Latest news with #AlexRitchie
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Holidaymakers' drones endangering planes, RAF says
A frontline RAF base is dealing with reports of at least one unauthorised drone flight each month. RAF Coningsby, in Lincolnshire, is home to two combat-ready squadrons of Typhoon jets, but officers fear drones in and around its protected airspace could endanger pilots and aircraft. Sqn Ldr Alex Ritchie, who is in charge of safety at the station, said unauthorised flights were being tracked and details passed to the police. He said some people were "doing it nefariously", but in other cases hobbyists and holidaymakers were breaking the rules by accident and needed educating about the risks. "It doesn't matter whether you buy a drone from a hobby shop or whether you're a professional, you still have to follow exactly the same drone code and rules," Sqn Ldr Ritchie said. All drone operators have to follow strict rules laid down by the Civil Aviation Authority, which include staying away from restricted airspaces. Commercial and military airfields include a flight restriction zone to ensure planes are kept safe during take-off and landing. The RAF has also warned that flying a drone above 400ft (120m) could pose a risk to aircraft. But officers at RAF Coningsby say the rules are regularly being ignored. They have been speaking to local holiday firms about the problem and asking them to pass on the message about safety to visitors to the area. Ryan Laviolette was among staff from the Tattershall Lakes Country Park who were given a guided tour of the RAF base. He described how people coming to stay at the holiday park, which is located close to the base, were bringing drones with them. "We understand that, but we've got to respect our neighbours," he said. "We really do appreciate what they do here at the RAF base and we need to protect them and protect ourselves." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here. 'Rogue drones' putting emergency services at risk Safety warning over drone activity at airport Drone users told to avoid Red Arrows training base
BBC News
28-04-2025
- General
- BBC News
Holidaymakers' drones endangering planes, RAF Typhoon base warns
A frontline RAF base is dealing with reports of at least one unauthorised drone flight each Coningsby, in Lincolnshire, is home to two combat-ready squadrons of Typhoon jets, but officers fear drones in and around its protected airspace could endanger pilots and Ldr Alex Ritchie, who is in charge of safety at the station, said unauthorised flights were being tracked and details passed to the said some people were "doing it nefariously", but in other cases hobbyists and holidaymakers were breaking the rules by accident and needed educating about the risks. "It doesn't matter whether you buy a drone from a hobby shop or whether you're a professional, you still have to follow exactly the same drone code and rules," Sqn Ldr Ritchie drone operators have to follow strict rules laid down by the Civil Aviation Authority, which include staying away from restricted and military airfields include a flight restriction zone to ensure planes are kept safe during take-off and landing. The RAF has also warned that flying a drone above 400ft (120m) could pose a risk to officers at RAF Coningsby say the rules are regularly being ignored. They have been speaking to local holiday firms about the problem and asking them to pass on the message about safety to visitors to the area. Ryan Laviolette was among staff from the Tattershall Lakes Country Park who were given a guided tour of the RAF base. He described how people coming to stay at the holiday park, which is located close to the base, were bringing drones with them. "We understand that, but we've got to respect our neighbours," he said. "We really do appreciate what they do here at the RAF base and we need to protect them and protect ourselves." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
19-02-2025
- Business
- BBC News
'Perfect storm' could see end of salon apprenticeships
Salon owners are warning they might not be able to take on any new apprentices within two years due to financial British Hair Consortium, which represents 50,000 hairdressing professionals, is calling on the government to make changes to how they are taxed, saying the current system poses an "existential crisis".Apprentices have told BBC Newsbeat the schemes are an important opportunity for people who don't want to pursue further government has been approached for comment but did not respond. Salons pay VAT at 20% like most businesses but the British Hair Consortium say because the work they do is so labour intensive as opposed to selling products, they have less of a chance to make back those to keep costs low, it says an increasing number of salons are opting to rent chairs instead of employing stylists to avoid paying the tax.A report by CBI Economics found that is likely to have a knock-on effect on opportunities for estimates that by 2027 there "may be no new apprenticeships offered and direct employment could plummet by 93% by 2030". 'Crippling a lot of salons' For 22-year-old apprentice Alex Ritchie, "it's quite scary knowing that people won't get that opportunity that we get".She's training in Darlington, County Durham, and dreams of having her own salon one day but worries that without apprentices, the industry will really struggle."You can't run a salon without having apprentices," she says."They are your main support when you're doing clients. It will have a massive impact on the amount of salons and how many clients they can take."Jezz Ellis is head of operations for Saks, a chain of salons in the north east of England, and says that unless things change, hairdressing apprenticeships will become less are facing a "perfect storm" he says, which will impact how many apprentices they can afford to train."You've got the VAT issue which has always been difficult."But there is also the growing issue of insecure or "disguised" employment resulting from fewer staff jobs being offered. This means while they might work to a salon's rules and be treated like an employee, they're actually self-employed so miss out on benefits like sick pay, maternity pay and pensions."And with National Insurance going up and a national minimum wage increase, it's making it very difficult for those salons to increase their prices to meet the extra costs. "All of those things added together is just crippling a lot of salons," Jezz says. For Adam Hussain, who's working towards his level two apprenticeship in hairdressing, the benefits are big for people like him."Without this apprenticeship, I wouldn't be where I am today," he says. "I'd probably be doing God knows what."Apprenticeships are really good - you get paid to learn, you're learning on the job, it's a very hands-on career." The British Hair Consortium wants the government to act quickly ahead of the spring forecast on 26 March, where the Chancellor Rachel Reeves will lay out economic plans for the future. Although the government did not respond to Newsbeat's request for comment, the Department for Education has previously said it was time apprenticeships were taken seriously. Last week it announced changes which will allow employers to decide whether or not a Maths and English qualification is needed to apply for some apprenticeships. Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
