Breaking News: Drones Shut Down New Jersey Airport

[Andre Levite]

This is bad PR for the droning hobbyist no matter who is the perpetrator. Had to happen eventually -- especially awful timing with the FAA and TSA short-staffed due the the budget crisis.

Clearly not consumer drones given altitude of 3,500 feet but with Heathrow and Gatwick so recently the public will lump it all together.

Let's fly safe out there!

Drones Shut Down NJ Airport

 

[dat1]

Unfortunately, the average public do not follow-up
the news about those events which is making us
look bad, even dangerous.
Like the one of Gatwick; M. York, Sussex chief of
police who repeated that they still not sure there
really was a drone over Gatwick airport..! And we
heard the same comment from a Scotland Yard
responsible.
But those comments didn't make the news title
or headlines, so, for the general public, it really
happened !

 

[Highflyer]

Yeh, I saw that not good.

 

[lmel2005]

If happened, authorities will take care of it, because flying over airfields is illegal.
Don't worry.

 

[pmshop]

Yeah I have it on good word that the Gatwick scare was crane lights in the fog. A lot of testimony stating "it hovered there for hours"

Sadly, this is the drone identification chart for many:

 

[Spark 317]

Drone.

 

[Skynet HK Aerial]

That thing looked like a Matrice! And at 3k ft. Dang!

 

[pmshop]

Trouble is, that is the go to stock photo when it comes to "drone sightings".

 

[Northwood Mediaworks]

I fear our days are numbered.... but depending where you are on the planet, some will be luckier than others.

 

[Darmie]

We will all be rebels soon enough.

 

[pmshop]

We will all be rebels soon enough.

 

[sadatoni]

I see expensive transponders coming our way.

 

[Mike Brown]

I see expensive transponders coming our way.

Certainly cannot disagree there. There have been some bad press for us pilots lately and there is more to come. Sadly they never highlight the good times when drones help people or save their lives. For that matter neither do we pilots promote the good things about what we do. Any ideas how we could do that?

 

[Highflyer]

I just read this article I'm sure some of you seen this but thought I'd post it anyway.

Drone Scare Near New York City Shows Hazard Posed to Air Travel


Jeff

 

[MeadowSpark Lemon]

Drone Life says not so fast.
Sure the damage to our hobby is done when a pilot says he hit a drone at X,XXX feet and it makes the front page.
But when they look closer and find otherwise....NO RETRACTION.

ttps://dronelife.com/2019/01/24/5-times-it-wasnt-a-drone-after-all/

 

[Mike Brown]

Drone Life says not so fast.
Sure the damage to our hobby is done when a pilot says he hit a drone at X,XXX feet and it makes the front page.
But when they look closer and find otherwise....NO RETRACTION.

ttps://dronelife.com/2019/01/24/5-times-it-wasnt-a-drone-after-all/

Absolutely correct. It is VERY rare that such a retraction will be seen in the UK media at least. I certainly never see our ‘professional’ bodies speaking up on our behalf to show how most of these ‘sightings’ could not possibly be one of our aircraft.

 

[Andre Levite]

This is the closest we will probably see to a retraction of the story about a supposed drone at Newark airport last week. Even the reputable newspapers are doubting it happened (Chicago TriIbune)

Maybe the "drone" that snarled Newark airport operations wasn't a drone at all

 

[sadatoni]

PIlots have been reporting strange objects near them at all altitudes for decades. Drones are now the low hanging fruit to pick. "What was that?!?" "I don't know. Must have been a drone."