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Child Item

State using spy planes to catch bog cutters!

Biggins

Ok... so the state using spy planes to catch bog cutters!
Story here: http://www.independent.ie/national-news/military-aircraft-get-bogged-down-in-turfcutting-spy-games-3095262.html

Military fixed-wing aircraft have been carrying out reconnaissance on bogs, leading to alarm and anger among landowners.

Cessna FR172H aircraft, which boast excellent slow-flight characteristics, have been seen flying low over bogs -- an alteration of regular military operations, which involve aerial surveillance and monitoring of escorts carrying cash, prisoners or explosives.

Ok, there might be justification in trying to cut down on possible damage to the bogs, I'm no expert so I won't advocate either way - but using planes to spy on Irish people, bog cutters... does anyone else think this is a bit extreme?

Using spy planes to catch out people traditionally cutting a bog, was not something I thought I'd ever read in an Irish paper!
Strange stuff! :eek:

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Doc Ruby

Pherekydes wrote: »

You realise that the pilots are army officers? They are being paid anyway. May as well give them something useful to do.

So what you're saying is that they were sitting on their bums doing nothing productive prior to this, or at least nothing of equal or greater value. Which of course raises the question, what do we need them for anyway when a group of minimum wage drone jockeys could do the job instead? Some people would even pay for the experience!

Pherekydes

Doc Ruby wrote: »

So what you're saying is that they were sitting on their bums doing nothing productive prior to this...

That would be the Daily Mail interpretation of it, I suppose.

Doc Ruby

Pherekydes wrote: »

That would be the Daily Mail interpretation of it, I suppose.

The daily mail has figured out the use of logic then have they? Hope this revelation doesn't cut into their quota of raunchy starlet gossip stories.

ejmaztec

Randomer. wrote: »

Its a Cessna not an SR-71.

They were thinking of a U2 but Bono was going to charge too much.

prinz

If this was about Brazil using aircraft to spot signs of illegal logging in the Amazon would people still think it hilariously ridiculous? There was an EU directive on protecting our boglands not long ago, and I may be wrong but part of that would involve the state being fined if it didn't live up to the directive, so the cost of throwing up an old Cessna to keep an eye out for industrial level stripping of the boglands could well be a hell of a lot cheaper than the alternative.

I know people like Ming Flanagan and others like to portray the matter as one of the big bad state versus some old lad digging and footing a bit of turf with his tea and ham sandwiches.. but there are also people with heavy machinery etc raping the bogs on a large scale and that should be stopped.

drunkmonkey

prinz wrote: »

but there are also people with heavy machinery etc raping the bogs on a large scale and that should be stopped.

There called Bord NaMona urban kid.

The Radiator

Haha, nice

prinz

drunkmonkey wrote: »

There called Bord NaMona urban kid.

Nice try, but way off

. BnM aren't the only ones out there using machinery to strip large areas.

mikom

prinz wrote: »

Nice try, but way off . BnM aren't the only ones out there using machinery to strip large areas.

Yeah, they got tired of doing it after the first thousand or so acres.........

JupiterKid

I would have taken this for a joke if I didn't see that it was actually real. Let's see - ban smoking on beaches, parks and put airplanes up to catch an aul fella cutting a bit of turf.

This country is going mad.

oppenheimer1

JupiterKid wrote: »

I would have taken this for a joke if I didn't see that it was actually real. Let's see - ban smoking on beaches, parks and put airplanes up to catch an aul fella cutting a bit of turf.

This country is going mad.

ffs its not the auld fellas they're after. No one cuts turf with a slean these days, its a mechanised almost industrial scale process that destroys all before it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKqCog5m5Yo

This is how its done. I bet Ming didn't tell you that.

But of course people will never educate themselves and look beyond the biased headlines.:rolleyes:

K-9

The ban effects 21 bogs, people do realise that?

This isn't the end of cutting turf forever as some would like to portray it.

Herrick

Doc Ruby wrote: »

This is why I think we should be investing in those drone things, they must be cheaper than operating a full aircraft, plus they could be used to effectively patrol our own waters, which we can't do now.

I can only imagine the hysterics if that happened though.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/missing-chad-drone-may-have-tried-to-fly-home-1566358.html

Missing Chad drone may have tried to fly home

An unmanned surveillance drone being used by Irish peacekeepers in Chad which went missing after being deployed in the desert may have tried to fly back to the Curragh, 3000 miles away.

The drone, part of a portable mini Unmanned Aeriel Vehicle (UAV) system, lost contact with base 25 minutes after it was deployed.

It was one of two Irish army drones which have have been put out of commission, at a cost of €70,000.

One theory is that the drone, which is programmed to return to base when contact is severed with its Ground Control Station (GCS), may have still had the co-ordinates of the Curragh camp in its computer programme, rather than the Irish headquarters near Goz Beida in south-eastern Chad. The Israeli-manufactured UAVs, operated by army communications personnel, are used for surveillance, artillery spotting and support for special forces.

At the end of its mission, the Orbiter drone is programmed to enter Return Home Mode, either on a command from its operator or automatically if contact is lost.

The drone then returns to its pre-programmed recovery point and deploys its parachute.

It is feared that during familiarisation and training at the Curragh, the coordinates of the Irish Army camp in Kildare may have been programmed into the drone.

When deployed in the harsh desert terrain in Chad last March, it tried to fly "home" but ran out of battery and crashed into the desert -- about 2,990 miles from its destination.

:pac:

prinz

Herrick wrote: »

An unmanned surveillance drone being used by Irish peacekeepers in Chad which went missing after being deployed in the desert may have tried to fly back to the Curragh, 3000 miles away.
When deployed in the harsh desert terrain in Chad last March, it tried to fly "home" but ran out of battery and crashed into the desert -- about 2,990 miles from its destination.

:pac: So it runs out of battery power after flying 10 miles? Great drone. :pac:

Local-womanizer

Pherekydes wrote: »

You realise that the pilots are army officers? They are being paid anyway. May as well give them something useful to do.

You realise they are not army officers? They are Air Corp officers!

Plus that drone that was lost in Chad was most likely one of the smaller hand deployed ones. Not the type that carries rockets and kills farmers in Pakistan, hence why the battery died after 10 miles.

Turf always reminds me of Michael Collins (the movie) "It's a fucking Weapon!!!!"

Jamie Starr

Step 2: Drone Strike on Ming Flanagan.

I guess it's an issue between conserving a resource and preserving a way of life.

LH Pathe

Without doubt it's a job more befitting of drones, but the folk who make em primarily to kill others without risking one of their own would argue other.

afatbollix

Is this like the rumour that was started that they use a helicopter to look for farmers burning rubbish?

a5y

Its the breakdown of civilisation as we know it. The Mayan calendar was right: 2012 end of the world.

No sooner have The Troubles have almost stopped than The Turf Wars™* begun.

*Copyright/Patent Pending/Baggsy/Terms and conditions apply/Trade Mark/Graffiti is art but Sega does not endorse the act of vandalism/Sharon Ní Bheoláin, tá geansaí orm, tá aer spyingonus san aer, tabhair dom dó cáca míls!!!

...An will céad agam dul go dtí an bóg?

prinz

afatbollix wrote: »

Is this like the rumour that was started that they use a helicopter to look for farmers burning rubbish?

Looking for farmers burning rubbish? Don't be silly...

It was looking for the whistle thief

Pherekydes

Local-womanizer wrote: »

You realise they are not army officers? They are Air Corp officers!

Do you realise that the Irish Air Corps is in fact the Irish Army Air Corps?

chris2008x

Biggest cutter of turf in the state An Bord Na Mona. What are they doing to preserve bogs???????????????????????

NOTHING

Sky King

Cessna FR172H aircraft, which boast excellent slow-flight characteristics

They don't really boast any other characteristics than that.

Wild Bill

chris2008x wrote: »

Biggest cutter of turf in the state An Bord Na Mona. What are they doing to preserve bogs???????????????????????

NOTHING

...and good for them

sdanseo

One can do a private hour in a C172 including instruction for under €200 in just about any flying club - hazarding a guess that a flight instructor is paid about the same or more than an Air Corps pilot, then €200 an hour is your figure.