Can`t be a bad idea?

www.dailytelegraph.com.au/nocookies?a=A.flavipes

“Every now and then the future crashes in on today and I think this is one of those days,” said Premier Mike Baird.

Surely an intentional pun?

No idea why they would go for a conventional heli design when multirotor technology has come so far in recent times.

Would be nervous about one of these things flying above my head whilst having a surf. Check out the size of those props...

Great idea, let's see how long the line of Life Savers is to use it during the day, don't put your hand up they won't want to leave their spot!!!

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JoffaDan said..

No idea why they would go for a conventional heli design when multirotor technology has come so far in recent times.

I don't know of any multirotor that can boast a 2.5 hour runtime, especially with high quality video downlinks?

A company here in WA ran the same idea to the state gov 3-4 yrs ago when we lost 5 surfers in 10 months due to whites.liberal gov caned it due to cost.still running a chopper on metro beaches all day what does that cost an hr

What a beast would love to get my hands on one.

Strange, I would have explored much more efficient solutions, such as fixed-wing drones like bgr.com/2016/01/05/parrot-disco-ces-2016/ or even zeppelins to provide the longest flight time...

Just an helium balloon attached to a rope could be a cheap & efficient solution. One could even imagine a control monitor on a buoy so that surfers could take turn monitoring the surroundings...

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nebbian said..


I don't know of any multirotor that can boast a 2.5 hour runtime, especially with high quality video downlinks?

What I'm trying to say is if the military has developed part of this technology, why wouldn't they have designed it around a multicopter frame?

Not getting that run time, but my Inspire broadcasts to my iPad (or any HDMI equipped device) in HD. Phantom 3 and 4's are all capable of that too.

This thing can fly at 100 kph and will be able to handle much higher wind speeds compared to any multicopter. You have to remember how big our coastline is so speed is a big plus to cover all that ground it will have a apx 240km range so easily cover 120km's of coastline in just one flight . I know they have also been working carrying pay loads like a rescue tube which they can drop to drowning swimmers. 2.5 hour run time is incredible the batteries must be massive and heavy , again any multicopter would just become inefficient with that weight.

Re the fix wings they can't hover , they will want to sit and track the shark.

I like that drone blimp combo idea, and it has already been done~

The flying BILLBOARD that's a cross between a drone and a blimp: Skye can safely show adverts as it soars over crowds
The helium-filled flying machine is known as Skye developed by Aerotain
It combines the manoeuvrability of a drone with efficiency of a blimp
The makers said their safe and 'friendly' drone offers a new and innovative way for brands to interact with their audiences in public settings

Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3498777/The-flying-BILLBOARD-s-cross-drone-blimp-Skye-safely-adverts-soars-crowds.html

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Piros said..
This thing can fly at 100 kph and will be able to handle much higher wind speeds compared to any multicopter. You have to remember how big our coastline is so speed is a big plus to cover all that ground it will have a apx 240km range so easily cover 120km's of coastline in just one flight . I know they have also been working carrying pay loads like a rescue tube which they can drop to drowning swimmers. 2.5 hour run time is incredible the batteries must be massive and heavy , again any multicopter would just become inefficient with that weight.

Re the fix wings they can't hover , they will want to sit and track the shark.

It goes back to the age old 'single verse multi rotor debate' which I will leave for the rcgroups forums as there are a million threads over there discussing the pros and cons of both. I just think it's the wrong type of frame for the application.

The current record for a multi flight is around 90 mins, and that was flown by a hobbyists. I think the military would have the technology and capability to do a lot better than that, so really the flight times are not that far off.

So they will be setting up an academy for teaching life savers, the majority of which would have zero experience flying any sort of RC craft, let alone knowing the mechanics behind it, to fly a $250,000 single rotor heli above public beaches full of people.

In the pic above, that single blade is big enough to stretch across the three of those blokes heads. I hope little Timmy, fresh from the drone academy, doesn't fly that thing over my head when I'm out for a surf.

There is a good reason most people fly multi's over singles these days for AP purposes. They are a heck of a lot cheaper, and much easier to fly. Plus if you fly one into someone they get a nasty cut, as opposed to being decapitated.

I think it's a recipe for disaster, but we shall soon find out.

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JoffaDan said..

In the pic above, that single blade is big enough to stretch across the three of those blokes heads. I hope little Timmy, fresh from the drone academy, doesn't fly that thing over my head when I'm out for a surf.

It's called the "Little Ripper" for a reason...

Why does a life saver have to fly it? Surely someone competent flies it while that person or someone else appropriately trained will spot the sharks. I expect they need the speed (compared to the blimp) to get to a beach quickly if a shark is spotted or there is any other activity that would benefit from eyes in the sky (like a missing swimmer).

Somehow I don't think volunteers flying a military grade drone worth $250,000 is going to work. Unless they have serious certification program. They'd have to be CASA certified.

Also, these are big drones being flown over beaches with a lot of people on them. So a crash isn't just $250,000 down the drain but a potential life threatening incident.

l'd have a guess that the risk of injury from a drone like this is could be greater than the risk of a shark attack.

Be interesting to hear CASA's thoughts on this idea.

Shark spotting aircraft normally fly off-shore don`t they? So wouldn`t drones fly a similar path offshore away from any crowds?