Can somebody tell me why airline companies do not put location transponders on planes that can't be disabled?

@Dave C

The worst is that I get some people like you to travel as passenger on my plane.

I would not object if you sit in a kennel in the baggage compartment.

@Dave C,My guess is that your not a pilot?I can understand your thinking/reasoning but there are times for the reasons stated by others when the 4096 code transponder(four digits ranging 0-7 inclusive 8x8x8x8x=4096 possible codes)must be turned off.

I'm a hobby pilot.But I earn my living running a poultry farm and driving HGVs (in the USA you call them "rigs" or "semis" I believe).The supermarket chain I drive for has satellite tracking on ALL it's fleet in which also relays trucks speed,acceleration,time to destination,drivers hours(tachograph hours) remaining....you name it similar to ACARS via SSR transponder,and it cannot be disabled by the driver(not without stopping and taking the fuse out).In an aircraft flight deck environment if an electrical system cannot be disabled at all and it was to cause a fire the burning would give off toxic fumes and damage other systems.

Unlike a truck you cannot just pull over in 15 seconds or so and jump out if it sets on fire,so the pilot MUST be able to disable it if necessary.

You could possibly have some other tracking device isolated away from the flight deck that is low current and voltage(possibly separate 12V battery powered) that transmits position via satellite similar to a cell phone as a tamper proof backup.However such a device would not constitute what is a transponder.

Because this sort of things has never happened before.

And because, like all other equipment, those things need electricity and could fail with a short circuit that could cause a fire that could burn and aircraft, if they were not protected by circuit breaker.

That is why.

That is 'cause the I.T.U. staff have not yet writen a rule to do so.

But, you could write a letter to I.T.U. clarifying your personal viewpoint about,

I am sure they will consider your message very important.

Write a letter to

World Telecommunication Development Conference 2014

30 March-10 April 2014, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Mail Address is :

ITU (International Telecommunication Union)

Place des Nations

1211 Geneva 20 Switzerland

Email: itumail@itu.int

Hello Dave C...

I suppose your copyright for transponder is one without OFF or STBY position -

So, if there is an electrical short, let it burn the entire cockpit wiring -

And black smoke overcome the pilots -

The only "crap" is your uneducated suggestion -

Excellent question. I saw on the news that it was a simple flip of a switch to turn it off. This is pure insanity. With all the crap we have to go through to get on a plane, they may as well paint a sign on the side of it; "Steal this plane and we can't find you"

It would be far less expensive to have no switch for it and any excuse that it will interfere with anything is crap.

@Linda

Take an electronics course and then contact the families of the missing passengers and tell them you'd rather they fly in the belly of the plane than have an active transmitter on your aircraft.

And B.T.W., do you happen to know the pilots that stole this plane?

Hey Skipper, there are literally thousands of devices on an aircraft that are not switched in the cockpit. Just because there is no switch, doesn't mean its circuit is not fused. Further to that, the current required to run a GPS transmitter is less than what is required for the switch and indicator bulb in the cockpit which is more likely to fail and release smoke into said cockpit than a transmitter mounted in the tail...or anywhere else.

Rather than coming off like a pedantic hole, why don't you think before you speak? Gawd, I hope you don't really fly.

@Ben,

Thanks for the reasonable input.

because things that cannot be switched off, tend to eat battery power.

...not to speak of the quantity of data to transmit and store, on a daily basis.

can you possibly imagine that even a VOLTMETER to gauge battery voltage, HAS power consumption of its own?

-Last I Heard, it was TOO "Expensive" ! But in light of Recent Events, I have a feeling that They're going to start FINDING some way to come Up with the $$$- pretty Quick !! ;)

Because there are times when they must be off, such as while taxiing on the airport surface or sitting at the gate, or when a controller requests it or when it malfunctions..

there is nothing that cannot be disabled