Drones shut down Gatwick airport for 2nd day running.

by Syl Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:39 am

Drones are costing the airport millions and causing upheaval for hundreds of thousands of passengers.
Why doesn't the army just shoot them down?

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8023028/gatwick-shut-drone-eco-warrior-cops-army-mi5/

by Syl Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:44 am

Police have no idea who is operating the drones, how can the second largest airport in the UK be so vulnerable?

How come we are so unprepared for this sort of nuisance and how can this be prevented from happening again in the future.

by nicko Fri Dec 21, 2018 5:31 am

Syl, If they are low enough and can be seen, a Shotgun is best against a moving target. If they are stationary in the air, a Rifle with scope would do the job. A ground to air missile could do it. I would, my self, go the whole Hog and send up an Apache attack Helecopter with Air to Air missiles Laughing

by Original Quill Fri Dec 21, 2018 10:42 am

A part of the story is that authorities are reluctant to use firearms on drones in an urban area.

by Guest Fri Dec 21, 2018 10:49 am

The Police reckon its a "Lone-Wolf Echo warrior"

They reckon he is a highly organized expert

There is also many methods to catching drones, which only now will they impliment

Pressed on whether that meant 'lasers, drone catching nets or radio wave fences', he said: 'There are new technologies that are now available, some purely in the military arena, some beginning to appear on the commercial market that are able to take action against drones.

Detectives are investigating if the drone chaos is a stunt by a lone wolf pilot or part of a wider plot by activists who want to disrupt flights for environmental or political reasons - but police have initially ruled out a terror attack.

As MI5 joined the investigation there were rumours that an 'eco-activist' was behind the sabotage, The Sun reported.

A former Army captain told the newspaper that the attacker had showed 'some serious capability' and could be a 'genius' with a PhD.

Richard Gill said: 'Perhaps we are dealing with a person who just wants to do it to show how clever they are. He or she is just causing hell because they can and they want to test their limits. It's the thrill of getting away with it.'

No person or group has yet claimed responsibility for the sabotage, but officials are said to be working on the theory the saboteur could be an 'eco-warrior'.

A Whitehall source told the Daily Telegraph that police were investigating an eco-protest as a 'definite line of inquiry'. Environmental activist groups have previously targeted airports, in particular to protest the proposed expansion of Heathrow.

by Vintage Fri Dec 21, 2018 10:52 am

nicko wrote:Syl, If they are low enough and can be seen, a Shotgun is best against a moving target. If they are stationary in the air, a Rifle with scope would do the job. A ground to air missile could do it. I would, my self, go the whole Hog and send up an Apache attack Helecopter with Air to Air missiles

The Nazis could home in on radio transmissions and catch the resistance radio operators, as can the vans used for finding out if you have a tv license or not, can't they do something like that these days and home in on the operator, then use the air to air missiles (only kidding - for the sensitive out there).

by nicko Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:30 pm

Not sure that "detector" Vans really existed, apart from the one shown on TV ?

by Syl Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:30 pm

The police still have no idea who was operating the drones or for what purpose ..other than to cause a huge loss of money and disruption to so many people.
I know nothing about guns, but surely an expert marksman could have sorted out the trouble a lot quicker than just letting this thing happen...then stop when the operator decided to stop it, and following those guide lines what will stop this happening again....maybe with even more dramatic results?

Has this happened in any other country? How did they deal with it? And when the idiot/s are found who masterminded this how should they be dealt with?

by Syl Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:34 pm

Original Quill wrote:A part of the story is that authorities are reluctant to use firearms on drones in an urban area.

Clear the area, move the planes, and fire.....I bet thats what the gun happy USA would have done.

by Syl Fri Dec 21, 2018 12:39 pm

nicko wrote:Syl, If they are low enough and can be seen, a Shotgun is best against a moving target. If they are stationary in the air, a Rifle with scope would do the job. A ground to air missile could do it. I would, my self, go the whole Hog and send up an Apache attack Helecopter with Air to Air missiles

I bet the hundreds of thousands of people who have had their Christmas plans ruined by cancelled flights wish someone like you had been in charge then Nicko. Cool

by Fred Moletrousers Fri Dec 21, 2018 3:30 pm

Original Quill wrote:A part of the story is that authorities are reluctant to use firearms on drones in an urban area.

The law of gravity dictates that what goes up must come down...and a spent .303 or even a .22 round travelling downward and still at speed could pose one helluva risk in a populated area like Gatwick, Heathrow on Luton.

It's obvious that something will have to be done, and quickly as it's probably only a matter of time before copy-cat incursions into commercial airport areas start to appear.

There would still be some disruption, but I wonder whether the downdraft from a patrolling helicopter might be able to force a drone down? I'm not sure about Nicko's suggested Apache, but I once saw the downdraft from a Sea King completely trash a demonstrators' camp on the edge of an American Air Force base in East Anglia.

The "wimmin" protestors living in the camp must have spent weeks looking for the bras and knickers that they had hung on the perimeter fence to dry out after washing them!

by Original Quill Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:08 pm

Syl wrote:
Original Quill wrote:A part of the story is that authorities are reluctant to use firearms on drones in an urban area.

Clear the area, move the planes, and fire.....I bet thats what the gun happy USA would have done.

We have a lot of "shots in the air", simulating firecrackers, on New Year's day or 4th of July, or etc. Inevitably, each year we have some story in the papers about a grandma taking a bullet, sometimes in the head, sometimes in the chest. Po dear, one minute she was a-sipping lemonade, settin' in that ol' adirondack chair out back, an' the next she was gone. Took us a half-a-hour to figger out she weren't sleepin'. Evil or Very Mad

There's no guarantee that a random bullet will land in the cornfield.

by Syl Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:37 pm

Original Quill wrote:
Syl wrote:

Clear the area, move the planes, and fire.....I bet thats what the gun happy USA would have done.

We have a lot of "shots in the air", simulating firecrackers, on New Year's day or 4th of July, or etc. Inevitably, each year we have some story in the papers about a grandma taking a bullet, sometimes in the head, sometimes in the chest. Po dear, one minute she was a-sipping lemonade, settin' in that ol' adirondack chair out back, an' the next she was gone. Took us a half-a-hour to figger out she weren't sleepin'.

There's no guarantee that a random bullet will land in the cornfield.

Granny's backyard is hardly the same size as Gatwick airports runway though is it Quill?

What about using a laser instead of a gun...would that be safer?

by Original Quill Fri Dec 21, 2018 4:56 pm

Syl wrote:
Original Quill wrote:

We have a lot of "shots in the air", simulating firecrackers, on New Year's day or 4th of July, or etc. Inevitably, each year we have some story in the papers about a grandma taking a bullet, sometimes in the head, sometimes in the chest. Po dear, one minute she was a-sipping lemonade, settin' in that ol' adirondack chair out back, an' the next she was gone. Took us a half-a-hour to figger out she weren't sleepin'.

There's no guarantee that a random bullet will land in the cornfield.

Granny's backyard is hardly the same size as Gatwick airports runway though is it Quill?

If they can get granny in 'er backyard, sure as hell they can hit a dense crowd at Gatwick.

Syl wrote:What about using a laser instead of a gun...would that be safer?

Shooting a laser into skies full of aircraft has it's own worries.

by Fred Moletrousers Fri Dec 21, 2018 5:57 pm

Just had a newsflash that Gatwick is shut down again...another drone report.

by Andy Fri Dec 21, 2018 6:03 pm

It does beggar the question of what defence do we have if a terrorist attempted to fly a drone with a bomb into the House of Commons..
Of course , there is an argument that it would help drain the swamp.( of all political rats)

by Syl Fri Dec 21, 2018 6:08 pm

Fred Moletrousers wrote:Just had a newsflash that Gatwick is shut down again...another drone report.

Just heard that. Our countries security definately needs to be stepped up.

https://news.sky.com/story/gatwick-suspends-flights-after-another-drone-sighting-11588259

by Vintage Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:14 pm

What about a larger more powerful drone with a magnet and grab on it like in the scrap yards, fly up and over it and grab it and retrieve it for evidence ? I don't know much about drones of course which might be evident.

by Tommy Monk Fri Dec 21, 2018 7:26 pm

Interesting that they are saying it's not terrorist related although they don't know who is doing it...

Shoot the fukkin things down!!!

by 'Wolfie Fri Dec 21, 2018 11:26 pm

Drones shut down Gatwick airport for 2nd day running. 4294841972

Place nicko, Freddie and some of their compatriots up on the rooftops around the airport...

Buckshot only has a range of a few hundred feet, and loses momentum pretty quickly, compared with a 'high powered' rifle bullet travelling up to 2 or 3 miles..

by Syl Sat Dec 22, 2018 12:33 pm

The latest drone was intercepted after a couple more hours of chaos.
A man and a woman have been arrested, no further details given as yet.

https://news.sky.com/story/gatwick-drones-two-people-arrested-over-criminal-use-at-airport-11588565

by Original Quill Sat Dec 22, 2018 2:40 pm

WhoseYourWolfie wrote:

Place nicko, Freddie and some of their compatriots up on the rooftops around the airport...

Buckshot only has a range of a few hundred feet, and loses momentum pretty quickly, compared with a 'high powered' rifle bullet travelling up to 2 or 3 miles..

I'm not sure those guys are the best shots. Righty's are undisciplined and imprecise. We need better marksmen. Twisted Evil

by Original Quill Sat Dec 22, 2018 3:47 pm

So, now they've arrested a couple who live near Gatwick, he being 47 and she being around 54. No flesh with the story, just that they were arrested.

Maybe they just didn't like the noise.

by nicko Sat Dec 22, 2018 4:35 pm

Quill, at an Regiment shoot at Bisley, I scored 48 out of 50 at 400 yards shooting a .303 SMLE ,converted to a Sniper Rifle, so put that in your Pipe and smoke it Laughing

by Original Quill Sat Dec 22, 2018 4:50 pm

nicko wrote:Quill, at an Regiment shoot at Bisley, I scored 48 out of 50 at 400 yards shooting a .303 SMLE ,converted to a Sniper Rifle, so put that in your Pipe and smoke it

Impressive, nick. But all it takes is one fuck-up in your unit.

by Ben Reilly Sat Dec 22, 2018 4:50 pm

Tommy Monk wrote:

Interesting that they are saying it's not terrorist related although they don't know who is doing it...

Shoot the fukkin things down!!!

Drones shut down Gatwick airport for 2nd day running. PmCOMPOSITEcouple

by Ben Reilly Sat Dec 22, 2018 4:51 pm

Suspected "eco-warriors."

by Original Quill Sat Dec 22, 2018 4:53 pm

>THE Ben Reilly< wrote:Suspected "eco-warriors."

Hmm.... Noise pollution?

by Fred Moletrousers Sat Dec 22, 2018 5:31 pm

Original Quill wrote:
>THE Ben Reilly< wrote:Suspected "eco-warriors."

Hmm.... Noise pollution?

Noise pollution. Airport expansion. Carbon footprint. Traffic problems and illegal parking outside property and housing estates on the edge of airports (already very serious at places like Luton)....it's a long list.

However, threatening, let alone attempting, to endanger an aircraft is a serious criminal offence and the possibility of a jet with hundreds of passengers being brought down on a populated area, or even the crowded airport terminal itself, could result in a very long prison sentence on those responsible.

by Original Quill Sat Dec 22, 2018 5:41 pm

My ex was the Director of the Tucson International Airport and the Chairman of the International Airport Manager's Association in Geneva. For them, it was noise pollution.

I am just trying to get a fix on what the gripe of these two would be.

by Ben Reilly Sat Dec 22, 2018 7:03 pm

Original Quill wrote:My ex was the Director of the Tucson International Airport and the Chairman of the International Airport Manager's Association in Geneva. For them, it was noise pollution.

I am just trying to get a fix on what the gripe of these two would be.

My money's on carbon footprint.

by Victorismyhero Sat Dec 22, 2018 8:56 pm

if guilty...shoot the pair of em

by Andy Sat Dec 22, 2018 9:32 pm

The guy has a solid alabi for some of the flight times.
He was part of a team installing double glazing at a house some miles away. I am sure the House owner or his workmates will confirm that.
There could of course be others or he could be part of an group against Gatwick's expansion.

by Original Quill Sat Dec 22, 2018 9:52 pm

Lord Foul wrote:if guilty...shoot the pair of em

Quid quo pro: as long as you agree to shoot money launderers and ponzi schemers.

Twisted Evil

by Victorismyhero Sat Dec 22, 2018 10:14 pm

why not

Drones shut down Gatwick airport for 2nd day running. 2190311264

though then bang goes most of the EU commission (not a bad thing IMO)

by Original Quill Sun Dec 23, 2018 12:29 am

Lord Foul wrote:why not though then bang goes most of the EU commission (not a bad thing IMO)

Deal!

Drones shut down Gatwick airport for 2nd day running. 3893789544

by 'Wolfie Sun Dec 23, 2018 12:55 am

>THE Ben Reilly< wrote:
Suspected "eco-warriors."

That bloke in the photo' deserves to be jailed, just for his haircut alone...

Crimes of pollution of the 'visual environment' -- with a loopy hairdo that you would expect to see on a teenager, (or a woman in the 1930s and '40s -- minus the buzzcut on the sides..).

by Tommy Monk Sun Dec 23, 2018 4:59 am

>THE Ben Reilly< wrote:
Tommy Monk wrote:

Interesting that they are saying it's not terrorist related although they don't know who is doing it...

Shoot the fukkin things down!!!

Doesn't have to be Islamist to be terrorism...

If the person/s responsible are some type of 'eco warriors'... then still a form of terrorism...!

I just find it odd that the police/authorities were ruling out terrorism, before they really had any idea who was responsible and their motives... surely all possibilities are possible, before the facts have been established...?

by nicko Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:49 am

According to todays papers, Police can't prove it was them, yet !

by Andy Sun Dec 23, 2018 8:58 am

That be 1 of 2 things.
They are innocent or

The police haven't framed them yet.

by Syl Sun Dec 23, 2018 11:34 am

They have both been released without charge.
Reading about them earlier they did seem to be the most unlikely suspects. Thank God they had reliable alibi's else I think they would have made good scapegoats.

Like Tommy pointed out earlier, how can the police rule out terrorism or anything else when they have no idea who did this or why?

by Original Quill Sun Dec 23, 2018 4:25 pm

Syl wrote:They have both been released without charge.
Reading about them earlier they did seem to be the most unlikely suspects. Thank God they had reliable alibi's else I think they would have made good scapegoats.

Like Tommy pointed out earlier, how can the police rule out terrorism or anything else when they have no idea who did this or why?

I think the conclusion that is was not terrorists was premised on the perps being the couple. Now that they have been ruled out, so has the 'Not Terrorism' finding. Or at least, that's as much as I can make out...the news articles aren't very informative.

by Guest Sun Dec 23, 2018 6:22 pm

A man and woman arrested in connection with drone sightings that grounded flights at Gatwick Airport have been released without charge.

The 47-year-old man and 54-year-old woman, from Crawley, West Sussex, had been arrested on Friday night.

Their release came as Sussex Police said they were relying on eye witnesses and there may have been no "genuine drone activity in the first place".

Det Ch Supt Jason Tingley said no footage of a drone had been obtained.

He said there was "always a possibility" the reported sightings of drones were mistaken.

meh,,,,

lol!

by Original Quill Sun Dec 23, 2018 6:32 pm

It was swamp gas, or ice crystals caught in a thermal inversion, perhaps Jupiter's gravity pull on a weather balloon. http://www.abovetopsecret.com/forum/thread864548/pg1

Laughing

by Syl Sun Dec 23, 2018 6:37 pm

Original Quill wrote:
Syl wrote:They have both been released without charge.
Reading about them earlier they did seem to be the most unlikely suspects. Thank God they had reliable alibi's else I think they would have made good scapegoats.

Like Tommy pointed out earlier, how can the police rule out terrorism or anything else when they have no idea who did this or why?

I think the conclusion that is was not terrorists was premised on the perps being the couple. Now that they have been ruled out, so has the 'Not Terrorism' finding. Or at least, that's as much as I can make out...the news articles aren't very informative.

The police seemed to rule out terrorism days before this couple were arrested.

The police once more have made a balls up, releasing the names of the couple, their photo's and pics of their house have been all over the papers... all for nothing.

by Guest Sun Dec 23, 2018 7:06 pm

AIRPORT CHAOS Birmingham Airport flights suspended as ‘runway closed due to air traffic control failure’

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/8051461/birmingham-airport-flights-suspended-as-runway-closed-due-to-air-traffic-control-failure/?utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Twitter#Echobox=1545591244

Drones shut down Gatwick airport for 2nd day running. 2190311264

by Sponsored content