
We brought an antenna to Davos to track private airplanes, here's what we found - wolframio
http://qz.com/600590/we-brought-an-antenna-to-davos-to-track-private-air-travel-and-heres-what-we-found/
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jgrahamc
And what they found was... nothing? This is a strange article, you keep
thinking they are going to tell you something interesting. And then they
don't. For example, they have a map showing that helicopters took the same
routes: it's almost as if people are flying to and from the same airports and
there's some sort of plan in place for where they fly. Who knew?

 _Chartering a helicopter flight from Zürich to Davos can cost as much as
$10,000. We built our helicopter-tracking rig for under $200._

Is that supposed to be some weird juxtaposition?

Almost feels like this entire article is a justification for them being able
to expense the cost of building an ADS-B set up.

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koliber
The InterContinental hotel at which many attendees were staying cost $56
million to build. We bought our lunch for $8.

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mynewtb
Absolutely nothing of relevance? What a sad piece, this should have gone into
the drawer or better as a sidenote in some actual reporting to keep others
from wasting their time on it.

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yanofsky
While clearly some of you folks don't find it interesting, we found:

\- The approximate volume of helicopter traffic that fly into and out of
Davos, which was previously unknown

\- The approximate number of helicopters that fly into and out of Davos, which
was previously unknown

\- The exact types of helicopters that were flying around Davos, which was
previously unknown

This data also provide a benchmark for future analysis of and reporting on
helicopter use patterns at Davos and elsewhere.

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Gys
Genuinely wondering: why do you think that is of interest ?

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yanofsky
I find it interesting because it is the only data that exist that can quantify
and contextualize the anecdotal reports of the volume and impact of helicopter
use at Davos.

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mynewtb
And why would the helicopter use be of any significant interest to the public?

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yanofsky
From the piece:

"We went to all this trouble because there is perennial fascination with the
flying habits of the 2,800 Davos delegates. Use of private aircraft, though
often wildly overstated, highlights the vast wealth and power that descends
upon this small skiing town in the Swiss Alps each year. And their
transportation choices are frequently criticized for their environmental
impact at a conference that seeks solutions to reducing carbon emissions,
among other topics."

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Gys
I was on the island of Sint Maarten for a while. Its a hub in the Caribbean
for megayachts and superyachts. You should have a look there around
Christmas... Talking about helicopters, wealth and power... And there are many
more of those of places and events around the world.

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aeaejei
The title should indicate that the article focuses on private helicopters as
opposed to other private aircraft.

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rasz_pl
We brought an antenna to Davos to track private airplanes, you wont believe
what happened next.

