Drone in my rural neighborhood

reply to post by seeker1963


Cow/dairy farm.
Lots of cows, lots of corn.

Allowing local sheriffs and police chiefs access to spy planes happened without public discussion or the approval of Congress... Read more: www.dailymail.co.uk...

I thought congress approved this in HR 658?

reply to post by Avalessa

But then I saw it was moving in a way that only an unpiloted craft could.

And exactly how can only an unpiloted craft move???


Care to provide more details, you have admitted that you were too far away to see details...but put up a pic of the most commonly known drone plane...and then this claim that it moved in a way that ONLY an unpiloted craft could move.

So how exactly was it moving that ONLY an unpiloted craft could move???

State of Michigan is/was the ground zero with regards to real estate crash. The state government has cut back on many projects and/or state departments. Surely it would make sense to use drones in rural areas where they really dont need people to check up on things. Moreoever, do not forget the canadian border isn't too far from MI with plenty of access holes through the lake.

reply to post by OutKast Searcher


It was moving far too close to the bound and far too fast. It was making turns and flips that wouldn't be safe for someone in a "plane" that size. Again, far too close to the ground. And considering they were risking crashing on someone's property, I wouldn't think anyone would be stupid enough to perform those tricks really fast and close to property belonging to someone else.

Originally posted by Avalessa
reply to post by OutKast Searcher

 

It was moving far too close to the bound and far too fast. It was making turns and flips that wouldn't be safe for someone in a "plane" that size. Again, far too close to the ground. And considering they were risking crashing on someone's property, I wouldn't think anyone would be stupid enough to perform those tricks really fast and close to property belonging to someone else.

And you know for a fact that drones have that capability? And that they would endanger crashing one of these multi-million dollar drones in a farm field by doing flips and tricks with it? I'm no expert on drone planes...but all footage I've seen of them fly in very straight lines...not doing flips and tricks.

Sounds more like someone out with a RC plane more than a multi-million dollar drone plane if it was doing flips and tricks.

Originally posted by thehoneycomb
reply to post by Avalessa

 

They are probably surveying your land. Funny stuff going on. Have you ever had FDA or anyone like that come to your house claiming that your property might be a wetland.

See whats been going on is that the Federal Government is trying to go after people in rural areas and reclaim their properties, using all kinds of scare tactics. Red tape, beurocracy, fines etc.

Here's a link to concur.

I suppose if you can aim a big enough mirror at it, one might could disrupt it's laser guidance system, or somehow disable it?

Sometimes the most complex problem can be solved by using the simplest formula?

If you think shooting this down will bring you unwanted consequences; realize the consequence came before the "criminal act" of shooting it down did, or will.

If this operates below hobby airspace, up to 1200 feet, I'd say it's fair game, and quite a prize to behold the contents/components of such a technical achievement.

Definitely an RC plane if it was maneuvering in that way.

A drone would fly slow and controlled in order to get the best surveillance. An quick turns, climbs, stalls, flips, etc would be just for fun.

A piloted plane can do anything an RC plane can do, and vice versa. The only difference is power to weight ratio. The bigger the plane, the harder it is to get a big power to weight ratio. An RC plane can hang literally suspended from its prop like a helicopter, but a piloted plane cannot do that. Only 1 jet can do a completely vertical climb.

So, if this plane was doing tricky maneuvers that would indicate it was small and recreational, not manned, and not a drone.

reply to post by loveguy


Oh thats a good idea, point a mirror at it and blind the optics. Or a really bright light. I guess there are lots of ways you could mess with a drone if you think about it.

February 24th I saw a plane I couldn't identify. It took 2 months (until April 24th) before I ran across a picture that matched my drawing. www.abovetopsecret.com... MQ-9 Reaper! According to Wiki it is a "hunter-killer" drone. en.wikipedia.org... I wondered if this was our Governor Perry's "pet" (project) Predator he ordered. That I'll never know.

I am VERY rural out here.

Many years ago (like 3 maybe), hubby and I saw another hovering craft that was like a helicopter without blades. It was a little shorter than a chopper; but, not a remote controlled toy. It hovered for hours about 250 feet up. We figure it was unammanned. Maybe it was an experimental UAV as we have UAV makers in the region. I never found out what it was.

reply to post by Avalessa


If it was doing turns and flips, I would have to agree it was not a drone. Those things cost a lot of money and I can't see them being allowed to use them in that manner.........

potato canon + steel ball bearings = dead drone. Its not hard to make and the material will cost less than 50$.

Ok; so now I'm a little freaked and curious. I believe a drone flew over near our house wednesday evening (May 30). What happened was this:

I live in Southern Illinois, and the time was approximately 8pm or so. It was still daylight (dusky) and the moon was up in the southern sky. I happened to be standing outside by my vehicle because I was stressing out over losing an important key earlier in the day while moving. I just happened to look up at the moon trying to calm down and I saw what I thought was (at first) a bright white plane just getting ready to fly across in front of the moon. It didn't take but a few seconds for me to notice this "plane" seemed strange: it was bright white, kind of longer than a regular plane, it didn't seem to be very high up (higher than a helicopter but not quite as high as american airlines), and it was moving really slow compared to a plane or helicopter. I ended up watching it as long as I could until it got blocked by the trees at the perimeter of the yard.

Whatever it was, it didn't make any sound, and the neighborhood was quiet so it should have been heard easliy. I even listened a couple minutes after it had gone out of sight but there still wasn't any sound made from it flying over. And as low flying as it appeared there should have been sound. Maybe it was higher up than it appeared, but if it was...then it was a fairly long-bodied aircraft.

Normally I grab my binoculars out of my car since they are kept handy for times like these...but go figure...couldn't get to them quick enough. They were covered up with stuff since I was moving. Well finally, just a little while ago I remembered to do a google image search to see what drones even look like. Since I didn't have my binoculars handy, it was hard to make out the wings. After looking through the pictures on google, this picture looks the closest to what I saw. The only difference is that the thing I saw was really white (not grayish) and I couldn't visually make out the wings/shape. But other than that, it looked most like this picture.....

picture link


This is a really rural setting here, why would anyone want to spy on such a non-happening place? LOL

Wow ,


Well I am Australian so bearing that in mind we don't have access to guns here . ( Well , we do but its not as easy to get one as in the states ) .

But with me being heavily into Mechatronics , Electronics and RC applications i would take the first chance i could to nail that sucker , I wouldn't destroy it but i would take out the back end of it or something like that so it loses its aerodynamic capability and falls to earth .

Then i would go after it , take it back to my workshop and proceed to rip the guts out of the thing for use in one or more of my projects .

Just the thought of it is making me drool .

I wonder what your government would do if you blew one of these out of the sky ? Can you be booked for such a thing ? Is there something in that patriot act that prohibits such behavior ?

Keep in mind that these things are equipped with GPS so they would be able to triangulate the drones point of deactivation in a heartbeat . Also some of these things are able to read your cellphone from its flight ceiling and transmit the feed back to a control point .
So a word of caution to be aware of friend .



I would love to see a picture if you can grab one for us , that would be amazing .
If it flew over once it more then likely will fly over again so, have your camera ready !

Great thread ,


Omega

silly american living in peace not having to worry about violence that so many others have to worry about and you are complaining about drones!

lol

rofl

Originally posted by OutKast Searcher

Originally posted by Avalessa
reply to post by OutKast Searcher

 

It was moving far too close to the bound and far too fast. It was making turns and flips that wouldn't be safe for someone in a "plane" that size. Again, far too close to the ground. And considering they were risking crashing on someone's property, I wouldn't think anyone would be stupid enough to perform those tricks really fast and close to property belonging to someone else.

And you know for a fact that drones have that capability? And that they would endanger crashing one of these multi-million dollar drones in a farm field by doing flips and tricks with it? I'm no expert on drone planes...but all footage I've seen of them fly in very straight lines...not doing flips and tricks.

Sounds more like someone out with a RC plane more than a multi-million dollar drone plane if it was doing flips and tricks.

There is no use in trying to explain things to some people they wont listen

All I know is
If I was going to build a drone to do surveillance
in rural areas,
I would name it,
OutKast Searcher!

Originally posted by Avalessa
reply to post by OutKast Searcher

 

It was moving far too close to the bound and far too fast. It was making turns and flips that wouldn't be safe for someone in a "plane" that size. Again, far too close to the ground. And considering they were risking crashing on someone's property, I wouldn't think anyone would be stupid enough to perform those tricks really fast and close to property belonging to someone else.

The link to the picture you posted was a MQ-1 predator.

i was a crew cheif with this aircraft when i was in the Air Force. i can assure you that these aircraft do not fly very fast at all (hence the large wing span, more lift at slower speeds) and most certainly cannot do any flips or such. the aircraft really are extremely brittle.

most people dont realize this but they are powered by a rotax snowmobile engine. they aren't designed to go fast nor fly at low altitudes.

there are only a few units in the country that have the predator drones and only a couple that have the reaper drones, none of which are located near or around michigan.

from your report about its flight characteristics i can assure you that it was either a R/C Aircraft or a sport aircraft.

I suppose if you can aim a big enough mirror at it, one might could disrupt it's laser guidance system, or somehow disable it?

these drones aren't flown via laser guidance system. they are flown via a satellite link. the only way to disrupt it is to terminate its satellite link. even then they are programmed to fly a specific pattern in the air when they lose sat link. so even if you could terminate its link, it wouldn't crash until it ran out of fuel, which could be up to 36 hours, depending on altitude.

Originally posted by AaronWilson
potato canon + steel ball bearings = dead drone. Its not hard to make and the material will cost less than 50$.

good luck with that, considering that most drone's fly their orbits (designated flight patterns) at over 35,000 ft. after all the purpose of the drones are to be "unseen" when flying their orbits, it wouldnt make very much sense to fly them in range of a "potatoe gun"

Originally posted by TruthJava


Ok; so now I'm a little freaked and curious. I believe a drone flew over near our house wednesday evening (May 30). What happened was this:

I live in Southern Illinois, and the time was approximately 8pm or so. It was still daylight (dusky) and the moon was up in the southern sky. I happened to be standing outside by my vehicle because I was stressing out over losing an important key earlier in the day while moving. I just happened to look up at the moon trying to calm down and I saw what I thought was (at first) a bright white plane just getting ready to fly across in front of the moon. It didn't take but a few seconds for me to notice this "plane" seemed strange: it was bright white, kind of longer than a regular plane, it didn't seem to be very high up (higher than a helicopter but not quite as high as american airlines), and it was moving really slow compared to a plane or helicopter. I ended up watching it as long as I could until it got blocked by the trees at the perimeter of the yard.

Whatever it was, it didn't make any sound, and the neighborhood was quiet so it should have been heard easliy. I even listened a couple minutes after it had gone out of sight but there still wasn't any sound made from it flying over. And as low flying as it appeared there should have been sound. Maybe it was higher up than it appeared, but if it was...then it was a fairly long-bodied aircraft.

Normally I grab my binoculars out of my car since they are kept handy for times like these...but go figure...couldn't get to them quick enough. They were covered up with stuff since I was moving. Well finally, just a little while ago I remembered to do a google image search to see what drones even look like. Since I didn't have my binoculars handy, it was hard to make out the wings. After looking through the pictures on google, this picture looks the closest to what I saw. The only difference is that the thing I saw was really white (not grayish) and I couldn't visually make out the wings/shape. But other than that, it looked most like this picture.....

picture link


This is a really rural setting here, why would anyone want to spy on such a non-happening place? LOL

edit on 2-6-2012 by TruthJava because: typo

the picture you posted was an MQ-9 Reaper, it is a little bit larger than the Predator UAV, however, it is still considerably smaller than a normal comercial airliner. they also have an operational altitude of 50.000 ft, making it invisible from the ground. i beleive that what you saw is certainly not the drone in the picture you provided.