From: howdHol@yaooho.com   
      
   danny burstein  wrote   
      
   >>Why wait for drones?  Why aren't helicopters and planes a sufficient   
   >>replacement for roads across Africa today?   
   >   
   > Helicopters are DAMN expensive to own and operate and require   
   > something absurd like an hour of maintenance for every flight hour.   
   >   
   > Plus human pilots.   
   >   
   > Drones are dirt cheap.  A couple thousand for a commecially rated,   
   > 15 hr/day usage, 15 mile radius unit.   
      
   It's somewhat similar to the economics of space exploration. The instant   
   you start designing for astronauts instead of robotic controls, the   
   costs soar. You need to design bigger and heavier, add all kinds of   
   features, and increase safety measures a lot.   
      
   Helicopter/plane vs. drone cost differences won't be as extreme as space   
   vehicle cost differences, since you don't need to factor in things like   
   bathroom facilities and radiation protection for helicopters or planes,   
   but it's still a lot.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)