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Man charged over hoax ATC calls near Melbourne Airport (Australia)
A 19 year old man has been charged following 16 separate instances of unauthorised radio transmissions between September and November this year. (www.abc.net.au) المزيد...Will be interesting to hear how they tracked him down.
Does anyone know if he continued to interfere with ATC? If he didn't, the authorities may have tracked him down through social media posts or an anonymous tip. I think RDF would have required prolonged activity to get a good fix, especially if he was located in a populated area.
With two or three state-of-the-art RDF mobile units, they can get a fix in less than a second. The units process all calls (ATC, aircraft, etc) on the frequency, and any that aren't in the right place would be flagged immediately. Yes, reflections can be an issue, but their effect can be minimised.
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Paul Sant, from Melbourne's Rockbank, was arrested by Australian Federal Police on Monday before being charged on Tuesday and remanded until next week...
The 19-year-old allegedly made 16 unauthorised radio transmissions between September 5 and November 3, in which he allegedly communicated directly with pilots and control towers.
Mr Sant was charged on Tuesday with four counts of endangering the safety of aircraft and one count of interference likely to endanger safety or cause loss or damage. He faces up to 20 years' jail.
Mr Sant's defence lawyer Pern Chaya told Melbourne Magistrates Court his client suffered from depression and autism and had not been taking medication.
'He's 19, so he's a young prisoner,' Ms Chaya said.
It is alleged he posed as an air traffic controller and instructed pilots to circle the area before landing, with one alleged call forcing a Virgin plane to abort its landing"
Chances are that his lengthy sojourn in prison won't do much for his depression.