Questions you'd like answering, regardless of how trivial they may seem

[Mad Doug Biker]

So, can someone tell me... Why do scientists like Brian Cox always smugly tell us that no matter where you are in the Universe, you need water for life?

How do they know? Have they met an alien? They could drink battery acid for all we know! 🤷
It's surely only life as we know it?

I don't get how they are so certain.

 

[Jameshow]

Do the helicopter on world tours stay up for the whole stage or do they come down and refuel?

Have any crashed?

Cannot see it doing them much good hovering for such a long time?!

 

[Accy cyclist]

Do the helicopter on world tours stay up for the whole stage or do they come down and refuel?

Have any crashed?

Cannot see it doing them much good hovering for such a long time?!

Why don't they use unmanned drones with cameras and just commentate on the ground, while watching the camera pictures? Maybe there aren't any drones that can hover. 🤔

 

[Alex321]

Why don't they use unmanned drones with cameras and just commentate on the ground, while watching the camera pictures? Maybe there aren't any drones that can hover. 🤔

Just about all drones can hover. I think that may well be the way forward in a few years, but as yet, the quality isn't as good, a drone can't carry the weight of cameras a helicopter can, certainly not if it is going to stay up for long.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Just about all drones can hover. I think that may well be the way forward in a few years, but as yet, the quality isn't as good, a drone can't carry the weight of cameras a helicopter can, certainly not if it is going to stay up for long.

I take it that drones are like glider planes, or those balsa wood planes my dad used to make from a kit. Albeit a modern plastic version? 🤔

 

[Alex321]

I take it that drones are like glider planes, or those balsa wood planes my dad used to make from a kit. Albeit a modern plastic version? 🤔

No.

What are normally meant by drones have multiple propellers (normally 4), pointing downwards. They can hover, or move in any direction by tilting the propellers slightly. They can be anything from a few inches across to a few feet across. Cheap ones may well have a built in camera with fixed direction and focus, while more expensive ones may have a mounting point for a separate camera, or if they have a built in one then it will have zoom and movement functions.

These are different to what are called drones in the military, which include any remote controlled aircraft, including ones such as you suggest.

This is a fairly cheap, consumer level drone
Amazon product ASIN B0B242P2B9View: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Beginners-Altitude-Avoidance-Adjustment-Batteries/dp/B0B242P2B9/


This is a rather more expensive, professional level one
https://www.heliguy.com/products/dji-matrice-300-drone?variant=36854714761376

 

[Nibor]

Did you see the drone footage from the BMX on the world championships it was excellent

 

[derrick]

https://www.heliguy.com/products/dj...gW6Y70JHoph2ze0havSiEYEoMXG9K5phoCHdYQAvD_BwE

 

[Alex321]

https://www.heliguy.com/products/dj...gW6Y70JHoph2ze0havSiEYEoMXG9K5phoCHdYQAvD_BwE

That is the same one I posted (2nd link) a couple of posts before yours.

 

[MontyVeda]

Why does Indiana Jones carry bullwhip but not a trowel?

 

[Alex321]

Does anybody know if there is a way to stop your browser from auto-decapitalising?

If I write EVs for instance, with both E and V capitalised, it automatically changes the V to v as soon as I type the s. I have to then go back and manually change it to upper case.

 

[cyberknight]

Why?

if your asking with regards to my post it was a pun on words , like most politicians wind bags with a stench of personal gain

 

[derrick]

That is the same one I posted (2nd link) a couple of posts before yours.

You don't expect me to read all the dribble on here.

 

[DaveReading]

Do the helicopter on world tours stay up for the whole stage or do they come down and refuel?

Have any crashed?

Cannot see it doing them much good hovering for such a long time?!

You wouldn't make much progress on a world tour if all you did was hover.

 

[DaveReading]

What are normally meant by drones have multiple propellers (normally 4), pointing downwards. They can hover, or move in any direction by tilting the propellers slightly.

Helicopters move by tilting the rotor plane in the direction of intended travel. The mechanism that achieves this is extremely complicated.

Consumer drones adopt a much simpler and cheaper approach - the entire body of the drone is tilted to achieve forwards/backwards/sideways motion.