Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Having an (Eight) Ball


I added an upper deck of identical outline yesterday upon which to pitch a chair well clear of the propeller arcs, and it looked like a dog, and so we're committed to a single deck like the bus I used to take to school. The chair I shall raise independently, but we shall come to that.

It left me depressed meanwhile to the extent I went to bed at nine and got up at nine. Forgave myself knowing the engineer who built the canal for the Duke of Bridgewater and kicked off the Industrial Revolution spent three days in bed prior to agreeing to the commission.

Nonetheless the raison d'ĂȘtre for extending the footprint by around 25% was so eight motors and propellers could be accommodated in tried-and-tested X-8 configuration. In order to qualify as a regular drone able to be flight-tested at will in the UK though, it needs remain below 55lb or 25kg... the alternative being the Large Model Association concession that runs to 150kg but attracts altogether more oversight.

To prove the point I shall mount the motors underslung, so that it's clear to the casual observer that it might support eight power units as easily as four. And the reason for those stubs extended from the undercarriage legs? Means the vehicle can be inverted in order to assist with fitting those motors, or removing the skids for transport.