Gatwick Airport: Drone sightings cause delays

TheDork said:
Surely I can't be the only one finding this all rather amusing.
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I've been stuck in Tenerife airport for 6 hours.... Was hoping to be in the air in 90 minutes time.

I'm not finding it funny.
 
adam6177 said:
I've been stuck in Tenerife airport for 6 hours.... Was hoping to be in the air in 90 minutes time.

I'm not finding it funny.
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My apologies, I don't for a second think that those caught up in it all are finding it amusing, what I find amusing is that someone somewhere is at the capours and the police and what seems like the army can't sort it out, it's comical and we all thought that brexit makes us look a laughing stock.
 
Luckily I am now on holiday in Madeira, via Stanstead. However, I am returning via Gatwick on the 30th. Nothing about this experience has been remotely funny to me.
 
Stuck at Stansted due to the 44 extra flights diverted from Gatwick. Merry Christmas.
 
Doon frae Troon said:
Don't know why we are faffing about with this, sub up the Thames and a Trident missile, sorted mate.
Isn't that why we spend £trillions on it, to defend our country against a £200 toy.
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No you spend trillions on it because the people building them like to watch supermarket sweep, sleep and drink copious amounts of coffee while eating McDonald’s bought by the taxpayers credit card.
You can’t keep a nuclear deterrent at sea365 days a year without McDonald’s and classic TV.

This is nothing new. no point in licensing or restricting them. We’ve had rc planes and coptors since time began.
 
TheDork said:
My apologies, I don't for a second think that those caught up in it all are finding it amusing, what I find amusing is that someone somewhere is at the capours and the police and what seems like the army can't sort it out, it's comical and we all thought that brexit makes us look a laughing stock.
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Well if it's that easy to fix tell us what they're missing. I'm sure you could make a small fortune out of such useful insider knowledge...
 
I've just got back from working there, been there from ten this morning. I can tell you that all the services are pulling together and are trying to get this sorted.
It is so frustrating, as for example you get multiple calls from different people of different sightings of what they believe are drones, everyone has to quite rightly be checked out, not all of them are drones.

All the forces want this sorted out as quick as possible to enable people to get home or go away for Christmas. It's soul destroying seeing young kids in Christmas hats being told there flights are cancelled to visit Santa.
 
Jamesbrown said:
No you spend trillions on it because the people building them like to watch supermarket sweep, sleep and drink copious amounts of coffee while eating McDonald’s bought by the taxpayers credit card.
You can’t keep a nuclear deterrent at sea365 days a year without McDonald’s and classic TV.

This is nothing new. no point in licensing or restricting them. We’ve had rc planes and coptors since time began.
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Bit different. Drones can have cameras on them so can pilot them out of site.. I don’t suspect the little rc planes would do anywhere near the kind of damage when they fall out the air because they don’t hover like a drone which can remain in one place or suddenly assend 10 metres to avoid something
 
pauljames87 said:
Bit different. Drones can have cameras on them so can pilot them out of site.. I don’t suspect the little rc planes would do anywhere near the kind of damage when they fall out the air because they don’t hover like a drone which can remain in one place or suddenly assend 10 metres to avoid something
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An RC helicopter could do just that, and both a plane and a helicopter could carry a camera, and realistically an RC plane could carry a much bigger payload. Drones do have more manoeuvrability in general.
However, the biggest difference, in my opinion, is that there was a lot more skill involved in flying traditional RC planes and helicopters, and this took time and effort to learn, however with modern electronics this part is removed as you have gyros maintaining perfect stability, GPS providing perfect navigation, and 4G to control the vehicle from miles away.
 
Dibby said:
An RC helicopter could do just that, and both a plane and a helicopter could carry a camera, and realistically an RC plane could carry a much bigger payload. Drones do have more manoeuvrability in general.
However, the biggest difference, in my opinion, is that there was a lot more skill involved in flying traditional RC planes and helicopters, and this took time and effort to learn, however with modern electronics this part is removed as you have gyros maintaining perfect stability, GPS providing perfect navigation, and 4G to control the vehicle from miles away.
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Exactly you have to be close to use the rc planes

Making the drones the effective tool.

Skill is irrelevant
 
pauljames87 said:
Exactly you have to be close to use the rc planes

Making the drones the effective tool.

Skill is irrelevant
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No. You could have mounted a camera on an RC plane, and flown it like that years ago, they were experimenting with this as a precursor to guided bombs even back in WW2, it's nothing new. You would be limited by radio range, but this could still have been miles or tens of miles, just not the virtually unlimited range it is today.

The difference is flying the plane whilst not being on board it is tricky, as you have only visual feedback, you have no sense of feeling for subtle movements, or when it is about to stall, and tend to react much slower than if you were actually piloting from inside the aircraft. However, with modern electronics, the vehicle is gyroscopically stabilised, so you don't have to worry about this part, you only have to worry about telling it what you want it to do (as opposed to how). This could also apply to a modern RC plane, the only reason a "drone" (in quotes because technically any unmanned vehicle - even a plane or helicopter - is actually a drone) is used, is because it is simpler than a traditional helicopter, and can hover, unlike a fixed-wing aircraft.
 
Dibby said:
No. You could have mounted a camera on an RC plane, and flown it like that years ago, they were experimenting with this as a precursor to guided bombs even back in WW2, it's nothing new. You would be limited by radio range, but this could still have been miles or tens of miles, just not the virtually unlimited range it is today.

The difference is flying the plane whilst not being on board it is tricky, as you have only visual feedback, you have no sense of feeling for subtle movements, or when it is about to stall, and tend to react much slower than if you were actually piloting from inside the aircraft. However, with modern electronics, the vehicle is gyroscopically stabilised, so you don't have to worry about this part, you only have to worry about telling it what you want it to do (as opposed to how). This could also apply to a modern RC plane, the only reason a "drone" (in quotes because technically any unmanned vehicle - even a plane or helicopter - is actually a drone) is used, is because it is simpler than a traditional helicopter, and can hover, unlike a fixed-wing aircraft.
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So like I said in the first place, drones far more effective. Anyone can use them. Can be piloted further away. Maxium disruption for minimum skill and effort.
 
pauljames87 said:
So like I said in the first place, drones far more effective. Anyone can use them. Can be piloted further away. Maxium disruption for minimum skill and effort.
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Noone disagreed that drones were more effective. We just disagreed on the reason.

You claimed that drones had the advantaged of being able to be piloted out of site, and could hover, neither of these capabilities are new or exclusive to drones.

I claimed that modern drones needed less skill, which you now seem to agree on but are claiming it was your assertion all along.

Anyway, consensus is reached, so nothing further to add.
 
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