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originally posted by: ImagewerxStansted on the other hand is about the most difficult civil airport in the UK to go spotting at...
originally posted by: ufoorbhunter
a reply to: alldaylong
Reports coming in saying the disturbace caused by a passenger who was driven crazy by the stench of farting on board.
originally posted by: Pyle
originally posted by: CulturalResilience
Disruptive passengers on commercial airlines don't automatically warrant fighter escorts. Also the diversion and the subsequent ground positioning of the flight at Stanstead might suggest that initial reports indicated a higher threat level than what is normally termed as disruptive passenger behaviour
The precautions taken in this instance seem to indicate that he true nature of the situation was not properly established until after an alert level call had been received.
A combative passenger will very much get the Air Forces of the world in the air after 9/11.
originally posted by: Imagewerx
originally posted by: OtherSideOfTheCoin
a reply to: neo96
So it's standard SOP to scramble jets to escort passenger airliners over just a disruptive passenger?
Happens often.
Standstead is set up to receive these kinds of planes where there has been some kind of disruption I think i am correct in saying Glasgow Gatwick is also set up for it. Each incident is risk assessed depending on the situation, its not uncommon for the police to be arresting someone off a flight for being "disruptive". I would guess that given the origin of this flight they risk assessed that a fighter escort would be appropriate.
In this case it seems to have just been some guy going nuts on the plane and not a attempted hijacking or terrorist attack.
Gatwick certainly isn't set up for it.There are no truly remote parts of it that are distant enough from public roads,residential areas or farms to isolate any potential threats without closing off those busy public roads.Stansted on the other hand is about the most difficult civil airport in the UK to go spotting at,it'd be easier to get a good view of what's happening at Groom Lake!
originally posted by: OtherSideOfTheCoin
I didnt say they were good airports....
Its just that they are supposed to be used for flights like this they must have some kind of infrastructure set up to allow the airport to cope with these kind of incidents.
If your interested the old base at RAF Macherhansish was actually also designated as a emergancy landing site for the space shuttle.