In the other post I mentioned about creating a micro-roto-drone for some spotting/recon work. I get the idea that Flux determines Remote-Deck distance, which would control how far I can managed my drone(s), but I can't seem to find the max flight ceiling on what a micro-roto-drone would be. Albeit Flux 0 only yields 250m sphere of control, the closest I can find is listed as a helecopter at 6000m.

Is this my number or am I missing something?

That's probably it.

~J

I could've sworn Rigger3 had a table of flight ceilings for different types of vehicles. Books aren't with me, though.

It does moon, my problem is it specifically lists "helecopter" which is a rotocraft and I was looking for something more general I suppose.

Grinder, if I were the GM I would say a rotor drone can go as high as a full sized helicopter.

There is an actual physical limit to how high choppers can go, it has to do with how they operate. Assuming fo course a rigger could control his dron from that far away.

Great, you've all confirmed my suspicions. Thanks again.

The altitude a helicopter can achieve is directly proportional to the amount of excess power it has, not to mention the size of its main rotor. Consequently the larger the helo generally the higher it can operate. Smaller drones will probably have a hard time getting out of ground effect with any sort of a load.

It also has to do with the aerodynamics of the helicopter body itself. One of the reasons that the Hind can operate at higher altitudes than most choppers is due to its stubby 'wings' that generate some lift and allow the chopper to be controlable (as long as it is moving) at higher altitudes.

Most choppers will have a 'comfortable' operating ceiling of 10-12 thousand feet with a maximum ceiling of around 15-20 thousand feet.

Helicopters will smaller rotors and less engine power (i.e. rotordrones) will probably be limited to something like 46/10 thousand feet.

Notice that this makes helicopters hard to operate in mountainous regions like Afganistan...

Notice also that the blimp like drones are altitude limited too (probabyl much worse that rotordrones). Operating condors in Denver might be quite difficult...

basicly as you go higher you have to move more air to get same amount of lift. the reason for this is thinner air. and blimps have in fact a easyer time then rotodrones, reason for that is that the baloon part makes them 0 weight crafts (the lift of the baloon equals the weight of the craft). then they just use engines to push it around. now if you pack some helium tanks or similar into the craft you have in theory a unlimited flight altitude (inside the atmosphere). remember that nasa (or was it the us airforce?) sendt a man into the upper regions, wearing a "space" suit. he then skydived back to earth.

The max altitude of lighter than air vehicles is limited by their weight vs volume. Because the presented blimp drones seem to have high weight to volume ratios, this means that they will be altitude limited.

As you go you, the list you can gain from a specific volume of hydrogen or helium becomes more and more limited.

and therefor i suggest to add helium tanks to the craft and pump more into the system as needed as for volume, that just depends on the bag. how about the bag is made in a way that allow it to strech?

Yep. Those high altitude balloons are freaking huge ballons that are only partially filled with helium. As the craft rises, the helium expands to fill the ballon. They actually increase buoyancy as they rise (as a natural result of decreasing pressure and a efficient compensation for decreasing density).

but then again, why would a rigger want to send a drone into the outer atmospehere? and would he be able to keep control of it up there?

No, he wouldn't be able to control it very well, but he'd get to take lots of really pretty pictures, and just think of the cows man!