Originally Posted by letiole
No, that's not the case. There are no alarms. Controller asks pilot to "Confirm squawk 7500." If there is silence, confirmation or if it's NORDO, well it's going to be assumed a hijacking is in progress.
I was told (a coupe of years ago) that the target blooms on the scope like when you hit IDENT, and the target also flashes on the scope, and that audible alarms sound in the scope room and that supervisors are summoned immediately. I havent seen it personaly, I was only going on what I was told. If I was told bad information I stand corrected.
Originally Posted by letiloe
Most ATC facilities are making tours available again. If you're interested in learning more about ATC, you might want to contact Chicago Center about a tour.
Actually I was really curious about Center here so I drove past it last weekend. The whole place screams "Go away". 12 foot high cyclone fences, concertina wire, the guard standing in FRONT of the guard building instead of sitting inside, the entire place looked about as welcoming as the Ohio correctional facility outside of Columbus.
I do beleive that there are ways that a licensed pilot can get a walkthrough and I really should do that. If I can arrange that I'll report back on what the story is as it is presented to me. I never drove by right after 9-11, but I rememebr that in the first few days that O'Hare had city snowplows blocking every point of access to the airport. I'd love to know what ZAU looked like.
--Paul