Analysis from a JHU CS Prof

Thu Sep 13 20:35:14 UTC 2001

The transponders, like most avionics, has a handy-dandy off switch.

-----Original Message-----
From: Borger, Ben [mailto:bborger at platinumsystems.net]
Sent: Thursday, September 13, 2001 4:32 PM
To: 'nanog at merit.edu'
Subject: FW: Analysis from a JHU CS Prof

>>At 06:05 PM 9/12/2001, you wrote:
>>
>>
>>Quite more interesting is why nobody noticed that 4 airliners where
hijacked
>>almost the same time.
>
>Not surprising.  Aircraft are "flight followed" by a series of control 
>centers across the nation, each responsible for a given chunk of 
>airspace.  Something happening in an area controlled by Center "A", for 
>example, wouldn't be passed on to Center "B" (which has it's own problems 
>to work) unless it impacted Center "B".  Furthermore, unless someone TELLS 
>Center they're being hijacked, there's no way for a controller - looking at

>a blip - to know what's up.  And any controller can tell you that pilots do

Somehow the people who did this managed to turn off the transponders on
these planes.  Normally a plane flying in controlled airspace squawks a
unique id and altitude which is decoded by their radar and associated with
each blip.  Sometimes low cost homebuilts/ultralights fly with no
transponder, but Boeings <sarcasm>usually</sarcasm> do.  If you set a
transponder to 7500, it means you're being hijacked.

BTW if you see your friend Jack at the airport, be sure to say, "What's up,
Jack!" instead of "Hi Jack!"

So how do you deal with this?  Blowing up a whole country?  I wonder if the
US should adopt a 'fire w/ fire' approach and invest in intelligence, covert
ops and assassinations.  It would seem that it is open season on terrorism
by every democratic nation, I expect to see very conspicuous Samuel Jackson
style ass whoopins on whiny extremist groups to satiate America's anger.
Terrorize the terrorists.

Oh yeah, obviously Echelon should probably have MacOS loaded on it.

-b