Farmer uses drone to scare pigeons
A FARMER is using an unmanned drone aircraft to frighten pigeons away from his crops.
Richard Maddever, 27, is able to fly the six-rotor helicopter by remote control at 40mph over his fields.
The £1,000 “bird of prey” is fitted with LED lights which resemble eyes and a siren to scare off pigeons feasting on oil seed rape on his family’s 2,000-acre farm at Cavendish near Sudbury, Suffolk.
Mr Maddever, who is also a helicopter pilot, said: “Every spring the pigeons become a real problem. I have an interest in aviation and I thought I’d try it.”
The battery-powered drone can fly for around 20 minutes at a time using an autopilot function to follow a mapped course around fields.
But Mr Maddever added: “It’s quicker and more fun to fly it yourself.”