Another drone incident closting an airport in England... Heathrow this time

[IanSR]

According to the BBC News today, all UK airports now have, or soon will have “military grade anti drone equipment” fitted. This equipment can detect, track and take down drones. Police are to be given stronger powers in this area. Hopefully, the “thrill” or whatever some people get in flying a drone in controlled airspace will disappear (or become too expensive!)

Failing Grayling has been forced today to admit this 'military grade anti drone equipment' that either is or will be installed at all major airports does not, and never has existed.

Let's not forget he previously said it was installed at Gatwick after the drone and Heathrow were really vocal about how they had equipment that would stop a drone incursion because they could take control of a drone and land it before an aparantly well coordinated multitasking tv cameraman saw one and wanted his 15 minutes in front of the camera.

But as you'd imagine, this is getting about as much news coverage as a bear doing its business in the woods does.

 

[horton]

Failing Grayling has been forced today to admit this 'military grade anti drone equipment' that either is or will be installed at all major airports does not, and never has existed.

Let's not forget he previously said it was installed at Gatwick after the drone and Heathrow were really vocal about how they had equipment that would stop a drone incursion because they could take control of a drone and land it before an aparantly well coordinated multitasking tv cameraman saw one and wanted his 15 minutes in front of the camera.

But as you'd imagine, this is getting about as much news coverage as a bear doing its business in the woods does.

Corroborative Evidence of this statement? It feels like it is getting political.

 

[IanSR]

It was on the three o'clock news on heart fm, our local radio station.

Political? Of course it's political, this guy is a ******* idiot, last week he organised a pretend "test" to prepare for lorry parks in Kent on an airfield that has been sold for housing which involved 80 lorries driving in and out of the airport and declared it a success and Kent was ready to deal with the backlog that will come from a no deal Brexit.

The week before that, he awarded a multi million pound government contract to lay on additional ferry services to cope with Brexit to a company who owned no ferries and never had, who would operate from a harbour that hasn't been used or dredged for 25 years and is incapable of housing a ferry, and whose terms and conditions on their website turned out to have been copied and pasted from a food delivery company.

So political? Too right, Politics is the single remaining career that does not require any formal qualifications or experience to do and Chris Grayling is the single most perfect example of why this shouldn't be the case.

Gatwick Defences? Don't make me laugh, this consisted of three guys and a DJI Aeroscope on the terminal roof and around 20 unpaid special constables standing in fields surrounding the airport, all the rest of the "defences" we're show theatre, the "drone detection device" was a (likely empty) Thule car roof box bolted onto the top of a pole which itself was bolted onto a van parked on the perimeter road with two fat coppers sat in it asleep.

How do I know this? I live close enough to see Gatwick with a pair of bins and drive past almost daily, it was like watching a Benny Hill tv sketch watching the so called "experts" run up and down the runway chasing imaginary ufos or their own police drone.

As someone else said, most of the important people involved couldn't find their own car keys let along a rouge drone and we are supposed to believe they know what's best? The incident commander didn't even know anybody with a pair of googles could tune into the video feed of a drone if the operator was using FPV until and FPV racer told them after almost getting himself arrested, they are that clueless.

If rotor riot couldn't get a race drone at full chat to go through a car windscreen, then one stands no chance of bringing down an airliner.

 

[horton]

OK. Lots of anger. I get it.

 

[IanSR]

Not anger, but frustration at Grayling and the Police who will eventually make it almost impossible to fly anywhere in the South East of England.

I did a quick mock up of the new proposals and they make most of the South East a no fly zone because there are so many 'protected aerodromes' around this area, yet this will do nothing to prevent drone ingress at airports, the Government even admit this in the first paragraph of their report.

 

[Multikoe]

Bigger penalties for hoaxers would put an end to this. The airports employ people to check flight corridors for problems. They don't require BBC camera operators to chip in.
Media are playing games.

Bigger penalties are not going to help at all if the risk of getting caught is still very small. Besides: bigger penalties don't seem to prevent any crime from not happening, they only help to satisfy the public after the fact.

 

[Hotwire]

I don't think you get what I said. The dude from the BBC was the hoaxer! He is the Dick that needs the fine. Unless you can prove your alarm cry you are just causing a problem. No one but this dude saw anything.