Busted, are they the right guys? Have no idea
Cops arrest 2 for 'criminal use of drones' after Gatwick airport chaos
Cops arrest 2 for 'criminal use of drones' after Gatwick airport chaos
Gatwick flights suspended after reports of drones over runway
- Thread starter Jagerbomb52
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PatR
Premium Pilot
“It was a big thing with lights on its arms and roughly 4ft across.
“He had a smaller drone, about 2ft across, next to him.
“He was leaning over and doing something to it. He was totally focused and did not look up when I drove past.
“It looked like he was packing the drones away. Two minutes later we turned around and came across him cycling away."
Either this guy has been telling his wife 3" is a foot for years, or he can't measure for crap, or he's lying thorugh his teeth. That's a whole lot of stuff to load onto a bicycle.
“He had a smaller drone, about 2ft across, next to him.
“He was leaning over and doing something to it. He was totally focused and did not look up when I drove past.
“It looked like he was packing the drones away. Two minutes later we turned around and came across him cycling away."
Either this guy has been telling his wife 3" is a foot for years, or he can't measure for crap, or he's lying thorugh his teeth. That's a whole lot of stuff to load onto a bicycle.
PatR
Premium Pilot
We might expect that such a big break in the case would be associated with at least a picture of the captured drones, yes?
In one interview they were talking about a mandatory use of an app because most people control their drone with a smartphone! Being able to input your flight details, be able to communicate with other users in the area.and communication with authorities, don't know how that would work with ST16.lot areas I fly are remote and no mobile signal and my home area, interesting to see how that will work?
Indeed. I would like to see some pictures of these industrial type drones as well. So the persons involved have been flying their missions with High Vis jackets on eh! Funny how it took 2 days for anyone to spot them. And they were flying 4 miles away. That's pretty good FPV flying at night, without getting disorientated! These persons should be working for the military with skills like that?!!!
The man and woman, aged 47 and 54 from nearby Crawley.
Hope they get a stiff jail time if convicted
Hope they get a stiff jail time if convicted
The man and woman, aged 47 and 54 from nearby Crawley.
Hope they get a stiff jail time if convicted
The guy who said he saw the drones being packed up said the guy was in his 30s, so maybe that was a false lead, or maybe they have the wrong guys ?!
That was in the CAA's consultation document a few weeks ago. Another contract being granted to the company that makes the App. It's hands lining pockets all the way along!
I read it a while back, I thought will work for Dji etc, but not with a non smartphone drone, like typhoon, how can you communicate with the authorities or a fellow drone user nearby? Pure fantasy, when I'm up in Scotland or Wales, I'm remote can't even get a mobile signal, and the idea of giving prior warning of your flight. It's been badly thought out, you might get good mobile signal on mount Everest, but the UK is still pretty poor.
I'm not quite understanding the perception here. This is not some slightly misbehaving drone addict trying to illegally take pictures. The drone is not being used for the normal purpose of a drone. This is a planned terrorist attack disrupting a major service and should be treated with that in mind. The fact that they are using a drone is inconsequential. There is no difference in using a drone to using any RC airplane, laser, rockets, or anything you can fly over, drive on, or shoot at the runway. It may also be a rehearsal for something much worse to judge response times and effect. ...just my opinion though.
PatR
Premium Pilot
Politicians don’t become multi-millionaires on their salaries.
News articles I read last night indicated two were arrested, but not charged. That seems a little odd to me, although it can be done. In this country (U.S.) you can be held for 72 hours or so before a charge has to be assigned, unless it’s terror related in which case you just disappear incommunicado until they let you surface.
Assuming for a moment that active operation of drones in the airport environment was a reality and not a smokescreen for another cause, where are the drones? Again using this country as an example our LEA’s are like fisherman and hunters when they make a big bust; they love to show off their kill or catch. If they don’t provide pictures of the purps they most certainly publish pictures of the drugs, weapons, or cash seized for evidence. I would expect to see a couple of suspect drones and the operating equipment sitting in front of a podium at a gathering of the press for public dissemination. Without hard evidence and names of suspects the story still stinks to me.
Regarding the operating distance we should recognize 4 miles is not difficult to achieve as one manufacturer prides themselves on their extended range capability and that many buy their stuff for that reason. YouTube has a great many videos that establish many people operate well beyond line of sight, either through FPV or by building and executing flight plans to automate a flight. So a 4 mile distance is plausible.
News articles I read last night indicated two were arrested, but not charged. That seems a little odd to me, although it can be done. In this country (U.S.) you can be held for 72 hours or so before a charge has to be assigned, unless it’s terror related in which case you just disappear incommunicado until they let you surface.
Assuming for a moment that active operation of drones in the airport environment was a reality and not a smokescreen for another cause, where are the drones? Again using this country as an example our LEA’s are like fisherman and hunters when they make a big bust; they love to show off their kill or catch. If they don’t provide pictures of the purps they most certainly publish pictures of the drugs, weapons, or cash seized for evidence. I would expect to see a couple of suspect drones and the operating equipment sitting in front of a podium at a gathering of the press for public dissemination. Without hard evidence and names of suspects the story still stinks to me.
Regarding the operating distance we should recognize 4 miles is not difficult to achieve as one manufacturer prides themselves on their extended range capability and that many buy their stuff for that reason. YouTube has a great many videos that establish many people operate well beyond line of sight, either through FPV or by building and executing flight plans to automate a flight. So a 4 mile distance is plausible.
Were not in possession of all the facts yet. Greenpeace have done similar stunts not with a drone, but endangering themselves and others, were they mentally ill? Drug influenced? Was it a publicity stunt gone very wrong. They will to be made an example of if there isn't a mitigating circumstance.
Not saying it's not plausible or possible, because I know it is. What I'm saying is that it is pretty good FPV flying at night and I might add that according to people living nearby, in the tippling rain as well! Because apparently, when the drone/drones were over the runway, it was absolutely lashing it down with rain.....
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Though a pair are in custody and I have no doubts that the authorities were laborious in their search, some questions remain. The pair arrested certainly don't fit the profile I was expecting. He looks like an everyday working guy and his wife doesn't seem like off in any way - so basically they are the opposite of what I expected. i was fully expecting one of these extreme attention junkies in their 20's who live in youtube & instagram. But... regardless of who it turns out to be, I find it impossible to believe that they didn't know what they were doing and were innocent in any way. They had to be aware of the news media coverage and the problems the drone caused. If these are indeed the people responsible, chances are that it will come out that they have some sort of serious gripe with the government or some big institution. Stranding all of those people - especially during the holidays - is just terribly cruel. In situations like this the worst of human nature comes out. I was once trapped in the Istanbul airport when weather conditions closed all of the runways, and being a light-skinned American I was swiftly brought into an office by security and politely told 'we're going to stay with you in here for a while until things calm down, for your own safety'. They were very polite but it was %100 non-negotiable. So anyone who thinks the airport shutdown at Gatwick wasn't a huge problem is badly uninformed.
Still looking forward to seeing the pictures of his industrial type drones.....
And his boss said he was at work when the incident took place. Did you ever see that film Doppleganger?
FlushVision
Premium Pilot
Well, I know that I've not been able to fly this last week because of the weather. If it was lashing it down then that may give credence to the ubit being of an industrial nature...certainly not an off the shelf prosumer unit
Yeah! And I want to see some pictures........ Really though. Can you imagine the situation in that part of the world at the moment. The rozzers have already been asking the public for their help. I should think they are getting a lot of calls which will go something like this.... "I know he's got a drone and them round the corner at number 5, they've got drones". Just because they've arrested suspects in no-way means they have the culprits. Anyone known to have a drone in that area is going to be fair game at the moment.....
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FlushVision
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Sadly you are probably right. Fortunately for me, I live something like 200 miles away from Gatwick.
I remember once flying in the middle of nowhere in the Pennines miles away from anywhere and a group of ramblers asked me if I was flying it over a prison!
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