5 ms·

Any chance it was bat related?

hluska 5y ago
According to the description “The quad copter was described as approximately 5 feet long by about 3 feet wide, with a single green flashing LED light.”
- Wistar 5y ago
  Odd that the creators of the drone bothered with a flashing light.
  - devmor 5y ago
    That's the one detail of the story that leads me to believe it may have been some rich idiot that didn't know the legality of what they were doing. Also entirely possible they used some stock parts and just didn't realize the LED was there.
    - tablespoon 5y ago
      > Also entirely possible they used some stock parts and just didn't realize the LED was there. I only think an amateur would make that kind of mistake. If it was from a hostile power with any kind of competence, I think they would have extensively tested it in simulated operational conditions. If they didn't notice the light when they initially built it, they would have probably noticed it during testing.
      - devmor 5y ago
        You overestimate the human ability to account for all conditions. For example, perhaps they did all of their testing in the middle of bright sunlight and simply did not see it?
  - imglorp 5y ago
    I think that's the clue. This could simply be mischief with an off-the shelf, gasoline, quad copter with upgraded long range radios. Flashing green strobe would be an FAA navigation light -- if viewed from the other side you would see a flashing red. All of the natsec and domestic spying theories would be nullified by the thing having nav lights. https://droneswatch.org/gas-powered-drone/ https://droneswatch.org/gas-powered-drone/
  - anticristi 5y ago
    I can imagine the conversation in an evil war room: "We are doing illegal stuff, but still, let's not go as low as to remove the flashing light. We have morals!" :))
  - anonAndOn 5y ago
    Green is close to the center of the visible light spectrum. If somebody wanted to track it visually from a great distance, (perhaps from a nearby mountain?) this would make it easier to spot. This would be beneficial for a two person team. The drone operator watching the video feed and a spotter providing positions of pursuit aircraft.
- helsinkiandrew 5y ago
  Closer to Batman dimensions (Michael Keaton)
  - mcphage 5y ago
    If it was Batman, it would have a black LED.
- stronglikedan 5y ago
  Bat mobile?
  - hluska 5y ago
    Oh geez, it took me almost 24 hours to get the joke.
- aliasEli 5y ago
  It was night, it seems pretty unlikely that anyone could make any good observations of the size or shape. When someone points a green laser at some clouds you will observe an object with a green light.
  - hluska 5y ago
    I didn’t understand the comment I replied to and was trying to say “that’s a big bat.” Pop culture references go over my head more than they likely should.

According to the description “The quad copter was described as approximately 5 feet long by about 3 feet wide, with a single green flashing LED light.”

Wistar 5y ago
Odd that the creators of the drone bothered with a flashing light.
- devmor 5y ago
  That's the one detail of the story that leads me to believe it may have been some rich idiot that didn't know the legality of what they were doing. Also entirely possible they used some stock parts and just didn't realize the LED was there.
  - tablespoon 5y ago
    > Also entirely possible they used some stock parts and just didn't realize the LED was there. I only think an amateur would make that kind of mistake. If it was from a hostile power with any kind of competence, I think they would have extensively tested it in simulated operational conditions. If they didn't notice the light when they initially built it, they would have probably noticed it during testing.
    - devmor 5y ago
      You overestimate the human ability to account for all conditions. For example, perhaps they did all of their testing in the middle of bright sunlight and simply did not see it?
- imglorp 5y ago
  I think that's the clue. This could simply be mischief with an off-the shelf, gasoline, quad copter with upgraded long range radios. Flashing green strobe would be an FAA navigation light -- if viewed from the other side you would see a flashing red. All of the natsec and domestic spying theories would be nullified by the thing having nav lights. https://droneswatch.org/gas-powered-drone/ https://droneswatch.org/gas-powered-drone/
- anticristi 5y ago
  I can imagine the conversation in an evil war room: "We are doing illegal stuff, but still, let's not go as low as to remove the flashing light. We have morals!" :))
- anonAndOn 5y ago
  Green is close to the center of the visible light spectrum. If somebody wanted to track it visually from a great distance, (perhaps from a nearby mountain?) this would make it easier to spot. This would be beneficial for a two person team. The drone operator watching the video feed and a spotter providing positions of pursuit aircraft.
helsinkiandrew 5y ago
Closer to Batman dimensions (Michael Keaton)
- mcphage 5y ago
  If it was Batman, it would have a black LED.
stronglikedan 5y ago
Bat mobile?
- hluska 5y ago
  Oh geez, it took me almost 24 hours to get the joke.
aliasEli 5y ago
It was night, it seems pretty unlikely that anyone could make any good observations of the size or shape. When someone points a green laser at some clouds you will observe an object with a green light.
- hluska 5y ago
  I didn’t understand the comment I replied to and was trying to say “that’s a big bat.” Pop culture references go over my head more than they likely should.