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I just still can’t wrap my head around the fact that in 2018, with a camera attached to every waking persons hand (and some sleeping people too), how is it that

I just still can’t wrap my head around the fact that in 2018, with a camera attached to every waking persons hand (and some sleeping people too), how is it that there is not a single public photo or video published of this specific drone. Kind of reminds me of when I found out that tipping cows wasn’t a real thing...

huffmsa 8y ago
Funny how UFO reports have generally decreased in the last decade. Pics or it didn't happen
- TomGullen 8y ago
  Well that's because they are less bold now people have better cameras :P
jsjohnst 8y ago
> I just still can’t wrap my head around the fact that in 2018, with a camera attached to every waking persons hand (and some sleeping people too), how is it that there is not a single public photo or video published of this specific drone. I’ve been in many debates about this in the drone flying community (and with friends who know me and how much I fly) and I keep coming back to this point. I’d even take a blurry “UFO sighting” photo under consideration, but even that doesn’t exist. Virtually every single “close call with a plane” has thankfully (thankfully both for the safety of passengers and for other UAV pilots who would be impacted by the irresponsible party’s actions) been proven later to not have been a drone. PS, cow tipping is real (as in its “possible”, not that folks are successful), but it’s much harder than folks realize (I grew up in a farm state and have seen it done once with multiple big guys involved, but also seen many a drunken fool fall on their face trying too).
- huffmsa 8y ago
  Even asleep, a one ton animal is hard to move
  - klyrs 8y ago
    And yet, flipping cop cars is a common and well-documented pastime among rioters
    - Asooka 8y ago
      Cop cars are lighter than cows.
      - huffmsa 8y ago
        You also only get one shot at the cow
      - jsjohnst 8y ago
        What cop car weighs 500 - 1800lbs? Even a Smart Car or VW bug (lightest “cars” I can think of that I’ve seen used as a police car) weighs double what an average cow weighs.
    - jsjohnst 8y ago
      Cars don’t try to get away when you go to flip them. They also can’t widen their stance and counter your effort to flip them. Cows do both of those things. Cows don’t sleep standing up, so they definitely know when you are approaching and most will be at least walking away long before you get to them.
- Dayshine 8y ago
  Here's a real report of a near-miss (20m) with a drone by an RAF fighter jet: https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/uploadedFiles/Content/Standard_content/Airprox_report_files/2018/Airprox%20Report%202018160.pdf https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/uploadedFiles/Content/Standa...
  - jsjohnst 8y ago
    When you put military aircraft flying at high speed in class G airspace so close to the ground, crap like this happens. I know the Tornado was authorized, but as someone who grew up near a military base, it is abusive to those in the area. This is a sore spot with me, so apologize I’m a bit bitter on this. To avoid situations like the above, I typically file a flight plan or at minimum contact nearby ATC if I know I’m going to be flying above 200ft much. That said, I’m not required too and neither was the drone pilot in this incident either. I wouldn’t be opposed to a transponder, if they were made on drones, but to date I don’t know of any major manufacturers providing that feature.
nickjackson 8y ago
There is a daily mail video of a drone at the North Terminal Bus station. DM is hardly a good source, and I was sceptical at first but I'm 95% sure its the right location. The question is now, is the footage fake and is it from last week.
- drcharris 8y ago
  Link is https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1828378/Video-Drone-spotted-flying-Gatwick-airport-London.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1828378/Video-D...
jdietrich 8y ago
Human eyesight is much more acute than a phone camera, especially filming video at 1080p. The runway at Gatwick is two miles long, plus taxiways and the apron. To a passenger in the terminal building, a drone flying over the runway is likely to appear as little more than a tiny speck.

huffmsa 8y ago

Funny how UFO reports have generally decreased in the last decade. Pics or it didn't happen

TomGullen 8y ago
Well that's because they are less bold now people have better cameras :P

jsjohnst 8y ago

> I just still can’t wrap my head around the fact that in 2018, with a camera attached to every waking persons hand (and some sleeping people too), how is it that there is not a single public photo or video published of this specific drone. I’ve been in many debates about this in the drone flying community (and with friends who know me and how much I fly) and I keep coming back to this point. I’d even take a blurry “UFO sighting” photo under consideration, but even that doesn’t exist. Virtually every single “close call with a plane” has thankfully (thankfully both for the safety of passengers and for other UAV pilots who would be impacted by the irresponsible party’s actions) been proven later to not have been a drone. PS, cow tipping is real (as in its “possible”, not that folks are successful), but it’s much harder than folks realize (I grew up in a farm state and have seen it done once with multiple big guys involved, but also seen many a drunken fool fall on their face trying too).

huffmsa 8y ago
Even asleep, a one ton animal is hard to move
- klyrs 8y ago
  And yet, flipping cop cars is a common and well-documented pastime among rioters
  - Asooka 8y ago
    Cop cars are lighter than cows.
    - huffmsa 8y ago
      You also only get one shot at the cow
    - jsjohnst 8y ago
      What cop car weighs 500 - 1800lbs? Even a Smart Car or VW bug (lightest “cars” I can think of that I’ve seen used as a police car) weighs double what an average cow weighs.
  - jsjohnst 8y ago
    Cars don’t try to get away when you go to flip them. They also can’t widen their stance and counter your effort to flip them. Cows do both of those things. Cows don’t sleep standing up, so they definitely know when you are approaching and most will be at least walking away long before you get to them.
Dayshine 8y ago
Here's a real report of a near-miss (20m) with a drone by an RAF fighter jet: https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/uploadedFiles/Content/Standard_content/Airprox_report_files/2018/Airprox%20Report%202018160.pdf https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/uploadedFiles/Content/Standa...
- jsjohnst 8y ago
  When you put military aircraft flying at high speed in class G airspace so close to the ground, crap like this happens. I know the Tornado was authorized, but as someone who grew up near a military base, it is abusive to those in the area. This is a sore spot with me, so apologize I’m a bit bitter on this. To avoid situations like the above, I typically file a flight plan or at minimum contact nearby ATC if I know I’m going to be flying above 200ft much. That said, I’m not required too and neither was the drone pilot in this incident either. I wouldn’t be opposed to a transponder, if they were made on drones, but to date I don’t know of any major manufacturers providing that feature.

nickjackson 8y ago

There is a daily mail video of a drone at the North Terminal Bus station. DM is hardly a good source, and I was sceptical at first but I'm 95% sure its the right location. The question is now, is the footage fake and is it from last week.

drcharris 8y ago
Link is https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1828378/Video-Drone-spotted-flying-Gatwick-airport-London.html https://www.dailymail.co.uk/video/news/video-1828378/Video-D...

jdietrich 8y ago

Human eyesight is much more acute than a phone camera, especially filming video at 1080p. The runway at Gatwick is two miles long, plus taxiways and the apron. To a passenger in the terminal building, a drone flying over the runway is likely to appear as little more than a tiny speck.