Author: markdickinson

Some of the drone sightings near Gatwick during the airport shutdown may have belonged to police, it has emerged.
Sussex Chief Constable Giles York made the admission as he said he felt “really sorry” over an innocent couple being held for 36 hours in connection with the disruption.
He insisted he was “absolutely certain” a rogue drone caused the three-day pre-Christmas chaos, but added confusion could have been caused as “we launched our own drones to investigate”.
Mr York told Radio 4 that grounds for holding Paul Gait and Elaine Kirk, of Crawley, West Sussex, had been “well-founded” even though they said they felt violated by their arrest.
But his apology was only given to Mr Gait: “I am really sorry for what he went through.”
Police have not yet found the drone used to disrupt around 1,000 flights.

Police have admitted their drones could have added to confusion

Two drones found near the airport have been ruled out of involvement.
Britain will be expected to up its game ov..

A police chief has said that some of the Gatwick Airport drone sightings could have been police drones – that had been sent up after the original sighting.
Police have revealed that they received 115 reports of sightings in the area, including 92 which have been confirmed as coming from “credible people”, he said.
But Giles York, the chief constable of Sussex, admitted that that there may have been some “confusion” caused by the fact that Sussex Police launched its own drones in the hunt for the craft which was causing fears for safety of planes.
He told Radio 4's Today programme: “Of course, we will have launched our own Sussex Police drones at the time with a view to investigate, with a view to engage, with a view to survey the area looking for the drone, so there could be some level of confusion there.”
Mr York said he feels 'really sorry' for a couple who felt 'violated' after being held for 36 hours before being cleared of involvement of the disruption..

When drones buzzing over the runway forced London’s busy Gatwick Airport to shut down, many travelers wondered why it’s so hard for authorities to stop such intruders.

Shoot them down, some said. Jam their signals, others suggested.

Experts say it’s not that easy.

Britain and the U.S. prohibit drones from being flown too high or too close to airports and other aircraft. In Britain, it is a crime punishable by up to five years in prison.

Still, there is little to stop a drone operator bent on disrupting air traffic, which British officials say was the case with the Gatwick incident that began Wednesday evening.

The number of close calls between drones and aircraft has increased dramatically in recent years as the popularity of drones has soared. Basic models for amateurs sell for under $100; larger, more sophisticated ones can cost hundreds more.

Britain had 120 reports of close encounters in 2018, up from 93 last year. In 2014, there were six, according to the U.K. Airprox Board,..

Britain will be expected to up its game over airport security following the drone chaos at Gatwick Airport, according to the Metropolitan Police Commissioner.
Cressida Dick said that disrupting flights using a drone was a serious crime and said that anybody charged would be likely to face a prison sentence.
The commissioner says she expects the military and private companies will be involved as the Government seeks to prevent the “criminal use” of drones near UK airports, including speeding up efforts to get a drone under control.
Tens of thousands of people had their pre-Christmas travel plans ruined after around 1,000 Gatwick flights were cancelled or diverted across three days last week following reports of drones being spotted inside the airport perimeter.
Ms Dick insisted that dealing with drones is a “challenging thing” and that countries around the world are struggling to keep up with the changing technology.
She told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: “The drone technolo..

Gatwick Airport drone police STILL have no leads, it has emerged, some EIGHT days after the transport hub was shut.
Police were today branded “Keystone cops” by a furious senior MP, who questioned why there were no developments.
The London airport resumed flights on December 21 after days of chaos following repeated drone sightings.
Last week , some of the diverted flights were forced to land at Birmingham Airport.
On December 20, the military was brought in by police and airport bosses in an attempt to stop the drones from entering airport airspace.

Busy scenes in Gatwick earlier this week

Almost 120,000 passengers were affected by the flight chaos.
The runway was closed for over 33 hours forcing all departing flights to be grounded and incoming planes to be diverted to other airports.
The runway was closed at 9pm on Wednesday night after two of the devices were seen near the airfield – it was reopened at 3am on Thursday morning but was shut again 45 minutes later after a fu..

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