Clever way to bring someone back on board - I like it

Seajet said:
We can get photo-drones to auto land back to base; we need a beefier version attached to a lifejacket and hey presto, MOB lifted and plonked back in the cockpit without ever really getting wet - I'm sure this will happen one day, usually sooner than I / we think :)
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I think we're a long way off that. The Amazon Delivery Drones - probably the beefiest non-military drones around - have a payload of 5 lb (yes, but they're American!), and is about a metre across. To scale that up to carry a person - especially a person in wet oilskins - would probably require a payload of at least 200 lb, and probably double that in the worst case. So, we're looking at scaling up by 40 - 80 times! That's beginning to look like something as big as the boat it's on, with a power density that would be quite frightening. OK, you can trade off endurance against power, but not a lot - the thing might have to carry out a search pattern to find the MOB. Until we have a compact power source with a MUCH higher energy density than today's battery technology, I think we can forget it. Perhaps a pocket nuclear generator?
 
You haven't seen enough Thunderbirds !

I made a point of asking, and EVERY Test Pilot I met was a Thunderbirds fan...

As for the proposed drone I suggest a ducted fan lithium drone will shortly have the power for MOB...FAB ! :encouragement:
 
When we long distance sailing I kept a six to one block tackle with clip for a life jacket on a halyard, the clip held the block and tackle on a guardrail. We never used it because we always clipped on at night an in bad weather.
 
Seajet said:
You haven't seen enough Thunderbirds !

I made a point of asking, and EVERY Test Pilot I met was a Thunderbirds fan...

As for the proposed drone I suggest a ducted fan lithium drone will shortly have the power for MOB...FAB ! :encouragement:
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You're older than I thought - Thunderbirds was on when I was a boy! And I'm sorry to spoil your illusions by pointing out that is is fiction...

Mind, I love the juxtaposition of (still) futuristic devices with stuff like reel-to-reel computer tapes that look incredibly dated and clunky, along with wired telephones!
 
I often wonder why a balloon or a kite is not part of a life raft kit. A balloon inflated by a helium filled cartridge on a life jacket would make location easier. The tether could also be handy for bringing alongside (but not, obviously) for lifting.)
 
Graham_Wright said:
I often wonder why a balloon or a kite is not part of a life raft kit. A balloon inflated by a helium filled cartridge on a life jacket would make location easier. The tether could also be handy for bringing alongside (but not, obviously) for lifting.)
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I'm sorry, but I am now stuck with the image of a dripping wet yachtie being blown downwind away from the boat at ever increasing altitude...��
 
Sandy said:
Will never work with a casualty who is unconscious or has an injury that stops them clipping on.

I'd love to see it demonstrated in a F6 with 4 meter waves.
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Agreed. And even mild hypothermia makes him incapable of clipping himself on.

That's why the real problem is getting in contact with the MOB. If you can't do that, you can't hoist him in. The best solution is to fit an MOB Lifesaver [ http://moblifesavers.com ] into each life jacket. Then when the guy's in the water, you, who are still conscious and agile, can boathook the loop tether. The rest - getting him on board - is the relatively easy bit.
 
Graham_Wright said:
I often wonder why a balloon or a kite is not part of a life raft kit. A balloon inflated by a helium filled cartridge on a life jacket would make location easier. The tether could also be handy for bringing alongside (but not, obviously) for lifting.)
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It's very difficult to store helium, the molecules are so small they leak through almost any material; which is why my radio controlled flying saucer keeps needing topping up.
 
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