Drones shut down Dublin Airport

[sar104]

I am simply getting commenting on the state of "Modern" journalism or the lack-there of. There was a time when a reporter would not knowingly dare to make a statement unless they could confirm the authenticity as it was felt to make a mistake or false statement was a personal shame. Over the last 50 years however we've gotten to the point where this is no longer true. News media cares more about narrative than facts, mistakes and miscues are forgotten as fast as they are said.

Was there something factually inaccurate in the reporting?

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

that this was an unreliable report

Just that there have been SO many unreliable, unconfirmed drone 'issues' like this for many years, probably out weigh actual proven cases by 100's, but who can gather those specifics.
Hardly any reversal of such reports when unproven, or even proven incorrect, are forthcoming, making drone ops seem a lot more volatile and risk than they really are.

Looking at his address location ( Red Pin on map ) he is living just over one mile from the runway Threshold . Obviously he is none too pleased with the new runway and its associated noise .

Yes I saw that when I first read his address, I'm wondering if this might be the 23,431 noise complainant.

Well, now that this one has been proven, and they have the supposed suspect, then yes it'd be good to to see reports of malicious intent for a particular reason, just to show it's not something 99.9% of drone pilots do on a daily basis.

. . . and of course adequate sentencing / fines.

Along with the US cases of game day / crowd flyovers now in trails over there, once found guilty, this particular case needs to have an example set for all those using our airspace.

edit spelling

 

[lookout]

Looking at his address location ( Red Pin on map ) he is living just over one mile from the runway Threshold . Obviously he is none too pleased with the new runway and its associated noise .

The noise complaints is a never ending battle at most airports, so a drone incident is not going to solve anything.

 

[DoomMeister]

Attention!!!

One more personal attack in this thread and warning points will be administered to the responsible parties.

Also, anymore off topic posts about “parachute systems for drones” will be dealt with appropriately.

 

[Robert Prior]

Might make an example of him

Well, according to the article "The offence carries a penalty of up to life imprisonment with no provision in the legislation for a suspended sentence or probation to be imposed."

 

[DoomMeister]

This is starting to look like my prediction of the source is ringing true - provided it doesn’t turn out to be like the couple that were arrested in the Gatwick ballyhoo.

Probably would not have happened if the government had made the airport stick to the air traffic routes that were approved in the planning stage.

From the several ‘news sources’ I read, all sides in this fiasco carry blame - the drone pilot, the airport, and the government.

 

[Ty Pilot]

Was there something factually inaccurate in the reporting?

Another "report" of drones spotted without actually "reporting" who it was that saw the drones. Perhaps interview the person that claims they saw a drone and "report" that. But nope they'll just run with it as the gospel.

It was the lack of facts that got my attention. If, on the 4th they knew that the sightings were confirmed (as they reported), then the report from the Independent could (and should) have included sources of the confirmation. This is not asking too much (in my opinion), in an age where media is loosing credibility at an astonishing rate.

 

[baddog]

Ryanair calls on Eamon Ryan to take action to prevent further drone disruptions at Dublin Airport

Ryanair has called on Transport Minister Eamon Ryan to take action to prevent further drone disruptions at Dublin Airport after it said hundreds of passengers saw flights diverted again for a second day.

www.independent.ie

With all the security cameras at airports and passengers and staff with smartphones, no one has ever captured a decent image of these reported drones at either of these airports.

 

[lookout]

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

"massively overregulated without justification" seems to be about right.

While it's obvious any types of consumer drones and manned aircraft are not compatible in the same airspace, and it's better to be proactive rather than reactive in such cases, there does seem to be enough regulations to deal with the very spasmodic infractions.

There comes a point when new legislation starts to infringe unfairly on the majority doing the right thing, and I do think the majority does fly responsibly.
Blanket draconian regulations / laws seems to be part and parcel with modern govcos worldwide.

It's just like motor vehicle and firearm laws, over the top blanket regulations punish those that want to use them safely, bad drivers / criminals don't (and will never) care for laws.

What they need to do is make decent examples of people they catch dramatically breaking regulations, make it known that if you fly with intent to cause risk or disruption in any airspace, you will be dealt with very harshly.

 

[Robert Prior]

I do think the majority does fly responsibly.

19 January 2023 - News release - Transportation Safety Board of Canada

Unsuccessful visual scanning, operator task saturation factors in 2021 aircraft/drone collision near Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport, Ontario

www.tsb.gc.ca

Interesting read:

The investigation found that the Cessna pilots were unaware of the presence of airborne RPA traffic in the vicinity and, due to several factors, the active scanning that is part of the see-and-avoid principle was unsuccessful in identifying the conflict.

The several factors start with the decision of the police drone pilot to fly in a control zone without contacting ATC, and go on from there.

Pilot got a $1000 fine. No suspension of certificate. I am cynical enough to wonder how many other drone pilots would have had such a relatively light consequence, versus being made examples of.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

19 January 2023 - News release - Transportation Safety Board of Canada

Unsuccessful visual scanning, operator task saturation factors in 2021 aircraft/drone collision near Toronto/Buttonville Municipal Airport, Ontario

www.tsb.gc.ca

Interesting read:



The several factors start with the decision of the police drone pilot to fly in a control zone without contacting ATC, and go on from there.

Pilot got a $1000 fine. No suspension of certificate. I am cynical enough to wonder how many other drone pilots would have had such a relatively light consequence, versus being made examples of.

Who polices the Police hey ?
Yes, if this was a recreational or even a commercial drone pilot, they would probably have got a heck of a lot worse penalty.
Deservedly so.

Still, what end point is reasonable in drone regulation ?
If current rules were followed, we know from current status quo in incidents to date that everyone would be more than satisfactorily safe in the skies from ops between drones and other aircraft.

Maybe detection at most controlled airports has to be readdressed as a permanent solution, to being able to adequately and easily find offenders that fly a drone to either purposely disrupt, or ignorantly operate dangerously, then either educate or fine / jail them based on what a court determines appropriate for the flight factors.

It's no good just increasing penalties, or jumping at ghosts every time someone 'sees something'.
Laws that can't identify offenders and catch them aren't worth a pinch of salt.

Detection equipment like aeroscope are proactive, they alert when a drone appears so it can be dealt with by airport security or police fast, catch them, get the threat over with, go through with investigating / prosecuting the pilot.

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

Dublin airport drone infringements continue despite two being charged in court

Drone activity temporarily halts flights at Dublin Airport

A post on the airport’s Twitter feed shortly before 9pm said: “Due to illegal drone activity in the vicinity of Dublin Airport, all flight operations are currently suspended”

www.irishexaminer.com

Interestingly both are from same area neighboring the airport.
This latest incident cant be an operator doing so in ignorance as this issue and the possible penalties for those responsible have been covered extensively in the national media.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

Dublin airport drone infringements continue despite two being charged in court

Drone activity temporarily halts flights at Dublin Airport

A post on the airport’s Twitter feed shortly before 9pm said: “Due to illegal drone activity in the vicinity of Dublin Airport, all flight operations are currently suspended”

www.irishexaminer.com

Interestingly both are from same area neighboring the airport.
This latest incident cant be an operator doing so in ignorance as this issue and the possible penalties for those responsible have been covered extensively in the national media.

"Irish Government ministers have vowed to tackle the recurring issue."

Hmm, this doesn't bode well for drone enthusiasts of Ireland . . .

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

Residents seeking to take legal action over Dublin Airport flight routes

David Walton, of Ballyboughal Community Council, says the details approved in the planning application for the runway are not being adhered to.

www.irishexaminer.com

Might be why two people in court flying g drones over airport ?

 

[shma2]

And nor was there proof that there were not drones involved in the LGW incident. But, in any case, consider the logical conclusion of your argument - that they should not take any precautions unless the existence of the danger can be proved, which is a high bar. A pilot sighting of a hazard is never ignored, even though some may be mistaken.

Can you even begin to imagine the consequences if a collision occurred after a drone sighting was called in and the report ignored due to "lack of proof"?

I'm not quite sure how you prove something like that didn't happen (?)
You normally need to provide evidence that a crime did happen - innocent till proven guilty etc.
I have read every available report that I can find & in my humble opinion, the most believable explanation for the sightings was a helicopter hovering around the perimeter of the airport & its lights were confused with those of a drone. Apparently the weather was quite poor, so it was difficult to make it out properly. On this note, the weather (rain) would have precluded many consumer drones from even flying & also, their lights are quite small.
A professional photographer who was an experienced drone flyer was convinced he'd got a photograph of one of the offending drones, but just before reporting it, he zoomed in on his laptop to check the image & realised the red & green lights were a helicopter in the distance.
I believe that a couple were arrested for the drone flights, but it turned out the man was just an r/c model hobbyist who had a model helicopter & was unfortunate enough to live near the airport. Some neighbours decided that because of this, it must have been him. Unless I'm mistaken he was released without charge & ended up getting £200k for wrongful arrest!
I'm not accusing the airport of over reacting & yes, in their position I probably would have done the same, but if we are focusing on the subject of proof - again, where is the proof that there actually were any drones?
We'll never know what it was (if it was?), but DJI are the market leader of drone sales in the UK by a big margin & getting one of their drones airborne in a geofenced area isn't easy!
The only confirmed drone flights were of the police drone that was up looking for the offending drones. Many people also made reports after seeing this one too.
Multiple sightings by multiple people in a busy airport, yet not one photograph? How many people would have had a camera with them for holiday snaps, not to mention cell phones.
Whatever the truth is, my comments were not meant to be taken as a criticism of LGW, but more a dig at the tabloid press who sensationalise anything to the detriment of anybody.
They don't seem to be bothered about professional reporting of the truth, they just ptint anything at all if it'll increase their sales. Their articles instantly blamed drones without a shred of proof.
We are fighting against some very strange & frustrating legislation aimed at our hobby at the moment & I'm sure the vast majority of drone pilots are doing their utmost to present a law abiding & safety conscious face to the public & various authorities.
Drones seem to be the "bad guy" in the eyes of the public & reports like that are very harmful.
As I said, just my opinions & not meant to incur anyone's wrath .

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

More Closures , this is getting a bit Irish if you'll pardon the pun.
Transport Minister under pressure from Head of Ryan Air

Michael O’Leary demands urgent action from transport minister after drone disrupts Dublin Airport flights for sixth time

All flights in and out of Dublin airport were temporarily suspended this evening after an illegal drone was spotted near the airport, bringing the runway traffic to a halt.

www.independent.ie

 

[Walleye Hunter]

It is a shame that one or a few bad actors are going to make it difficult for all of us.

 

[Mazdaman323lx]

This has to be deliberate sabotaging of the airport operations due to noise issues by locals. These closures have gotten so much airtime in the tv and press over recent weeks , with authorities stressing the very stiff penalties if caught , only a fool living under a rock would attempt this . This in no way represents 99.9% of hobbyists in this country but will have major repercussions for us all sadly

 

[DoomMeister]

I strongly suspect if the airport had stayed within the planned routing of air traffic there would not be an issue.

It truly sounds like they pissed off an Irishman or two (I’m one myself). When the planes start following the routes that were in the original plan and get the sound mitigation in place on the affected residences then the disruptions at the airport will most likely cease.

I’ve lived in the path of an ILS approach and when they come in at a few hundred feet AGL it is LOUD. I can empathize with the residents of the area.

I don’t agree with drones being used in this manner (if indeed there really are drones), but big business riding roughshod over the surrounding community and government allowing it to continue creates these types of conflict.