Has anyone flown a drone into a tornado?
Footages of natural disasters remain scarcely available in the archives or the internet. This is a reflection of the dangers they pose to the lives of researchers or any other videographer who may be interested in capturing the moment. However, modern technology brings a ray of hope to the scientists. Mechanisms of gathering information, even in extreme cases, are becoming more available and affordable.
One of the things that would seem insane is flying a drone in a tornado. The storm is unforgiving and has claimed human lives, but has anyone ever dared fly a drone in the hurricane? Shortly we will be answering this question and many others on drones in tornadoes but first:
What is a tornado?
A tornado is a rapidly rotating cone-shaped column of air that arises from the base of a storm and reaches the ground surface. Currently, the formation of tornadoes is not fully understood, but studies suggest that tornadoes from supercells. These are giant thunderstorms with extreme winds reaching the speeds of 250mph. From the base of the storms forms a funnel cloud (column of violently spinning air) that, upon hitting the earth’s surface, produces a roar and rips everything in its path. Tornadoes, also known twisters vary in size, intensity and may last for only a few seconds or hours. Don't use plagiarised sources.Get your custom essay just from $11/page
Many factors influence the formation of twisters, and they include temperature differences, air moisture levels, and wind speeds.
Tornadoes can occur worldwide, but the United States remains a hotbed with the media personnel nicknaming most affected regions as Tornado Alley. Powerful storms can cause massive destruction of property and even claim lives. This has limited the number of devices that can be introduced into the twisters to gather information about their characteristics and effects. Hail is also a common feature of this supercell-product.
How are tornadoes studied?
Available data on tornadoes is very scanty; thus, meteorologists cannot accurately predict the occurrence of one. The main challenge is the data collection. One way scientists study twisters is through observation, which is quite unreliable. Doppler radars on trucks can also provide some information on tornadoes. With lower rates of success, probes have been used to study these storms by introducing them into the predicted tornado pathways so that they get hit. Use of drones appears to be a promising method of studying these calamities further, but the question remains:
Can I fly a drone in a tornado?
First, it is important to understand the U.S Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restricts using camera drones to film natural calamities such as tornadoes. It would be a stupid idea to fly a drone of any size into a twister. The aviation rule of the thumb states, you can only fly in the wind whose speed is 2/3 of the aircraft’s maximum velocity. Tornadoes can reach 300mph, and in such a case, it is impossible to take flight in one.
However, there are those low-speed storms in which you can fly large and powerful drones with speeds of 100+ mph. Success with this experiment requires good knowledge of the twister inflows and outflows. Hurdles can be locating the storm, being well-positioned, and having all the necessary equipment with you.
When you choose to fly in a tornado, do not expect the aircraft to survive and you should activate the GPS mode so that you can collect what might remain after the storm subsides.
Who has ever flown in a drone in a tornado?
There are numerous undocumented cases of attempts to operate drones in twisters, but the WX Chasing’s, extreme weather fanatics, in Oklahoma stands out. The team used drone cameras to film a tornado that rent a ranch in Sulphur for about 4 minutes. The clip shows the windstorm being captured from a distance but ends with the drone in the vortex.
Who is next?
New developments are coming up in the meteorological field in a bid to demystify tornadoes. In the United States, a multi-million-dollar project known as Targeted Observation by Radars and Unmanned aircraft systems of Supercells (TORUS) has been launched to gather the much-needed data on thunderstorms. This will employ flight of at least four drones, as opposed to single drones that have been used previously, into the tornadoes.
Researchers working on the Siren Project are also designing drones that will fly at speeds of 100mph into one corner of the twister and get sucked in. Even these complex drones are not meant to withstand the conditions of the windstorm, which are so fierce. Nevertheless, the data collection devices fitted on them will survive the weather extremes and are collected once the storm ends.
Why you should not fly your drone into a tornado
Enjoying and capturing natural moments can be amazing. Out of curiosity, you may choose to fly your drone in the twister to taste the experience. This is highly discouraged because:
- The aircraft is unlikely to survive the storm. The fierce winds in the tornadoes are capable of uprooting trees and blowing away houses, can a drone withstand that?
- You risk being injured. The paths of windstorms are unpredictable, and flying a drone requires you to be within a specific range for the signals from the transmitter to reach the device. This will need you to be closer to the storm, which is dangerous.
- It is illegal. FAA prohibits operating drones in such situations, and you risk being prosecuted.
Conclusion
Drone flight is affected by various weather conditions and extremes such as tornadoes are unfavorable. Generally, flying the aircraft in windstorms is not recommended except for study cases by meteorologists. Very few cases of individuals flying in hurricanes have, therefore, been recorded. Projects such as TORUS on completion will indicate the feasibility of taking flights into tornadoes.