German airports unprotected against drones

Drones near airports are a serious danger for air traffic. Germany has yet to figure out how to tackle the problem. What could a tiny toy drone even do to a big plane? Massive damage. Researchers at the University of Dayton simulated a mid-air collision between a small 2 pound hobby drone and the wing of a commercial aircraft. Instead of breaking into pieces, the drone ripped through the leading edge of the wing and did "substantial damage to the wing," including to the main spar. "So far, we've just been lucky," Torsten Kretschmann from Germany's air traffic control DFS says. Germany's airports registered 158 air traffic disturbances caused by drones in 2018, up from 88 in 2017 and only 15 back in 2015. Frankfurt tops the list. Planes were grounded there 3 times in 2019 due to possible drones. <br/>