These Little Nose Hairs Hanging Off Drones Tell Pilots How They're Doing [PHOTO]

During my recent trip to North Dakota to tour drone facilities we got the opportunity to meet a bunch of actual military drone pilots.

(We were not to ask them if they were actual pilots though, but the implication was enough.)

One of the pilots pointed out this fancy little thing called a "horse hair" (on the smaller MQ-1 Predator) that allows pilots to see how steady their hands are as they land.

Apparently inside that dark circle sits a camera that pilots can look through as they land the drone. Most of the flying is incredibly hands free, but take-offs and landings are still done manually.

The tilt of the horsehair in the air shows how well the pilot is flying, or, as the pilot put it, it shows "how much you suck."

Here's another low-tech piece of gear on a drone: this Rollerblade-like wheel protects the tail during a bumpy landing.

(Which reminds me, whatever happened to Rollerblades?)

The rest of the U.S. military's premiere drones are particularly high-tech though.

Check out the brains: