http://www.standard.co.uk/news/l ... c-bag-a3230791.html


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/ ... ight-may-have-been/
>>>
   The drone that reportedly hit a British Airways jet earlier this week may have actually been a plastic bag, a minister has said.
Transport minister Robert Goodwill admitted authorities had not yet  confirmed whether what struck the Airbus A320 was a remote-controlled  device.
The collision on Sunday night is believed to have been at around  1,700 ft near Richmond Park in south west London, over four times higher  than the legal height limit.
The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating, alongside the Metropolitan Police.
But following his comments today, Mr Goodwill also dismissed calls for tighter rules on drone use to protect against terror threats insisting current rules governing drone use were strong enough.
He said it would be much easier for terrorists to attack airports on  the ground with rucksacks or car bombs than orchestrate the attack from a  drone aircraft.  
Mr Goodwill was also sceptical about calls to force all manufacturers  to install GPS coordinates that would prevent drones flying in  restricted areas - known as "geo-fencing".
He warned that any moves to enforce geo-fencing rules would be  vulnerable to being hacked  by "somebody who could get round that  software".



   >>>

Is it me, or has a politician actually spoken sopme sense???  

Ian

Now there's a sentence i never thought i'd read !!    ...."a politician actually spoken some sense"......

Wait until someone to claim that the bag was actually a drone that looks like a bag, therefore a total clamp down on RC flying is needed. {:2_33:}

Maxi3D Posted at 2016-4-22 02:44
Wait until someone to claim that the bag was actually a drone that looks like a bag, therefore a tot ...

Or maybe plastic bags will be outlawed as a hazard, oh wait I read some cities already have done this.

"Is it me, or has a politician actually spoken some sense???  "

Elections coming up he's after the 'Drone' vote

Aardvark Posted at 2016-4-21 21:40
"Is it me, or has a politician actually spoken some sense???  "

Elections coming up he's after the ...

Hmmm... I don't see that...  There's a bigger anti-drone vote...  So I'm pretty pleased he's said what he's said...

"...current rules governing drone use were strong enough."

Good to hear that.

Was the plastic bag carrying a registration number?

Geebax Posted at 2016-4-22 01:18
Was the plastic bag carrying a registration number?

Yes I believe it was - A1D1or was it A5D4   

nigelw Posted at 2016-4-22 05:00
"...current rules governing drone use were strong enough."

Good to hear that.

Please, you were ready to beg the government for more restrictions the moment the article first came out.

I am of the opinion (fwiw, probably not much)...that if thorough investigations had been conducted in each case, 99% of the pilot reports would turn out to have been anything but "drones".

Cessna172 Posted at 2016-4-22 00:28
Please, you were ready to beg the government for more restrictions the moment the article first cam ...

None of us want more restrictions.  Some mentioned registration, but that's not restriction.
Given the choice between compulsory registration and some of the laws being discussed to only allow very low flying and very short distances, I know what I'd rather have. How many parks and open spaces in the US already have total bans on drones?  We don't want to get to that stage.  

But you're right, I bet there hasn't been a single, genuine near-miss with an actual drone.  Which is why I loved this minister's put down.....  That might slow down some of the other stupid scare stories pilots are putting about....

Cessna172 Posted at 2016-4-22 00:28
Please, you were ready to beg the government for more restrictions the moment the article first cam ...

I would like to see registrations, not restrictions.  There's a difference.  The reason I'd like registrations is actually to avoid more restrictions by encouraging people act more responsibly.

Cessna172 Posted at 2016-4-22 09:28
Please, you were ready to beg the government for more restrictions the moment the article first cam ...

You seem very sceptical of the observations made by certified pilots in the FAA database of drone/airplane incidents.
The FAA now receives more than 100 such reports each month. The agency wants to send out a clear message that operating drones around airplanes, helicopters and airports is dangerous and illegal.

I can't see a problem with these reports , just a few I picked out from the latest FAA report of 583 such records received between August and January.
These pilots are seeing something up there  ... and I want to know where I can buy whatever it is that they are seeing.

It was actually a DJI Phantom 5 prototype, light as a trashbag with an 8K camera :p

P3A_Pilot Posted at 2016-4-22 01:25
It was actually a DJI Phantom 5 prototype, light as a trashbag with an 8K camera :p

and that was in low res mode!

They were pretty quick to blame the Drone Community. We always take the hit.

Restricted legislation for bags is needed.....Now.

I sure hope this makes big headlines as the original story! All this bad panic induced news just has to stop.

I think they should be calling these sightings 'UFOs' instead of 'UASes'.  And its time for more restrictions on plastic bags, don't you think?

hummingbird.uav Posted at 2016-4-21 14:16
Or maybe plastic bags will be outlawed as a hazard, oh wait I read some cities already have done t ...

Yup. That's happened here in Austin.

It looks like the drone theory has been SACKED and it's time to POKE fun at the British Airways report as a BAG of hot air.  That report never CARRIED any weight with me, because I don't know how a pilot would ever see a drone going that fast.

bobasbury Posted at 2016-4-23 04:21
It looks like the drone theory has been SACKED and it's time to POKE fun at the British Airways rep ...

If the plane was at around 1700 feet as now seems to be the case, the plane would have only been traveling at about 170 kts.
At that speed the pilot could have easily seen a bird, bag, balloon or drone as it flashed past if he was flying toward it.

"That wasn't a bag, that was my wife, she was piloting the Dyson at the time"
Boom boom.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-4-23 05:26
If the plane was at around 1700 feet as now seems to be the case, the plane would have only been t ...

I guess I know too many pilots

Google "Plane lands at wrong airport"...one example...
http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/13/tr ... -airport/index.html

Pilots are people.   In the industry today, the job is more of bus driver than pilot of yester year.
Fatigue and a fast lifestyle lead to human errors....including UFO and DRONE sightings that didn't really occur.

wellsi Posted at 2016-4-22 14:35
None of us want more restrictions.  Some mentioned registration, but that's not restriction.
Give ...

You're wrong....some DO want more restrictions and registrations and regulations.

But don't ask me why.  I think if you ask them they'll say something to the effect of perceived safety.

nigelw Posted at 2016-4-22 14:44
I would like to see registrations, not restrictions.  There's a difference.  The reason I'd like r ...

Registrations are meaningless without restrictions.

Otherwise they'd be "for the fun of it".

The FAA has hundreds of pages of the "restrictions" associated with the drone registration.

labroides@yahoo Posted at 2016-4-22 15:55
You seem very sceptical of the observations made by certified pilots in the FAA database of drone/a ...

How many pilots do you know personally?  I know too many  ;-)
It used to be UFO's.    and little demons on the wings.......drones sure have come in handy up there.

Cessna172 Posted at 2016-4-23 08:57
How many pilots do you know personally?  I know too many  ;-)
It used to be UFO's.    and little d ...

Did you read the records I selected?
They clearly illustrate how bogus the FAA incident database is.
That the FAA uses their database records to justify anything is a joke and casts considerable doubt on the danger they warn of.
They need to have someone with an IQ above room temperature cull the records in their database before publishing it.

Cessna172 Posted at 2016-4-22 23:55
Registrations are meaningless without restrictions.

Otherwise they'd be "for the fun of it".

It depends how it's done.  It could simply be a signed document to say you have read & understand the current rules & accept full responsibility for your actions.

In reality, it wouldn't really be worth the paper it's written on because the rules are there whether you know about them or not.  But, it would encourage people to actually realise that rules exist.  I suspect many people don't, since you can just pick up a fairly cheap quad at the local supermarket these days.