Kentucky Man Shoots Down Drone Hovering Over His Yard

[maintenanceguy]

While I think there are a few idiots out there spying on girls at the pool, the vast majority of recreational drone pilots are just nerds that like to fly and take cool pictures. I was flying mine this evening and it crash landed in my neighbor's yard (I just got it this week and am learning with my 13 yr old son). I'm sure she's seen this news story floating around the past couple of days but she didn't say anything. I'd hate to think that she thought we had bad intentions.

I would assume bad intentions.

[The Annoyed Man]

I was thinking that a good high-powered water nozzle on a hose would serve the purpose without putting anyone in the neighborhood in danger. Knock the thing down, put gloves on, pull the SD card from the camera, wave a strong magnet over it and reinsert it, toss the drone over the back fence with a colorfully worded message taped to it. Use your imagination.

[tomtexan]

I was thinking that a good high-powered water nozzle on a hose would serve the purpose without putting anyone in the neighborhood in danger. Knock the thing down, put gloves on, pull the SD card from the camera, wave a strong magnet over it and reinsert it, toss the drone over the back fence with a colorfully worded message taped to it. Use your imagination.

Will the magnet do any good since there isn't any tape in the SD card?

[Richbirdhunter]

Buy your own drone and have dueling drones, put some sort of weed wacker attachment on it and go to war.

[Glockster]

I was thinking that a good high-powered water nozzle on a hose would serve the purpose without putting anyone in the neighborhood in danger. Knock the thing down, put gloves on, pull the SD card from the camera, wave a strong magnet over it and reinsert it, toss the drone over the back fence with a colorfully worded message taped to it. Use your imagination.

Will the magnet do any good since there isn't any tape in the SD card?

Yup. All memory cards can be wiped with a magnet.

[Richbirdhunter]

Take the sd card and down load it to see if the pilot is taking any creepy pics, if not erase everything and return it

[jmra]

The drone operator has released the "flight data" recorded on his IPad. Claims that the drone was above 190' when shot down.
Shooter claims he was using a self defense shotgun (assuming this means 18.5" barrel) and #8 shot.
Time for some of you shotgun experts to chime in. A lot of debate on FB if the shooter could hit the drone given the short barrel, load, and distance (190'+ straight up).
For the drone experts - a lot of debate on FB if data on iPad for flight path can be manipulated or faked.
If data is accurate it puts a big whole in the shooters story as he claims the drone descended to as low as 10' to spy under neighbors porch.

[Taypo]

The drone operator has released the "flight data" recorded on his IPad. Claims that the drone was above 190' when shot down.
Shooter claims he was using a self defense shotgun (assuming this means 18.5" barrel) and #8 shot.
Time for some of you shotgun experts to chime in. A lot of debate on FB if the shooter could hit the drone given the short barrel, load, and distance (190'+ straight up).
For the drone experts - a lot of debate on FB if data on iPad for flight path can be manipulated or faked.
If data is accurate it puts a big whole in the shooters story as he claims the drone descended to as low as 10' to spy under neighbors porch.

He's releasing the raw data, but not the camera footage? That's pretty damning all by itself, IMO

[BigGuy]

Will the magnet do any good since there isn't any tape in the SD card?

Yup. All memory cards can be wiped with a magnet.

I'm pretty certain this is incorrect. Older mediums such as tape and hard drives use a magnetic medium in which the direction of atoms are switched using a magnetic write head. Obviously a magnet will affect such a device. It only requires a field strong enough to switch the orientation of an atom with in the matrix.
Information stored on an SD card is by electrical charge in a solid state circuit. The gate in a solid state transistor is in effect a tiny capacitor. It would require a magnet strong enough to literally rip the electron off of the atom. That would take some magnet.

Bill Frank, executive director of the CompactFlash Association. "A magnet powerful enough to disturb the electrons in flash would be powerful enough to suck the iron out of your blood cells

A hammer would be a much more cost effective way to destroy the drive. If you just want to erase it, stick it your compouter and wipe it.

[Pawpaw]

190 feet (63 yards) straight up with #8 shot is unlikely with a hunting shotgun and an extra full choke.

I'd say it's impossible for an 18.5 inch barrel with a cylinder choke.

[ShootDontTalk]

Shoot down a drone at 190' - say 100 yards total with an 18" barrel shotgun?

Sure it's possible. A drone is not a duck or an Apache helicopter. A Flight Control load might put one #1 buck pellet in the drone at that range, which might be all it takes. A 3" Magnum 00 or 000 - one pellet would easily do the trick. A slug? No problem.

Besides. Who's telling the truth and who might be lying? Which media outlet is reporting the story accurately and which might have a drunken rooster for a reporter? (If such a thing as a media outlet reporting accurately in any gun-related matter is even possible)

[jmra]

Shoot down a drone at 190' - say 100 yards total with an 18" barrel shotgun?

Sure it's possible. A drone is not a duck or an Apache helicopter. A Flight Control load might put one #1 buck pellet in the drone at that range, which might be all it takes. A 3" Magnum 00 or 000 - one pellet would easily do the trick.

Besides. Who's telling the truth and who might be lying? Which media outlet is reporting the story accurately and which might have a drunken rooster for a reporter? (If such a thing as a media outlet reporting accurately in any gun-related matter is even possible)

Not a shotgun guy and don't know if it makes a difference, but it was #8 shot.

[ShootDontTalk]

Yeah. #8 runs 200 to around 900 pellets depending on load, IIRC. It just wouldn't take a lot of pellets to knock it out.

[LeonCarr]

It is HIGHLY unlikely that:

#8 Birdshot would bring down a drone that is allegedly 190 feet away, even if perfectly stationary and using a long barrel, extra full choke, etc.

The shooter could have even seen the drone, depending on its size, if it was allegedly 190 feet away.

Somebody is lying.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

[The Annoyed Man]

I was thinking that a good high-powered water nozzle on a hose would serve the purpose without putting anyone in the neighborhood in danger. Knock the thing down, put gloves on, pull the SD card from the camera, wave a strong magnet over it and reinsert it, toss the drone over the back fence with a colorfully worded message taped to it. Use your imagination.

Will the magnet do any good since there isn't any tape in the SD card?

Yup. All memory cards can be wiped with a magnet.

With a big enough magnet, you can beat the SD card to smithereens.