Drones - a hazard to aviation?

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Mrs Ex-Ascot
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Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#1 Post by Mrs Ex-Ascot » Sun Apr 03, 2016 2:11 pm

There seems to be more and more reports of incidents involving Drones presenting a potential hazard to aircraft in controlled airspace.

With the increasing number of mostly "open " category Drones being produced and sold to the general public (as opposed to military and professional Drones ) is it about time that the authorities actually came up with some enforceable legislation? So far guidelines have been produced and various suggestions which are impractical or expensive have been made. Are the authorities being too slow to put measures into place before a nasty accident happens?

One suggestion that has been proposed is Geo-fencing :the technology is available and the application of this technology to all newly manufactured Drones would significantly reduce the risk of creating a serious incident. Geo fencing would stop Drones from going where they should not be; they would be limited as to how high they can operate. All it requires is for manufacturers to either be compelled or made to utilise this technology.

I would be interested to hear peoples thoughts on the subject.
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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#2 Post by A Lutra Continua » Sun Apr 03, 2016 3:54 pm

Local clay pigeon club should be able to help out.

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#3 Post by Capetonian » Sun Apr 03, 2016 4:02 pm

My guess is that whatever technology is put in place to inhibit or limit the movement of these devices, someone will very quickly find a way to override or manipulate it.

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#4 Post by Mrs Ex-Ascot » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:21 am

Just been reading news reports concerning a drone hitting a British Airways flight as it was approaching LHR on Sunday. Fortunately there was no serious damage and the aeroplane was able to remain in service. The Metropolitan Police are investigating the incident but it's doubtful that they will identify the owner of the drone.

In one article a pilot being interviewed pointed out that if you were unlucky enough to strike a drone in the engine intake or the windscreen; the consequences could be very nasty indeed. It seems that the current laws and regulations are not good enough to prevent people from endangering flight safety. Also, is it unrealistic to expect the Police to be the regulators and enforcers?
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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#5 Post by Capetonian » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:31 am

A licence and a test are needed to drive a car and to own and use a gun. Both are dangerous when misused.

If the same were to apply to these drones, with sales being limited to those who can prove their entitlement, we'd be a step forward. There are regulations which determine where and when these may be used, the problem is one of enforcement.

I don't know much about technology, but would it be viable to fit these drones with some sort of transponder so that the movements of each one are tracked, identified, and accountable? Even gliders seem to have some kind of device that reports to ground, why can't this be applied to drones? If it puts the cost up and inhibits people from owning these dangerous things, there's another bonus.

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#6 Post by rgbrock1 » Mon Apr 18, 2016 11:37 am

Mrs Ex-Ascot wrote:There seems to be more and more reports of incidents involving Drones presenting a potential hazard to aircraft in controlled airspace.

With the increasing number of mostly "open " category Drones being produced and sold to the general public (as opposed to military and professional Drones ) is it about time that the authorities actually came up with some enforceable legislation? So far guidelines have been produced and various suggestions which are impractical or expensive have been made. Are the authorities being too slow to put measures into place before a nasty accident happens?

One suggestion that has been proposed is Geo-fencing :the technology is available and the application of this technology to all newly manufactured Drones would significantly reduce the risk of creating a serious incident. Geo fencing would stop Drones from going where they should not be; they would be limited as to how high they can operate. All it requires is for manufacturers to either be compelled or made to utilise this technology.

I would be interested to hear peoples thoughts on the subject.


Enforceable legislation? Nah. Here's how to deal with the drones and their operators. The government institutes a program whereby anyone who destroys an in-flight drone, regardless of where that drone is, is awarded the equivalent of $500 US. Per drone.
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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#7 Post by Alisoncc » Mon Apr 18, 2016 10:26 pm

Do you still get the $500 reward if it's full of buckshot? Could be more fun than shooting clay pigeons.

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#8 Post by rgbrock1 » Tue Apr 19, 2016 11:45 am

Alisoncc wrote:Do you still get the $500 reward if it's full of buckshot? Could be more fun than shooting clay pigeons.

Alison



Taking a drone out with buckshot doubles the reward. (And triples the reward if the drone pilot is taken out as well.) :D
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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#9 Post by 500N » Tue Apr 19, 2016 9:05 pm

RGB

I reckon we could have some fun with Airburst Shogun Shells.

Reckon shooting at drones with a shotgun or rifle* would be good fun / sport.

(*Rifle for longer ranges)

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#10 Post by Ex-Ascot » Sun May 01, 2016 6:32 am

I see HMQ has banned them from Sandringham. So that's one thing of HRH Prince George's Christmas list.
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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#11 Post by 500N » Sun May 01, 2016 6:55 am

Ex-Ascot wrote:I see HMQ has banned them from Sandringham. So that's one thing of HRH Prince George's Christmas list.


Likely to get shot down anywhere near Sandringham.

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#12 Post by Mrs Ex-Ascot » Mon Oct 17, 2016 9:22 am

This could be interesting research. :-?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ports.html
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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#13 Post by Mrs Ex-Ascot » Wed Nov 02, 2016 4:07 pm

Trust the Cloggies to come up with the idea of training birds of prey to take out rogue Drones! :)

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... aband.html

I know Bill Odie poo poos the idea, but you never know :-?
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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#14 Post by Capetonian » Thu Nov 03, 2016 6:41 am

November 2, 2016

DUBAI, U.A.E.: Flight diversions and network disruptions due to unauthorised drone activity in the airspace around Dubai International airport (DXB) cost Emirates airline millions of dirhams on each occasion, and impact thousands of passengers.

Adel Al Redha, Emirates’ Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer said: “Flight diversions and extensive holding are costly. Financial aspects aside, there is huge inconvenience to passengers, and also a negative impact on Emirates’ reputation. Sending an aircraft to an alternative airport and managing delays to arrivals or departures are not as straightforward as it sounds. There is always a ripple effect on the rest of our hub operations in terms of securing our passengers’ flight connections, ensuring our disrupted customers are cared for, planning the return of aircraft to support other scheduled flights, and a myriad other arrangements to manage the disruption from crew to catering to ground handling.”

There have been three separate incidents since June this year involving the closure of airspace at DXB due to authorised drone activity. Earlier this week (29 October), Dubai International airport was closed for 80 minutes, resulting in the diversion of 22 inbound flights, including 11 operated by Emirates airline.

The affected Emirates flights diverted to other airports in the UAE, and these aircraft later returned to DXB with delays ranging from 2 to 4 hours. The knock-on effect of the airspace closure impacted two later Emirates flights which also had to be diverted while the world’s busiest international airport worked to restore normal schedules. In addition, other inbound flights were on hold due to airspace congestion and outbound flights were delayed to accommodate connecting passengers after the airspace re-opened. More than 5,000 Emirates passengers were inconvenienced on this occasion alone.

In September, DXB was shut down for half an hour because of unauthorised drone activity, resulting in delays to 85 Emirates flight departures, chalking up a cumulative delay of over 57 hours (or an average delay of 40 minutes per flight), affecting thousands of passengers travelling during the morning peak period. In June, the airport was closed to aircraft for more than an hour also because of a drone incursion, resulting in numerous flight delays and diversions, including 13 flight diversions for Emirates alone.

Mr Al Redha added: “Safety is always the number one priority in our business. Ensuring safe flight operations by closing the airspace when there is unauthorised drone activity, or other airspace incursions, is the right thing to do. However, the safety risk from unauthorized drone activity, and the resulting disruption to customers and operations is unacceptable. We request the authorities to take strong measures and impose penalties to discourage future occurrences, and also consider implementing drone detectors at the airport.”

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#15 Post by Alisoncc » Thu Nov 17, 2016 3:58 am

eagle.jpg


Wedge-tailed eagles do battle with mining giant's drones, knocking nine out of sky

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) have become unlikely prey for wedge-tailed eagles in Western Australia's Goldfields, costing a mining giant more than $100,000 to replace its newest surveying tool.

Ten UAVs have been lost since South Africa's Gold Fields, the world's seventh-biggest gold producer, began operating the Trimble UX5 systems at its St Ives operations near Kambalda.

One crashed as a result of human error, while nine have been taken down by wedge-tailed eagles, which are known to have wingspans more than twice that of the 1-metre-wide UAVs.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-11-17/wedge-tailed-eagles-bring-down-drones-in-goldfields/8033056

Lets hear it for the eagles. :-bd

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#16 Post by 500N » Thu Nov 17, 2016 4:23 am

""I think that's the first recorded eagle selfie in history.""

No, Eagles have taken cameras before and got selfies. So have seagulls.


"The original UX5 design was black, but St Ives has tried a rainbow-coloured pattern and even an eagle with wings,
although Mr Steven said it "looked like an eagle but couldn't fight back like an eagle". "

Well, no wonder he has lost 9 out of 10.

Idiot

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#17 Post by Capetonian » Thu Nov 17, 2016 6:36 am

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -FEET.html
Major air catastrophe over central London avoided by 'pure luck' after drone missed plane with up to 165 passengers on board by just 60 FEET

Airbus A320 nearly collided with a drone just 650ft away from the Shard
Plane, which had up to 165 passengers on board, was landing in Heathrow
Pilot spotted the drone out of a cockpit window on afternoon of July 18
Report said chance played a 'major part' in avoidance of an air disaster

It is the DM but the article is fact based.

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#18 Post by probes » Thu Nov 17, 2016 9:02 am

Mrs Ex-Ascot wrote:This could be interesting research. :-?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... ports.html


"Drones will be deliberately smashed into passenger jets as part of a radical testing programme triggered by fears of a catastrophe in British skies."

What about the pilots of the passenger jets?

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#19 Post by probes » Mon Nov 21, 2016 1:45 pm

But drones are used in agriculture too - that's the 'good' about them, I think. Very interesting.

Six Ways Drones Are Revolutionizing Agriculture

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Re: Drones - a hazard to aviation?

#20 Post by unifoxos » Mon Nov 21, 2016 5:54 pm

Good old Mail:-

drones, which contain heavy lithium batteries,

Er, Lithium batteries are used because they are light.
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