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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To wonder about a few things with the LGW drone attack

868 replies

badlydrawnperson · 20/12/2018 11:32

Before I get flamed (and not that anyone will resist flaming if they want to anyway). I know-

-It's not that easy
-Safety First
-People are doing their best

But I can't help wondering and idly speculating about why -

We apparently don't have any counter measures for this.
It can go on so long
We aren't seeing any News footage of the drone(s)

I am 100% NOT a conspiracy theorist but I am very curious about exactly what is going on.

OP posts:
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11
StealthPolarBear · 20/12/2018 11:34

I assumed it was some idiot but it's starting to look like it was planned isn't it.
Hopefully there'll be none at the North Pole on the 24th.

SparklyMagpie · 20/12/2018 11:35

I have also been wondering about this, I have no idea really what's going on either

poppoppop100 · 20/12/2018 11:35

They are not hobbyist drones.The fear will be they are full of explosives otherwise they would have been shot down

Augusta2012 · 20/12/2018 11:36

I suspect it’s environmental protestors. Not sure how you could stop it. Shoot them down?

Noonemournsthewicked · 20/12/2018 11:37

I am 100% a conspiracy theorist however footage would probably require a news helicopter which is obviously a no go.

It does seem to have taken a remarkably long time to become a big news story and that is unusual in this day and age.

SprogletsMum · 20/12/2018 11:37

I can understand not wanting to shoot them out of the sky but surely a water cannon would do the job nicely?

Original poster
badlydrawnperson · 20/12/2018 11:38

At the risk of being flippant, BBC News chartered a helicopter to hover over Cliff Richard's house over a non-story - but they have no pictures of the drone(s) that are holding a major airport to ransom?

OP posts:
Ta1kinpeace · 20/12/2018 11:38

"Attack" is all rather melodramatic isn't it.
Drones were seen near the perimeter fence.
That is all.

Augusta2012 · 20/12/2018 11:38

I think the reason they’re not showing the drones is as above. They’re not hobby drones so they don’t want people to see them and panic or see them and copy.

Original poster
badlydrawnperson · 20/12/2018 11:40

I am 100% a conspiracy theorist however footage would probably require a news helicopter which is obviously a no go

I am sure camera technology would mean they didn't have to get anywhere near the airport or the incident. Police speed cameras can now read a reg number from 1km away.

OP posts:
Reallybadidea · 20/12/2018 11:40

How come they haven't run out of battery yet?

Also why are they such a big problem? Airports don't get shut because of a couple of geese near the runway and these aren't any bigger afaik.

CardsforKittens · 20/12/2018 11:41

I think we don't have countermeasures because drones are quite small and can be controlled from quite far away, and shooting at then is inevitably risky.

As for news footage: it's increasingly difficult to point cameras at airports without going through significant security checks. I remember when anyone could head down to the airport and film aircraft coming and going. New security measures post 9-11 have put a stop to that. News crews have press passes but anything that isn't pre-arranged is probably still tricky from a security perspective.

Original poster
badlydrawnperson · 20/12/2018 11:41

@Ta1kinpeace

Fair point, well made - but I might equally argue it's a bit melodramatic to have shut down the entire airport for hours.

OP posts:
JosiahJames · 20/12/2018 11:42

It is a worry that one or two drones can basically shut down an entire airport. I wonder if it is just some people wanting to cause a bit of mayhem before Christmas or whether it is something a little more sinister like someone trying to take down planes.

There seem to be an awful lot of police resources thrown at this (thankfully) but I am pretty sure those resources are very much needed elsewhere so when they DO catch whoever is controlling these drones I hope the authorities come down on them very harshly. That is not even going into the poor ground staff who have to deal with the chaos or the people who are going on holiday;/abroad for other reasons

HowlsMovingBungalow · 20/12/2018 11:43

I think it isn't just one drone, think there are several. One person couldn't keep that drone going all those hours.

Confusedbeetle · 20/12/2018 11:43

These are not normal hobby drones. The risk is being taken as serious. The person has taken measure to avoid some of our safety measures

macarenaferreiro · 20/12/2018 11:43

Drones move really fast. They can be controlled remotely - it's not beyond the realms of possibility that this one (or more than one) are being controlled by someone in a bedroom in Bolton, Beijing or Bangkok. Pre-programmed to fly onto the airport, buzz about for a few minutes then back to "base" to recharge.

You can signal block drones, but you have yo know where the signal is coming from.

Safety comes above anything else. Air traffic is diverting to other airports.

Original poster
badlydrawnperson · 20/12/2018 11:44

I am wondering if it's environmental campaigners. NB without making any judgement about their views/cause one way or the other.

OP posts:
Ta1kinpeace · 20/12/2018 11:44

but I might equally argue it's a bit melodramatic to have shut down the entire airport for hours.
I landed at Gatwick about two hours before all of this kicked off.

Have you seen what happens to a jet engine if a 200g drone accidentally gets sucked into it ?
A320's (the standard Easyjet planes) have two engines .... coming into land on one is tricky.

I get that they are very concerned that some nutter is flying a drone around the controlled airspace
but it is not an attack

BartholinsSister · 20/12/2018 11:44

Can the police not use one of their drones to follow the naughty drone back from whence it came?

Wordthe · 20/12/2018 11:45

It seems very peculiar to me 😶

kittykarate · 20/12/2018 11:46

How come they haven't run out of battery yet?

I'm assuming as it has been going on so long that the people doing this have multiple drones and are recharging one while flying another.

Also why are they such a big problem? Airports don't get shut because of a couple of geese near the runway and these aren't any bigger afaik.

I think because a drone can be heavier than a goose, I imagine a goose will try to avoid hitting a plane, a drone has heavier/denser/sharper metal parts (e.g battery) so will cause more damage in a deliberate collision.

PestoSurfissimos · 20/12/2018 11:47

And it could be packed with explosives

Ta1kinpeace · 20/12/2018 11:47

The Drone will have only been in the air for a matter of minutes - the batteries only run for about 25 minutes
even the bigger commercial drones only run for an hour before a battery swap
the issue is that where one drone goes, another may follow

JosiahJames · 20/12/2018 11:50

In the U.S there is now anti drone technology. They don't usually have this issue as they use strong radio waves to over power them

With drones becoming more and more popular over the last few years this was bound to happen at some point surely? We should have been better prepared...