Anyone tried attaching an HE or H2 balloon to a drone?

What will happen to typical small drone like DJI mini SE if I hang it from a HE balloon such that the balloon takes up about 3/4 of the drone's weight?

I'm wondering what would be best way to attach it so the drone doesn't freak out, and so that the drone can't do something wrong. Maybe an upside down pyramid of plastic straws to hold the balloon a bit away from props, but also steady it over the drone. Idea would be greatly extend drone loiter time in calm winds.
I'm thinking the drone would have a hard time moving in horizontal unless it had a flex joint to allow it to tip into the direction it wants to go.

 

You might be a pioneer here.

 

Maybe put the propellers directly on the balloon to make a drone? The Chinese did something like that on a large scale didn't they? Flew Over and hovered for lengthy periods of time over critical security installations in the USA until it was shot down in open Waters? Kind of clever because it could be made to hover over populated areas, where it couldn't be shut down without causing collateral damage underneath.

 

Easy to produce H2 via electrolysis.

 

A long tether, and don't climb faster than the balloon can rise; go too fast forward and the drone will spin around the balloon like a moon. Make a zeppelin / blimp and mount drone at front sideways to drag blimp forward. Use the blimp to carry the payload, and put drones wherever they work, maybe at sides. Have the drone inside a perforated balloon with vectored thrust channels, so it looks just like a balloon. It would have been done before somehow, do searches, r and d, military, photographic platforms, etc. Sounds interesting anyway.

 

Air drag will happen. To lift 3/4 of the weight of a DJI Mini SE you need the volume of approx. 9 cuft, that's a good sized refrigerator. Controlled flight will prove very difficult however you attach the drone to the balloon.

If you want a lighter then air drone they are available in classic airship form, buy one.

 

It’s going to crash.
Your typical Drones operate on a delicate balance of weight/power and are very light as they are. I don’t see any advantage to your proposition.
A balloon and its rigging will destroy its aerodynamics, and it will trip all over itself.

 

Making the hydrogen is easy, storing it for fuel or for use in a balloon requires weight and energy draining machinery?

 

interesting, but they are at least 10X as much as a drone. Now I'm thinking I'd go for Lighter Than Air drone/balloon, basically using a tethered balloon to carry the drone, to extend its flight time, just to use its excellent camera with transmitter for live picture. Many even cheap drones have provision to be "bombers" and drop via remote control, so maybe I could rig that to allow it to release from balloon remotely. Also wondering if there would be a way to shut off the propellers to save battery, but also switch them on if I want to release and fly home without the balloon.

I figure it could be a cheap way to get hours of overhead video, VS under 1/2 hour. I'll have to check, but IIRC the drone operation is to sync the drone with phone, which brings up camera to phone, THEN you fire up the motors to take off. That would be ideal. Hopefully, that would also make the drone able to double as land based remote video camera, with pretty long range.

In the US, the transmission range of the Mini 2 SE is about 6.2 miles, which is the farthest you may be able to fly the drone. Beware that the drone is beyond the visible line of sight at this range.

The transmission range is limited to a maximum of 3.7 miles in the EU, China, and Japan.

 

Lots of energy will be used up in the initial ascent, so try a drop away rocket in a socket for helping in the first ascent from the ground, to save batteries. when the rocket has no thrust left, it falls out so no extra weight. Steer it with the props / remote just the same, but quicker up.
I'd like a large jumbo jet shaped, or large bomber shaped helium balloon with drone inside / underneath. Helium drone Chitty Chitty Bang Bang ?
Aren't we supposed to be talking about boats ?

 

I've also thought of using lighter than air to hoist a parasail into faster wind. Might even be a staged rig. First a balloon hoists a small light parasail, and when it finds wind its used to haul up a bigger sail.