Drone On

The sideshow around what was an enthralling test just completed was the introduction of the SKY Drone to cricket at the Basin Reserve.  The cheeky little octocopter would make regular trips above the ground and surrounding area to take shots from angles that are not possible when human beings are doing it.

One of the interesting things about the drone was its interaction with the local seagulls.  At first the flying rats seemed bemused by it but it appeared that turned into irritation.  Throughout the animal kingdom the locals aren’t keen on a new kid on the block; especially when it looks like something they’ve never seen before.

Seagulls nest in the roof of the apartment block behind the Museum Stand.  So when the drone was in a trolling mood it would start its journey flying that way before returning to circle the ground.  And it would have the flock following it.  One by one they would dive-bomb their new entrant into their air space, but would always pull out before actually making contact.

To paraphrase the old line about the rugby Sevens; if you get bored of looking the drone and its flock of seagulls you can always watch the cricket.

Inevitably though, there were complaints.

“That drone is really noisy”

Really?  You wouldn’t want to mow your lawn next to someone making that kind of complaint.  It probably makes twice the noise of your average lawnmower, which really isn’t that loud.  Lawnmowers are only annoying when they wake you up.

And remember this is the Basin Reserve.  A venue steeped in a fine tradition of noise from speeding ambulances to Carillion bells to the old car yard and its siren in the 1970s and 80s.  To complain about a flying lawnmower seems odd.

“This could get really dangerous”

Five days of flying and the rats of the sky never actually came that close.  The people controlling the drone are trined pilots; that’s part of the deal.  Crossing the raod after the game is a far more treacherous business.

So we would like to think the drone is a permanent fixture.  It sure beats that intrusive Spider Cam thing.