Most drone pilots meticulously check weather conditions in a bid to avoid even light winds, but not the team at the OTUS Project (Observations of Tornadoes by UAV Systems). In a pair of Reels posted on Instagram, RAW POV footage from the team’s camera drone can be seen hurtling into the eye of a storm near the town of Wyoming, Iowa on April 14.
Let’s put that into perspective. DJI says not to fly its flagship DJI Mavic 4 Pro at wind speeds of 12 m/s or more. Obviously, tornado wind speeds vary wildly, but according to the Tornado and Storm Research Organisation, a light tornado starts at 17 m/s (39 mph), the most violent twisters can reach up to 134 m/s (299 mph). Suffice to say, your average drone has no business going anywhere near a tornado…
The OTUS drone isn’t your average aerial device. It’s a new experimental drone, built around a 360 camera and with thermo sensors. But the footage isn’t just to satisfy human curiosity. The project, self-funded by meteorology and engineering students, is a means of gathering data on the destructive weather phenomena that could be used to help project both lives and property.
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Want more on storm chasing? "It's the terror which keeps you alive… I have no death wish. I have a life wish," says storm chasing photographer. If you're thinking of getting into drone content creation, here are the best drones for beginners. And if you're content with more conventional nature photography, here are my landscape photography tips.
