By James Simons
UK drones are becoming increasingly problematic after the series of emergency diversions following a drone on sight last Thursday evening. They need more regulation . The British Association of pilots have warned of a looming catastrophe if tougher regulations are not put in place soon.
A number of flights were halted or diverted after the disruptive drone showed up after 6 pm on Thursday evening, leading to the runway being suspended.
Easy jet confirmed that four of its flights had been diverted, while British Airways said one of its planes had been diverted to Bournemouth. Drones related incidents are on the rise in the U.K and the U.S, up by 46% between 2015 and 2016. The unmanned vehicles appear to have changed from being military equipments to commercially accessible toys operated by whoever can afford one. However, their uninvited appearance has led to a number of scares in the last year alone. Only last April, the closes near miss occurred at Liverpool John Lennon Airport, when an airbus A319 with 156 passengers was landing.
Another incident happened last November, when a drone showed up as an airbus A320 was approaching. A report by the UK AirportBrox said the incident compromised the safety of the aircraft.
On that occasion, the plane had been flying at 5,500 feet when the crew spotted two white orbed shaped drones. UKAB said there had been 5 near misses in one month between air crafts and drones, leading to complaints by pilots to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Civil Aviation Authority rules forbid drones to be flown above 400 feet or near airports and airfields, making it particularly worrying when so many reports of what appears to be dangerous breaches are reported. Nearly 3,500 cases of drones sighted in air spaces were reported in 2016, making it an issue of serious importance.
Drones are used by all manner of professionals, including film makers, estate agents, and others who may wish to get a close snap of aeroplanes in the air or during landing.However, with the rising number of near misses that compromise passenger safety, there is an urgent need for intervention. The near misses cannot be allowed to go on indefinitely until a tragedy occurs.
The airport said: “Runway operations at Gatwick were suspended between 18:10 BST and 1819, and again from 1836 to 1841.
CONSEQUENCES
The Civil Aviation Authority said there were serious consequences for people who broke the rules when flying drones. However, the supposed culprits of the last few drones have not been found, let alone reprimanded.
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