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New Draganflyer Predator Unmanned Aerial Vehicle
John Jorsett writes "I've long lusted for the Draganflyer indoor-outdoor radio-controlled helicopter, but now I've got a new object of desire. Since seeing it flown on The History Channel's 'Tactical to Practical' show last September, I've been waiting for the Draganflyer Predator, modeled on the military aircraft of the same name. Electrically powered, the $750 Draganflyer Predator can be equipped with video cameras and a GPS receiver to carry out radio-controlled or pre-programmed self-guided surveillance missions of up to 20 miles range, the company claims. Time to buy my own UAV and find out what's really going on over there in Area 51."
So what is stopping someone from using this like a real predator and strapping something not so nice to it like a small bomb or gun. Since it can fly autonomously it looks like they just made a cheap over the counter missile platform. Just fly around a building transmitting real time images till your target emerges from the building and....boom!
Actually the enviorment is getting cleaner,the world is more prosperous and "dying to survive is an oxymoron".
YOU can do what you like about the problems you percieve.WE can play with cool toys in our spare time.Isn't freedom wonderful? Enjoy it while you can the clock is ticking for all of us and you don't get a second chance.
My father got into building and flying RC aircraft - he even became the president of his local RC flying organization. It is a cool hobby to play with - but there's two things you have to expect.
One: You are going to crash and damage your toys. Be prepared for the emotional effects this may have. Having a camera up front is a nice way to tie controls in with movement, certainly nicer than the fly-by-watching indirect controls my dad had to use - but the dynamics of RC scale speed Vs. large scale wind means that you are still going to have to contend with hard landings and rapid unexpected direction changes. Always stay clear of ANY obstacles, never fly around people or property, and come prepared to climb trees to retrieve your toy.
Two: This is NOT a cheap hobby. In terms of time and resources, the $750 is just the tip of the iceburg in terms of the resources you are going to spend to maintain this little aircraft if you plan on flying it regularly. You'll need a little workshop, epoxies and other wear-and-tear repair equipment, scraps of all kinds to repair larger issues, spark plugs, oils and other maintenence tools depending on engine, carrying equipment, etc., etc. You've got to be fairly finantially devoted to keep this hobby up - and I'm not even mentioning the costs of a serious crash.
It is a hobby you can be proud of in your accoplishments - but it's also one you have to take great care with, and be ready for literally crushing emotions when gravity takes its toll.
Ryan Fenton
It's even easier the cheaper to build your own version of this toy, since it's a model of the Predator fixed wing aircraft.
The commercial version is an order of magnitude cheaper than the Rotomotion as well, putting it honestly in the toy/hobbyiest catagory.
But as your own post points out there's nothing particularly revolutionary about it. Hobbyists have been building these things for a while. In light wind conditions small blimps are a hoot, can carry a fair amount of gear, and with todays wireless networking technology can be monitored and controled by equipment many people already have.
Yeah, sometimes I get bored and hack stuff up out of what I've got lying around just to see what I can do with it.
KFG
Don't ya just love the legal system - put guidence on board and it's a missile despite the copious lack of any kind of explosive.
But that's okay if you can spy on them equally easily. The Orwellian problem arises with asymmetric intelligence (in the "spying" sense) availability like we have now. With confused or stupid computer geeks pushing for privacy, little realising that privacy laws are a shield for the powerful and useless to the weak (since government intelligence agencies are not really bound by them, and you _can't tell_ if someone more powerful than you is watching you, but if you are a weakling being watched while watching, damn sure the powerful dude you are watching can tell and will sue your ass or worse...)
No offense, but I'm sure the majority of the countries who have an interest in our places like area 51 are already flying satalites strait over them to see whats there.
I do security
"The Orwellian problem arises with asymmetric intelligence" Asymetric intelligence would (is?) certainly a problem, but allowing everyone to spy on everyone is a pyrrhic victory. I don't WANT to know what everyone else is doing. If I want to be seen, I'll alert the media and see if anyone gives a rat's ass what I'm doing. Until then, I don't need the whole world knowing that I'm a guy who reads Danielle Steele novels while suntanning...(or whatever...)
When all of your wishes have been granted, many of your dreams will be destroyed - Marilyn Manson
Prepare to be disappointed. Unless the camp is called 'playboy mansion'...
Asking to come in for a visit would be simpler.
rj
Want to spy on nikki sunbathing next door, get some binocs, want to shoot somebody with a big shakey 2 shot plane? Just throw a mask on and do it in person. Want to get back at the neighbor across the street? go knock on their door and ask them to quit, or get to know them. Half the things mentioned earlier to do with the plane could be done now without the plane. I don't meant to troll, the plane is great, but sometimes it looks like people post on here just to post.
Neil is that you? Yeah yeah, it's me... Neil...
Its not whether the freedom is -enforced- it is whether the freedom is -allowed for in the existing laws- ...
There is a big difference between those two states, and the lines between are being drawn by your current legislators.
; -- the corruption of government starts with its secrets. a truly free people keep no secrets. --
The problem with spreading anthrax has never been that kind of delivery it has been making it small enough to do damage to a human.
Once you could dispense it small enough you would not need the model aircraft. One of the "news" shows after 9/11 they went and got models of the russian disperial devices filled it with a harmless white dust and set it up in the on a fire hydrant(or something like that) on a busy street of NYC. The dust was visible(unlike the real thing) and people just kept walking through it and could care less. Better chance of infecting people, and a RC plane would get people looking.