Drone Batteries: The system provides a battery, a charger and a portable generator: "The D12000iE Multifunctional Inverter Generator features electronic fuel injection (EFI) technology and saves fuel use by 15%[15]. The DB1560 Intelligent Flight Batteries charge in an Air-Cooled Heat Sink, enabling ultra-fast charging in 9 minutes[7]. The C10000 Intelligent Charger can charge batteries directly with utility power."
Flight time was estimated to be 40 minutes. The battery looks like a narrow briefcase.
Yes, they will usually contract with an aerial AgTractor aerial spraying or use their spray tractor. The spray tractor can damage cotton with the wider limbs growing outside the rows.
Ray Swindle wrote:
Yesterday one of our farming neighbors came to visit Susan and told me they used a drone to spray their cotton. Holly cow, the future is here! I believe she said they cost about $50k. Wish I could have seen it. Looks like it holds about 12 gallons of liquid and sprays about 40 acres/hour. Not sure how much our high winds will affect the specs.
I talked with one of the farmers I have done some videos for and am looking at a spray system for small crops and vineyards.
Land was to soggy and wet for tractors and a Canadian company that drone sprays was too expensive.
Also looking at the heavy lift drone as well...Hauls 88lbs but legalities for that are sketchy still in the US.
This shot has been my PCs wallpaper for a few months now, from one of my most memorable photo ops with F-117s at sunset and into the night during their last Red Flag in 2007. I still have to pinch myself that happened. For the framing I looked at centering the F-117s but I prefer this off-center version for some reason.
Ray Swindle wrote:
Yesterday one of our farming neighbors came to visit Susan and told me they used a drone to spray their cotton. Holly cow, the future is here! I believe she said they cost about $50k. Wish I could have seen it. Looks like it holds about 12 gallons of liquid and sprays about 40 acres/hour. Not sure how much our high winds will affect the specs.
Yamaha has been selling remote controlled helicopters for decades that were developed especially for spraying crops. Originally rice paddies, but a crop is a crop. They also have a "spraying service company" that operates in the Napa, CA region to serve the wine industry. Don't know if they have switched to battery powered models or are still running "wet" fuel.
KevinJacksonUK wrote:
Great info on 393 Ray, never knew that! My buddy is Roland Dansereau, we met at the B-2 statc at the Nellis 50th anniversary show in 1997, back then he was at Moody on AD, he moved over to Ellington in the mid 2000s I think. Great guy, massive aviation enthusiast and he got me my first tanker ride which started my aviation journalism sideline going in earnest, so I owe him big time, Coincidently the same B-2 we met by at Nellis was the receiver for that first 135 flight 3 years later!
KevinJacksonUK wrote:
This shot has been my PCs wallpaper for a few months now, from one of my most memorable photo ops with F-117s at sunset and into the night during their last Red Flag in 2007. I still have to pinch myself that happened. For the framing I looked at centering the F-117s but I prefer this off-center version for some reason.
Thanks for the video comments guys, more to come, and in much better light I hope. 120fps is cool to be able to shoot but in some cases it's almost too slow. I'm going to play with 60fps next time I'm out. The R5 II is so user friendly for video and it leans more toward a cinematic look than "video" cameras. The R5C was very capable, but one couldn't just flip the switch and roll like you can with the II. I have three custom video setting functions programmed into one of my R5 II bodies and I'm going to experiment with those settings and variations, until I have them dialed in, then I'll duplicate them on the other two bodies.
The C400 is such a great camera, and commands client respect the minute it comes out of the case. Setting it up is, of course, more time consuming, but the rewards are there. 6K RAW shot in CLog3 is pretty spectacular. While the AF system is, on the surface, the same as the R5II, I find it slightly less reliable. Still, it is the best AF system I have ever seen in a true cinema camera, no complaints.
Thanks for the kind comments, TF-117 Ray, that's funny! No it was the normal Red Flag blue-air KC-135, what was unique was the 8th FS commander agreeing to launch a pair of F-117s earlier than scheduled just so they could join on the tanker for sunset photos ("How many do you want, 4?"), they then topped up on gas and went off to join the main strike mission. When they have a massive Red Flag launch with all the coordination's and permissions required for 80+ aircraft on the range, at night, we were gobsmacked they agreed to do it! They even picked the two jets with commanders tail markings.
This was really pushing the limit on the sensors of the time, in this case a 8Mp EOS 1Dmk2. Thankful it wasn't film but if only we had todays sensors back then!
Bill Gass wrote:
Pixs from last night...Good ole fire season in effect-
Fantastic brother!
We have had an abundance of rain this Spring and now the heat and humidity is hitting us hard!
Great captures!
Dan
KevinJacksonUK wrote:
Thanks for the kind comments, TF-117 Ray, that's funny! No it was the normal Red Flag blue-air KC-135, what was unique was the 8th FS commander agreeing to launch a pair of F-117s earlier than scheduled just so they could join on the tanker for sunset photos ("How many do you want, 4?"), they then topped up on gas and went off to join the main strike mission. When they have a massive Red Flag launch with all the coordination's and permissions required for 80+ aircraft on the range, at night, we were gobsmacked they agreed to do it! They even picked the two jets with commanders tail markings.
Ray Swindle wrote:
Yesterday one of our farming neighbors came to visit Susan and told me they used a drone to spray their cotton. Holly cow, the future is here! I believe she said they cost about $50k. Wish I could have seen it. Looks like it holds about 12 gallons of liquid and sprays about 40 acres/hour. Not sure how much our high winds will affect the specs.
Say WHAT Ray? A drone to spray crops? Now that is very forward looking.
My farming neighbors have a guy I grew up with using his Air Tractor AT-802 for crop dusting. This Spring has been extremely wet and moldy.
Had to do a "goggle" and saw where there indeed is a crop dusting drone!!!
Hope all is well Ray!
Dan
Yeah, I just trashed all my photography gear and gave up. I am taking up something that requires less skill and knowledge than their level of photography...quantum field theory, specifically particle creation/annihilation.
JWilsonphoto wrote:
Here's a series of clips from yesterday:
At right around the 2:00 mark, I find it absolutely magical to see how the wings visibly FLEX and bend upwards as they really lift the aircraft off the ground...
JWilsonphoto wrote:
I guess that I had better ask Fred for an "Incredible" button, between Douglas and Kevin "Like" just doesn't quite cover it.........
The "Hulk" doesn't have to be green to realize he is a hulk! Nor does a stud bull have to have a ring-in-his-nose to determine he his a stud bull.....! A quick mind-matter link when viewing their work and ALL you guyz and gals. Each one of you that has the opportunity to shoot this "stuff", bad analogy but it is "an all encompassing term".....gets a thumb's up from me! You have gone where many other men have not!!! I would also add where circumstances prevent such a happening,
Dan
These are getting rare now, with Greece and Turkey most likely the last operators as I expect Iran's are done for now. This Hellenic Air Force F-4E is seen at its home of Andravida at sunset back in 2012 during a great week touring Greek bases.
