Drones are basically small aircrafts. They contain complex parts, from intricate hardware to high processing software. In some ways it can be seen as a miniature helicopter. It can fly at similar heights, while also being very affordable to the public.
But with so much power and potential in these drones, they also carry responsibilities.
Drones, for the better or for worse, can match plane elevation to some extent. This leads to complications – dangerous ones that put thousands at risk each time. One well-placed drone can easily impact a plane’s exterior. If one flies straight into a plane’s engine, the aircraft goes down – along with the people in it.
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It seems that certain drone users cannot comprehend that simple cause-and-effect scenario. Over the past few years, the number of near-misses in airports have dramatically increased.
In yet another near-miss incident, the Ports of Jersey Airport may actually have a first. The airport in the Channel Islands has been unlucky enough to not simply encounter one drone near-miss. This particular day on the job, air traffic control had to adjust in light of two near-collisions with the planes.
The two incidents involved a passenger plane and a corporate jet. Both of the planes were on route towards the landing bay when the event transpired. They saw drones close to their planes – close enough to start panicking. Estimated within a few hundred meters away, these drones were a disaster waiting to happen.
Luckily, the pilots were able to evade the drones. A good part of this success was because of the vigilant eyes of the staff – both onboard the plane and at traffic control. It is still unclear whether the drones seen belonged to one person. It may even be possible that they were coincidentally there together.
One thing is for sure, both drones (and their respective owners) violated drone regulation. Owners cannot fly near airports. They also cannot fly more than 400 feet up in the air. These two rules help ensure an obstacle-free airspace for passenger planes. But it seems rules are made to be broken. Whether the owners simply wanted to take snapshots or recordings of the airport, or they truly had malice intended; the police are now investigating.
As always in these cases, the owners and their drones have long been gone before authorities arrived. Another unsolved case, and another unpunished drone owner.
