First "Drone" deliveries next week

[TigerOC]

Details of the trials in a new era of automated/remote aircraft delivery systems;

**LINK**

[Capt Kremen]

For insomniacs among us, take a look at Flightradar24 tracking app during the early hours after midnight and you will often see a drone regularly operating out of Lydd. This craft then flies over the English Channel for several hours. It's a twin engine AR5 machine reg G-TEKV operated by Tekever. Other details on the net describe its operation with videos too.

[Michael Barclay]

Some wit tweeted that due to an administrative error the wrong drone had been dispatched. Best be out when it arrives!

Edited By Michael Barclay on 25/04/2020 10:32:56

[Piers Bowlan]

The Windracers Ultra UAV may have a racy name but it does not look very aerodynamic or indeed be a thing of beauty. Here! They should have got an aeromodeller to design it. How about it Peter (M), as a next project? It could end up looking like a 1930s racer - cool!

 

Edited By Piers Bowlan on 25/04/2020 12:14:07

[Capt Kremen]

A year or so back, I visited Paul Heckles and his R/C flight school near Swindon. Whilst there, a team from Southampton University arrived with a selection of UAV drones they were testing and evaluating. The venture supplying the IOW using a drone suggests their efforts are now bearing fruit.

[Former Member]

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[Capt Kremen]

Southampton airport is only handling a few (2 channel isle last I heard), a day, Bournemouth similar. Lee on Solent (formerly HMS Daedulus), only the coastguard heli operating as far as I know. Lee is straight off the runway and over the Solent in one direction.

[Colin Carpenter]

Re inventing the wheel ???? Colin

[Former Member]

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[Denis Watkins]

Rather smart looking equipment and a fixed wing twin

[Former Member]

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[cymaz]

The two vans behind could carry more stuff to the IOW than the UAV. Am I missing a brain cell?

[Former Member]

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[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Posted by Capt Kremen on 25/04/2020 10:19:13:

For insomniacs among us, take a look at Flightradar24 tracking app during the early hours after midnight and you will often see a drone regularly operating out of Lydd. This craft then flies over the English Channel for several hours. It's a twin engine AR5 machine reg G-TEKV operated by Tekever. Other details on the net describe its operation with videos too.

You're right - it's there now. Possibly of interest is a Navajo G-SCIR which has been performing tight circles just west of Boulogne for quite a while at 4000' - perhaps someone in trouble in/on the sea below?

[Cuban8]

Posted by cymaz on 26/04/2020 21:17:35:

The two vans behind could carry more stuff to the IOW than the UAV. Am I missing a brain cell?

Of course you're not. It's a nice gimmick and a clever bit of kit, but it still needs to operate out of a proper airfield by the look of it, so why not just use a normal GA light aircraft, or where there's no water to cross, a van?

[John Bisset]

As Cuban8 says, a normal aircraft could do this more simply. As Barrie L says - a lot of money being spent, for little benefit

The Civil Air Patrol were being mentioned as one organisation which could do deliveries of urgent hospital equipment and medical samples at little cost. They are volunteers, are organised and ready., They have, I believe, already carried out one such urgent task.

This is playing to the gallery.

[Former Member]

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[John Bisset]

I understand it is part of the UAV development work Steve, thanks. I simply feel it is an overly complex solution to a problem already easily solved. That of course will appeal to those 'in charge' many of whom seem to prefer complexity to simplicity. (Possibly explains why so many government projects fail, go over budget or don't perform the task adequately.)

I note that two safety pilots are required, with runways etc. As said by others, what benefit does this provide? A light aircraft can do this with lower probability of failure. Sending a drone for the mainland to the Isle of Wight is a relatively simple & easy task, especially if using airfields. If they view that as difficult enough to need a safety pilot at each end, what chance this can ever be of use elsewhere around the country at large? I'm not sure this provides much learning for later use.

I live in a remote part of this country, where quite frequently even full size aircraft fully equipped with identification systems are not tracked by any systems below 5 to 6000 feet. What chance of tracking drones? Delivery by drones will be very hit & miss for a very long time.. As it is deliveries by road, even using GPS mapping etc, still often go astray. Several time per month we are asked for help by deliverers.

I am not averse to the use of new technology; a large part of my career has involved bringing new technology into use and tweaking it to make it work. Often that meant we had to take a good hard look at what we thought we knew about the world, stuff we took for granted. "It ain't what you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's what you know for sure just ain't so." - Mark Twain.

I suspect that too many of those who are supporting this at high level have the faintest idea of the real challenges involved in making this work in a practical sense. Are they still being fascinated by the 'Ooh - shiny' bit ? Maybe I am being too sceptical.

[Bob Bertram]

I heard a few weeks back that the drones operating out of Lydd were on behalf of the Border Force lookin for illegal immigrants. The Navajo over Boulogne is probably doing the same. The Spot The Glider website picks up drones all over the country.

[Robin Colbourne]

Any project of this needs to be built up slowly in small achievable steps.

The beauty of this task this UAV is going to do fills a need (relatively fast delivery of medical products). The route is pretty safe as both Lee on Solent and the destination are both by the sea, with little or no overflying of people or property. The Solent probably has less private boats on it now, in benign weather conditions, than at any time since the war.

Another advantage is that the trial location is pretty much on the team's doorstep. Having been involved in UAV and other flight trials in the UK and abroad, I know from bitter experience that this saves a massive amount of time and resources. Having your workshops close at hand for repairs and modifications also increases the likelihood of success many fold.

A short flight time means that the team could potentially be doing several flight cycles a day, so they will rapidly find out what the weak points are of their airframes, equipment, communications and planning.

I very much doubt the long term aim is to use this aircraft for deliveries in first world countries. The same sort of delivery over, say 100 to 200 miles in third world countries could be a lifesaver.

[Kim Taylor]

Posted by Robin Colbourne on 27/04/2020 13:50:12:

The route is pretty safe as both Lee on Solent and the destination are both by the sea, with little or no overflying of people or property.

Where is the UAV going to land on the IOW though?

It can't be at the hospital site, as that is in a built up area (and certainly not "by the sea", so I'm guessing it'd be at Sandown, which is a half hour drive away from Newport. To my mind, this would be a more useful trial if they were using some kind of rotary wing UAV with capability of using the heli pad at the hospital - what they're doing here could easily be done using a conventional 'plane or microlight type.

Kim

Edited By Kim Taylor on 27/04/2020 14:47:47

edited to remove unwanted emoji

Edited By Kim Taylor on 27/04/2020 14:48:41

 

Edited By Kim Taylor on 27/04/2020 14:49:16

[Robin Colbourne]

Posted by Kim Taylor on 27/04/2020 14:47:04:

Posted by Robin Colbourne on 27/04/2020 13:50:12:

The route is pretty safe as both Lee on Solent and the destination are both by the sea, with little or no overflying of people or property.

Where is the UAV going to land on the IOW though?

It can't be at the hospital site, as that is in a built up area (and certainly not "by the sea", so I'm guessing it'd be at Sandown, which is a half hour drive away from Newport. To my mind, this would be a more useful trial if they were using some kind of rotary wing UAV with capability of using the heli pad at the hospital - what they're doing here could easily be done using a conventional 'plane or microlight type.

Kim

Kim, I did wonder the same thing. The press release said Binstead, so having a quick look, the best site for least overflight of the island would be the field on the coast between Quarr Abbey and Binstead. There are other larger fields slightly inland from this though.

With regard to the type of 'drone' they are using, they are trialling what they already have.  A multi-rotor drone carrying 100kg would be very unlikely to get permission to fly over built up areas and land at the hospital without a great deal of prior testing.

The 'carrying urgent medical supplies' may be a bit of a publicity stunt, but the current situation with little to get in the way in the air or on the sea does open up the opportunity to do the trial, carrying a typical payload, close to home, in a relatively safe manner.

I say good luck to them.  If they manage to make two round trips on the same day, I personally would deem the trial a success.

Edited By Robin Colbourne on 27/04/2020 17:41:35