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"Deliberate drone attack" shuts down Gatwick airport

Cobalt wrote:

It still remains a huge overreaction.

Thank you @Cobalt – I totally agree with what you wrote!

always learning
LO__, Austria

The drone has just reappeared… flights suspended again.

Clearly this criminal is monitoring ATC and acting accordingly.

However, from the airport actions (re-opening flights despite the drone flyer not having been caught) it looks like they have enough surveillance and stuff in place to get him.

Multiple drones have been used concurrently, reportedly. Doesn’t actually mean it is more than one person doing it.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Peter wrote:

Multiple drones have been used concurrently, reportedly. Doesn’t actually mean it is more than one person doing it.

Hopefully, you will need multi-drone rating for single pilot to cover that in the future regs

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

I gather there is only one helicopter available with a thermal camera, and the drone flyer waits for it to stop for fuel… the heli is also easily tracked because it is required to have Mode S on I am looking at its track right now…

Obviously stuff will be going on which we don’t know about but equally there are some seriously dumb people around.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

Once they get the guy all they have to do is dump him in the waiting area where all those pax are waiting for.their flights or muse their lost trips.

For me this is similar to terrorism no matter that thankfully nobody was hurt so far. Therefore needs to be dealt with likewise.

LSZH(work) LSZF (GA base), Switzerland

For sure this goes more into deliberate act, I don’t think a “drone enthusiast” or “stupid kids” will be awake 2 days and nights just to have some flying fun. But overall, as Snoopy/Cobalt said you can also blame a lot from airport overreaction (+ compound from media), now the action feels very important and the/these guy(s) is/are simply doubling his/their bets, but sooner or later someone will get caught…

The cost of the mess is roughly in the 100 mils now…

Paris/Essex, France/UK, United Kingdom

Gatwick was re-opened pretty quick.

This BA flight went, it seems, to Stansted, held there for a bit, then went to Gatwick after all. They must be carrying a load of fuel… otherwise his diversion options would have been nonexistent

It does appear to have landed…

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom

I have friends stuck at Gatwick, so it’s difficult to be dispassionate, but this is quite an interesting piece of mischief-making from a legal and technical point of view. Definitely a step up from the old PIRA trick of nicking a van and parking it on a busy motorway bridge.

I’m by no means certain that the miscreant could be convicted of endangering an aircraft. Essentially, it’s “just” an airspace bust.

As for shooting a UAV which doesn’t want to be shot, that’s a lot easier said than done. It’s also arguably illegal because, hey, it’s an “aircraft” and even the police are not allowed to mess with aircraft. SF have a better “get out of jail free” card, so they could try.

In the medium term, ATC-controlled GPS jamming or spoofing might work until the bad guys take another step up the navigation technology ladder.

Glenswinton, SW Scotland, United Kingdom

I find it incredible that the decisions to continue the closure were taken by Gatwick staff. I doubt the management have the security information access to make a decision.
The continuing closure decision was likely at a high, (Government?) level.
If there is no information on the drone operators, it could be a threat to any aircraft.
I am also surprised that no means of disabling drones was available within an hour or so, considering the money spent on defense.

Maoraigh
EGPE, United Kingdom

I am sure it is the CAA who control the closure decision completely. They are the “regulator” so they are ultimately responsible. An airport is the “property” of the CAA in the same way as a gun shop is the “property” of the local police firearms unit.

Reading between the lines, what they seem to have done is deployed enough people with guns or jammers or whatever near the flight paths, so the traffic can get in and out. Whereas previously any drone sighting anywhere near the airport would have automatically closed the airport.

Administrator
Shoreham EGKA, United Kingdom
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