Posted by Dug [139.72.158.28] on Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 13:33:45 :
In Reply to: Re: O/T Missing Aircraft posted by Howard [144.183.16.2] on Thursday, March 13, 2014 at 12:40:39 :
The transponders are used for communicating position and altitude to air traffic control. They can be manualy turned off from the flight deck. The EEC's (electronic engine control) take "snap shots" of engine paramiters and send the information via a datalink. This is the information that the WSJ says Rolls Royce received about 4 hours after the transponders were turned off. This is going to be interesting...I pray for the families waiting to find out about their loved ones.