Australia to set up drone-identifying systems

[Granada]

For any drone enthusiasts out there: https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-46672940

[Imme]

To summarise.......

There was a false alarm, it is now believed no drones were at Gatwick at all.
In response to this false alarm 140,000 passenger travel plans were disrupted and Australia will crack down on these menacing drone pilots.

Huh?

Bloody nanny state if you ask me!

[doppler]

I guess the next step will be that you will have to be a member of a registered model aero club and buy a permit for drones with a range of more than 100 meters.

[Granada]

As with anything, it takes a small number of people to ruin it for everyone else.

[multiweb]

Yeah always is hey? I don't have one but I have mates who fly them. They can be a lot of fun. Some of the videos and photos are just amazing.

[Stonius]

I'm confused, so a *non-nanny state would wait until what, there really was a drone, or until one got sucked into an engine and people lives were lost? Surely prevention is better than having the same thing happen here or worse?

[DarkArts]

I think I'm with the 'nanny state' on this one. Risks are too high - mostly to life and limb via aircraft interference - but also privacy intrusions and the general nuisance factor. I'd say terrorism is also a factor (a convenient bomb delivery system) but terrorists aren't going to abide by any drone operation rules anyway.

Drones have some excellent uses (aerial video/photography, video/sensors in places people can't go, etc.) but there's no rational reason that those useful purposes can't continue unabated with significant restrictions in place.

I thought about this a couple of days ago ... "IFF for Drones" ... except it'd be a different system to IFF. I haven't read the BBC article yet, so I've no idea how similar/different that is. Basically, introduce a long, unique "VIN" number for every drone sold, preferably worldwide. Embed it on a small (maybe customised) long-range RFID chip in the drone and give police, military and council rangers suitable RFID scanners to interrogate any drone they see (out to hundreds of metres - limit of visible range). Couple this with a national licensing system.

Restrict sales to 18+ (parents can still buy for their kids, but the parents take the responsibility for misuse).

If a drone is in the wrong place at the wrong time, it'd be traceable. If it doesn't have registration or no/broken "IFF" it's fair game for takedown.

We could also have police issued with electromagnetic anti-drone weapons (there are some of those available now) and we might even have anti-drone drones with, say, a net that shoots out to bring down an errant drone (although I'm sure there are better ways).

Drones confer great power on the user, and with great power comes great responsibility. Unfortunately, as with many pursuits, responsibility has to be forced on some people.

If drones are a minor/occasional hazard now, just wait until there's 100 times more of them! :screwy:

[Imme]

I can hire a truck, fill it with explosives and kill hundreds if not thousands of people with it.

.......or I can fly a drone which may have a payload capacity of 200g at a guess and give someone a nasty burn.

Just saying I think there are plenty of bigger ‘fish’ to fry than people flying drones....who.....at this point don’t really appear to have done anything wrong.

Do we start licensing people who make paper planes next because they could write a nasty message on it that may hurt someone’s feelings?

Just think we may be going a little far hassling hobby drone pilots is all I’m saying.

(And yes I am a drone pilot who is sick of being told I can’t fly places when I know I play by the current rules)

[sharpiel]

:thumbsup: our Nanny always wants to get richer...the richer she gets, the more she can waste. Good ol' Nan.

[DarkArts]

No doubt you're one of the responsible drone pilots - I'm sure most are - they're not the ones to worry about.


Dozens, maybe. The truck hire is tracked/registered with photo ID. Why shouldn't drone ownership/operation also be tracked?


Several kg's for the largest, actually .... exploded in the path of, say, an A380 on take off ... or filled with ball bearings over a crowd. It's a lot easier to fly a drone over/in front of a target than a truck unless you want to be a suicide bomber.


I'll take that as a comment.


If you use it responsibly, in an area that doesn't present a hazard, then regulations shouldn't impact you at all. If they do, then maybe you should re-evaluate what hazard/nuisance your drone presents? :question:

[JeniSkunk]

The mandatory registration and completing an online CASA course starts in mid 2019, and will move from currently only applying to drones over a certain weight, to all.

Fairfax news, Brisbane Times
New drone-hunting tech to roll out at major Australian airports (https://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/national/new-drone-hunting-tech-to-roll-out-at-major-australian-airports-20181225-p50o62.html)

quote


Currently, drones weighing under two kilograms are not required to be registered or the controllers certified.


But from mid-2019, recreational drone users will need to be registered with CASA, which would require people to complete an online safety and training course and register their devices, Mr Gibson said.

endquote

I only wonder how they will ID the owners of unregistered drones, who predate this new system.

[The_bluester]

Notice how CASA don't seem to have issued any such press release?


The CASA website states 250G drones upward, not all drones. And I take the detail of that article (And all the more or less verbatim copies of it on webistes around the world) with a large grain of salt. Apart from the "Oh S..., they have spotted me" effect of a drone operating doping the bolt with his controller, exactly how do wpeople think that they will be tracked down "Within minutes"? When someone was transmitting repeatedly from a fixed location recently, making fake ATC calls to aircraft, it was days or weeks before they found him. Likewise, how exactly are they going to "electronically scanned for serial numbers" unless these things with POV cameras broadcast their serial number in the video stream.

When CASA identify "Mr Gibson" and confirm he is the source for this, I will start to believe anything beyond the registration scheme that CASA have actually publicesed as to be put in place. Like many good urban myths, "Mr Gibson" does seem to exist and does seem to work for CASA, funny enough he does not seem to have spoken up yet.

[Stonius]

Like any law, there will be people who will break it. That's not a reason not to have laws, but a reason to enforce them.

You could equally say 'but people will buy drugs anyway, so there's no point regulating them' ( or guns etc.)

[taminga16]

https://www.facebook.com/TalentsStockport/videos/vb.951287501689909/1675822752564439/?type=2&theater

The simplest solutions are often the best.

[AndyG]

Whilst 0% of me rides the "ban" wagon (as previously discussed), that solution you posted Greg, was... Pure poetry. Nice one :)

[taminga16]

AndyG, remind yourself of the crap that we have to go through regarding 'Laser pointers' because of the actions of fools. Gun Laws, WTF?

[GrahamL]

have to registar to buy small impulse model rocket motors and thats a really small community, like everyone does , I cant see why drone purchases shouldnt have a similar or more stringent scrutiny regarding there use .

[AndyG]

I agree with you Greg. I've jumped through the hoops to get my longarms and pistol licences. One day I'll need to delve into a laser pointer ticket too. It's a sad state of affairs.

I wish there was a cost effective strategy to filter idiots or the maliciously careless, rather than limit everyone indiscriminately.

As I said before. That TP roll method was pure gold.

[Stardrifter_WA]

AWESOME! Another excuse for a cash grab! :lol:

[h0ughy]

Apologies to the thread creator but to all who profess to create unrest with politics I did say it would no longer be tolerated. Keep discussion friendly, no politics, and respect someone's view. No longer tolerating it when the line gets crossed

[Shano592]

Did I read somewhere that the Gatwick Airport Authority may now be suggesting that it was their own security's drones that they saw?

It takes a fair dose of humble pie to admit that, but gee, they open themselves up to ridicule and possibly legal issues from affected passengers...

[DarkArts]

The stories I read said that, in response to drone sightings - there were 93 (some sources report 92) eye-witnesses rated 'credible' - police drones were launched and that those additional drones may have added to confusion.

I can't find any reports that the original sightings were false or of police (or airport) equipment.

Military anti-drone equipment is now in place at Gatwick. There's still a GBP50,000 reward and police/airport management are still talking about lengthy jail time for the perpetrators ... if caught.

Sounds like they're still taking it pretty seriously.

The official Sussex Police web site article: Police using all available resources to progress drone investigation (https://news.sussex.police.uk/news/police-using-all-available-resource-to-progress-drone-investigation-344543)