The First Ever Drone Strike in a TGI Friday's?

This story just popped up on my feed and I thought it was worth a quick share.

From Gawker

A Brooklyn photographer lost a piece of her nose but gained the holiday spirit, after staff at the famous Sheepshead Bay T.G.I. Friday's mistakenly attacked with her a rotary-wing surveillance aircraft intended to coerce restaurant patrons into making out.

Courier Life photographer Georgine Benvenuto became the latest civilian casualty of an off-target drone strike last Thursday as she was attempting to track the corporate restaurant chain's "mistletoe drones"

The mistletoe drone in action:


Her injuries were considerably less than life threatening (or even as bad as the Gawker title would lead one to assume) and amount to basically a nick but you have to wonder where the legal department was when the marketing genius behind the mistletoe drone was pitching this.

The drone appears to be a DJI Phanton 2 which you can find online for $700-$800. I was watching some related videos the other day and they seem pretty sweet (1000' ceiling, stream HD over 2.4ghz to smart phone, uses GPS to return to launch area if signal from controller is lost).

a reply to: theantediluvian

Man is your title ever misleading. I was expecting to see it crash in the restaurant and was already preparing my response. Instead, I see an attempt to demonize UAVs straight out. While I would still say it's incredibly stupid to fly a phantom indoors like that seeing it relies on GPS horizontal stabilization which requires more pilot skill without it. Not going to get any GPS 8 satellite link minimum for stabilization indoors.

Don'tcha just love the way drones are being presented to the American public?

The future of aerial warfare, the killing of single or multiple peoples at one time by brave assassins from afar who sit with their lattes while doing the killing.
Drones, the present and future of the surveillance state, watching and recording our every move, the spies in the sky and around the corner?

Oh yeah, lots of fun. Play time. Cool tech. Neat toys. Buy one for little Johnny and put it under the tree with his blue colored flack jacket. The fun side of Big Brother.

originally posted by: FlySolo
a reply to: theantediluvian

Man is your title ever misleading. I was expecting to see it crash in the restaurant and was already preparing my response. Instead, I see an attempt to demonize UAVs straight out. While I would still say it's incredibly stupid to fly a phantom indoors like that seeing it relies on GPS horizontal stabilization which requires more pilot skill without it. Not going to get any GPS 8 satellite link minimum for stabilization indoors.

The title's suppose to be funny. I don't think I "demonized" anything (in fact, I mentioned that I'm considering buying one)? I think most people could have predicted that flying a quadcopter around like that in a busy restaurant would probably result in some mishaps.

If you don't think there are people sitting on their computers waiting to pounce on one of these things rigged with semi automatic arsenals as soon as it becomes available on the internet, then you haven't been paying attention.

The right to bare arms shall not be infringed, or something...

Experienced users feel comfortable flying in parks after hours of flight time. It's absolutely not a toy meant for tight indoor flight, or mistletoe kisses?

What an abysmal idea.

There are inexpensive models that would be got the job done.

a reply to: gorsestar

Like a fishing rod.

That thing is so lame. I wonder how much actual flight training they receive?

It looks like it could blow small food items right off your plate.

Probably cools the food down significantly while hovering.

Blows around your hair and you know the ladies cant be having that!

A stupid cheap gimmick, nothing more. Too bad somebody had to get hurt before they figured that out.

LAWSUIT!

Dumbest thing I've seen this holiday season, fo' sho'.

Did I read that right...she lost a piece of her nose? .....what?... But gained the holiday spirit? ...what?