Video Shows Man Taking Down Drone With a Well-Aimed Medieval Spear

The relationship between those who fly drones and those who don't has sometimes been a rocky road to equilibration, as these flying cameras often find new ways to annoy, confound, and anger the general public. On the same token, the general public continues to find new ways to express said disdain when confronted with a perceived intrusion. Apparently, medieval spears are now a method of that.

I love my DJI Phantom 4, though I'm hyperaware of my surroundings when I fly it, not so much because I'm afraid I'm going to crash it, but because I'm afraid I'm going to upset someone nearby. Sure, legally, I've never given anyone a reason to tell me to ground my drone, but I also understand that a flying camera might feel a bit intrusive to someone who isn't used to working with cameras all day. Though I've certainly had my fair share of people who ascribed dubious intentions to me, a quick chat of clarification invariably had them hanging out next to me and marveling at the technology. In fact, I've learned to invite people over when I see that they're uncomfortable or curious. 

Nevertheless, some people haven't been so lucky. While I'm subtly lamenting the difficulty drones have had becoming accepted in the world, due both to operator error and public fright, it is supremely humorous to see one taken down by a replica medieval spear at a Russian historical festival. It's up there with drone death by Jet Ski. The juxtaposition of two technologies so temporally separated is just too extreme not to giggle. 

Have you had any humorous mishaps or encounters with your drone? Share them in the comments!

Alex Cooke's picture

Alex Cooke is a Cleveland-based portrait, events, and landscape photographer. He holds an M.S. in Applied Mathematics and a doctorate in Music Composition. He is also an avid equestrian.

Log in or register to post comments
9 Comments

I feel bad for the drone operator but holy don quixote that was hilarious. Just peed myself.

The drone slayer. Drones are watching us everywhere, so sing along, kids: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoao_TPtvnA

I would love to know the outcome of this story, were there any major damages, did the spearchukka pay for his crimes, was the kingdom kept safe of flying daemons?

I read somewhere else that the the drone was mostly unscathed but the "spearchukka" voluntarily reimbursed the operator for what little damage he caused.

At any rate, one man's criminal is another man's hero. If this guy was flying the drone low enough to be hit with a spear, he was flying it way too low and behaving rather recklessly. Not to mention annoying the reenactors.

How is the drone operator dangerous? I'd be super pissed if some idiot threw something at my drone.

I wonder what would have happened if he had missed? Who or what would he have hit with his spear of death? Maybe the drone operator? Or a car? I see a potential law suit waiting to happen...
Perhaps he just got caught up in the whole reenactment.... Lol

Well, I think it is safer to go and talk to the drone operator to ground it or fly higher, than trow a spear, stone, shoe ...., as the drone, might fall on someones head or the "weapon" might do some serious damage to someone or property.

Well, it was a clear miss, but he was lucky that the end of the spear hit the drone... :)