Turkish policeman develops new drone

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

DHA photo

The Şanlıurfa Police Office Gun Licence Department chief Oykun İlgin recently created a "multicopter" named "Air Gazelle" (Hava Ceylanı), intended for making aerial videos and photos. If the project is accepted and receives funds from the state, the Şanlıurfa Police Office will start capturing images with the new vehicle.

In order to present the new vehicle to the authorities, including the governor of the province Celalettin Güvenç, İlgin made a sample by bringing together the necessary materials such as an engine, a fan, pipes, and tins. He says it cost him almost 10,000 Turkish Liras in total and that he had financed it entirely by himself.  

"This multicopter can rise up to 500 meters from the ground. The only concern is its battery life, as it can stay in the air only until its battery ends. Of course, the weight of the camera you install on it also has an effect. Normally it can stay in the air for a maximum of 10 minutes, but if you put a heavy camera on it then this can drop to just three minutes," İlgin told the Hürriyet Daily News.

According to him, the quality of the pictures taken depends on the camera. "If a high-quality technologically advanced camera is attached then it can take full HD images," he said.

Images obtained by the "Air Gazelle" can be transferred directly and immediately to monitors in the Police Station, but the distance between the two points has to be less than 30 km. It cannot fly in rainy weather but can function in fairly windy conditions.

İlgin said it was not yet known whether his project would be accepted by the authorities. The police have previously taken a number of aerial photos and videos using helicopters, but the Air Gazelle is a more economic way of doing this as it costs less, he said.

"It could be used for events such as protests, but also in some other events like police operations or raids," İlgin said, adding that this was not a new invention and such vehicles had previously been used in a number of different sectors like the movie industry.

"It was my hobby to fly model airplanes, but this is the first time that I have ever made a multicopter. It is something that already existed, so I haven't invented something new. But I have suggested adapting this technology to our own mission," he said.