Drone fiasco

Did no one think of this beforehand?

What a mess!!!!  I would have happily gone and shot the dumb thing down.  Literallly thousands of people disrupted and millions lost to the economy.   

I was expecting them to call in the eagles..

Those Eagles are awesome!

Those Eagles are awesome!

So awesome! 

...Take that, drone!   

I can't imagine that they had a chance to shoot down the drone and didn't do it for some reason. 

You guys know that it's totally possible to build a drone that can take off autonomously from one place and fly around the airport and then land again?  The person who set this up might not have been in the country.  I think if you were smart enough, you could set up a system where a drone could land on a charging mat between flights and keep flying every few hours for days without human intervention.

As much as I secretly think this is acool and creative way to make a point, it's just going to suck for me next time I want to fly my drone and can't.  I've already been banned from flying in the office because of 'Elf and safety'

You have to admit, it sure beats a bomb or a shooting spree for getting attention.

So. Silly question:

Do they not have snipers (ahem, "marksmen") in the military here? If a drone is over a runway, any bullet shot up at it is going to come back down on the runway, not likely through anyone's head or anything.

Blast the damned thing and then lift whatever fingerprints are on it, and then go hunting.

If a drone is over a runway, any bullet shot up at it is going to come back down on the runway, not likely through anyone's head or anything.

[pedantic nerd alert] Depending on the rifle, a bullet can go thousands of yards. Unless they're shooting straight up I think there's still a relatively large possibility that the ballistic path of a bullet fired from an airport in the suburbs is still going to end somewhere you don't want it to.

If they were going to try shooting it down, my guess is they'd use a shotgun, which would have a shorter range but cover a wider area.

I also heard some wild speculation that they were considering shooting a net at the drones to disable them. Personally, I'd vote for the eagle.

Yes, I read where counter drones exist with nets and projectiles and things. I think that would be a fun job. "Hey we need to call in Spektor6".

Yes, I read where counter drones exist with nets and projectiles and things. I think that would be a fun job. "Hey we need to call in Spektor6".

Or a good plot for a major motion picture about the world's foremost drone hunter: "In a world where terrorists shut down international airports with only a VR headset, ONE MAN is the only thing standing between the world's holiday plans and UTTER CHAOS!"

CUT TO INT WORLD DRONE ATTACK HEADQUARTERS MAIN CONTROL ROOM

"THESE DAMN DRONES HAVE SHUT DOWN GATWICK! GET ME DUTCH BRENNER!"

And so on and so forth.

Dutch would be drunk in Bangkok.

Government guy: C'mon Dutch! If we don't stop them now....
Dutch Brenner: What does it matter? These people. They don't even carry their own luggage anymore. Wheels for god's sake! Wheels!!
Government guy: You were the best Dutch. What happened?

Remember that the drone doesn't have to fly around for any length of time, it just has to be seen by a few people and then it can leave.  In that scenario, getting the shotgun guy close enough will be hard.

[pedantic nerd alert] Depending on the rifle, a bullet can go thousands of yards. Unless they're shooting straight up I think there's still a relatively large possibility that the ballistic path of a bullet fired from an airport in the suburbs is still going to end somewhere you don't want it to.

If they were going to try shooting it down, my guess is they'd use a shotgun, which would have a shorter range but cover a wider area.

I also heard some wild speculation that they were considering shooting a net at the drones to disable them. Personally, I'd vote for the eagle.

Totally true.  I worked at an amusement Park where two kids were shot with assault rifle style bullets.  A few weeks later we found out some guys were target shooting miles away and the bullets travelled.

[pedantic nerd alert] Depending on the rifle, a bullet can go thousands of yards. Unless they're shooting straight up I think there's still a relatively large possibility that the ballistic path of a bullet fired from an airport in the suburbs is still going to end somewhere you don't want it to.

If they were going to try shooting it down, my guess is they'd use a shotgun, which would have a shorter range but cover a wider area.

I also heard some wild speculation that they were considering shooting a net at the drones to disable them. Personally, I'd vote for the eagle.

I'd prefer the eagle, too. But they don't fly at night.

I am also thinking that if they have a proper sniper, he'd know the proper type (and powder load) of bullets to use.  I've always been a fan of buckshot, but that doesn't do well over distance.

So, the news says they've arrested two people in relation to the drone thing.

I'm wondering if they were REALLY associated with the drone, or if the police need to be seen arresting someone to calm people's nerves.  And may or may not railroad the two into jail over it. Kinda sad, that.