter to tell how much below (or above) max speed you are flying.

 

[vindibona1]

The key to understanding metres/sec is to learn your drone's max speed from the specs.
eg For the Mavic 3:
5 m/s (C mode)
15 m/s (N mode)
19 m/s (S mode)

If you know your drone's max speed in Normal Mode is 15 m/s ... it's a simple matter to tell how much below (or above) max speed you are flying.

That's all well and good. But many of us, speaking for myself, I want a sense of speed that I can relate to. I know that 45mph is the fastest my M2P will go and I can relate to that speed through driving. I know that 10mph is pretty slow. M/S? A meter is such a small unit of measure that it's hard to relate to when it comes to speed. A great simile is relatiing to a (American) football field in mm. A 100 yd football field is 91,000mm A first down would be 9,100 mm. while one could "recalibrate" ones internal meter, it makes no sense to do so. The NFL doesn't call a first down in 30' increments. The only time you hear of units smaller than yards is "3rd and inches", not even "3rd and 0.75feet. We all can relate to that. Again, while the distance can be calculated in mm, it doesn't make any sort of sense to do so. M/S, while not as egregious is only less so only for those that somehow relate in a real life way to that measurement. While one might be able to adopt it on a practical basis with practice and concentration. To create a metaphor, it would be no different than a guitarist who can read standard notation but has little musical relation to tablature. Both (sort of) indicate the same notes to be played, but one is easier to previsualize what the music is supposed to sound like.

 

[Faster]

m/s is used because is better when we use semi-short distances.
Example: If your max flight altitude is going to be 120m, it's easier to know that your climbing speed is 5m/s instead of 18Km/h.
The same reason we should use feet/s in Imperial System, Example: 400' Max Altitude, climb rate 16.4 fee/s instead than 11.8 miles/h.
It's easier and faster for our brains to comprehend/calculate how long is going to take to get that altitude if we use m/s and feet/s instead of larger units like Km/h or miles/h.