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As a drone builder and pilot I hate stories like this. A few really stupid people will eventually ruin this hobby for people like me. That being said, why not s

by x0054 11y ago

As a drone builder and pilot I hate stories like this. A few really stupid people will eventually ruin this hobby for people like me. That being said, why not simply snipe the drone out of the air rather than abort the mission? I know that the drone going done could theoretically cause another potential fire. But It strikes me that that's something the department is well equipped to deal with as long as they can track where it crash lands. Just a thought.

thaumaturgy 11y ago
There's no good way to do that. You'd be trying to hit a moving target from a couple hundred feet away in probably windy conditions and maybe limited visibility, and a bullet could pass between the quadcopter's arms without doing any damage to it.
- x0054 11y ago
  I am guessing that it's an airplane rather than a quad, because they reported it to have a 4 foot wing span. I guess you have a point, I never shoot anything from more than 80 yards, so it might be impossible. Maybe they need attack drones of their own after all :)
  - thaumaturgy 11y ago
    Oh, right. I read that part and assumed it was a four-foot-across quad, but that's a bit on the big side. I wonder if a directed frequency jammer would work? That's fairly straightforward.
    - Sanddancer 11y ago
      Jamming a frequency would cause more of a problem, because now you have an /uncontrolled/ four foot across aircraft flying in restricted airspace. With a controlled craft, you could at least get on bullhorns and try to yell at the idiot flying the drone to stop.
      - thaumaturgy 11y ago
        The more advanced models -- the ones more likely to be flown by someone in that situation -- have an automatic return-to-home function that kicks in if it loses the connection to the radio. On the cheaper models, I'd expect it to simply crash within a minute or two. But it would be interesting to test that.
flashman 11y ago
> why not simply snipe the drone out of the air Once this anti-drone laser is civilianized, that will be possible: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-navy-debuts-anti-drone-laser-weapon-humvee-that-shoots-down-enemy-uavs-1497040 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-navy-debuts-anti-drone-laser-wea...
notacoward 11y ago
As others have pointed out, that might be hard. On the other hand, I'd say just do the drop anyway and cover the damn thing with fire retardant. If any drone owners bitch about it, throw them in jail for having interfered with the firefighting effort in the first place.

by x0054 11y ago

thaumaturgy 11y ago

There's no good way to do that. You'd be trying to hit a moving target from a couple hundred feet away in probably windy conditions and maybe limited visibility, and a bullet could pass between the quadcopter's arms without doing any damage to it.

x0054 11y ago
I am guessing that it's an airplane rather than a quad, because they reported it to have a 4 foot wing span. I guess you have a point, I never shoot anything from more than 80 yards, so it might be impossible. Maybe they need attack drones of their own after all :)
- thaumaturgy 11y ago
  Oh, right. I read that part and assumed it was a four-foot-across quad, but that's a bit on the big side. I wonder if a directed frequency jammer would work? That's fairly straightforward.
  - Sanddancer 11y ago
    Jamming a frequency would cause more of a problem, because now you have an /uncontrolled/ four foot across aircraft flying in restricted airspace. With a controlled craft, you could at least get on bullhorns and try to yell at the idiot flying the drone to stop.
    - thaumaturgy 11y ago
      The more advanced models -- the ones more likely to be flown by someone in that situation -- have an automatic return-to-home function that kicks in if it loses the connection to the radio. On the cheaper models, I'd expect it to simply crash within a minute or two. But it would be interesting to test that.

flashman 11y ago

> why not simply snipe the drone out of the air Once this anti-drone laser is civilianized, that will be possible: http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-navy-debuts-anti-drone-laser-weapon-humvee-that-shoots-down-enemy-uavs-1497040 http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/us-navy-debuts-anti-drone-laser-wea...

notacoward 11y ago

As others have pointed out, that might be hard. On the other hand, I'd say just do the drop anyway and cover the damn thing with fire retardant. If any drone owners bitch about it, throw them in jail for having interfered with the firefighting effort in the first place.