This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
I doubt any of the usual green suspects have the money for this. Vladimir Vladimirovich on the other hand...
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
I doubt any of the usual green suspects have the money for this. Vladimir Vladimirovich on the other hand...
What about those mentalists who were blocking London bridges? Could have found a wealthy sponsor or attracted donations after their last stunt.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
If it were climate campaigners, I would have expected some publicity as to the reason, even if anonymously.
Quite possibly just a lone looney motivated by spite, but who really knows.
Just want to point out that a conventional spectrum assessment has been going on for some time today to attempt to ID any frequency being used for command.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
If it were climate campaigners, I would have expected some publicity as to the reason, even if anonymously.
Quite possibly just a lone looney motivated by spite, but who really knows.
And now any other lone loonies motivated by spite have been given a new idea.
Just want to point out that a conventional spectrum assessment has been going on for some time today to attempt to ID any frequency being used for command.
Another thing that makes me think throwaways - you can preset a path for them to follow via GPS.
Weren't they described as rather large drones? Not cheap...
The reporting may be inaccurate/completely made up :-)
You can get fairly sizeable drones for
I think the view is that these (or this) is a large commercial drone, the sort used for professional aerial cinema/TV filming.
That view is from my neighbour whom I saw this evening... He's an ex Navy jet pilot, now a commercial drone licence examiner. He's been on several media outlets today providing commentary. I don't know if he has got inside information on the investigation, probably not, but I do trust his judgement.
Interestingly he thought there are no easy obvious ways to deal with this type of threat, we are just going to have to learn how to prevent it in future. He thought it is likely to be a organised group behind it, not a one-off loner.
And apparently the Drone was triggered by Jeremy Corbyns stupid woman comment.
It's possible. There are worse ways to go about dealing with Stupidwomangate than to create an enormous distraction that simultaneously makes said woman's Government look even more useless and powerless than it did before (a not inconsiderable achievement.)
Just want to point out that a conventional spectrum assessment has been going on for some time today to attempt to ID any frequency being used for command.
That's exactly the sort of thing a friend of ours does.
An anecdote: a few years back he got a lucrative contract from one of London's top hotels. Some of their guests were complaining they were getting poor mobile reception, despite the hotel's expensive (and I presume licenced) mobile repeaters in the building. He went around the hotel with his kit on a trolley behind him, using some custom hardware to sniff the signals, make faux calls, and see if there was any interference (they were even concerned that a rival hotel might be playing silly buggers with them).
The only problem was that he had to do this at varying times of the day, and the aerials he was waving in front of him looked distinctly odd. The hotel's front desk got concerned phone calls from guests, including one who wondered if the Ghostbusters were on the loose ...
And apparently the Drone was triggered by Jeremy Corbyns stupid woman comment.
It's possible. There are worse ways to go about dealing with Stupidwomangate than to create an enormous distraction that simultaneously makes said woman's Government look even more useless and powerless than it did before (a not inconsiderable achievement.)
Though that would require a level of organisation not normally ever associated with the current Labour leadership.
Weren't they described as rather large drones? Not cheap...
The reporting may be inaccurate/completely made up :-)
You can get fairly sizeable drones for
I think the view is that these (or this) is a large commercial drone, the sort used for professional aerial cinema/TV filming.
That view is from my neighbour whom I saw this evening... He's an ex Navy jet pilot, now a commercial drone licence examiner. He's been on several media outlets today providing commentary. I don't know if he has got inside information on the investigation, probably not, but I do trust his judgement.
Interestingly he thought there are no easy obvious ways to deal with this type of threat, we are just going to have to learn how to prevent it in future. He thought it is likely to be a organised group behind it, not a one-off loner.
This parallels with what I mentioned being told downthread. There are limited technical countermeasures available resolve the issue.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
Teenagers? The sort who like making fake bomb phone warnings, hack into Amazon, etc.? They'd get their kicks from causing non-lethal chaos and would see no reason to explain to anyone. Unlike ISIS etc. they'd not be trying to kill anyone (hence the absence of explosives etc. in the drones). Unlike anti-airport protesters they wouldn't have a cause to trumpet. They'd just see it as having fun. If Josias, who is pretty level-headed, admits to rather enjoying it, I can definitely see a certain kind of anarchic perps thinking this is all very cool.
Weren't they described as rather large drones? Not cheap...
The reporting may be inaccurate/completely made up :-)
You can get fairly sizeable drones for
I think the view is that these (or this) is a large commercial drone, the sort used for professional aerial cinema/TV filming.
That view is from my neighbour whom I saw this evening... He's an ex Navy jet pilot, now a commercial drone licence examiner. He's been on several media outlets today providing commentary. I don't know if he has got inside information on the investigation, probably not, but I do trust his judgement.
Interestingly he thought there are no easy obvious ways to deal with this type of threat, we are just going to have to learn how to prevent it in future. He thought it is likely to be a organised group behind it, not a one-off loner.
There's a small chance they're something home made (I use plural as I cannot see there being only one), if using commercial components.
When this first happened this morning, I did wonder if it was someone's homebrew project that had gone out of control. The length of time this has been going on makes that really unlikely IMO - this is deliberate.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
Teenagers? The sort who like making fake bomb phone warnings, hack into Amazon, etc.? They'd get their kicks from causing non-lethal chaos and would see no reason to explain to anyone. Unlike ISIS etc. they'd not be trying to kill anyone (hence the absence of explosives etc. in the drones). Unlike anti-airport protesters they wouldn't have a cause to trumpet. They'd just see it as having fun. If Josias, who is pretty level-headed, admits to rather enjoying it, I can definitely see a certain kind of anarchic perps thinking this is all very cool.
My money is on a geezer in the flightpath who has had enough of the noise overhead. If you look at the Twitters there are plenty of people on the edge due to it.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
Teenagers? The sort who like making fake bomb phone warnings, hack into Amazon, etc.? They'd get their kicks from causing non-lethal chaos and would see no reason to explain to anyone. Unlike ISIS etc. they'd not be trying to kill anyone (hence the absence of explosives etc. in the drones). Unlike anti-airport protesters they wouldn't have a cause to trumpet. They'd just see it as having fun. If Josias, who is pretty level-headed, admits to rather enjoying it, I can definitely see a certain kind of anarchic perps thinking this is all very cool.
My money is on a geezer in the flightpath who has had enough of the noise overhead. If you look at the Twitters there are plenty of people on the edge due to it.
If there is a case then I'm sure that they'll get some respite at HM's pleasure.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
Teenagers? The sort who like making fake bomb phone warnings, hack into Amazon, etc.? They'd get their kicks from causing non-lethal chaos and would see no reason to explain to anyone. Unlike ISIS etc. they'd not be trying to kill anyone (hence the absence of explosives etc. in the drones). Unlike anti-airport protesters they wouldn't have a cause to trumpet. They'd just see it as having fun. If Josias, who is pretty level-headed, admits to rather enjoying it, I can definitely see a certain kind of anarchic perps thinking this is all very cool.
No-one's dying, people are running around like headless chickens, and the random supposition (i.e. myself) and the oh-my-God-we're-all-going-to-die (i.e. SeanT) brigades are out in force.
What's not to find entertaining on a PB pre-Christmas thread where all we've got to talk about is which lip-reader we trust most?
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
Love the Labour dude on Newsnight. Channelling Stallone and Bruce Willis.
"We don't want to shoot them down we want a regulatory framework"
I mean can't he hear the words he speaks and think, what went wrong with my life?
They drill that out of you when you put yourself forward to work for a political party I think. Self reflection does not sit well with working in politics.
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
Just checked our larder again - plenty of tins of beans in there. Phew!
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
Mattis, despite the Mad Dog name, is a very solid individual who has been eating shit sandwiches in there since he took the job and has stuck it out because of his sense of duty.
I always reckoned that Trump would not make a second term. Its a big coffin for the fat old bastard but every week something just drives a new nail in it.
Love the Labour dude on Newsnight. Channelling Stallone and Bruce Willis.
"We don't want to shoot them down we want a regulatory framework"
I mean can't he hear the words he speaks and think, what went wrong with my life?
They drill that out of you when you put yourself forward to work for a political party I think. Self reflection does not sit well with working in politics.
Actually it's worth a try, they should get him down to Gatwick. Maybe he can bore the thing out of the air. Worth a go. I reckon banging on about Corbyn and regulatory frameworks for 5 mins will do the trick.
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
wtf???
The disruption at Heathrow was pretty minor. Wouldn't have made the news but for Gatwick.
However Gatwick itself is serious enough to arrant proper attention.
Mattis, despite the Mad Dog name, is a very solid individual who has been eating shit sandwiches in there since he took the job and has stuck it out because of his sense of duty.
I always reckoned that Trump would not make a second term. Its a big coffin for the fat old bastard but every week something just drives a new nail in it.
Anything less than a jail term will be a let off for Trump.
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
Public transport is so awful that I no longer catch the train without a very good reason. And something always, ALWAYS goes horribly wrong, even if its not the fault of the train operator. When I went to London last Saturday, the service coming back was severely delayed and then terminated ten miles from home when a tree came down on the line and hit a train to boot.
Disasters on the trains are such a frequent occurrence that the only thing about the whole incident that surprised me was that it wasn't the train I was aboard that got hit by the bloody tree.
All of this is quite a serious problem for us as a non-car owning/driving household: needless to say we'll be spending the entire holiday period at home (except when going to visit my Dad on Christmas Day, and that's only because he has a car and can ferry us back and forth himself.)
Travel is typically a frustrating, miserable experience. No good for one's blood pressure.
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
The signal box at Ashford had to be evacuated, apparently after a fire. It appears things are getting back to normal now.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
Teenagers? The sort who like making fake bomb phone warnings, hack into Amazon, etc.? They'd get their kicks from causing non-lethal chaos and would see no reason to explain to anyone. Unlike ISIS etc. they'd not be trying to kill anyone (hence the absence of explosives etc. in the drones). Unlike anti-airport protesters they wouldn't have a cause to trumpet. They'd just see it as having fun. If Josias, who is pretty level-headed, admits to rather enjoying it, I can definitely see a certain kind of anarchic perps thinking this is all very cool.
No-one's dying, people are running around like headless chickens, and the random supposition (i.e. myself) and the oh-my-God-we're-all-going-to-die (i.e. SeanT) brigades are out in force.
What's not to find entertaining on a PB pre-Christmas thread where all we've got to talk about is which lip-reader we trust most?
Oh, and I really hate flying ...
My wife once went on a fear of flying course
The main speaker later died in an air crash.........
BBC news confirms that they do not know what make or model it is.
Do they know anything?
BBC (Blatantly Backing Conservatives) say Grayling is on it.
And apparently the Drone was triggered by Jeremy Corbyns stupid woman comment.
Apparently Chris Grayling is going skydive from low Earth orbit, land on the drone and wrestle it to the ground.
If that was not already the plan, I vote to make it the plan now. It has no drawbacks.
And his impressively solid bonce would make an excellent ablative shield to cope with the re-entry forces (similar to the solid oak China reportedly used on its first generation ICBM warheads).
BBC news confirms that they do not know what make or model it is.
Do they know anything?
BBC (Blatantly Backing Conservatives) say Grayling is on it.
And apparently the Drone was triggered by Jeremy Corbyns stupid woman comment.
Apparently Chris Grayling is going skydive from low Earth orbit, land on the drone and wrestle it to the ground.
If that was not already the plan, I vote to make it the plan now. It has no drawbacks.
And his impressively solid bonce would make an excellent ablative shield to cope with the re-entry forces (similar to the solid oak China reportedly used on its first generation ICBM warheads).
If it's from China it was probably just oak veneer over MDF.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
Teenagers? The sort who like making fake bomb phone warnings, hack into Amazon, etc.? They'd get their kicks from causing non-lethal chaos and would see no reason to explain to anyone. Unlike ISIS etc. they'd not be trying to kill anyone (hence the absence of explosives etc. in the drones). Unlike anti-airport protesters they wouldn't have a cause to trumpet. They'd just see it as having fun. If Josias, who is pretty level-headed, admits to rather enjoying it, I can definitely see a certain kind of anarchic perps thinking this is all very cool.
No-one's dying, people are running around like headless chickens, and the random supposition (i.e. myself) and the oh-my-God-we're-all-going-to-die (i.e. SeanT) brigades are out in force.
What's not to find entertaining on a PB pre-Christmas thread where all we've got to talk about is which lip-reader we trust most?
Oh, and I really hate flying ...
My wife once went on a fear of flying course
The main speaker later died in an air crash.........
I wouldn't say I have a fear of flying, and I've flown in the past. I just get no enjoyment from flying or being in airports.
for instance, I once sailed on a tall ship to Dublin, and flew back on Easyjet. I much preferred the plane to the seasickness on the ship ...
BBC news confirms that they do not know what make or model it is.
Do they know anything?
BBC (Blatantly Backing Conservatives) say Grayling is on it.
And apparently the Drone was triggered by Jeremy Corbyns stupid woman comment.
Apparently Chris Grayling is going skydive from low Earth orbit, land on the drone and wrestle it to the ground.
If that was not already the plan, I vote to make it the plan now. It has no drawbacks.
And his impressively solid bonce would make an excellent ablative shield to cope with the re-entry forces (similar to the solid oak China reportedly used on its first generation ICBM warheads).
If it's from China it was probably just oak veneer over MDF.
Oak Furnitureland do a a lovely ICBM. The grain running through the warhead casing is particularly magnificent. At 18 months 0% interest free credit, it is a viable option for an aspiring despot in the Maidenhead area.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
Teenagers? The sort who like making fake bomb phone warnings, hack into Amazon, etc.? They'd get their kicks from causing non-lethal chaos and would see no reason to explain to anyone. Unlike ISIS etc. they'd not be trying to kill anyone (hence the absence of explosives etc. in the drones). Unlike anti-airport protesters they wouldn't have a cause to trumpet. They'd just see it as having fun. If Josias, who is pretty level-headed, admits to rather enjoying it, I can definitely see a certain kind of anarchic perps thinking this is all very cool.
No-one's dying, people are running around like headless chickens, and the random supposition (i.e. myself) and the oh-my-God-we're-all-going-to-die (i.e. SeanT) brigades are out in force.
What's not to find entertaining on a PB pre-Christmas thread where all we've got to talk about is which lip-reader we trust most?
Oh, and I really hate flying ...
My wife once went on a fear of flying course
The main speaker later died in an air crash.........
I wouldn't say I have a fear of flying, and I've flown in the past. I just get no enjoyment from flying or being in airports.
for instance, I once sailed on a tall ship to Dublin, and flew back on Easyjet. I much preferred the plane to the seasickness on the ship ...
When I strap myself to petrol tank and fling myself at 300mph into the air, I also tend to get a little nervous.
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
Just checked our larder again - plenty of tins of beans in there. Phew!
Perhaps it's time I dusted off my emergency Corbyn Government preparedness list?
Doubt I'd stock up on beans though. There might not be fuel available to heat them up and they'd taste rank served cold.
BBC news confirms that they do not know what make or model it is.
Do they know anything?
BBC (Blatantly Backing Conservatives) say Grayling is on it.
And apparently the Drone was triggered by Jeremy Corbyns stupid woman comment.
Apparently Chris Grayling is going skydive from low Earth orbit, land on the drone and wrestle it to the ground.
If that was not already the plan, I vote to make it the plan now. It has no drawbacks.
And his impressively solid bonce would make an excellent ablative shield to cope with the re-entry forces (similar to the solid oak China reportedly used on its first generation ICBM warheads).
If it's from China it was probably just oak veneer over MDF.
No, only the best for their weapons of mass destruction. It was Grayling quality - solid from ear to ear.
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
Just checked our larder again - plenty of tins of beans in there. Phew!
Perhaps it's time I dusted off my emergency Corbyn Government preparedness list?
Doubt I'd stock up on beans though. There might not be fuel available to heat them up and they'd taste rank served cold.
Ah yes but eat enugh of them and you create your own fuel!
BBC news confirms that they do not know what make or model it is.
Do they know anything?
BBC (Blatantly Backing Conservatives) say Grayling is on it.
And apparently the Drone was triggered by Jeremy Corbyns stupid woman comment.
Apparently Chris Grayling is going skydive from low Earth orbit, land on the drone and wrestle it to the ground.
If that was not already the plan, I vote to make it the plan now. It has no drawbacks.
And his impressively solid bonce would make an excellent ablative shield to cope with the re-entry forces (similar to the solid oak China reportedly used on its first generation ICBM warheads).
If it's from China it was probably just oak veneer over MDF.
Oak Furnitureland do a a lovely ICBM. The grain running through the warhead casing is particularly magnificent. At 18 months 0% interest free credit, it is a viable option for an aspiring despot in the Maidenhead area.
Only downsides are: it comes flat-packed, you have to assemble it yourself, it will have several key fasteners missing, and the instructions are in chinglish with out-of-focus microscopic diagrams.
On these numbers, we're not far off the point where the government could survive a vote of no confidence, even if all the opposition parties and the DUP voted against it.
It would all come down to half-a-dozen or so independents/absentees, most of whom would know they'd risk putting Corbyn in power by so doing.
I'm willing to call it: on the current maths, the Government survives all VoNC scenarios unless its own MPs break ranks.
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
Just checked our larder again - plenty of tins of beans in there. Phew!
Perhaps it's time I dusted off my emergency Corbyn Government preparedness list?
Doubt I'd stock up on beans though. There might not be fuel available to heat them up and they'd taste rank served cold.
Baked beans served cold, coleslaw and a little whole grain mustard are the best accompaniment to slices of pork pie.
On these numbers, we're not far off the point where the government could survive a vote of no confidence, even if all the opposition parties and the DUP voted against it.
It would all come down to half-a-dozen or so independents/absentees, most of whom would know they'd risk putting Corbyn in power by so doing.
I'm willing to call it: on the current maths, the Government survives all VoNC scenarios unless its own MPs break ranks.
IDK, people like Woodcock may be aghast at the idea of Corbyn being in power - and fair play to him he even dared say so while standing under the Labour banner - but still really dislike the government (in some cases) Brexit as well. Given they could justify it not being certain that Corbyn becomes PM should this government fall, would they really absent themselves or gods forbid even vote for the government?
There are stories some other US government officials are heading for the exit door.
Trump likes to get through them, doesn't he? I wonder if he ever questions what is the thing that links all these people who just cannot hack it in their jobs for long.
On these numbers, we're not far off the point where the government could survive a vote of no confidence, even if all the opposition parties and the DUP voted against it.
It would all come down to half-a-dozen or so independents/absentees, most of whom would know they'd risk putting Corbyn in power by so doing.
I'm willing to call it: on the current maths, the Government survives all VoNC scenarios unless its own MPs break ranks.
IDK, people like Woodcock may be aghast at the idea of Corbyn being in power - and fair play to him he even dared say so while standing under the Labour banner - but still really dislike the government (in some cases) Brexit as well. Given they could justify it not being certain that Corbyn becomes PM should this government fall, would they really absent themselves or gods forbid even vote for the government?
I think the issue is more that the "Whipless Six" will be bringing forward their redundancy by voting for a VoNC, since as things currently stand they obviously wouldn't get a Labour nomination in a new election.
Which is why, if there does seem to be a real prospect of the government falling (i.e. if the DUP pull the plug), we can expect Team Corbyn would suddenly offer the "Whipless Six" guaranteed reselection (over the heads of the local parties) and the "disappearance" of various sexual misconduct inquiries, in exchange for support in a VoNC.
On these numbers, we're not far off the point where the government could survive a vote of no confidence, even if all the opposition parties and the DUP voted against it.
It would all come down to half-a-dozen or so independents/absentees, most of whom would know they'd risk putting Corbyn in power by so doing.
I'm willing to call it: on the current maths, the Government survives all VoNC scenarios unless its own MPs break ranks.
IDK, people like Woodcock may be aghast at the idea of Corbyn being in power - and fair play to him he even dared say so while standing under the Labour banner - but still really dislike the government (in some cases) Brexit as well. Given they could justify it not being certain that Corbyn becomes PM should this government fall, would they really absent themselves or gods forbid even vote for the government?
I think the issue is more that the "Whipless Six" will be bringing forward their redundancy by voting for a VoNC, since as things currently stand they obviously wouldn't get a Labour nomination in a new election.
There are stories some other US government officials are heading for the exit door.
Trump likes to get through them, doesn't he? I wonder if he ever questions what is the thing that links all these people who just cannot hack it in their jobs for long.
Trumps entire mission here is to be richer and feed his own ego, thats it.
He does not care but soon will when the noose tightens round his family.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably iftiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
Teenage If Josias, ll very cool.
Oh, and I really hate flying ...
My wife once went on a fear of flying course
The main speaker later died in an air crash.........
I wouldn't say I have a fear of flying, and I've flown in the past. I just get no enjoyment from flying or being in airports. .
When I strap myself to petrol tank and fling myself at 300mph into the air, I also tend to get a little nervous.
I have no idea why it happened. But at its worst I was one of those guys who goes all white knuckled, jaw set, staring grimly ahead, forehead beaded with sweat, at the first hint of turbulence.
My only explanation is that, in my job, I'd done so many flights that I began to see the stats as against me. i.e. If only 1 in 1000 flights crash, that's fine for the average punter, but I can do 100 flights a year. Eventually I had to die?
Snip
Five years previously I think I would have literally crapped myself.
A peculiar thing.
Did your fear align with 9/11? I also developed a fear (though younger than you) at that time which just screwed up my life.
The turning point was my brother marrying an American girl, with the wedding in America. I had to fly. I hated it but doing that journey got me to the point where I could fly. I still loathe it, but do it fairly regularly now for business.
Fear of flying sucks. I am rational in every other respect, but I still hate flying. Like you, booze is my only outlet. It just numbs the anxiety.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably iftiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
Teenage If Josias, ll very cool.
Oh, and I really hate flying ...
My wife once went on a fear of flying course
The main speaker later died in an air crash.........
Iurbulence so bad it makes other people shriek.
Weird. But true. Just recently, on the way back from Mauritius, my plane experienced severe turbulence, people were modestly injured, yet I just lay there and thought Meh.
Five years previously I think I would have literally crapped myself.
A peculiar thing.
One in 1,000 flights crash? It’s nothing like those odds. Your chances of being in a plane crash are in the ones of millions. That doesn’t stop me hating it, and fearing it, but being aware of the odds helps in some small way.
ASRAAM is (primarily) IR guided so the question is really what's the smallest IR source compared to the ambient background it could acquire. It also has LOAL (lock on after launch) features so it can 'hit' otherwise unhittable targets by getting a good firing solution with speed/position/altitude. So the short answer is: it depends.
This is very odd. Why can't they just tell everyone to get indoors and then shoot the fucker down. Gatwick is losing millions and its reputation is worsening (if that's possible). 100,000 people are stuck. WTF. Shoot It Down. If it shatters a greenhouse who cares.
Presumably if they can get close enough to shoot it, they could follow it (police helicopter, or another drone) to find the perp.
Suggests to me there are multiple throwaway drones.
Good point. Even more worrying.
Who the F would do this? And why? I've heard climate change fanatics being blamed, but anyone with a brain would know that this would just make people VERY VERY angry. Terrible for the cause.
Conclusion, this is either a nutter, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
SNIP
No-one's dying, people are running around like headless chickens, and the random supposition (i.e. myself) and the oh-my-God-we're-all-going-to-die (i.e. SeanT) brigades are out in force.
What's not to find entertaining on a PB pre-Christmas thread where all we've got to talk about is which lip-reader we trust most?
Oh, and I really hate flying ...
My wife once went on a fear of flying course
The main speaker later died in an air crash.........
I wouldn't say I have a fear of flying, and I've flown in the past. I just get no enjoyment from flying or being in airports.
for instance, I once sailed on a tall ship to Dublin, and flew back on Easyjet. I much preferred the plane to the seasickness on the ship ...
I have been insuring planes and everything aviation related for a living for a very long time now.
Perhaps I shouldn't have told her so many claims related stories......
But in all seriousness there have been huge improvements in aviation safety in my time in the business - My wife actually got back in a plane this year - first time since 2000!
She hated it but was not scared of the flight - she suffers claustrophobia and she found a 2 hour flight very difficult.
When I have more time must tell the story of the Florida flights ..... man, I aged :-)
Bizarrely it was, like you, understanding the physics of aeronautics which ‘cured’ me. The realisation that a plane cannot just drop out of the sky. As you say, it is effectively a boat in the air.
But, I still don’t like it. Even though I am assured that sitting on the sofa in my own living room in my period property is more dangerous - due to the prospect of old masonry falling on my head - than being 30,000 ft in the air on a BA 737, somehow it just doesn’t feel like that’s the case.
All one can do is drink, and take recourse to the odds.
Because its really hard to hit it with small arms even when hovvering. The blunt force with firearms is to just load thousands of rounds up there which then leads to what happens to all the rounds that miss. I believe you hung about Beirut. Shooting a lot in the air, not always so clever.
Missiles = debris, large calibre AA weapons...not sure we have any.
In another country, sure just let rip, but this is Britain and clipboards and hi vis vests have big influence on actions.
The Israelis shoot down similar contraptions all the time with the M230 gun on their AH-64 Seraphs. If somebody could get the Army Air Corps out of the pub even those ten thumbed fuckwits could shoot this down with an Apache or even a Lynx with a nutter on the door gun. It's lack of will not lack of capacity that's preventing a hard kill.
Good per, or some terror organisation being surprisingly subtle and clever. Not encouraging.
Teenage If Josias, ll very cool.
Oh, and I really hate flying ...
My wife once went on a fear of flying course
The main speaker later died in an air crash.........
I wouldn't say I have a fear of flying, and I've flown in the past. I just get no enjoyment from flying or being in airports. .
When I strap myself to petrol tank and fling myself at 300mph into the air, I also tend to get a little nervous.
I have
A peculiar thing.
Did your fear align with 9/11? I also developed a fear (though younger than you) at that time which just screwed up my life.
The turning point was my brother marrying an American girl, with the wedding in America. I had to fly. I hated it but doing that journey got me to the point where I could fly. I still loathe it, but do it fairly regularly now for business.
Fear of flying sucks. I am rational in every other respect, but I still hate flying. Like you, booze is my only outlet. It just numbs the anxiety.
No, it was nothing to do with 9/11
It just... happened. I went from being entirely carefree to a quivering wreck in about 6 months, It almost ended my career, I was that scared of flying. On the upside, it made me take some ground-level journeys which I would normally have avoided (e.g. in Laos so as to avoid notoriously dangerous Lao Air), which turned into real adventures.
The recovery was much slower than the onset, but it is a real recovery. I still don't like turbulence (who does?) but it doesn't freak me out. I recommend reading the science around flights and the logic of plane behaviour. The one fact which really settled me down was the author who pointed out that a plane is just a boat in the sea, but the sea is the air. It's bouncy, it has to be, you can't avoid it, but the plane is designed not to sink, and very rarely does.
Thinking of a plane as a boat was the clincher in curing my Fear of Flying. As I said I still drink and pop pills, but that's to cure the boredom, not the terror.
Yes, that same analogy has helped my wife a lot. She also did a short hop in a Cessna as part of her fear of flying course which also helped a lot. She still doesn’t like long stints over the ocean though.
Because its really hard to hit it with small arms even when hovvering. The blunt force with firearms is to just load thousands of rounds up there which then leads to what happens to all the rounds that miss. I believe you hung about Beirut. Shooting a lot in the air, not always so clever.
Missiles = debris, large calibre AA weapons...not sure we have any.
In another country, sure just let rip, but this is Britain and clipboards and hi vis vests have big influence on actions.
The Israelis shoot down similar contraptions all the time with the M230 gun on their AH-64 Seraphs. If somebody could get the Army Air Corps out of the pub even those ten thumbed fuckwits could shoot this down with an Apache or even a Lynx with a nutter on the door gun. It's lack of will not lack of capacity that's preventing a hard kill.
Just been in the pub talking about this.
1. Why can’t a decent helicopter gunship just shoot the two drones down?
2. How can these things stay in the air so long? My mate reckons there must be at least seven drones to keep a constant air presence (even military grade drones only have a battery life of two hours)
I have been out for a very nice pre-Christmas dinner so late on today's by-elections. Interesting it is three Lib Dem defences. They have already lost one in Charnwood to the Conservatives because they did put up a candidate. The other two are in Tim Farron territory and should be holds.
2. How can these things stay in the air so long? My mate reckons there must be at least seven drones to keep a constant air presence (even military grade drones only have a battery life of two hours)
The airport head has said that two have been sighted simultaneously, which makes it even odder - the lone nutter protesting about noise/whatever, but a group?
Because its really hard to hit it with small arms even when hovvering. The blunt force with firearms is to just load thousands of rounds up there which then leads to what happens to all the rounds that miss. I believe you hung about Beirut. Shooting a lot in the air, not always so clever.
Missiles = debris, large calibre AA weapons...not sure we have any.
In another country, sure just let rip, but this is Britain and clipboards and hi vis vests have big influence on actions.
The Israelis shoot down similar contraptions all the time with the M230 gun on their AH-64 Seraphs. If somebody could get the Army Air Corps out of the pub even those ten thumbed fuckwits could shoot this down with an Apache or even a Lynx with a nutter on the door gun. It's lack of will not lack of capacity that's preventing a hard kill.
Just been in the pub talking about this.
1. Why can’t a decent helicopter gunship just shoot the two drones down?
2. How can these things stay in the air so long? My mate reckons there must be at least seven drones to keep a constant air presence (even military grade drones only have a battery life of two hours)
Re 1 - think about what happens to the shells that miss and even those that hit will carry on for a fair distance
2. How can these things stay in the air so long? My mate reckons there must be at least seven drones to keep a constant air presence (even military grade drones only have a battery life of two hours)
The airport head has said that two have been sighted simultaneously, which makes it even odder - the lone nutter protesting about noise/whatever, but a group?
Yes, it’s bizarre. I have spent the last few hours in the presence of two very talented computer geeks. They say it is a well orchestrated group - to maintain a constant air presence of two drones for so long requires several operators.
Because its really hard to hit it with small arms even when hovvering. The blunt force with firearms is to just load thousands of rounds up there which then leads to what happens to all the rounds that miss. I believe you hung about Beirut. Shooting a lot in the air, not always so clever.
Missiles = debris, large calibre AA weapons...not sure we have any.
In another country, sure just let rip, but this is Britain and clipboards and hi vis vests have big influence on actions.
The Israelis shoot down similar contraptions all the time with the M230 gun on their AH-64 Seraphs. If somebody could get the Army Air Corps out of the pub even those ten thumbed fuckwits could shoot this down with an Apache or even a Lynx with a nutter on the door gun. It's lack of will not lack of capacity that's preventing a hard kill.
The Israelis also accept debris and operate in a state of conflict. Just floating the army out to shoot a drone isn't how it works here. Maybe it should but it isn't.
Secondly, this specific situation is different. The authorities want to capture those behind it if they are wholly UK based. You show them a couple of Apaches sitting up there, very easy to hear and very easy to see (unless you operate at night), the bods behind this will possibly just go to ground with no further progress in identification. Thus you try as much as you can to identify the perpetrators, then possibly, should you get over the risk factors (which includes the drone hitting the chopper) then you might go for it then. It seems to have missed most people's attention that identification of who is behind this, not reopening Gatwick, is the No1 objective
The idea that a side gunner with nothing but his eyeballs is going to take out a small mobile device from what by necessity will be a chopper moving to keep in line with it, is low. If it had to be done this way it'd be Apache with the proper gun and the proper aiming .
Not the best episode but there were two points I noticed. Laura k thinks that Conservative MP's opposition to TMay's deal is softening. Also Katya Adler thinks that the attitude of a couple of EU countries has shifted against agreeing to an A50 extension should one be requested by Britain.
Comments
You can get fairly sizeable drones for <£200 from China these days too.
Quite possibly just a lone looney motivated by spite, but who really knows.
And apparently the Drone was triggered by Jeremy Corbyns stupid woman comment.
That view is from my neighbour whom I saw this evening... He's an ex Navy jet pilot, now a commercial drone licence examiner. He's been on several media outlets today providing commentary. I don't know if he has got inside information on the investigation, probably not, but I do trust his judgement.
Interestingly he thought there are no easy obvious ways to deal with this type of threat, we are just going to have to learn how to prevent it in future. He thought it is likely to be a organised group behind it, not a one-off loner.
An anecdote: a few years back he got a lucrative contract from one of London's top hotels. Some of their guests were complaining they were getting poor mobile reception, despite the hotel's expensive (and I presume licenced) mobile repeaters in the building. He went around the hotel with his kit on a trolley behind him, using some custom hardware to sniff the signals, make faux calls, and see if there was any interference (they were even concerned that a rival hotel might be playing silly buggers with them).
The only problem was that he had to do this at varying times of the day, and the aerials he was waving in front of him looked distinctly odd. The hotel's front desk got concerned phone calls from guests, including one who wondered if the Ghostbusters were on the loose ...
RF engineers are weird.
When this first happened this morning, I did wonder if it was someone's homebrew project that had gone out of control. The length of time this has been going on makes that really unlikely IMO - this is deliberate.
"We don't want to shoot them down we want a regulatory framework"
I mean can't he hear the words he speaks and think, what went wrong with my life?
What's not to find entertaining on a PB pre-Christmas thread where all we've got to talk about is which lip-reader we trust most?
Oh, and I really hate flying ...
Eurostar down at Ashford. So that's Gatwick, Heathrow, and Eurostar all experiencing significant trouble. One is unfortunate, two is an unlucky coincidence, three is enough to make you want to stay at home and visit some spires.
https://twitter.com/jbell_counsel/status/1075826610392186880?s=19
I always reckoned that Trump would not make a second term. Its a big coffin for the fat old bastard but every week something just drives a new nail in it.
However Gatwick itself is serious enough to arrant proper attention.
Disasters on the trains are such a frequent occurrence that the only thing about the whole incident that surprised me was that it wasn't the train I was aboard that got hit by the bloody tree.
All of this is quite a serious problem for us as a non-car owning/driving household: needless to say we'll be spending the entire holiday period at home (except when going to visit my Dad on Christmas Day, and that's only because he has a car and can ferry us back and forth himself.)
Travel is typically a frustrating, miserable experience. No good for one's blood pressure.
http://m.nationalrail.co.uk/pj/disruption/details/0602729C0F114D94989984D669C1D8E8
The main speaker later died in an air crash.........
for instance, I once sailed on a tall ship to Dublin, and flew back on Easyjet. I much preferred the plane to the seasickness on the ship ...
Doubt I'd stock up on beans though. There might not be fuel available to heat them up and they'd taste rank served cold.
Cheap though.
It would all come down to half-a-dozen or so independents/absentees, most of whom would know they'd risk putting Corbyn in power by so doing.
I'm willing to call it: on the current maths, the Government survives all VoNC scenarios unless its own MPs break ranks.
Which is why, if there does seem to be a real prospect of the government falling (i.e. if the DUP pull the plug), we can expect Team Corbyn would suddenly offer the "Whipless Six" guaranteed reselection (over the heads of the local parties) and the "disappearance" of various sexual misconduct inquiries, in exchange for support in a VoNC.
He does not care but soon will when the noose tightens round his family.
The turning point was my brother marrying an American girl, with the wedding in America. I had to fly. I hated it but doing that journey got me to the point where I could fly. I still loathe it, but do it fairly regularly now for business.
Fear of flying sucks. I am rational in every other respect, but I still hate flying. Like you, booze is my only outlet. It just numbs the anxiety.
Happy Christmas!
ASRAAM is (primarily) IR guided so the question is really what's the smallest IR source compared to the ambient background it could acquire. It also has LOAL (lock on after launch) features so it can 'hit' otherwise unhittable targets by getting a good firing solution with speed/position/altitude. So the short answer is: it depends.
Light aircraft like a Cessna 172: certainly
Hobby drone like a DJI Mavic: certainly not
https://twitter.com/DeadlineWH/status/1072973071215149057
Thanks for the reply.
Bizarrely it was, like you, understanding the physics of aeronautics which ‘cured’ me. The realisation that a plane cannot just drop out of the sky. As you say, it is effectively a boat in the air.
But, I still don’t like it. Even though I am assured that sitting on the sofa in my own living room in my period property is more dangerous - due to the prospect of old masonry falling on my head - than being 30,000 ft in the air on a BA 737, somehow it just doesn’t feel like that’s the case.
All one can do is drink, and take recourse to the odds.
1. Why can’t a decent helicopter gunship just shoot the two drones down?
2. How can these things stay in the air so long? My mate reckons there must be at least seven drones to keep a constant air presence (even military grade drones only have a battery life of two hours)
Secondly, this specific situation is different. The authorities want to capture those behind it if they are wholly UK based. You show them a couple of Apaches sitting up there, very easy to hear and very easy to see (unless you operate at night), the bods behind this will possibly just go to ground with no further progress in identification. Thus you try as much as you can to identify the perpetrators, then possibly, should you get over the risk factors (which includes the drone hitting the chopper) then you might go for it then. It seems to have missed most people's attention that identification of who is behind this, not reopening Gatwick, is the No1 objective
The idea that a side gunner with nothing but his eyeballs is going to take out a small mobile device from what by necessity will be a chopper moving to keep in line with it, is low. If it had to be done this way it'd be Apache with the proper gun and the proper aiming .
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p06w74ls
Not the best episode but there were two points I noticed. Laura k thinks that Conservative MP's opposition to TMay's deal is softening. Also Katya Adler thinks that the attitude of a couple of EU countries has shifted against agreeing to an A50 extension should one be requested by Britain.
In this era of austerity we cannot afford the compensation.