Anyone know of a comprehensive and scientific test of ballistics on consumer drones such as the Phantom ??
I was flying my P2V+ at my grandma's farm recently because I've got eyewitness reports there is a monster 12-point whitetail buck feeding on her property, as well as adjacent fields. My Dad is an avid hunter and he would love to bag this magnificent stag! I flew out about 1/2 mile to a nearby field next to her farm and did some scouting. As I was flying back home, I heard about 3 or 4 gunshots. I didnt make much of it, since this is small game hunting season in Ohio. Prolly just some kid trying to bag a couple squirrels for the dinner table, eh?
However, after landing I noticed a strange scuff mark on the bottom of one the prop arms, and it made me think it could be a bullet mark? I always do a pre-flight inspection of my P2V+ to check for structural defects and I didnt see this scuff mark before takeoff. Now I'm starting to think a landowner or hunter took a shot at my bird !!
So it got me wondering --- has anyone conducted a thorough ballistics test on consumer UAVs? I'm not an expert on firearms, but a 12-gauge blast will easily take down a Phantom at under 100 feet, but I think at 200 feet or above the pellets have a lot less velocity and energy and it wouldnt be enough to bring down my bird, although chipping off a part of a prop would make it fly "wacky" and could bring it down. I was flying at around 250 feet when I heard the gun shots so I'm thinking this guy did fire at my bird but it was able to take a hit from a couple BB's and keep on truckin' through those unfriendly skies.
Please post a link to a scientific test if you know of one --- this could be rather important to those of us who fly in rural areas where rednecks with guns are all too common.
This unfortunate incident may prompt me to install some kind of metal shielding on the underside of my bird, as well as look into metal props. Who makes metal props for a Phantom?
I was flying my P2V+ at my grandma's farm recently because I've got eyewitness reports there is a monster 12-point whitetail buck feeding on her property, as well as adjacent fields. My Dad is an avid hunter and he would love to bag this magnificent stag! I flew out about 1/2 mile to a nearby field next to her farm and did some scouting. As I was flying back home, I heard about 3 or 4 gunshots. I didnt make much of it, since this is small game hunting season in Ohio. Prolly just some kid trying to bag a couple squirrels for the dinner table, eh?
However, after landing I noticed a strange scuff mark on the bottom of one the prop arms, and it made me think it could be a bullet mark? I always do a pre-flight inspection of my P2V+ to check for structural defects and I didnt see this scuff mark before takeoff. Now I'm starting to think a landowner or hunter took a shot at my bird !!
So it got me wondering --- has anyone conducted a thorough ballistics test on consumer UAVs? I'm not an expert on firearms, but a 12-gauge blast will easily take down a Phantom at under 100 feet, but I think at 200 feet or above the pellets have a lot less velocity and energy and it wouldnt be enough to bring down my bird, although chipping off a part of a prop would make it fly "wacky" and could bring it down. I was flying at around 250 feet when I heard the gun shots so I'm thinking this guy did fire at my bird but it was able to take a hit from a couple BB's and keep on truckin' through those unfriendly skies.
Please post a link to a scientific test if you know of one --- this could be rather important to those of us who fly in rural areas where rednecks with guns are all too common.
This unfortunate incident may prompt me to install some kind of metal shielding on the underside of my bird, as well as look into metal props. Who makes metal props for a Phantom?