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?

[EDDIE51]

All very well saying that 'they need regulating' and 'restrict access to them' but how do you police it? Impossible in my opinion.
You can buy them for under £50 anywhere with no checks at all. Any one can fly one and though there are existing regulations about how and where you can use them, there is no way to check who owns one or who is flying it. The smaller ones are invisible to radar and invisible to sight at night if you turn the lights off.
Banning them will just make them more desirable and you could import one from outside the UK if we banned them here.

[jno]

you can get little ones for a tenner. I haven't seen anywhere how big this one was.

[Hypognosis]

Drones ar altitude…

10 Feb 2015
http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local/Drone-Almost-Hits-Commercial-Jet-at-4000-Feet-at-LAX-291386471.html

29 Jan 2016
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jan/29/drones-near-misses-major-uk-airports-heathrow-stansted

[Hypognosis]

*Drones at altitude

for photon's sake!

[douglas9401]

Rumours abound, jno.

http://www.portlandpudgydinghy.com/new_site/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Sailing-dinghy-WillPclose.jpg

Youth not included.

[Mamyalynne]

What altitude can that one reach Douglas?

[douglas9401]

Hard to fathom, ma'am.

[Mamyalynne]

You never can tell though.

[naomi24]

tamborine. I checked here:

http://www.distancecalculator.net/

[bibblebub]

Turns out that it was probably a plastic bag not a drone.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/british-airways-plane-strike-incident-drone_uk_57223710e4b0a1e971cb3731?ir=UK%252BTech

[douglas9401]

Highly unlikely after somebody's paid 5p for it. :-P

[DTCwordfan]

Oh, I thought it was slappy on his way back to Aberdeen.......

[jno]

the plastic bags aare revolting against the imposition of a 5p charge, then.

Plastic bags want to be free!

[DTCwordfan]

I'm surprised the Brexieters aren't backing them - destroying the economy of the Vietnamese, Indonesians, Nigerians and a few other largely Muslim-backed economies.....that probably includes the Haitians now.....