# Flight test - The Hexakopter **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 1, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883 "2010-03-01T17:40:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/1 "2010-03-01T17:40:28Z")
Video [here](http://vimeo.com/6194911) It’s a smart RC helicopter with six propellors. Very fast, with a GPS built in so it can return even if you lose sight of it. It looks to be about a foot across, and has a payload of more than a kilogram. Very stable too. And a very pricey toy. One site says they start around $1500. I want one. ---
**Author:** ![Astroboy14](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@Astroboy14](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Astroboy14)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/2 "2010-03-01T18:15:55Z")
That’s pretty cool! Weird looking though… ---
**Author:** ![RalfCoder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f1d935/32.png) [@RalfCoder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RalfCoder)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/3 "2010-03-01T21:07:17Z")
Cool looking toy. It looks like a flying spider, but I’d get over that. Wonder what the ceiling is for this - ie, how high will it go? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/4 "2010-03-01T22:30:33Z")
> [@RalfCoder](#): > > Cool looking toy. It looks like a flying spider, but I’d get over that. > > Wonder what the ceiling is for this - ie, how high will it go? I was real disappointed about te lack of stats for these ‘tests’. ---
**Author:** ![ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e9bcb4/32.png) [@ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ComeToTheDarkSideWeHaveCookies)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/5 "2010-03-01T23:09:37Z")
Very cool little gizmo. ---
**Author:** ![Beerman1963](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2acd7d/32.png) [@Beerman1963](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beerman1963)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2010, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/6 "2010-03-01T23:42:02Z")
I wonder if the military is checking out anything like this. 2 kilo payload about 4 pounds U.S.? sounds like a camera would fit. I could see urban recon. with this thing ---
**Author:** ![aruvqan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aruvqan/32/2891_2.png) [@aruvqan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aruvqan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/7 "2010-03-02T00:58:05Z")
I have a buddy who was one of the test pilots for the eurocopter about 9 years ago, I sent him the link to see if he has gotten to play with it yet - he does stuff with both the RC community in Germany as well as tech development … That thing is just so freaking neat! I wonder what would happen if it was translated to full size! Anybody else notice it looks vaguely like the ezekiel’s chariot = spacecraft theory?😃 ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/8 "2010-03-02T02:51:21Z")
Rather sinister little machine, between its appearance and the high-pitched snarl it emits. Would make a great little futuristic surveillance device as a movie prop. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/9 "2010-03-02T03:29:38Z")
I predict a lot more UFO sightings… ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/10 "2010-03-02T03:42:12Z")
Wow; that thing can really move. Cool looking. > [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Rather sinister little machine, between its appearance and the high-pitched snarl it emits. Would make a great little futuristic surveillance device as a movie prop. Personally, while watching the clip I was imagining it popping up from behind a wall and shooting at James Bond with a tiny poison dart gun. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/11 "2010-03-02T04:20:08Z")
> [@El\_Kabong](#): > > Rather sinister little machine, between its appearance and the high-pitched snarl it emits. Would make a great little futuristic surveillance device as a movie prop. It’s almost too bad it’s so small. It would be pretty funny to slap a ‘UN’ label on it to scare the idiots, but they wouldn’t be able to see it unless it was right in their face. . ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 5:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/12 "2010-03-02T05:11:15Z")
It looks like it would be disorienting to fly. Up/down would be no problem, but one of the joysticks must have controls for left/right and forward/backward. But the shape of the copter is symetrical. If it’s hovering and I want it to go in a certain direction, how do I know if that’s left, or forward, or whatever? ---
**Author:** ![Shamozzle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shamozzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shamozzle)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 8:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/13 "2010-03-02T08:39:22Z")
I guess those “autonomous flying robot” contests held by engineering students are pretty much obsolete. ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 8:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/14 "2010-03-02T08:49:11Z")
The next robot contest will probably involve dancing. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/15 "2010-03-02T09:10:48Z")
It needs a “whisper mode”. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/16 "2010-03-02T18:45:40Z")
Just what a helicopter needs–more moving parts! It is a really cool toy, and I suppose it could have some surveillance capabilities (if it can be de-shriekified), but there is no way in hell any sane pilot wouild strap into a full-sized one of those things (barring lots of advances in materials science that reduces the failure rate dramatically). Also, I wonder what this thing’s version of auto-rotation is like. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/17 "2010-03-02T20:18:52Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Just what a helicopter needs–more moving parts! It is a really cool toy, and I suppose it could have some surveillance capabilities Already done. One of the British police forces has a 4-prop UAV. ---
**Author:** ![BunnyTVS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BunnyTVS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BunnyTVS)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 12:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/18 "2010-03-03T00:46:22Z")
Very nice. If only there was an [iphone app](http://ardrone.parrot.com/parrot-ar-drone/en) for it 😃 ---
**Author:** ![LIONsob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/76d3ee/32.png) [@LIONsob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LIONsob)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/19 "2010-03-03T15:14:43Z")
Wanna build one of your own? [Multirotor Drone Talk - RC Groups](http://www.rcgroups.com/multi-rotor-helis-659/) just about everything you would need to know to build one you will find on that forum, I think the guy who did the hexacopter is a member. You can put together a simple one for a couple of humdred bucks or more depending on how fancy you want to get. ---
**Author:** ![LIONsob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/76d3ee/32.png) [@LIONsob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LIONsob)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2010, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883/20 "2010-03-03T15:36:38Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Just what a helicopter needs–more moving parts! It is a really cool toy, and I suppose it could have some surveillance capabilities (if it can be de-shriekified), but there is no way in hell any sane pilot wouild strap into a full-sized one of those things (barring lots of advances in materials science that reduces the failure rate dramatically). > > Also, I wonder what this thing’s version of auto-rotation is like. Truth be told the hexakopter only has 6 moving parts the motor/props where as the Dragonus II rc helicopter kit that I have just finished building has over 40 moving/rotating/sliding parts on a helicopter that has a ready to fly weight of less than 2 Lbs. and yes they auto-rotate like a brick! [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/flight-test-the-hexakopter/530883.md?page=2)