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Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by reacweb on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @05:34AM (#37582221)
The existence of migratory birds proves that the loss of energy due to the Earth's gravitational pull is not so catastrophic. A vehicle in motion also loses energy because of the friction of the wheels. Above a certain speed, air friction becomes the most significant loss. The comparison of the energy balance of a vehicle on the road compared with a vehicle in the air is not as clear-cut. Vehicles on wheels are much heavier and require infrastructure (roads) that must be taken into account.
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by abtinf on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @05:40AM (#37582256)
You may have noticed that migratory birds have a somewhat different mechanism of flight than typical drones.
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by singularity2001 on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @05:57AM (#37582346)
zipline has wings
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by tyingq on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @06:07AM (#37582404)
They do show that: https://www.flyzipline.com/technology (scroll down, it first shows the thing that it drops, rather than the drone itself.)

Lots of CGI and notices about "simulated" though. The videos that appear to maybe be real show something that does have wings, but looks too small/light/thin to carry much around.

Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by Philip-J-Fry on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @06:44AM (#37582608)
The ones they are currently using in Africa are normal drone planes. They drop their payload without stopping though, so the payload has to be packed securely and nothing that can break easily. So it's used for medical supplies. This what Mark Rober's video was about.

If they were to create a drone that can deliver arbitrary packages, then it needs to be able to lower a package safely. That's what those renders are, they show a typical multi-rotar drone with small wings. So it can stop and lower a package. I don't think there's any real footage of these yet.

Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by bigfudge on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @09:18AM (#37583761)
He shows the proposed new model in that video too though, not just the drone planes.
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by Ancapistani on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @11:03AM (#37585095)
The concept of a fixed-wing VTOL UAS is well-tested, though. They’re not as simple as a quad or a “native” fixed-wing, but well within reach of a motivated hobbyist.
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by sllabres on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @07:37AM (#37582935)
Came here to say that (i think their operations in Africa are quite impressive) but it seems as their "Zips" are a different kind of breed and more like a drone than a plane.
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by da39a3ee on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @05:53AM (#37582322)
If you were to ask a migratory bird, they'd tell you that it's fairly tough. You have to put on enough subcutaneous fat to double your body weight, and then do it knowing that either you or some of your friends and family will die.
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by hef19898 on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @06:38AM (#37582568)
Also, with global warming and stuff, if possible those birds migrate less.
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by shrubble on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @07:54AM (#37583067)
There is no evidence to support this statement.
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by hef19898 on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @07:58AM (#37583098)
Plenty ofnevidence, of e.g. geese, migrating tonplaces further north. But surey birds don't exist anyway.
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by da39a3ee on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @08:22AM (#37583283)
Please provide your sources for the effect of climate change on bird migration.
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by lancesells on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @08:49AM (#37583490)
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by shrubble on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @09:16AM (#37583743)
'may in the future ' basically...
Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by da39a3ee on Friday September 22, 2023 @03:16PM (#37616427)
I'm sorry if it wasn't clear, but I was asking for sources on GP's claim that climate change has shifted the north-south spatial location of birds' migration destinations.

The research you linked to doesn't seem to be saying that; it's claims are about the influence of interannual climate variation on timing of migration IIUC.

-- https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/bams/103/2/BAMS-D...

Abstract For ∼100 years, the continental patterns of avian migration in North America have been described in the context of three or four primary flyways. This spatial compartmentalization often fails to adequately reflect a critical characterization of migration—phenology. This shortcoming has been partly due to the lack of reliable continental-scale data, a gap filled by our current study. Here, we leveraged unique radar-based data quantifying migration phenology and used an objective regionalization approach to introduce a new spatial framework that reflects interannual variability. Therefore, the resulting spatial classification is intrinsically different from the “flyway concept.” We identified two regions with distinct interannual variability of spring migration across the contiguous United States. This data-driven framework enabled us to explore the climatic cues affecting the interannual variability of migration phenology, “specific to each region” across North America. For example, our “two-region” approach allowed us to identify an east–west dipole pattern in migratory behavior linked to atmospheric Rossby waves. Also, we revealed that migration movements over the western United States were inversely related to interannual and low-frequency variability of regional temperature. A similar link, but weaker and only for interannual variability, was evident for the eastern region. However, this region was more strongly tied to climate teleconnections, particularly to the east Pacific–North Pacific (EP–NP) pattern. The results suggest that oceanic forcing in the tropical Pacific—through a chain of processes including Rossby wave trains—controls the climatic conditions, associated with bird migration over the eastern United States. Our spatial platform would facilitate better understanding of the mechanisms responsible for broadscale migration phenology and its potential future changes.

Re:FAA Authorizes Zipline to Deliver Commercial Packages Usi... by zitsarethecure on Wednesday September 20, 2023 @07:45AM (#37582996)
Yes, but how does the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow compare to that of one delivering a coconut?