That is just so weird. Why would they do that over the airport. I also cant believe it shut an airport for a day that will cause a huge amount of damage. Habe they caught anyone ?

Plus it's been announced that holidaymakers won't get compensation . 😕

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6517285/amp/Holidaymakers-stranded-Gatwick-WONT-compensation.html

I reckon it could be an eco protest -either in general against flying or against the decision to build a 2nd runway.
HOWEVER, if it is, then I fear for flights in general as I can imagine every eco warrior and his dog taking their drone to the local airport. I've noticed that there has been a huge sales push on drones this Xmas!
Forget a slap on the wrist -I wouldn't mind if the troops "accidentally" shot the miscreants if/when they catch them!!

Whilst it might have started as an eco- protest there areplenty of idiots out there who will think it good fun. For years pilots have
been faced with the laser pens being directed at them. Some media is reporting
it as a lone wolf operation but I suspect there is more to the story than we
are being told.

So assuming they apprehend the guilty party what exactly are they going to do
with him/her? There will need to be some very creative thinking as I doubt
there are any laws that really address the problem, and of course assuming
someone is brought before the courts we shall no doubt hear how
the miscreant had a difficult childhood, has a disabled mother for whom he is
the sole carer and is totally misunderstood. He was only doing it to help fight
global warming. He shall then be given a suspended sentence, 240 hours of community
service and not to forget the £85 victim surcharge. Wonder if he will be
eligible for a new identity under the witness protection programme?

For anyone caught up in it I do sympathise and hope the restof your Christmas gets better.

Once they catch the person responsible there will be no need to be creative - as of July 2018 they can now be jailed for up to 5 years and given an unlimited fine for flying a drone so close to and at the altitude they did in the vicinity of an airport. There were already proposals to tighten the regulations and increase the penalties for breaking them from 2019.

SM

The problem lies is in the words they can now be jailed - does not mean they will be.

Well obviously, it will depend on them being found guilty! One can only ever say that any alleged suspect 'could' be jailed until actually charged, tried, found guilty and sentenced.

SM

This is not some kid who is trying out an early Christmas present from Amazon. It's malicious, deliberate and sofisticated equipment bypassing the jamming technology built in these things, which would cause them to stall or drop out of the skies if they tried to go into a restricted area, such a 1km radius of an airport.
However, go on YouTube and there's videos showing you how to bypass the jamming software and there's even videos showing you how to make your own.!

Airports are cash cows, privately run with outsourced services, instead of being regarded as vital infrastructure that needs constant investment, including updating the geofencing.

Go onto the professional pilots forum (Pprune) and there's a thread discussing their (pilots) concerns about drones getting into the wrong hands from 2014.

Don't know about five years, (assuming that they get caught with evidence) I'd bang them in the slammer for 25 years with no parole, otherwise some nutcase will try and copycat this at other airports. Class it as an act of terrorism because according to the definition of terrorism, it fits the bill in section 2... . endangering the lives of people on an aircraft.

Quote:
Section 1. –(1) In this Act "terrorism" means the use or threat of action where-(a) the action falls within subsection (2),(b) the use or threat is designed to influence the government [or an international governmental organisation][2]or to intimidate the public or a section of the public, and(c) the use or threat is made for the purpose of advancing a political, religious[, racial][3] or ideological cause.

(2) Action falls within this subsection if it-(a) involves serious violence against a person,(b) involves serious damage to property,(c) endangers a person's life, other than that of the person committing the action,(d) creates a serious risk to the health or safety of the public or a section of the public, or(e) is designed seriously to interfere with or seriously to disrupt an electronic system.

(3) The use or threat of action falling within subsection (2) which involves the use of firearms or explosives is terrorism whether or not subsection (1)(b) is satisfied.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_Act_2000

Sanji x

A lot of fuss has been made over this incident and I feel sorrry for all those affected however no mention has been made of the posibility of drones being used as weapons. It will have been noted how long and how difficult it was to prevent this incident. The only answer is to ban them.