Gatwick Airport (UK) suspends flights due to Drone activity

[Prmath]

What I truly fear is Not one of us hobbyist but a terrorist putting together a package of some sort to explode close enough to do damage or bring down an airliner. So simple and so very scary to think of.
Flying IED’s controlled by a satanic demon in human form.........

 

[Vimana]

The police statement about the arrests was released at 01:30 local time. They are keeping the details close to their chests (as is usual in the UK - the press releases in the US are often more detailed).

I wonder if these perpetrators would have got away with it if they hadn't just kept coming back (after all, if it was disruption making headline news they were after, the mission was successful)!

Two arrested in drone disruption at Gatwick

 

[FoxhallGH]

What I truly fear is Not one of us hobbyist but a terrorist putting together a package of some sort to explode close enough to do damage or bring down an airliner. So simple and so very scary to think of.
Flying IED’s controlled by a satanic demon in human form.........

Interesting thing there is that the British Army brought equipment to Gatwick, that has been used in the Middle East to counter ISIS Drones ...
So that points to Drones being a known threat as a weaponized system ...

 

[gnirtS]

The police statement about the arrests was released at 01:30 local time. They are keeping the details close to their chests (as is usual in the UK - the press releases in the US are often more detailed).

I wonder if these perpetrators would have got away with it if they hadn't just kept coming back (after all, if it was disruption making headline news they were after, the mission was successful)!

Two arrested in drone disruption at Gatwick

Standard practice, arrested doesnt mean charged. Plus any possible accomplices might need to be rounded up.

Like you, i suspect if these people did do it, they probably pushed their luck a bit too far and came back once people were ready for them. If they'd left it at the initial flights, they'd not have been caught.

 

[ataraxia]

The Telegraph is reporting that the police have been able to establish the make and model of the drone from the descriptions from the public, and that it's only available from a handful of stores in the UK. One of the witnesses has said they spotted someone preparing a drone in one of the country lanes nearby, and that it is approximately 4ft in diameter.

If these reports are true, along with the picture posted earlier (two green lights and two red lights), sounds like a DJI Matrice 600?

 

[FoxhallGH]

I saw this article late last night ... Gatwick drone menace spotted by motorist as he frantically packed up tech
Sounds strange that the perp' would be wearing high-viz clothing ???

 

[FoxhallGH]

The Telegraph is reporting that the police have been able to establish the make and model of the drone from the descriptions from the public, and that it's only available from a handful of stores in the UK. One of the witnesses has said they spotted someone preparing a drone in one of the country lanes nearby, and that it is approximately 4ft in diameter.

If these reports are true, along with the picture posted earlier (two green lights and two red lights), sounds like a DJI Matrice 600?

They are lunatics then ... Haven't they heard about the battery problems with the Matrice?

 

[ataraxia]

They are lunatics then ... Haven't they heard about the battery problems with the Matrice?

I thought that was just the 200? Or are the batteries the same?

 

[gnirtS]

Or someone (legally) flying outside the ATZ to get footage for media or other use and was just an idiot.
...although if its a matrice he's still breaking the law as theres a CAA AD issued for them.

 

[FoxhallGH]

I thought that was just the 200? Or are the batteries the same?

Yes - was the 200 ... Just trying to be funny!

 

[Vimana]

To bring a DJI device back over the airport, after *knowing* that an Aeroscope had been deployed (as reported widely in the news), must mean they had a lot of knowledge, experience and confidence in their abilities to evade detection.

I find it hard to imagine gaining this without making contacts with people of similar interests, so they may well be known to the drone community...

 

[Congoblue]

must mean they had a lot of knowledge, experience and confidence in their abilities to evade detection.

Or possibly they were just being very very stupid...

 

[Vimana]

...with money to burn...they must have not far off 10 grand worth of kit there...

 

[GerdS]

Quite sure, even a Matrice does not fly by default within a no-fly zone. The efforts for getting it up into the air there is much too high and risky, as your identity would be open to DJI prior to getting the Go from them.
These drones are something different, with a non-DJI flight controller inside, not supporting no-fly zones. Maybe self-made, unsing some Arduino-based FC and waypooint-driven instead of being remotely controlled.

 

[FoxhallGH]

Today's Daily Telegraph has an interesting page 4 story about 3 types of sophisticated Drone detection tools deployed at Gatwick to look for the people controlling these drones. However, at the bottom of page 1, it explains how the Police are now interviewing suspects due to the Drone being identified after the operator 'buzzed' the Gatwick control tower. Apparently the Drone was hovered long enough and close enough to the tower to identify its type. The report goes on to say that it is NOT a common type of Drone and can be purchased from only a few retailers [so may not be a DJI model??? - but doesn't sound like a home-built either].
Interesting that with all the tech' deployed, the thing that may bring down the perpetrator, is the good-old Mk.1 eyeball.
Two people are now in custody - but nothing's been said about them - apart from they are a man and a woman.

 

[Congoblue]

Aged 47 and 54 from Crawley, apparently

 

[mjo]

It looks like they have found them. It gives all drone pilots a bad name!

Gatwick live updates: Two 'drone gang' suspects arrested after cyclist spotted 'frantically' packing up two drones in lane near airport as flights resume

 

[BBZ149]

Real scum! The amount of Heartache and chaos these 2 Scumbags have caused let alone the future problems for sensible Drone pilots like us is just a joke!! They should get max 5 year sentence and serve the full 5 Years!! but knowing this country they will prob get a small sentence and heavy fine, as Courts over here just love the Money!!! Well I do hope it's not the case for these 2 and they are made a real example of. SCUM!!!

 

[Prmath]

Real scum! The amount of Heartache and chaos these 2 Scumbags have caused let alone the future problems for sensible Drone pilots like us is just a joke!! They should get max 5 year sentence and serve the full 5 Years!! but knowing this country they will prob get a small sentence and heavy fine, as Courts over here just love the Money!!! Well I do hope it's not the case for these 2 and they are made a real example of. SCUM!!!

Disagree....... just remove their hands

 

[m chaussettes]

Do you think that the Part 107 or whatever it is in other parts of the world eventually will be required to fly at all? And, could that not be a good thing? As an instrument certified private pilot and aircraft owner since 1993 I've come to think of the licensing process as the thing that keeps us all flying with the same rules and information, and that's what makes aviation safe. People who love the hobby will make the effort to get the certification, pros will already have it and the jerks will start to disappear. In aviation, the Pilot In Command is ultimately responsible for the safe outcome of his flight. When pilots and aircraft owners (of any kind) are operating with the same rules and information, it makes it safer for everybody. I think requiring the paper will eventually happen anyway, simply as a result of events like Gatwick, and more and more drones being operated by those who don't follow the rules.