Gatwick Airport (UK) suspends flights due to Drone activity

[Harrissment]

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this a video of it according to some, that has some powerful lights on it!!!! It’s a UFO!

 

[timinator]

I wonder if it is a DJI product? If it is, jam the signal and it will either go home (follow it) or hover until low battery and land. Problem solved.

 

[Keule]

jam the signal and it will either ...

Could be - or not.

There are communication methods/procedures available beyond a simple RC / AC connection in the 2.4 GHz or 5.8 GHz spectrum.
(DJI's well known protocols are WiFi, Lightbridge 1/2 or OcuSync 1/2)

As multiple 'sources' described the rogue drones being 'commercial' ones, chances are not unlikely that they are being controlled by other means such as LTE C&C links or using other terrestrial comms or maybe satellite links ...

 

[Tazbone]

We need to be a little bit careful with our comments and analyses, I am sure they'll be (at worst Daily Mail) journalists lurking here, just dying to find something to exaggerate.

Yesterday my nephew was at my place....I shown him my Mavic Pro.
He was interested of course etc etc.
Also yesterday morning I cancelled an insurance I took up last week with FlyIcarus.. 14 day cooling off period gave me that option so refund is on its way.
I don't do any social media apart from watts app and this forum.

Last night my nephew received a post on Facebook....he was in work...works for the Immigration Dept.

He didn't Google or search for anything on his phone in relation to anything to do with a drone.
This is what he received..
Very strange.

 

[Vimana]

BBC news tonight reporting the drone as having flown 'over the runway'.

Given that whoever it was came back again this morning after flying at least twice at night and shutting down the airport; and that it was a 'industrial' or 'commercial' craft; there must be an opportunity for hobbyists to distance ourselves from this.

Part of the issue may be that the public are only aware of one word, 'drone', to describe a wide range of devices and applications. As a newbie, I wonder if hobbyists might benefit from lobbying for a renaming exercise to redefine the benign use of these for the general public. It may also have a beneficial effect on how potential insurance providers may use to fine tune their policies to cover 'low risk' activities.

(Forgive me is this has been discussed previously)

 

[Johnmcl7]

BBC news tonight reporting the drone as having flown 'over the runway'.

Given that whoever it was came back again this morning after flying at least twice at night and shutting down the airport; and that it was a 'industrial' or 'commercial' craft; there must be an opportunity for hobbyists to distance ourselves from this.

Part of the issue may be that the public are only aware of one word, 'drone', to describe a wide range of devices and applications. As a newbie, I wonder if hobbyists might benefit from lobbying for a renaming exercise to redefine the benign use of these for the general public. It may also have a beneficial effect on how potential insurance providers may use to fine tune their policies to cover 'low risk' activities.

(Forgive me is this has been discussed previously)

To be honest I think a big part of the problem is people just don't care, they want to hear how awful drones are and how they need proper regulations to stop this type of problem happening. And so the news sites deliver, I've been alarmed at the fact I haven't seen any official media piece that correctly explains how this type of behaviour is simply not possible from a standard drone and that if these drones exist, they've been hacked and heavily customised. Instead one piece claims it's possible to cause this type of disruption with a standard shop bought drone and action needs to be taken.

I live in the Highlands of Scotland just north of Loch Ness where the Loch Ness Monster 'Nessie' lives, I was thinking with amusement there are more photos of her over the years that than these mysterious drones involved in the attack...

 

[ataraxia]

BBC news tonight reporting the drone as having flown 'over the runway'.

Given that whoever it was came back again this morning after flying at least twice at night and shutting down the airport; and that it was a 'industrial' or 'commercial' craft; there must be an opportunity for hobbyists to distance ourselves from this.

Part of the issue may be that the public are only aware of one word, 'drone', to describe a wide range of devices and applications. As a newbie, I wonder if hobbyists might benefit from lobbying for a renaming exercise to redefine the benign use of these for the general public. It may also have a beneficial effect on how potential insurance providers may use to fine tune their policies to cover 'low risk' activities.

(Forgive me is this has been discussed previously)

I really hope so, but I doubt it. Things like this usually result in kneejerk reactions that ruin it for everyone.

 

[Harrissment]

They are not even reporting on it now on the TV channels as much, it’s all very fishy!

 

[Vimana]

I was just imagining that if the hobbyist's device could be called (or classified) as something like 'mobile-camera-tripods' or 'extended selfie-sticks', that the general public, regulators and insurance companies might apply more forgiving rules and charges.

In my limited experience so far, I can imagine many situations where 10-20 second video clips using Active Track or a Quickshot Boomerang or Circle can be conducted safely at the 1km margins of airfields or even 50m from buildings. Coming into this hobby at this late stage, I am already feeling that there is a sense of over-regulation. Perhaps that just reflects my naivety as I have not witnessed enough accidents.

 

[heatybob]

Feeling paranoid with that last comment; as I am a newbie and just joined the forum yesterday (before this kicked off - note).

I have been a serious amateur photographer all my life. Special interest in underwater photography. I met a fellow diver who had a MavicAir when I was out in Indonesia earlier this year.

I was quite intrigued by it, especially the Quickshot options, but thought nothing more. Then my wife bought it for me as a surprise birthday present. So now I am on a steep learning curve to make sure I get up to speed safely.

I am NOT a journalist! And certainly don't touch the Daily Mail!

Dude, I hope your misses kept the receipt !

 

[IanChap]

Surely the Gatwick authorities can accurately locate/track the rogue drones?

So why can't they get someone with a racing drone or similar skills to follow the rogue drone back to wherever they're being recharged or swapped (assuming the authorities themselves don't have the ability)?

Bit of poacher turned gamekeeper, or hacker turned cyber-security expert.

OK it might not be feasible at night, but they've been operating in daylight.

 

[ataraxia]

Surely the Gatwick authorities can accurately locate/track the rogue drones?

So why can't they get someone with a racing drone or similar skills to follow the rogue drone back to wherever they're being recharged or swapped (assuming the authorities themselves don't have the ability)?

Bit of poacher turned gamekeeper, or hacker turned cyber-security expert.

OK it might not be feasible at night, but they've been operating in daylight.

Several drone racers have offered their help to the police, saying they can easily outmanoeuvre them and either bring them down or follow them. It's quite apparent that we have laws in place that the police aren't equipped to enforce. They should focus on contingencies to handle and suppress rogue drones rather than just writing more and more laws.

 

[Jackcutrone]

You betcha they are going to start buying antidrone systems for airports like crazy. Hmmmmmmmm. You suppose that the perpetrators own a company that makes antidrone systems? Just a thought teehee

 

[IanChap]

Several drone racers have offered their help to the police, saying they can easily outmanoeuvre them and either bring them down or follow them. It's quite apparent that we have laws in place that the police aren't equipped to enforce. They should focus on contingencies to handle and suppress rogue drones rather than just writing more and more laws.

Too much red tape I guess.

But they could approve a few 'volunteer' top racing pilots who would I'm sure be more than happy to do the job, providing their drone were replaced. A bit like volunteer firefighters or lifeboatmen.

Very low cost and quick, but they'll probably instead spend millions on a hi-tech solution.

 

[FoxhallGH]

Surely the Gatwick authorities can accurately locate/track the rogue drones?

So why can't they get someone with a racing drone or similar skills to follow the rogue drone back to wherever they're being recharged or swapped (assuming the authorities themselves don't have the ability)?

Bit of poacher turned gamekeeper, or hacker turned cyber-security expert.

OK it might not be feasible at night, but they've been operating in daylight.

Crazy thing is that the UK Police force operate Drones ... They have a whole load of DJI Matrice M200 Drones - and guess what - they're all grounded because they were falling out of the sky due to battery problems!
Police drones grounded over power bug

 

[Vimana]

The evening news appears to be more balanced now, referring to the perpetrator as a 'rogue attacker'.

It is a shame that offers of assistance from the drone community was not taken up; if they had the requisite skills and equipment to hand. A recent example of when amateur hobbyists made a difference was in the rescue of the Thai school football team led by UK cavedivers last summer.

 

[zocalo]

Too much red tape I guess.

But they could approve a few 'volunteer' top racing pilots who would I'm sure be more than happy to do the job, providing their drone were replaced. A bit like volunteer firefighters or lifeboatmen.

Very low cost and quick, but they'll probably instead spend millions on a hi-tech solution.

I suspect red tape too, but practicalities probably nix the idea as well.

Firstly, you'd want to avoid false positives which means the hunters would need to be grounded until their prey was spotted - not an ideal starting point, especially given a perimeter of around 10km. Secondly, the actual times when the drone(s) have been spotted are rather limited (only four or five sightings so far over almost 24 hours, I think), so they were not in the air for most of the time commercial aircraft were grounded. Finally, if they are easy enough for another drone pilot to spot, then they are easy enough for a photographer to spot, so why no decent photos yet?

 

[zocalo]

Crazy thing is that the UK Police force operate Drones ... They have a whole load of DJI Matrice M200 Drones - and guess what - they're all grounded because they were falling out of the sky due to battery problems!
Police drones grounded over power bug

In totally coincidental news, DJI has announced a firmware update for the Matrice TB50 & TB55 batteries today.

 

[HueJorgan]

They are not even reporting on it now on the TV channels as much, it’s all very fishy!

My thoughts exactly
Whole thing stinks of fish!
Something is NOT right about this story, myself I do not subscribe to the tin foil hat brigade, but I do suspect this is some kind of ‘cover’ story for something else

 

[Aww@Mavic]

Currently being discussed on LBC for an hour, Worth a listen
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