Drones threatening commercial a/c?
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 10,482
Originally Posted by Hotel Tango
Which may suggest the drone was sighted west of the airport!
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: uk
Posts: 743
In a demonstration that nothing is really new, here's a post by Capot from 2016 in R&N, on the subject of drones. I well remember the fury of most posters back in 2014 when Capot suggested that drones were a threat.
Returning to the thread, here's what I wrote in R&N in November 2014
Quote:
I've been in the air transport industry since 1969, in a number of different sectors, eg airline management, airport management and engineering, working in a number of different countries, eg UK, UAE, Oman, Jordan, USA, Israel (Gaza), Tunisia, Algeria, Greece and the Philippines. Before that I was in the military for 10 years, including the final 3 years working as an Intelligence officer in the Gulf region. At various times, and in various ways, I have been closely involved in anti-terrorist action and aviation security.
In my view, the free availability of the sophisticated drones that are around now, as well as of the more and more sophisticated ones that are coming fast down the line, represents the biggest threat to air transport (to say nothing of humanity as a whole) that has been seen so far, not excluding hijacking by suicidal maniacs, SAM firings by rogue military forces, or Muslim and other religious extremists.
The threat comes from unintentional collisions, or from terrorist attacks for which drones can be used in several ways.
The threat cannot be diminished by laws governing their operation, for the obvious reason that laws are obeyed only by the good.
The ONLY way that the threat can be reduced to as low as reasonably practical is to impose the same controls on their manufacture and distribution that apply to dangerous, ie nuclear, weapons, with very long prison sentences for breaking the law.
And this needs to be done sooner rather than later. Any drone is a threat to safety, or a dangerous weapon if the user wants it to be, and they are out there, now, in the hands of idiots and terrorists.Unquote.
The funny thing was that at that time I, and the few PPRuNe experts who agreed with that post, were roundly monstered by the R&N majority who saw little harm in drones, live and let live, no real danger from these little toys, got one myself, etc etc.
Quote:
I've been in the air transport industry since 1969, in a number of different sectors, eg airline management, airport management and engineering, working in a number of different countries, eg UK, UAE, Oman, Jordan, USA, Israel (Gaza), Tunisia, Algeria, Greece and the Philippines. Before that I was in the military for 10 years, including the final 3 years working as an Intelligence officer in the Gulf region. At various times, and in various ways, I have been closely involved in anti-terrorist action and aviation security.
In my view, the free availability of the sophisticated drones that are around now, as well as of the more and more sophisticated ones that are coming fast down the line, represents the biggest threat to air transport (to say nothing of humanity as a whole) that has been seen so far, not excluding hijacking by suicidal maniacs, SAM firings by rogue military forces, or Muslim and other religious extremists.
The threat comes from unintentional collisions, or from terrorist attacks for which drones can be used in several ways.
The threat cannot be diminished by laws governing their operation, for the obvious reason that laws are obeyed only by the good.
The ONLY way that the threat can be reduced to as low as reasonably practical is to impose the same controls on their manufacture and distribution that apply to dangerous, ie nuclear, weapons, with very long prison sentences for breaking the law.
And this needs to be done sooner rather than later. Any drone is a threat to safety, or a dangerous weapon if the user wants it to be, and they are out there, now, in the hands of idiots and terrorists.Unquote.
The funny thing was that at that time I, and the few PPRuNe experts who agreed with that post, were roundly monstered by the R&N majority who saw little harm in drones, live and let live, no real danger from these little toys, got one myself, etc etc.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 10,482
Originally Posted by er340790
It will be interesting if any definitive proof of this 'sighting' ever shows up.....
Join Date: Feb 2001
Location: The Winchester
Posts: 5,309
Originally Posted by BONES_
Looks like departures have been resumed 
They have...there are currently start up delays of up to an hour, plus or minus, as the backlog clears but that’s better than it was looking a couple of hours ago.
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Canberra
Posts: 0
Originally Posted by Richard Taylor
Well LHR might get the chance to use the technology, flights suspended due to 'drone sighting'.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Where I hang my hat.
Posts: 103
Drone induced shutdown of Gatwick & Heathrow.
Peter Gibson of CASA being interviewed on radio stated ' if a pilot is notified that a drone is visible or operating in the vicinity of the airport approach, the pilot can choose an alternate approach', really, opposing traffic, tail winds, etc, come to mind.
Join Date: Aug 2018
Location: Australia
Posts: 1
Originally Posted by Matt48
Peter Gibson of CASA being interviewed on radio stated ' if a pilot is notified that a drone is visible or operating in the vicinity of the airport approach, the pilot can choose an alternate approach', really, opposing traffic, tail winds, etc, come to mind.
Join Date: Jan 2017
Location: europe
Posts: 8
Originally Posted by Matt48
Peter Gibson of CASA being interviewed on radio stated ' if a pilot is notified that a drone is visible or operating in the vicinity of the airport approach, the pilot can choose an alternate approach', really, opposing traffic, tail winds, etc, come to mind.
Originally Posted by Carlos Kaiser
Running out of gas also comes to mind.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Reading, UK
Posts: 10,482
Interestingly, the aforementioned Peter Gibson, in a recent interview (presumably not the one referred to above) stated that about 80% of drones have control systems that embed the drone serial number in the signal transmissions and that this, in conjunction with compulsory drone registration in Australia, would dramatically change the way rules relating to drones are enforced there.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Where I hang my hat.
Posts: 103
Originally Posted by DaveReidUK
Interestingly, the aforementioned Peter Gibson, in a recent interview (presumably not the one referred to above) stated that about 80% of drones have control systems that embed the drone serial number in the signal transmissions and that this, in conjunction with compulsory drone registration in Australia, would dramatically change the way rules relating to drones are enforced there.
Yes, it was in that interview that the embedded serial no was mentioned.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: CYUL
Posts: 814
Well today Canada announced new rules to the already existing ones that should put more restrictions on those who fly drones...
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/tran...tors-1.4246401
https://www.ctvnews.ca/politics/tran...tors-1.4246401
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: #N/A
Posts: 66
Originally Posted by DaveReidUK
Interestingly, the aforementioned Peter Gibson, in a recent interview (presumably not the one referred to above) stated that about 80% of drones have control systems that embed the drone serial number in the signal transmissions and that this, in conjunction with compulsory drone registration in Australia, would dramatically change the way rules relating to drones are enforced there.
I'm no drone pilot, but from what I understand the radio tech is straightforward to switch out. So even if drones are officially registered and all manufactured drones to market are traceable, it wouldn't be difficult to circumvent.
This drone issue will take a combination of legislation, education, technology and contingency planning to resolve.
