Why can pilots turn off the transponder? Or, why aren’t planes tracked regardless of pilot influence?
Posted by Xesyliad@reddit | aviation | View on Reddit | 7 comments
After watching the Australian 60 Minutes special on MH370, the most notable point was that the Pilot was able to turn off the transponder and prevent the aircraft from being tracked.
What situation would require this in ordinary operation? Couldn’t manufacturers or airlines include rules whereby if a plane deviates from the planned flight path that the aircraft would automatically override and squawk its location regardless?
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Hokulewa@reddit
If you remove the OFF switch, there are still circuit breakers to pull.
If you remove the circuit breakers, you've created a rather dangerous situation in case of an electrical fire.
Xesyliad@reddit (OP)
I get what you’re saying, but a backup transponder with circuit breakers in an inaccessible service space while airborne keeps the electrical safety aspect while preventing human interference in flight.
I still don’t see the purpose of an off switch on the transponder.
Hokulewa@reddit
Everything electrical on the plane needs to have a circuit breaker in reach of the pilot, or the crew and passengers are dead in case of a serious electrical fire.
Your "backup transponder" would still be connected to an electrical bus, which the pilot could shut off at will.
I can think of a dozen ways that a determined pilot could disable your backup transponder before or during the flight by interfering with its power source or it's RF path.
You can't really protect against someone trusted with physical access to the equipment.
And if you've decided you can't trust your pilot, you simply shouldn't fly.
Xesyliad@reddit (OP)
Well, there’s at least one instance (MH370) where having an independent tracking system would have been a “good idea”.
Can pilots disable the black boxes while in flight?
Similarly why aren’t black boxes (electrical) digitally offboarded real time via satellite data these days.
I understand what you mean about electrical safety and fire risk, but I genuinely don’t believe a pilot has access to render an aircraft electrically dead (especially fly by wire) while airborne to counter every possible fire safety scenario and short circuit possibility. But hey, if you’re a pilot and you say so, then it’s so ... just really crazy to comprehend.
I mean, MH370 really raises a lot of questions about modern aviation if one guy can make a plane disappear with a heap of passengers on board.
Sudden_Guess5912@reddit
Right?! I just saw a Mayday where they were watching a live feed of test pilots checking out this spaceship being tested for commercial airport. Plus NASA has similar stuff. So I’m sure it’d possible to have FDR/CVR data transmit to some server. Like, instead of just get stored on some box on the plane that must be retrieved (hopefully in working condition) in the event of a crash.
Damn just saw that this is 7 yrs old lol. Oh wells