Solicitor General says law on drones needs review, after Gatwick runway closed briefly over safety fears

Date added: 4 July, 2017

The Solicitor General, Robert Buckland, has said the law on drones should be reviewed, after the runway at Gatwick was closed and flights delayed and diverted, due to a drone. The runway had to be closed twice, once for 9 minutes and then for 5 minutes. Pilots have warned there could be a “disaster” unless there is more effective regulation of drones. The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) wants compulsory registration of drone users, so police can trace people flying them irresponsibly. The current legislation is old, and does not properly take into account the current drone issue. As well as airports and planes, drones are causing problem such as getting drugs etc into prisons. They are cheap to buy, and fun to fly, but many drone owners do not know or understand the regulations, and others do not care. A drone collision with a helicopter rotor would be more dangerous than with a plane, and could be catastrophic.  It would be useful if all drones had to transmit data, so that police could locate the operator.  The current rules say drones should not be flown higher than 400 feet but the data indicates the highest near miss so far was one at 12,500 feet, near Heathrow in February 2016. Drones should not get closer than 50 metres to anyone or anything.
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Drones law must be reviewed, vows Solicitor General, after Gatwick runway closed over safety fears

By Danny Boyle
3 JULY 2017

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The law on drones should be reviewed, the Solicitor General has said, after the runway at Gatwick Airport was closed over safety fears.

Flights were disrupted for parts of Sunday evening after a drone flew too close to the West Sussex airport.

The runway had to be closed twice, once for nine minutes and later again for five minutes.

Four EasyJet flights were diverted and one British Airways service was sent to Bournemouth Airport following the closure, with others left circling Gatwick.

Pilots have warned of a “disaster” unless drones are subjected to tougher regulation after the incident on Sunday evening.

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) is calling for compulsory registration of drone users to allow police to track down people flying them irresponsibly.

The warning came as Robert Buckland, the Solicitor General, called for a review of the law.

“The legislation relating to aviation is quite old”, he told BBC Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour on Sunday night.

“There’s a lot of legislation about intentional attacks on aircraft. I’d hesitate to say that there’s a loophole, but certainly the development of drones is a relatively recent phenomenon.

“It’s causing problems not only at airports but also in our prisons, and it’s clear to me that we need to look very carefully at whether the law is up to spend and at whether we can improve it in order to make sure that where offences occur which cause risk to life and limb, massive disruption and criminal damage, that the law is fit for the purpose of prosecuting the perpetrators of this type of crime.”

Steve Landells, the BALPA union’s flight safety specialist, said: “Yet another incident at Gatwick involving drones shows that the threat of drones being flown near manned-aircraft must be addressed before we see a disaster.

“Drones can be great fun, and have huge commercial potential, but with a significant increase in near-misses in recent years it seems not everyone who is flying them either know or care about the rules that are in place for good reason.

“We believe a collision, particularly with a helicopter, has the potential be catastrophic.”

He added that as the number of drones being sold takes off, new technology should be looked at to address safety concerns.

“These should include, amongst other things, geofencing as standard and a system whereby the drone transmits enough data for the police to locate the operator when it is flown in a dangerous manner,” he said.

A Gatwick Airport spokesman said: “Due to reports of a drone observation in the vicinity of the airfield, runway operations at Gatwick were suspended between 18.10 and 18.19, and again from 18.36 to 18.41, resulting in a small number of go-arounds and diverts.”

It is not the first time a drone is suspected of infringing on airspace near landing strips. Last month, an airline pilot was forced to take evasive action after one came within 20 metres of his plane as he prepared to land in Edinburgh.

The Loganair flight had been descending at about 4,000ft at the time, and despite the safe landing police warned there could have been “far more serious consequences”.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/07/03/drones-law-must-reviewed-vows-solicitor-general-gatwick-runway/#

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Pilots warn of ‘air disaster’ after Gatwick drone incident

3 Jul 2017
(By Buying Business Travel)

Pilots are calling on the government to introduce better regulation around drones after an incident at Gatwick forced five flights to be diverted.

A drone flying close to aircraft at the London airport led to the runway being closed for two periods of nine and five minutes on Sunday.

Easyjet diverted four of its flights and British Airways had one go to Bournemouth. Other flights had to fly holding patterns as a precaution.

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (BALPA) wants better education for users, compulsory registration during which the rules are made clear and more high profile prosecutions for offenders.

“Yet another incident at Gatwick involving drones shows that the threat of drones being flown near manned-aircraft must be addressed before we see a disaster,” said BALPA Flight Safety Specialist, Steve Landells.

“Drones can be great fun, and have huge commercial potential, but with a significant increase in near-misses in recent years it seems not everyone who is flying them either know or care about the rules that are in place for good reason.

“While we take no issue with people who fly their drones in a safe and sensible manner, some people who fly them near airports or densely populated areas are behaving dangerously.”

He added a collision, particularly with a helicopter, has the potential to be catastrophic, so government should look at solutions such as geofencing or putting measures in place for police to identify drones.

https://buyingbusinesstravel.com/news/0327389-pilots-warn-%E2%80%98air-disaster%E2%80%99-after-gatwick-drone-incident

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Drone causes Gatwick Airport disruption

3.7.2017

A drone flying close to Gatwick Airport led to the closure of the runway and forced five flights to be diverted.

An airport spokesman said the runway had been closed for two periods on Sunday – of nine and five minutes – after the drone was sighted.

Easyjet said four of its flights were diverted, while British Airways said one aircraft was diverted to Bournemouth.

Other flights were put into holding patterns as a precaution.

Sussex Police is investigating.

The airport said: “Runway operations at Gatwick were suspended between 18:10 BST and 18:19, and again from 18:36 to 18:41, resulting in a small number of go-arounds and diverts.”

Drones near aircraft

12,500 ft – Highest near miss, over Heathrow in February 2016

400ft – Maximum height drones should fly

  • 50 metres – Closest drones are allowed to anyone or anything
  • 70 Near misses involving drones in 2016, more than double the year before
Source: UK Airprox Board
Craig Jenkins, who was flying with Easyjet from Naples, Italy, said: “We were crossing over the Channel and it [the plane] started circling.

“It did four or five circles… before the captain said we were landing at Stansted.

“First, they said Gatwick was closed because of an incident. Shortly after, they said it was a drone.”

Mr Jenkins, from Greenwich, south-east London, said passengers were given the choice of disembarking at Stansted or waiting an hour to fly back to Gatwick.

Niamh Slatter, from Sussex, was flying from Valencia, Spain, when her BA flight was diverted to Bournemouth.

“We were due to land 15 minutes early, but ended up circling over the south coast,” she said.

“Our attempted landing at Gatwick was aborted quite late as the drone had been spotted again, so we were told that the flight was being diverted to Bournemouth.”

Easyjet apologised for the inconvenience, saying the circumstances were “outside” of the firm’s control.

How common are near misses involving drones?

The UK Airprox Board monitors near-miss incidents.

Incidents reported over UK where objects came close to aircraft – about 70 near misses with drones in 2016, compared to about 30 in 2015 and about 5 in 2014. See image.

An Airprox is the official term for a situation where the distance between aircraft and their relative positions and speed were such that the safety of the aircraft may have been compromised.

There were 70 Airprox reports involving drones coming close to aircraft over the UK in 2016 – more than double the number for 2015.

There have been 33 incidents up to May 2017.

The Civil Aviation Authority recommends drones be flown at no higher than 400ft. However, the highest Airprox involving a drone was at 12,500ft.

Of the 142 Airprox incidents involving drones recorded since 2010, 40 of them were near to Heathrow. Six of them, up to May, had been near to Gatwick.

Rules on flying drones   see link

Drones should be flown no higher than 400ft

In November 2016, the UK’s drone code was revised and updated to help pilots ensure they fly the gadgets safely.

The revised code turned the five main safety tips into a mnemonic, spelling drone, to make it easier to remember.

  • Don’t fly near airports or airfields
  • Remember to stay below 120m (400ft) and at least 50m (150ft) away from people
  • Observe your drone at all times
  • Never fly near aircraft
  • Enjoy responsibly

UK revises safe flying drone code

The British Airline Pilots’ Association’s flight safety specialist, Steve Landells, said the threat of drones flown near aircraft “must be addressed before we see a disaster”.

“We believe a collision, particularly with a helicopter, has the potential to be catastrophic,” he said.

‘Imprisonment’

The union has called for compulsory registration of drone users and said new technology should be considered, including a system where the drone transmits enough data for the police to track down the operator.

The Civil Aviation Authority said there were serious consequences for people who broke the rules when flying drones.

“Drone users have to understand that when taking to the skies they are potentially flying close to one of the busiest areas of airspace in the world.

“[It is] a complex system that brings together all manner of aircraft including passenger aeroplanes, military jets, helicopters, gliders and light aircraft,” a spokesman said.

“It is totally unacceptable to fly drones close to airports and anyone flouting the rules can face severe penalties including imprisonment.”

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40476264

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Posted: Tuesday, July 4th, 2017. Filed in General News, Recent News.