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"Deliberate drone attack" shuts down Gatwick airport

Peter wrote:

this one will get the full 5 years.

Probably not if ze pleads guilty. The ⅓ off for a guilty plea is very largely beyond the discretion of the sentencer. So sentenced to 3 years 4 months, released between 13 months and 1 year 8 months.

EGKB Biggin Hill

It still remains a huge overreaction. Even when deliberately flown overhead the airport, the risk of a collision is minimal, and even if a collision would occur, the damage will be expensive, but not lethal – and the drone would be gone as an additional benefit. The potential damage to the engine is a lot less expensive than the cost of shutting down the airport.

A much more sensible policy would be to hold flights while one is seen, and resume immediately when it is gone.

But unfortunately, the penalty for bureaucrats taking a risk and getting it wrong is huge, while there appears to be no penalty whatsoever for them causing huge economic damage and inconvenience to tens of thousands.

The same applies to shooting down the drone. Shotguns are likely to be ineffective – you need to get within 50 or so metres of the drone. But a rifle bullet aimed with a sufficiently upward angle will do the same damage a pebble dropping from a skyskcraper, and if the drone is hit, it will be over the airfield and should not crash on somebody’s head.

Biggin Hill

I don’t think it is that difficult to code in all consumer products “if GPS position == airport, stop those rotors”? The cost to insert such line in any controller will not exceed the cost of a cup of coffee, Ok there is a question of databases but big airports like Heathrow/Gatwick/Luton/Stansted are not moving anywhere soon

Then you are left with “the deliberate/determined guys” but at least you have filtered those who are looking to have fun and even on accident will do minimal damage (those who flew RCs near airports or on runways when they were stupid/young will recognize themselves, the difference is you can’t fly RC without being in line of sight :) )

Last Edited by Ibra at 21 Dec 10:48
Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Ibra wrote:

“if GPS position == airport, stop those rotors”

It’s called geofencing, and DJI at least already have been doing this for several years at this stage.

Andreas IOM

Yes, but I meant all consumer products (that has gps already) not professional drones (which will even have Transponders, EC, ADSB and a named PIC very soon)

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Cobalt wrote:

But unfortunately, the penalty for bureaucrats taking a risk and getting it wrong is huge, while there appears to be no penalty whatsoever for them causing huge economic damage and inconvenience to tens of thousands.

Or, in the case of CAP1122 approvals, multiple fatalities.

I don’t understand why motorways are closed for hours after an accident. Why can’t they clear the injured, take some photos and clear the debris in a rapid reaction and let people get on with their lives and economic activity?

EGKB Biggin Hill

Timothy wrote:

Why can’t they clear the injured, take some photos and clear the debris in a rapid reaction and let people get on with their lives and economic activity?

Because they have to have an “investigation” (which of course will find nothing new – just the same old story – crashed caused by tailgating, inattentiveness, whatever) and to ensure they have a watertight case to prosecute someone with. The priority should be:

1. Get the casualties dealt with
2. Reopen the motorway as quickly as possible, investigation and guaranteed success of prosecution be damned.

I have to wonder how many hundreds of millions in economic damage the few extra prosecutions these investigations have resulted in have cost.

Last Edited by alioth at 21 Dec 11:37
Andreas IOM

Ibra wrote:

Yes, but I meant all consumer products (that has gps already) not professional drones (which will even have Transponders, EC, ADSB and a named PIC very soon)

In the opinion of a professional drone operator interviewed in the Guardian, this was a professional (“industrial”) drone and not a “toy”, so geofencing must have been been deliberately disabled.

ESKC (Uppsala/Sundbro), Sweden

alioth wrote:

Timothy wrote:
Why can’t they clear the injured, take some photos and clear the debris in a rapid reaction and let people get on with their lives and economic activity?
Because they have to have an “investigation” (which of course will find nothing new – just the same old story – crashed caused by tailgating, inattentiveness, whatever) and to ensure they have a watertight case to prosecute someone with. The priority should be:
1. Get the casualties dealt with
2. Reopen the motorway as quickly as possible, investigation and guaranteed success of prosecution be damned.
I have to wonder how many hundreds of millions in economic damage the few extra prosecutions these investigations have resulted in have cost.

Some thread drift here, but I have printed the above and consider posting it in my office. We analyze traffic accidents and frequently miss substantial evidence because the road has been cleared quickly and the photos are not good enough. Public economy should ideally dictate the balance, but the nuisance factor should probably be taken more into account, to avoid the safety board work getting a bad name.

huv
EKRK, Denmark

Timothy did not write all of that

EHLE / Lelystad, Netherlands, Netherlands
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