Drone over English Channel?

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CharlieOneSix
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Drone over English Channel?

#1 Post by CharlieOneSix » Thu Mar 26, 2020 9:06 am

This has intrigued me - there is a drone, G-TEKV, a TEKEVER AR5 EVOLUTION MK 2, on Flightradar24 flying at 850ft, 32kts, over the English Channel this morning. Registered to a private owner, it took off earlier from Lydd. Presumably it is keeping an eye on the shipping separation lanes to detect any miscreants? Anyone know?

I was looking at the lack of activity at LHR when I noticed this.
drone.JPG
Edit: It's for marine surveillance and was at Farnborough 2018...
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ian16th
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Re: Drone over English Channel?

#2 Post by ian16th » Thu Mar 26, 2020 2:06 pm

Cynicism improves with age

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Woody
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Re: Drone over English Channel?

#3 Post by Woody » Thu Mar 26, 2020 2:38 pm

Anyone know anything about the Ravenair flights from Liverpool, one been over London and at another over Manchester, there have been others :-s
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Re: Drone over English Channel?

#4 Post by CremeEgg » Fri Mar 27, 2020 8:49 pm

Impressive looking bit of kit. Took off around 0300hrs landed around 6 hours later. Most activity Lydd has seen for a while!

Ravenair flights are regulars in the air - all manner of surveys for all manner of clients - their website gives some clues. The P68's usually operating over here at around 1600 feet - a right pain coming and going back and forth moving parallel at about half mile gaps. We also get the Cessna 440 Titans that seems to survey at around 10,000 feet so above the busiest bits of the London TMA. Especially annoying at O' dark 30 when trying to get back to sleep after the inevitable wee break. Droning back and forth louder then quieter. A very distinctive drone but nowhere near as distinctive as the odd Antonov An12 or An22.

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