Hipsters, Not Terrorists: Camera Equipped Toy Plane Launched from Brooklyn Bridge Park

By on December 3, 2010 8:45 am in brooklyn bridge park

Publius points us to a video of a group calling themselves “Team Black Sheep” launching a remote controlled airplane equipped with a video camera from Brooklyn Bridge Park Pier 1.

The resulting footage (after the jump) is a great bird’s eye view of Lower Manhattan and Brooklyn. But when the tiny plane buzzes the Statue of Liberty this wonderful “Millennial Generation” feel good stunt becomes a sober reminder that even a simple toy can be used as a weapon of terror.

Seems like someone did alert Homeland Security during filming as the clip ends with “PoPo rolling up on” the filmmakers. The first responder’s response? Watch the video and see.

(via Gawker.tv)
Makezine.com tells you how to make one of these planes.

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  • Joe2: The Joe-ening

    This is one of the coolest things I have seen in ages. And it makes me so happy that the authorities saw it for what it was – harmless enjoyment – and didn’t just drop the hammer out of fear and paranoia.

  • BigDave

    That was some very skilled flying. Bravo!

  • Publius

    It is pretty cool, but at the same time, it’s a roadmap to a potential terrorist group to create their own drone and fly it into any target they care to.

    I do think the vid is amazing and fun, but especially to those of us who lived in NYC during the attacks of 9/11, having objects flying around the Brooklyn Bridge and other landmarks which in the past have been confirmed as known targets for attemtped terrorist attacks, put some of us on edge, ya know?

    Also, what would have happened if the radio controller lost control over the plane as it was buzzing around building or bridges? He was doing some pretty close calls with his maneuvering. People could have been hurt or killed, and potential damage to property. It wouldn’t have been so cool if that happened.

  • nabeguy

    Given the bio-terror possibilities that this stunt conjures, this is hardly harmless, as enjoying as it may be to watch.

  • lifer

    pretty cool

  • Anon

    This roadmap to a potential terrorist group reasoning is nonsense. You could apply the same arguments to someone video taping their drive into Manhattan.

    “It is pretty cool, but at the same time, it’s a roadmap to a potential terrorist group to drive their own SUV and drive it into any target they care to.

    I do think the vid is amazing and fun, but especially to those of us who lived in NYC during the attacks of 9/11, having objects driving around the Brooklyn Bridge and other landmarks which in the past have been confirmed as known targets for attemtped terrorist attacks, put some of us on edge, ya know?

    Also, what would have happened if the driver lost control over the SUV as it was driving around building or bridges? He was doing some pretty close calls with his maneuvering. People could have been hurt or killed, and potential damage to property. It wouldn’t have been so cool if that happened.”

    Much more damage would have been done with an out of control SUV than an out of control radio controlled plane. And lest someone scoff at the terrorist potential SUVs may harbor, a 1990 Chevrolet Caprice played a key role in a more recent act of terrorism than 9/11.

  • Bongo

    It’s cool and fun. Please put your “health & safety” knee-jerk reaction away.

  • zburch

    what if, what if, what if….9/11….terrorists! Give me a break. The video is neat-o.

  • Joe2: The Joe-ening

    Bongo and zburch — precisely. I think everyone involved had the correct reaction. The group did something cool with no intent to harm someone. It was technically illegal. The cops stopped by, and, apparently, nicely asked them to stop and commented on how cool the flight was. Everyone walked away happy, and people were safe.

    If the Bad Guys wanted to use an RC plane to deliver a biological or chemical agent, they wouldn’t need the guidance of a few kids in Brooklyn. They have incredibly smart engineers for that. They’ve almost certainly thought of it already.

    The question then becomes whether the flyers evinced a disregard for public safety by making the video. Maybe it was risky. Lots of people do risky things. Driving a car is risky. Drinking is risky. So we regulate those activities. They broke those regulations, and they were asked to stop. “It was awesome and cool and nobody got hurt” isn’t and shouldn’t be an excuse for breaking the law — but it should be (and here was) a reason to have everyone walk away happy.

  • Kneel Armstrong

    Pretty cool, to be sure, but this is way cooler in relation to homemade stuff going up in the air: http://vimeo.com/15091562.

    When the plane got close to the residential building, I felt like Cory Lidle.

  • my2cents

    You guys know how *big* an R/C plane would have to be to carry any harmful payload like a bomb or a tank of chemicals that would hurt more than 2 people? Have you ever seen a US drone in person? (I have, at the Smithsonian). They are bigger than a motorcycle, to say the least.

  • my2cents

    And by the way, AWESOME video! Glad the cops were nice!

  • Andrew Porter

    How you forget. It used to be against the law to take photos from the Brooklyn Bridge, because Nazi (and later Commie) spies could take photos of ships in dry-dock at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and this would give Our Enemies vital war information.

  • Publius

    @my2cents and Anon: Both of you seem ok that the damage potential from a R/C plane would be limited to only a few people being seriously hurt or dying. I hope it would not be either of you that would be acceptable damage so that the “black sheep” posse can have a fun morning at Pier 1, and instead someone else who could be injured or killed.

  • epc

    And thus the war on the unusual continues.

  • Anon

    @Publius: You seem to fail to grasp my previous argument so here it is again. Last year there were 75,000+ motor vehicle accidents in NYC. 10,000+ of those involved pedestrians. 10,000+ of those accidents injured pedestrians. 150+ pedestrians lost their lives.

    Care to venture a guess as to how many people were killed by R/C planes in terrorist attacks last year? Or in the previous decade? Or will be killed by them in the next hundred plus years? The number of people that _may_ be seriously hurt or killed by this deadly menace of the “Black Sheep” posse is barely worth mention when your arguments can easily be applied to actions that are _already_ injuring and killing people today.

    There are more pressing things to worry about. You might as well be warning us of the terrorist roadmap to disrupt our lives, strike fear in the hearts, and create a sinking feeling in the pits of our stomachs when those terrorists read about the drama over at Montague Bagels. I mean if the new owners can cause so much havoc with their “innocent” actions, imagine what terrorists might do if they bought La Bagel? Gasp! Or imagine if terrorists opened up a Lenny’s? The horror! How would we ever eat breakfast again now that those terrorists know we require a schmear in the morning!

  • Publius

    @Anon:

    Kindly pardon my feeble cognition of your brilliance.

    But your “argument” can be summed up by the statement that since tens of thousands of people get killed by cars every year, it would be OK to have a few people seriously injured or killed because some Black Sheep posse guys want to have illegal fun at Pier 1.In your world maybe.

    Thank you for advising me what I should be worrying about. I’ll truly take that to heart.

  • Anon

    Given your feeble cognition (your words, not mine), here’s it simplified even more.

    Cars are killing people walking on the street — threat.
    Hundreds of people killed each year — threat.
    Terrorists using cars to kill even more people — threat.
    Ten people killed and three others critically injured less than a decade ago — threat.

    RC planes blog post becoming a roadmap for terror — not a threat.
    Bagel blog post becoming a roadmap for terror — not a threat.
    Nary a hangnail — not a threat.

  • Bklyner

    Totally rocks. One of the cooler uses of technology lately.

    And thumbs up to the cops for not being total tools to these guys.

  • WillowtownCop

    You could do a lot more damage with a Glock that anyone can buy than with this plane.

  • Publius

    @Anon:

    I’m glad I’m able to help you feel better about yourself.

  • my2cents

    I think the terrorists already know that radio controlled planes can kill people, since we’re killing lots of them with our radio controlled planes over in the Pakistan border region!

  • Andrew Porter

    But those radio controlled planes are the size of — are REAL planes, not little models you can hold in your hands.

  • my2cents

    Yes, I mentioned that earlier in this thread. The drones we use in Afghanistan are about the size of a large motorcycle (not including the wingspan of course)

  • my2cents

    I was merely saying terrorists are already familiar with the principle of death by unmanned plane. So these hobbyists are not aiding and abetting them in any way!