Drone Hits Ba Plane

[naomi24]

A police investigation is under way after a passenger plane approaching Heathrow Airport was hit by what is believed to have been a drone.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-36069002

So, as the BBC ask, are drones dangerous or harmless fun?

[Baldric]

Guess they'll need to check the Dash-Cam footage to be sure of what it was.

[Hypognosis]

Dangerous.

To me, it is 50/50 whether this was some idiot looking for a novel viewing angle in their aviation photography or if this was a serious (but unrealistic) attempt to down an aircraft. Selection of BA may have been significant.

Then again, given the ethnicity of many residents under the (noise-affected parts of the) flight path, downing a plane on approach would be a bit of an own goal, would it not?

[naomi24]

Hypognosis, //given the ethnicity of many residents under the (noise-affected parts of the) flight path, downing a plane on approach would be a bit of an own goal, would it not? //

I've not seen any suggestion that this incident was terrorist related - but if it was the perpetrators wouldn't have cared who they killed. They never are.

[naomi24]

*They never are.* Oops - that was rubbish! They never do. That's better!

[Hypognosis]

The central contradiction, for me, is that this has to be a person who is smart enough to hold down a job, accumulate enough disposable funds to buy the gadget and learn to fly it with some proficiency yet dumb enough to lack the foresight to see how damaging it could be to something with 100+ persons on board.

Or, they could be sufficiently psychopathic to simply not care.

[TWR]

It seems to be on the cards to " What Could or When it will Happen Naomie"

[naomi24]

Hypognosis, // Or, they could be sufficiently psychopathic to simply not care. //

Whoever they are, they can't be all the ticket to be flying it around Heathrow airport, that's for sure!

[Hypognosis]

I would like drones to be harmless fun but putting affordable playthings into a highly ordered environment, where obeying rules is what keeps people alive, is a recipe for disaster.

The airspace around airports has access restrictions with which private light aircraft must comply with and civilian pilots aren't exactly prone to t:tting about. Now, is it the big registration number (traceability) which keeps their behaviour under control or their common sense?

[naomi24]

That does seem to be a sensible course of action.

[Ken4155]

Whether accidental or intentional, it was always going to be just a matter of time before this sort of thing happened. Like a lot of things, when in the right hands, drones can be harmless fun and also a way to take otherwise inaccessible photographs. In the wrong hands they can cause all sorts of mischief.

[vulcan42]

We will have to follow the American and Dutch police on this increasing problem. Drones have to be registered in America and the Dutch are training eagles to down rogue drones.

[RATTER15]

I certainly wouldn't put it past Muslim terrorists to put an explosive device in one and fly it a passenger plane!

[RATTER15]

vulcan42, I can see that working on small toy type drones but the bigger ones would just slice right through the eagle. maybe they need military attack drones to take them out.

[CrapAtCryptics]

Its a shame the people who buy these things dont read the rules governing their use as they are quite stringent. Only an idiot would fly one anywhere near an airport of flightpath.

[ummmm]

I thought you had to have a license to fly one over a certain size. We have one at work but the boss has to go on a training course before he can use it.

[vulcan42]

Ratter, there are others experimenting with drones capable of firing nets to bring down drones, no doubt there will soon be laser firing drones and even aerial dog ( should that be drog?) fighting. :o). To answer the question these should be harmless fun but as in any pastime, there are always idiots.

[douglas9401]

Drones are just the latest in a long line of accessible technology which finds itself in the hands of certifiable cretins.
Only as dangerous as the mouth breather operating it.

[RATTER15]

I dont think you need any licence or training for this, however I dont think you would do a lot of damage with one either, mainly due to the short range, but who knows?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWrApA8oRbI

[ToraToraTora]

I can see airports developing some sort of anti drone weaponry.

[BRIGHT SPARK]

If the plane hit a Heron on final approach would it be on the news..and is it so different.