Drones close airport.

[Ajhutch]

Two things that I don't understand;

• 'sightings of a drone' - what do they mean? Surely modern radar can tell them exactly what and where it is? For that matter, can it not point them to where it originates?
• Surely I can't be the only person that thinks that someone should make an anti-drone drone?

I’m no expert but I believe they are too small to be accurately tracked on radar. They can be ‘sensed’ within a certain radius of the airport which is considered dangerous enough to not fly planes and my understanding is that this incident has basically involved brief incursions into that space, knowing the procedures that will entail, and then zipping off again out of detection range.

As for the Anti-drone drone - I’m sure you’re right and hopefully Elon Musk is working on it right now!

 

[Linalmeemow]

• Surely I can't be the only person that thinks that someone should make an anti-drone drone?

Surely just crashing another drone into it would do the trick?

 

[Thos]

What radar? Even the large military ones that fire missiles are hard to detect. Small drones cannot be distinguished from clutter. The usual method of detecting radio emissions is not effective if the flightpath is pre-programmed.

 

[foxbat]

...and this is why they haven't done all the things that are going round in your head right now.

 

[marshbrewer]

Ok, so this would be my thoughts. Similar drone, but with lots of long, dangling chains underneath it. Fly over offending drone and ...


No?

 

[THBF]

I wonder why not use some radio interference and directional finding equipment. At least radio signal interference may mess with the controls.

And now, the other disgruntled humans all over the world will have learned how to inexpensively stop a major industry that has domino effects all over the world. One disgruntled person being all powerful. There probably will be copy cats. And probably in USA and other major countries.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Ok, so this would be my thoughts. Similar drone, but with lots of long, dangling chains underneath it. Fly over offending drone and ...
No?

I would imagine trying to get close to another drone in flight would be near impossible unless it was flying in a straight line and the bigger problem where does 2kg of metal and battery land once you disable it if you only hit one propeller it could hit the deck miles away.

@Angie the same applies if you jam the signal the drone is then out of control and could land miles away.

It looks like at the moment there is no solution and I think this is going to get a lot worse before they find a safe solution.

 

[THBF]

I would imagine trying to get close to another drone in flight would be near impossible unless it was flying in a straight line and the bigger problem where does 2kg of metal and battery land once you disable it if you only hit one propeller it could hit the deck miles away.

@Angie the same applies if you jam the signal the drone is then out of control and could land miles away.

It looks like at the moment there is no solution and I think this is going to get a lot worse before they find a safe solution.

Okay, hack it and take over the controls like in a good action movie or book. I bet there are hackers out there that could do it.

 

[Slid]

...and this is why they haven't done all the things that are going round in your head right now.

That was quite interesting, Foxbat. Thanks for that!

 

[The Baron]

Send for Bruce its that time of year and he will save us Yippee Ky A

 

[Alex.mc]

Jumping back in on this thread as had some interesting personal Facebook stuff pop up.

Firstly they've been released without charge.
The guy's boss turned up on a thread on one of my facebook friend's posts, and said he was waiting to be contacted by the police, as the guy was working all three days for him nowhere near the area, with another couple of workers. So.... he had a provable and genuine alibi for his whereabouts.
The Boss was not contacted by the policem and then contacted the police who were not taking calls, and had to leave a message.
He had in the mean time been contacted by all the UK press, who all tacitly agreed it was very unlikely to be his employee.
Lots of other model aircraft flyers turned up on the thread and said he was a decent guy, long tome modeller, and very unlikely as a suspect, and his wife hates model aircraft.
Then after 36 hours, which is about as long as you can hold someone without charging, they're released.

Gatwick airport then announces a £50k reward for information leading to arrest etc.... which reading between the lines suggests neither they nor the police have anything of any substance and are no closer to an arrest than before.
The Police never contacted his boss..........
Another retired policeman jumped in on the thread and said when he was working they'd have interviewed the boss as a matter of urgency as soon as possible.

Complete and utter shambles.

 

[MyQul]

Jumping back in on this thread as had some interesting personal Facebook stuff pop up.

Firstly they've been released without charge.
The guy's boss turned up on a thread on one of my facebook friend's posts, and said he was waiting to be contacted by the police, as the guy was working all three days for him nowhere near the area, with another couple of workers. So.... he had a provable and genuine alibi for his whereabouts.
The Boss was not contacted by the policem and then contacted the police who were not taking calls, and had to leave a message.
He had in the mean time been contacted by all the UK press, who all tacitly agreed it was very unlikely to be his employee.
Lots of other model aircraft flyers turned up on the thread and said he was a decent guy, long tome modeller, and very unlikely as a suspect, and his wife hates model aircraft.
Then after 36 hours, which is about as long as you can hold someone without charging, they're released.

Gatwick airport then announces a £50k reward for information leading to arrest etc.... which reading between the lines suggests neither they nor the police have anything of any substance and are no closer to an arrest than before.
The Police never contacted his boss..........
Another retired policeman jumped in on the thread and said when he was working they'd have interviewed the boss as a matter of urgency as soon as possible.

Complete and utter shambles.

Key-drone cops?

 

[Slid]

Jumping back in on this thread as had some interesting personal Facebook stuff pop up.

Firstly they've been released without charge.
The guy's boss turned up on a thread on one of my facebook friend's posts, and said he was waiting to be contacted by the police, as the guy was working all three days for him nowhere near the area, with another couple of workers. So.... he had a provable and genuine alibi for his whereabouts.
The Boss was not contacted by the policem and then contacted the police who were not taking calls, and had to leave a message.
He had in the mean time been contacted by all the UK press, who all tacitly agreed it was very unlikely to be his employee.
Lots of other model aircraft flyers turned up on the thread and said he was a decent guy, long tome modeller, and very unlikely as a suspect, and his wife hates model aircraft.
Then after 36 hours, which is about as long as you can hold someone without charging, they're released.

Gatwick airport then announces a £50k reward for information leading to arrest etc.... which reading between the lines suggests neither they nor the police have anything of any substance and are no closer to an arrest than before.
The Police never contacted his boss..........
Another retired policeman jumped in on the thread and said when he was working they'd have interviewed the boss as a matter of urgency as soon as possible.

Complete and utter shambles.

Shambles? No, more like deliberate obfuscation. What really happened? Why arrest the transparently innocent? Just so everyone forgets and moves on?

 

[MyQul]

Shambles? No, more like deliberate obfuscation. What really happened? Why arrest the transparently innocent? Just so everyone forgets and moves on?

I'm thinking, plod is under intense pressure to find the culprit. So if they arrest an innocent bloke it gives them some breathing space, 36 hours before that have to let em go without charging them, (especially as its just before Xmas so everyone will be focused on that soon) to try to find who acctually did it. Also It wont take long for one of our politicians to do or say something stupid about brexit so everyone will be focused back on that mess soon enough