Math time, gamers.

Drone flight hours:

Error see bottom for rework.G

In 2008 they flew 400,000 hours

There are now 7,000 drones.

Ok if 7,000 drones flew 24/7 

that would be :

( 7,000 X 24 X 356 = 61,132,000 hrs. )

But they flew 400,000 hrs.  Permalink 

each drone could have flown 

57 hrs over the year to reach

400,000 hrs.

( 57 X 7,000 = 400,000 )

They have 7,000 drones in theater

and flew 400,000 hrs last year,

and an average of 57 hrs of flight a year

per drone.

They don't need more drones

they need more pilots.

Now I don't know how many of those

are out dated or not sutiable for flight.

But the Paradigm seems to suggest

They need more pilots, not drones.

Do they have 7,000 pilots available

in Conus to fly the Drones?

THEY DON'T NEED 7,000

PILOTS.

They need 24,000 gamers

to get those 7,000 drones up

24/7.

Three shifts, 8 hrs each,

times 7,000 drones.

( adjust for refueling

mainteance etc. )

( 7,000 X 3 shifts = 24,ooo )

What GAMERS, NOT PILOTS?

Train them on X-Box and Model planes.

Yes, the paradigm is there, and valid.

If my math is wrong or there is

an error in my Hypothesis

PLEASE comment .

Gerald

OPPSSS

Posted by: Noah Shachtman | Feb 5, 2009 1:16:42 PM

@Gerald: Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear. 6500 of those 7000 drones are small UAVs -- not counted in the 400,000 flight hour number. So you're really talking 400,000 divided by 500 -- 800 flight hours per drone. Also, look at the Predator numbers: 138,404 for 71 drones -- about 1950 hours per robo-plane. 

Ok thats 85 ( 24 hr days of flight )

( 1950 hrs per predator, divided by 24 hrs in a day is 81 days of flight )

Conclusion holds...

still need more pilots/gamers.

G

.