Cameras attached to birds

[Wayout]

Cameras attached to birds: Peregrine Falcon and Goshawk.

http://wimp.com/camerabirds/

[klingan]

Definitely need to perk them 

[Dragon]

 

[Stalwart]

Impressive!~    Can we weaponize them?   

[mtnman]

Impressive!~    Can we weaponize them?    

That was already done, back in WWI.  Probably not really the way you're thinking, though  

They were used to kill the messengers, in order to prevent information being made available to the enemy.

[Stalwart]

Next, a movie from Hollywood about the big evil greedy military-industrial giant and the poor noble Peregrine Falcons and Goshawks they're exploiting to make super weapons.  Matt Damion and Brad Pitt voice the birds in action sequences in which secret labs and factories in area 51 are destroyed when the birds turn on their handlers.   

[mtnman]

Next, a movie from Hollywood about the big evil greedy military-industrial giant and the poor noble Peregrine Falcons and Goshawks they're exploiting to make super weapons.  Matt Damion and Brad Pitt voice the birds in action sequences in which secret labs and factories in area 51 are destroyed when the birds turn on their handlers.  

If you mean America (with the military-industrial giant referral), I doubt that would be correct.  I think it was probably limited to the British, French, etc.  Americans didn't really start using birds of prey to do similar things until around WWII, roughly.

Wayout, there's actually some pretty cool footage from a backpack mounted camera mounted on a Gyr-Peregrine hybrid catching a pheasant, as well as a camera on a golden eagle catching a rabbit or jackrabbit.  I'm not sure where to find them on the internet, but they were used in the Nature Series "Raptor Force".

[RoGenT]

beautiful and very fast birds 

[mtnman]

beautiful and very fast birds 

I can't wait until they get some on-board footage of them actually flying really fast! 

That film only shows them doing 150mph/10G's.  A few years back, it was proven that they could get up to 254mph, and at that speed the bird "completed its task".  It went as fast as it needed to in order to catch its lure.  There's still no proven "top end" speed, but it's estimated at around 300mph. 

That's in a stoop of course, level speed is much lower. 

When it comes to G-forces, peregrines are able to pull 25-35G's, and still maneuver and hit their quarry!  When you realize that hitting their quarry means reaching out and kicking/grasping it, and that with experience they'll often aim for the head rather than just a general hit on the body, that's even more amazing!  Now factor in that it's often at 20ft AGL or less, with a dodging target!  Compare that to how much a human pilot can move at even a fraction of that!

Kind of makes you look at the 150mph/10G footage and want to see more!  It also makes you realize how minimally we've "conquered" flight.

[SmokinLoon]

Wow, that is impressive.  It would be quite amusing from the lads in 'stan or Iraq to be able to use these birds in this manner in maneuvers vs the baddies.  Those things can cover a lot more ground in much less time than a little RC buzzin around. 

[mtnman]

Some other cool video clips-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKqt05iR9WI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZD8DGIYJdfU&feature=channel  <-- I actually know the people in this video 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3mTPEuFcWk&feature=related

[morfiend]

 I'd say the peregrine was the ultimate BnZ fighter but the Goshawks always impress me.

  The way they can fly through the woods and just tuck a wing here or flick a tail there and for their size they seem to be able to fly through the tightest of cover!

  Just today I saw a himmingbird take on a bumblebee,ya sounds funny but the bee was as big as the bird! the hummingbird could so outclass the bumblebee in flight it wasnt even close but for such a small bird he seemed to have some big Kohonees....


   

[RoGenT]

I can't wait until they get some on-board footage of them actually flying really fast! 

That film only shows them doing 150mph/10G's.  A few years back, it was proven that they could get up to 254mph, and at that speed the bird "completed its task".  It went as fast as it needed to in order to catch its lure.  There's still no proven "top end" speed, but it's estimated at around 300mph. 

That's in a stoop of course, level speed is much lower. 

When it comes to G-forces, peregrines are able to pull 25-35G's, and still maneuver and hit their quarry!  When you realize that hitting their quarry means reaching out and kicking/grasping it, and that with experience they'll often aim for the head rather than just a general hit on the body, that's even more amazing!  Now factor in that it's often at 20ft AGL or less, with a dodging target!  Compare that to how much a human pilot can move at even a fraction of that!

Kind of makes you look at the 150mph/10G footage and want to see more!  It also makes you realize how minimally we've "conquered" flight.

In that case, I would like to see them REALLY going fast lol

[RightF00T]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_lMihSKkgA

[Meatwad]

When it was flying through the trees, I was waiting for it to auger