Originally posted by acornco
a transponder any one can easily turn off during flight
why?
Do you know anything about aircraft? Air traffic control? Tower control at a field? Ground control at a field? Do you think having 2 dozen or more aircraft at a busy field, all with their transponders on, all within a few feet or a hundred feet or a half a mile of each other would clog up and clutter up an ATC screen to the point that it would be unusable for departing or arriving aircraft or aircraft transiting the airspace?
When was the last time you landed in an airliner? How long did it take to get to your gate after you were wheels on the deck? What sort of information is being sent to ATC screens? Alt? Whatever the field elevation is. Speed? Taxi speed of 20 or 30 or 50 knots. Call sign? All that information on a controllers screen would kill situational awareness in specific areas. Think of the DC area. Andrews AFB, Baltimore-Washington Intl, Dulles, Reagan National, all fairly close Think of NYC. LaGuardia, JFK almost co-located.
Of course transponders have "off" or "standby" switches that shuts off the information.


