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Out of Control - Why Can Pilots Still Shut Off Transponders?
Interesting discussion regarding the off switch on transponders. (www.nytimes.com) Más...Sort type: [Top] [Newest]
The politicians are the absolute worst people to make responsible for keeping us safe
And, I wish they would quit trying to do it!
Dear friend Ric Wernicke how right you are while writing about letting engineers do what they are best suited for, implying that let pilots do what they do best.
The topic is purely engineering based, nothing to do with the flying. Assume for a moment, IF it is decided at the highest level that locational transponders or its print should remain visible at all times, not like what seems to have happened in MH 370, what will happen ?
Engineers will be obliged to devise/design a new system. Period.
Pilots ? Will they matter ? No !
From crude VFR flying to sophisticated IFR flying ! Who decided ? And who created the system ? What was the role of pilots ? During every transition ? Only ergonomics !
Long ago mechanical control was changed to electrical and then to electronic which now has been modified into computer controlled ' fly-by-wire' system !
Many pilots still resent it. Result ? Who cares.
Who decides changes or modifications ? ICAO and national level agencies like FAA decide.
Not pilots' guilds/federations. Their best card is limited to ergonomics and that is always taken care of by the engineers. That's the part of their job.
Pilots fly the plane the way engineers tell them to fly .
Not vice-a-versa.
Check how test flights are conducted/regulated and how their data are collected , be it a commercial aircraft or an air force fighter plane !
The topic is purely engineering based, nothing to do with the flying. Assume for a moment, IF it is decided at the highest level that locational transponders or its print should remain visible at all times, not like what seems to have happened in MH 370, what will happen ?
Engineers will be obliged to devise/design a new system. Period.
Pilots ? Will they matter ? No !
From crude VFR flying to sophisticated IFR flying ! Who decided ? And who created the system ? What was the role of pilots ? During every transition ? Only ergonomics !
Long ago mechanical control was changed to electrical and then to electronic which now has been modified into computer controlled ' fly-by-wire' system !
Many pilots still resent it. Result ? Who cares.
Who decides changes or modifications ? ICAO and national level agencies like FAA decide.
Not pilots' guilds/federations. Their best card is limited to ergonomics and that is always taken care of by the engineers. That's the part of their job.
Pilots fly the plane the way engineers tell them to fly .
Not vice-a-versa.
Check how test flights are conducted/regulated and how their data are collected , be it a commercial aircraft or an air force fighter plane !
Because electrical fires can happen, and there will always be a circuit breaker for the transponder anyway.
Unlike that ELT that burned up on the Ethopian plane, all electronics should be in an area that has fire suppression.
Because when they fail, you need to turn them off.. Also they should not be on at the gate because they at the frequency they operate at they are bad for people being around them... In the case of a fire, they need to be disabled as with every other piece of electronics.
Let the engineers design the airplane using best practices (which include circuit breakers to protect the wiring) and let the politicians figure out how to keep criminals out of the airport.