![]() Yes, but while GPS (Global Positioning System) is a staple of modern life, the world's air traffic control network is still almost entirely radar-based.Īircraft use GPS to show pilots their position on a map, but this data is not usually shared with air traffic control. ![]() However, once an aircraft is more than 240km (150 miles) out to sea, radar coverage fades and air crew keep in touch with air traffic control and other aircraft using high-frequency radio. This flight data is then relayed to air traffic controllers. The code gives the plane's identity and radar stations go on to establish speed and direction by monitoring successive transmissions. Secondary radar, which relies on targets being equipped with a transponder, also requests additional information from the aircraft - such as its identity and altitude.Īll commercial aircraft are equipped with transponders (an abbreviation of "transmitter responder"), which automatically transmit a unique four-digit code when they receive a radio signal sent by radar. It does this whether or not the subject wants to be tracked. Primary radar -based on the earliest form of radar developed in the 1930s, detects and measures the approximate position of aircraft using reflected radio signals. Air traffic control - standard international practice is to monitor airspace using two radar systems: primary and secondary.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |