A Question For Real Airline Pilots

"Blue" wrote in message ...
[...]
The first to reply have been revealingly strident in their disagreement to
discuss this question, even stating that it is "none of my business."
Nothing could be MORE of "my business," and everyone else in this country
old enough to vote .

The first to reply was me, and the point of my reply was to point out how
absurd the idea is.

Even if it was politically feasible, it would be idiotic to add remote
control to airliners. After all, about the only deterrent right now to
terrorists crashing airliners is that they have to die with the plane.
Given them a remote control, and they don't even need to do that.

And before you say "well, we'll just secure the remote control", think for a
moment just how impossible that would be.

Pete

"Bill-R" wrote in message
...
[...] I dont think it would be technologically difficult to do it.

It would be technologically trivial to implement. That's not the point.

"Bill" wrote in message

Yes I did read where this is being developed so that the plane could be
controlled from the ground or another aircraft. I dont know the status of
the project.

Brilliant idea. Then Osama can fly planes into buildings by remote control.

That'll save him half a few suicide bombers per plane that he can use
elsewhere...

Doug Cox.
Work to ride, Ride to work...
http://toosmoky.d2.net.au

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Blue" wrote in message
...

Even if it was politically feasible, it would be idiotic to add remote
control to airliners. After all, about the only deterrent right now to
terrorists crashing airliners is that they have to die with the plane.
Given them a remote control, and they don't even need to do that.


It is provocative to look at something from a different angle. Try these:
(1) with a plane configured like this real "terrorists" are not even
necessary they can just be figmentary patseys. (2)Alternatively, if real
the terrorists can be expecting to merely hijack the plane when in fact
they were set up to die as patseys. (3)And yes, real terrorists could just
have the remote as you suggest but those terrorists would have to be very
special terrorists to be able to swap identical planes. Even more
fascinating is the morphing together of all three of these scenarios.

"Blue" wrote in message ...
It is provocative to look at something from a different angle. [...]

Well, sure...once you start talking about absurd possibilities, the sky's
the limit. Why limit yourself to three absurd possibilities?

Though, I don't really understand your #3. My point is that if *someone*
can take over an airplane by remote control, then terrorists can take over
an airplane by remote control. There's no need to "swap identical planes".
You just take over your airplane of choosing by remote control.

Pete

Blue schrieb:

I have a question that can only possibly be answered by real airline pilots
and pilots of the heavy oil-burners at that. Even they may not know - or
want to tell the answer.

I have heard that most if not all of the heavies now flying have special
equipment in them to thwart hijacking. The equipment that I am referring to
is not just an autopilot which is standard but additional mechanical devices
to completely remove control from the cockpit making it possible to take
control away from the flight officers and giving that control to an outside
pilot which could be in a following aircraft or at an airport or anywhere.

Hope a real airline pilot will comment on this question.

Would you want to fly in a plane equipped like that? I would not. The
chances of the system going wrong leaving the plane being controlled by
nobody are higher than the chances of being hijacked by a suicide
bomber.
You should read Bruce Schneier's book about real security.
http://www.schneier.com/book-beyondfear.html

T.

Blue wrote:

I have a question that can only possibly be answered by real airline pilots
and pilots of the heavy oil-burners at that. Even they may not know - or
want to tell the answer.

I have heard that most if not all of the heavies now flying have special
equipment in them to thwart hijacking. The equipment that I am referring to
is not just an autopilot which is standard but additional mechanical devices
to completely remove control from the cockpit making it possible to take
control away from the flight officers and giving that control to an outside
pilot which could be in a following aircraft or at an airport or anywhere.

Hope a real airline pilot will comment on this question.

A remote controlled airliner has already been done. There's a well
known test
on an airliner in the desert.
The heavy was equipped with special fuel tanks and anti-misting fuel.
The idea was to try to reduce the explosion / fire hazard in an airliner
when it crashed.
So, they outfitted an airliner with this fuel setup, installed remote controll,
flew it and crached it into the desert.
The airplane flew well but the test failed. The fireball was spectacular.
There is a video around that's not too hard to get.

"Blue" wrote in message ...

"Peter Duniho" wrote in message
...
"Blue" wrote in message
...

Even if it was politically feasible, it would be idiotic to add remote
control to airliners. After all, about the only deterrent right now to
terrorists crashing airliners is that they have to die with the plane.
Given them a remote control, and they don't even need to do that.


It is provocative to look at something from a different angle. Try these:
(1) with a plane configured like this real "terrorists" are not even
necessary they can just be figmentary patseys. (2)Alternatively, if real
the terrorists can be expecting to merely hijack the plane when in fact
they were set up to die as patseys. (3)And yes, real terrorists could
just
have the remote as you suggest but those terrorists would have to be very
special terrorists to be able to swap identical planes. Even more
fascinating is the morphing together of all three of these scenarios.

To help in understanding (3) and "morphing together":

http://www.public-action.com/911/robotplane.html

On Thu, 20 May 2004 14:24:03 +0200, Thomas Peel wrote:

Blue schrieb:

I have a question that can only possibly be answered by real airline pilots
and pilots of the heavy oil-burners at that. Even they may not know - or
want to tell the answer.

I have heard that most if not all of the heavies now flying have special
equipment in them to thwart hijacking. The equipment that I am referring to
is not just an autopilot which is standard but additional mechanical devices
to completely remove control from the cockpit making it possible to take
control away from the flight officers and giving that control to an outside
pilot which could be in a following aircraft or at an airport or anywhere.

Hope a real airline pilot will comment on this question.

Would you want to fly in a plane equipped like that? I would not. The
chances of the system going wrong leaving the plane being controlled by
nobody are higher than the chances of being hijacked by a suicide
bomber.
You should read Bruce Schneier's book about real security.
http://www.schneier.com/book-beyondfear.html

T.

I am in total agreement with you. There would have to be a way to disable
the remote control from the cockpit and how would you keep the hijackers
from learning how to do this?

I will get Schneier's book. I have a couple of his booksand have met him,
but didn't know about that book.

He also has an email news letter that comes out monthly that usually has a
lot of info on various types of security. to subscribe go to
http://www.schneier.com/crypto-gram.html.

JakeInHartsel

On Thu, 20 May 2004 13:56:53 GMT, coustanis wrote:

Blue wrote:

I have a question that can only possibly be answered by real airline pilots
and pilots of the heavy oil-burners at that. Even they may not know - or
want to tell the answer.

I have heard that most if not all of the heavies now flying have special
equipment in them to thwart hijacking. The equipment that I am referring to
is not just an autopilot which is standard but additional mechanical devices
to completely remove control from the cockpit making it possible to take
control away from the flight officers and giving that control to an outside
pilot which could be in a following aircraft or at an airport or anywhere.

Hope a real airline pilot will comment on this question.

A remote controlled airliner has already been done. There's a well
known test
on an airliner in the desert.
The heavy was equipped with special fuel tanks and anti-misting fuel.
The idea was to try to reduce the explosion / fire hazard in an airliner
when it crashed.
So, they outfitted an airliner with this fuel setup, installed remote controll,
flew it and crached it into the desert.
The airplane flew well but the test failed. The fireball was spectacular.
There is a video around that's not too hard to get.

It really did not fly per se, it simply was run down the desert the the
landing gears were sheared off and it "flew" a short distance before
crashing. There was some obstructions in fron of it to assure that the fuel
tanks would rupture.

JakeInHartsel