Watch A Drone Take Off From A Flying Drone Carrier

As if launching drones alone wasn't good enough, hobbyists at Flite Test have decided that what's required is a remote-controlled helicarrier. Yes, this video shows one drone take off from the back of another.

The carrier drone is a modified quadcopter, with four rotors supporting a long, rectangular strip. Sat on the back, a small horizontal-launch drone. The carrier clearly struggles a little bit with balance—it's a good job that the second drone is quite small—but sure enough, it makes it reliably into the air, and then the little drone manages to take off, too.


So, when can we expect a full-grown version? Likely, not for decades. Quadcopters, after all, are massively power hungry. Indeed, Popular Science points out that a human-sized version would require "the same amount of force as that generated by some 70 Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters to lift it into the air." Avengers would be proud.

24 comments:

  1. Can we Stop Calling them Drones? RC multicopter, with an RC plane...

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    Replies
    1. Yeah ... A drone.

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    2. I agree, Drone really isn't the right word as it implies autonomy. Radio Controlled vehicles are controlled by a pilot and not given orders to accomplish tasks. Those quad-copters building structures or surveying areas are drones - vehicles pre-programmed with a specific task.

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    3. Such bad reporting. These are RC vehicles. A quadrocopter and a plane. THEY ARE NOT DRONES.

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    4. Drone... drone.... drone.... Even they guy standing there is a drone....

      All RC vehicles are drones.

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    5. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unmanned_aerial_vehicle

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    6. the male of the honeybee and other bees, sting-less and making no honey.

      Delete
  2. Yo dawg, we heard the news media liked using the word drone, so we put a drone on a drone. You're welcome for the increase in hits.

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    Replies
    1. this dumb website is not "the news media"

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  3. now land it on there. then ill be impressed

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    Replies
    1. Ya beat me to it....that would be something to see. It's really easy to get any RC plane in the air...but not quite so easy to get it down in one piece.

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  4. Pointless. Has no realistic value or use in real world.

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    Replies
    1. That's exactly what someone else said when they flew a biplane off the bow of a converted freighter ship out in the Atlantic ocean around 1915. Who knew?

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    2. This guy would have loved your statement here:
      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Burton_Ely

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    3. The best part of that is the US was still recovering from the Civil War lol

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  5. Just going to leave this here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_aircraft_carrier

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  6. Video link or it didn't happen. What is this garbage site?

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  7. whree the fucksa the viwdaio!!

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  8. That's awesome! I always attempt stuff like this. The hard part is landing the smaller quadcopter on the larger quad. A lot easier if you use the quarter sized Proto X 4606 .
    Got em online here for like $25
    Http://www.rcquadshop.com/shop.php

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  9. 1910 - first takeoff from a ship (USS Birmingham).

    1911 - first experimental landings.

    1912 - first takeoffs from a ship underway.

    1914 - first successful ship-launched air raid (Japanese seaplane tender Wakamiya).

    1918 - first operational aircraft carrier (HMS Argus)

    Okay guys, there's your comparative timetable - now get back to work!

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  10. Now this would be really impressive if you land the plane on the carrier in air!

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  11. Immpressive!!! but this more interesting,

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    ReplyDelete
  12. Man where have you been! RCers have been doing stuff like this for years. I have my first camera rc plane doing aerial for dam inspection back in 1980 and before. Yeah granted it is a lot easier with brushless electrics and flight controllers but nothing new! Flight-test guys are great and always fund to watch.

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