Quantum of Solace

War has always been a numbers game, it's just that now the numbers got bigger: airframes having to be made in their millions as against hundreds or thousands. 

Thus Ukrainian company Frontline that manufactures the bomber seen in the inset has teamed up with German aerial-survey company Quantum to make guided missiles fitted with turbojets pioneered by another German company; from when they were only of interest to RC nerds.

Technically speaking it's the first time Germany is making a missile of the sort since the V1s it dropped on London by making them run out of fuel when they got there.

The 'Mosquito Squadron' I mentioned yesterday was about wooden WW2 bombers (among the fastest at that time) intercepting such weapons; wind the time machine on eighty years and bombers look more like the one up there ~ so too the missiles ~ whilst it'll be drones doing the intercepting too.

As they say in Disneyland, it's a small small small small world.

Back to the Future #18

Easiest way to stiffen the skis is to clamp laths down either side of each strut before applying a bead of silicone and filleting with a wet finger; the one I used in the previous post in fact, which is complaining it appears to be the only finger around here doing any work.

Benefits of these methods and means though are that (a) skis like the booms can be popped off and replaced rather than repaired and (b) whilst the silicone is setting I get to watch the actor* from The Man from U.N.C.L.E. in a movie called 'Mosquito Squadron' that just showed up on TV.

Should probably have used adhesive instead of silicone, but this is what NASA calls 'suck it and see' methodology.

Ed. David Mc Callum, a.k.a. Illya Kuriyakin.

Back to the Future #17

Here at TELEDRONE we work to standards of precision Rolls-Royce aero-engines would be proud of: in this pic you can see how I centred the ski on the strut prior to screwing by using the lines on each first finger.

I had the prints read as well, and was forecast a life-changing drone ahead of me... although in fairness she'd read the blog, so it may not be fifty pounds well spent?

Back to the Future #16

Flipped the boat over here to tee up the skis, marking up an overhang so the tail-ends coincide with the booms: needed as a measure of protection for pusher-props.

Back to the Future #15

Eventually there'll be bindings to fit the skis ~ Rossignol preferably ~ but for now I shall run with decking-screws again. Notice however that in flexing the ski down to meet the front end of the boom that this produces an arc in between the two points at which the ski is fastened.

May have it's uses eventually especially as regards longitudinal pitch-control or trim, but for now it's not what we want in order for the craft to sit flat on the floor or else planing on water. The reason rigid inflatables are rigid is to reduce the drag in water (and they were invented by a naval retiree, his sea-cadets and a sheet of plywood).

The CEO at Wickes, albeit a Sunday afternoon, has called to say that if that logo's not centred by first thing Monday he'll put those decking-screws up my bottom one by one... harsh, but fair.

Back to the Future #14

Winter Olympic regulations in fact dictate that all skis fitted to drones of whichever type have to be rounded out, and to do this I thought about drafting a radius in my CAD program and using a CNC cutter; but in the end I found a rusty old tin of yacht varnish which worked just as well.

Get one from my merch page for just £69.99, including postage to the UK mainland.

Big Err

PR guys have been on again to say we're missing a trick, as at the Winter Olympics everyone awaiting the results from the ski and snowboard events are bigging up the make of their kit for the cameras. Accordingly they've run this by me and asked for a selfie, and I have to say it does have a Gen Zee vibe.

I've run it by Wickes, who've said it's positively 'sick' and promised me a free box of decking-screws next time I'm in... way to go!!!

Tho' Guy Martin's been on too and raging about me using his death's head ~ so I've had to tell him he needs to take that up with the Third SS Panzer Division?

That shut the loser up.