Excuse the nature of this contentious thread but I would like some watertight reasons for why the current legislation even stands…..
Over recent days I’ve been trying to find out if there are any good ways of charting (in real time) air traffic movements over the internet. Whilst I have been led to believe that it is illegal to publish live UK ATC feeds on the net, I have been listening to various stations in America…..
http://www.liveatc.net/feedindex.php
….whilst at the same time viewing aircraft movements online with a live feed from the passive secondary surveillance radar software from;
http://www.passur.com/index.html
………now although PASSUR is delayed by x mins for ‘security’ reasons I am really in doubt as to the need for this (simple arithmetic negates that hurdle!)
If we assume that we have an a/c approaching to land / takeoff at ‘abc’ airport:
1. Anyone can track its decent/climb profile with an air band scanner.
2. Anyone can stand under its approach/takeoff path
3. Anyone can learn R/T procedure
a. To the extent of identifying the a/c (livery/type) by sight…
(We spotters pride ourselves in it!)
I’m ‘all for’ safer air travel, yet all a/c in the immediate vicinity of landing / takeoff have a prolonged ‘window of vulnerability.’ For this reason (and the basic 3 above!) surely live internet feeds wouldn’t matter a jot to some b*****d intent on an ‘act’ to endanger an a/c of his choice from the ground.
I appreciate this is an incredibly delicate subject and I feel very uneasy posting it, but illegal or lagged feeds really seem like a token gesture and make a not jot of difference to the security of an inbound/outbound a/c.
What am I missing and what valid reasons substantiate not posting an online live ATC feed in all developed countries?
001 (…the greatest patriot this side of The English Channel!)