THE West, in particular the US, spends billions on high-tech aircraft for military use. It seems incredible, therefore, that a large civilian aircraft such as MH370 can simply vanish and nobody has a clue where it went, so relatives are left in the dark.
Why is it that positional coordinates are not transmitted by every airliner without a pilot switch-off option? Since the earth is ringed by GPS satellites, it should be possible to get a regular position fix and then relay this using long distance short wave to a small network of listening stations.
But here we come back to the military. The frequencies that are best for reliable long-distance communication are reserved for military use, because they work, unlike the amateur bands.
Maybe satellite phone terminals in aircraft are the answer. There must be developments in future that allow no hiding place for rogue civilian aircraft.
Chris Clayton, Hempland Drive, York.
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