WASP II flying platform
oppositelock.kinja.com
oppositelock.kinja.com
Another aviation-related WASP program was the essential WWII-era Women Airforce Service Pilots, which ran from 1942-44. These women "became trained pilots who tested aircraft, ferried aircraft and trained other pilots [including towing firing practice targets]. Their purpose was to free male pilots for combat roles during World War II."[0]
They were recently awarded the Congressional Gold Medal and granted internment rights at Arlington.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women_Airforce_Service_Pilots
The other big problem is high noise. So no that usable for reconnaissance. But with a half hour of flight time, and if it could be made to hold a couple passengers, it looks like something that would be useful for field evacuation use.
I'm sure a modern version of this system could solve the tied up hands problem, as you mention. Maybe it'd be a useful system for maintenance on a large craft like an aircraft carrier.
Of course it still has the problem of what you do with an expensive tiny platform that can't carry much if any cargo, makes a horrible racket, and is much easier to spot than a guy on the ground in a jeep.
not to mention that trigger buttons could easily allow more than just 'observation'...
The aircraft on display are amazing. The mid-20th century had some incredible aircraft designers.
[1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3UbOG0ERCwM [2] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExAY2kYvkpQ [3] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qjvm5kO6ILA
Well, perhaps, though running several jet turbines... aside from the amazingly loud noise, that seems a lot of maintenance and fuel? EZ-fly's 5 engines, 280 lb payload, and 12 minutes duration, suggests something vaguely like JetCat P400-PRO 89 lb thrust engines. So say $3/min fuel. Running near max, so maybe low/mid-order 100hrs for minor/major teardowns? A $10k engine. So about the same cost/min for maintenance? Swap out an engine each shift. So several hundred dollars per hour operating cost? So like a light helicopter? But louder.
A similar but jetpack form: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kh1x6q21-HU
Thus all the attention on electric and hybrid, and winged VTOL.
Any estimate? Well... WASP was apparently a turbofan, and thus likely quieter than these small turbines - less high-frequency noise from shear. Quick googling turns up [1], which has a CJR900 small airliner as 78 SEL dBA @ 400 ft @ low 1k lb taxi thrust. So perhaps take that as a low bound. And [2] suggests an upper bound of 120 db at 9 ft for one of those small turbines. So...?
I was going to say "No idea, sorry", but when encouraging estimation and rough quantitative reasoning, I argue that one should never say "no idea", because its almost always untrue - one can almost always get some bounds. And surprisingly often, they are satisficingly narrow. Though perhaps not these.
One notable thought from [2] was the high-frequency noise attenuates rapidly with distance.
[1] https://www.nap.edu/read/22606/chapter/6#19 [2] https://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/rc-jets-120/9317226-need-de...