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A comment on FAA issuing new rules to allow drones to fly over people and at night. Parent comment

Re:FAA issuing new rules to allow drones to fly over people ... by kreeben on Monday December 28, 2020 @05:11PM (#25563844)
An elevator indeed. But there's a cost involved in elevating goods to the top of a tall building. My question was, is that cost smaller than the cost of having drones with elevation capabilities take of from the ground?
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Re:FAA issuing new rules to allow drones to fly over people ... by datameta on Monday December 28, 2020 @05:41PM (#25564122)
Presumably the predominant portion of the energy used to raise an elevator is for the mass of the elevator itself
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Re:FAA issuing new rules to allow drones to fly over people ... by saagarjha on Saturday January 02, 2021 @10:53PM (#25619251)
Usually elevators are counterweighted fairly significantly.
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Re:FAA issuing new rules to allow drones to fly over people ... by datameta on Sunday January 03, 2021 @03:34PM (#25624973)
As you say it is actually using very little energy in overcoming the inertia of the system to go up as the counterweight outweighs an empty elevator, and the weight of a drone is insignificant in this regard. However when coming back down the system must raise the heavy counterweight which is only partially balanced by the empty elevator.
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