OK the jury might still be out if I am an alien life form, or not. Last night I had a funny out of this world experience while practicing and testing flight control technologies with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) at dusk in NW Portland’s Cathedral Park. The park is located near the amazing and iconic St Johns Bridge.
I had just landed the UAV when a group of 6 (sobriety-claiming) adults young and old tourist came running down the path breathing heavy after running. One of them exclaimed “there is the UFO!” They told me they had been up on the hill by the bridge when they spotted a flying craft that the father suspected “was not of this world and flying at 1000 miler per hour, as well as transformed shapes and blinking colored lights.”
I showed my new excited friends the UAV (aka UFO) and flew it for them as they all laughed and took photos. I took the opportunity to educate them and explain how it all worked and that it was indeed of this Earth. I also pointed out that I was only flying 20mph and not 1000 mph as they guesstimated. They said they had been recording the “UFO event” on their phones as proof to assure their place in UFOology fame and all the fortune. It was a fun demonstrating the UAV and answering their questions and detailing the positive uses of such an alien looking camera carrying robot such as how we at Autodesk are researching the aerial platform capturing 3D geometry to be used in design, construction, 3D model creation in addition to our past with search and rescue projects and flying in Kenya in addition to using the UAV as a really great camera and video documentation tool for projects.
The nice folks even took their photo with the debunked friendly UFO with me as the friendly alien abducting their camera to take their photo as well as snapping a photo with the UAV. Most people might get concerned about a UAV such as privacy and I educate them on their uses and the responsibility of the pilot, but the concern of the UAV as a UFO was a new one to me.
OK back to probing the many beneficial uses of UAV/UAS and perhaps bringing “UFO” to Autodesk University if the stars align.
-Shaan (aka possible alien life form)
