Drones at Gatwick

Whoever is doing this is either a terrorist or someone ( far left ) with a ruddy great chip on their shoulder about people flying to different destinations without a hope in Hell of the perpetrator ever being able to do so.

About time you needed a licence and a unique code for these things. Then they could be traced.

Also they need to be fitted with a disabling device.

The problem is that people don't play by the rules. They will find ways of bringing in unregistered drones and defeating technology used against them. It will all be part of the game. Even banning them altogether won't work because there will be people capable of building them.

Was it Einstein who said that some people have a problem for every solution ? ?

I have just been hearing that critically ill patients at our hospital have had all scans cancelled due to isotope not getting out of Gatwick. Tv seems to focus on the inconvenience for holiday makers and , while I sympathise with them there are much more serious consequences to this for some.

My son works at Gatwick so I'll get the full picture from him tonight. I think a lot of the problem may be that Gatwick is in the middle of fields- right next to M23. I presume that makes it difficult to police but I find it hard to believe that we have no army or police sharp shooters who could not hit a drone with a telescopic sight. We were surprised the last time we flew out how many armed police are on site now. Makes you feel more comfortable but this just goes to show it is not always the immediate area they need to police. I'll ask son exactly what they were told tonight. It makes my blood boil that some scumbag is sitting out there laughing at the havoc & heartache he has caused. I heard one family on the radio this morning who are trying to get to Mum's bedside as she is critically ill.
What a Bas*ard!

Why can't they track them in the air, they must return somewhere to get their batteries recharged.

Ellenvanin I think it’s well out of order to say it might be Far left it might equally be Far right or someone mentally ill or just someone enjoying disrupting the country and putting lives at danger it’s far too early to start accusing anyone

These drones have very sophisticated software that our airport security are not able to jam.
My son in law is in software security, he believes this is either terrorists or environmentalists and that they’re using very advanced technology.

There was an expert on local radio today who said in his opinion this is either an industrial drone which has had any tracking disabled or one which has been specifically made by the idiots controlling it.

It isn't just some hobbyist doing this - drones are programmed to prevent them flying with 1km of an aerodrome. This would have had to be disabled to get so close to Gatwick. They can't be shot down as they are tiny and moving about all the time, as well as being a few hundred feet in the air, pretty tricky. There is a reason there is a big penalty for people who do this. Stray aircraft wander into major airports airspace, they can't be shot down either, and aircraft would again hold, divert or be grounded.
The problem as always is that "the public" feel it is their right to fly drones if they want to. Many aircraft have had drones flying much too close to them, usually the drones aren't traced. There will be a major drone-aircraft collision at some point.
I suspect that as this is 2 drones, and they've been going for more than 12 hours, they must be professional ones, and they must be returning somewhere to be recharged, perhaps there are quite a few of them working in relay.
Safest option is always to close the runway; yes it causes a huge amount of disruption, which usually the airlines have to swallow. But no-one wants to be the first to have a drone fly through their engine, or break their windscreen/ flight controls/ hydraulics.

Bluebelle I couldn't care less what you think. I think I'm quite in order of what I think as the last time I looked we are a free-speech county ?
So you don't think that this a++hole is putting lives at risk ?
Think again !!
As long as it's not in your backyard,eh ?

Razzy

It will be interesting to know what employees are being told and their understanding of the situation.

I hope you post again.

Phew we were lucky just got out of Gatwick before it closed. Spending Christmas in Paphos Cyprus.

We were looking forward to seeing our son, daughter in law and two grandchildren today but their flight was cancelled.
We were all really sad but the good news is that they are booked on a flight tomorrow afternoon. Fingers crossed this will happen. Craftycat, if your son has any news please let me know. I am so sorry for all those affected.

It must be the Russians. It will not be ISIS, most of their operatives are too stupid to think up something like this.

I don't care who it is or what their motivation, I think they should be tried for terrorism or attempted murder, whichever attracts the longest prison sentence. It is an appalling thing to do.

Terrifyingly easy to paralyse the country.

Just read that the military have been called in. "Sharpshooters" were mentioned.

Nonnie- Yes, it appears to be the deliberate sustained disruption of an airport. Sabotage, whoever is responsible.

It is economic terrorism, the bill for the disruption will run into many millions of pounds.

ellenvanan what a strange post no idea what you mean ‘not in my back yard’
Of course I think this axxxhole as you put it is putting lives at danger and if you read my first post you would have known that I m completely condemning who ever it was I just had issue with you presuming it was a ‘Lefty’ No one has any idea who it was at this stage

I agree GrannyGravy, it's economic terrorism, and I think it's somebody flexing their muscles to say "See what I can do to you". Could be Russia or China. In future, this will only need to be threatened for us to worry. Perhaps it's the EU? ....joke ) We are looking stupid on the world stage in my opinion. Scenes on the News tonight looked reminiscent of a Carry On film.

What I was intimating when I said what I did was " as long as it's not happening to you " when you nonchalantly said it could be a person who's mental. Mental or not whoever it is is a danger to the public so no need to mention " mental " because that's no excuse for what's happening !

I wasn't the only one who'd mentioned terrorist but you chose to single me out all the same.

So I mentioned lefty. Why pick me up about that ?

Heathrow is shut down because of a computer crash so flights there are grounded.