Reply #88: I don't think they need to mess with the airplane to get pilot error [View All]

[libertypirate]

My Earlier Post :

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x4717180#4721964

On most installations marker beacons operating at a carrier frequency of 75 MHz are provided. When the transmission from a marker beacon is received it activates an indicator on the pilot's instrument panel and the tone of the beacon is audible to the pilot. The distance from the runway at which this indication should be received is promulgated in the documentation for that approach, together with the height at which the aircraft should be if correctly established on the ILS.


The beacon signal is audible Morse code transmitting on a well known frequency. The pilot is notified to begin their decent when they reach this beacon. If the beacon signal is early the airplane will start its decent before it should and land short of the runway. As well the ILS frequencies for altitude could be spoofed making the pilot believe their altitude is something it is not. This not a feet of radio signal engineering, I am not an expert but I bet most programmable radios that are capable of producing Morse code would be enough.

Although similar effect of landing short of the runway at steep approach if the plane never receives the signal to stop rapid decent.