[MRCA] USS Shenandoah at 100 - Airships

[MARK DORNEY]

Your question is more of scale. A larger, heavier drone or helicopter ( or airship) with a larger and more powerful power plant and larger blades and control surfaces, is going to be able to handle wind better than a smaller one. That’s why most small scale ( read toy) helicopters and just about all radio controlled model airships are normally flown either outside in no wind conditions, or inside. A helicopter (drone) is also much more nimble that an airship, has a smaller overall surface area than an airship ( and is thus less effected by wind than the larger airship) and answers controls much faster and tighter than an airship ever could.  But the airship will always win when weight to lift ratio is considered ( the airship is lighter than air). When considering the use of an aerial crane, lift capability versus maneuverability has to be taken into consideration, and in that contest the helicopter/drone will almost always win. 

Mark D. 
WW2RDO

“In matters of style, float with the current. In matters of Principle, stand like a rock. “.   -   Thomas Jefferson 

Sent from my iPhone

> On Nov 13, 2023, at 11:56 AM, mstangelo at comcast.net wrote:
> 
> When I was sailing with a friend in the Bahamas we saw one of those radar aerostats tethered by a communications building in Georgetown Exuma. This was in the late 90's and low flying aircraft was a popular way of importing drugs.
> 
> I recall a radar aerostat coming loose in Virginia. It finally landed on Pennsylvania:
> 
> <https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/jlens-aerostat-comes-loose-from-tether-moves-towards-pa>
> 
> Mike N2MS
> 
> 
>> On 11/13/2023 10:52 AM EST Ray Fantini <rafantini at salisbury.edu> wrote:
>> We had a lot of ground wind that day, not gusting but was some wind. All these little drones somehow take this into account and have the ability to be placed at a point in the air and will not move, have no idea how they do that in an environment that’s always moving. Many years ago did a lot of stuff with airships called “Aerostats” where they were equipped with a surface facing radar, transmitter and small gasoline generator to power all that stuff. Would launch them to between three to five hundred feet and they provided a fun way of watching what was going on below.
>> We kept them on station with a tether and truck.
>> Ray F/KA3EKH
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