NORAD intercepting Air France 68 now (plane has landed without incident)

me

[BurbankKarl]

if you have a good scanner in So Cal, tune to 271.0, set it in AM mode and listen to Norad intercept Air France flight 68, due at LAX 515pm

two F16s from AZ current refueling off Pacific

[realpatriot]

YR WLCM

[justlurking]

Im not doubting what you are saying, but why would tactical military aircraft carry civilian transponders so easily mapped....

So that civilian air traffic control can see them.

[Husker24]

I think they can turn their transponders off.

[Central Scrutiniser]

I don't doubt that its being followed, that probably has happened for the last few days to AF 68. What blows lots of folks minds is that Reno is west of Los Angeles...

[safisoft]

Im not doubting what you are saying, but why would tactical military aircraft carry civilian transponders so easily mapped....

Because everybody has to be seen by the controllers. This is SOP. No one, and I mean NO ONE operating in controlled airspace flies without sqwaking a transponder code.

[rwfromkansas]

Who the heck would you call anyway to find out....somebody from NORAD, somebody from the Pentagon?

[railsplitter]

News reports (today) have used the number 25, as to the (US gov.'s) estimated amount of embedded al qaeda moles, said to be potentially operating as aircrew within foreign airlines... tick tick tick

[safisoft]

I think they can turn their transponders off.

Operating in controlled airspace, the lead has to keep his on.

[DefCon]

Two questions if you don't mind...
1-What kind of scanner do you have?
and
2-What kind of scanner do you wish you had?
I am in the market for one.

[mystery-ak]

What is your opinion, is this SOP with the raised alert?

[rwfromkansas]

What is CAP?

[justlurking]

I think they can turn their transponders off.

Any transponder can be turned off or to standby.

However, air traffic control radars will still paint primary returns (i.e. the reflection), without any identifying information.

The transponder provides identification (a 4-digit code, which is mapped to a flight number by the computers) and altitude.

[CatoRenasci]

CAP: Combat Air Patrol

[jerri]

LOL!! that's too funny.

[safisoft]

CAP = Combat Air Patrol

[Hodar]

why would tactical military aircraft carry civilian transponders so easily mapped....

Oh, pick me!! Because while US Fighters are in patrol in friendly skies, it's really helpful to the Flight Controllers to know what aircraft are where. If the jets want to fly in and through civilian airspace in peacetime; Flight Control has to know who is where. Otherwise things get messy.

Now, if the fighters wanna be 'sneaky', they can simply turn off the civilian transponders. Then they'd simply be a blip on the screen. But, there will be hell to pay at some point in time.

[Central Scrutiniser]

Yep, a few of them don't seem to make sense at first, MCO is Orlando (McCormick AFB), BDL is Hartford (Bradley), SNA is Orange County (Santa Ana), BNA is Nashville, CVG is for Cincinatti, etc...

[Finalapproach29er]

Thank you. I'm rusty on those regs.

[demlosers]

Combat Air Patrol (CAP)

[Aeronaut]

But, there will be hell to pay at some point in time.

Perhaps just before the Flight Leader felt the need to turn it off...?