bigfish said:
Hang on a minute...
here's an hypothesis that attempts to rationalize an alternative explanation for what happened that day.
And
here's the authors academic profile.
I cannot despute any mathematical analysis put forward by Downey. The problems I have are with Longspaugh the 'aerospace engineer'.
I have already provided evidence on the other thread that totally demolishes his theory about a global hawk, cruise missile of F16 hitting the pentagon.
From your link
It is possible to produce the appearance of a terrorist attack on the United States by means that do not employ terrorists, as such, but by the simple substitution of one aircraft for another, particularly when the transponders of the aircraft involved are turned off. The only people who need to be deceived by such an operation are the radar operators at air traffic control (ATC) centers.
This is clearly bollocks. From links I have provided on the other thread it is possible for an airline company to track their entire fleet of aircraft, anywhere in the world, from a PC anywhere in the world. This is thanks to the VHF data transmission system that I doubted.
If the transponders were turned off this simply removes aircraft ID and altitude from the ATC radar. A blip is still visible unless the aircraft is flown below radar. Turning off the transponders does not turn off the VHF radio system so this would still be transmitting the aircraft position which could be picked up by the airlines or anyone else with a VHF radio and PC.
Even if you flew below radar level to lose the blip on radar, it could still be possible for the VHF system to get through. The data system also has the ability to connect to satellite radio systems, which if fitted to the aircraft, enabeling the aircraft to be seen no matter how low it flew.
Also from the link (numbers added by me)
1. Four of the named hijackers were not in the United States.
2. The WTC towers collapsed without adequate heat stress.
3. Smaller aircraft accompanied Flights 77 and 93.
4. Most of the alleged hijackers were rather poor pilots.
5. Evidence of the alleged hijackers developed too quickly.
6. Westward excursion of Flights UA93 and AA77 are inexplicable as terrorists hurrying to targets."
Anomalies
7. The US Air Force failed to intercept any of the flights.
8. The hijackers' names did not show up on passenger lists.
9. The hijackers' faces did not appear on boarding gate videos.
10. Black boxes were missing from all but one flight.
Contradictions
11. The Pentagon was not struck by a large passenger aircraft.
12. Cellphone calls alleged to have been made by passengers were essentially impossible.
1. False passports / ID could have been used. This would also explain the surviving terrorists.
2. How much heat stress does a building need? Steel when cherry red becomes quite maleable ant that's at only 400 degrees C (if I remember basic metalwork right). Downey himself claims the fire would only burn at 880 degrees C which is twice the temp required to soften the steelwork.
3. Got any radar tracks to proove that the jets were trailled?
4. As has already being stated by people who have flown, the hardest parts of flying are take off and landing. Neither of which were performed by the terrorists.
5. Can't comment.
6. Maybe it took the terrorists longer to take over these planes.
7. If the aircraft were flying below radar level, no one would know where they were to send fighters to intercept them. They would first have to send up an AWACS, be able to decipher which blips were which and then send in the USAF.
8 & 9. If the terrorists got on board by the method I suggested then ofcourse they wouldn't appear on CCTV of passenger manifests.
10. Black boxes are not indestructible. In the case of the WTC they are certainly not designed to survive 1000's of tons of concrete and steel girders crashing down on them.
11. I beg to differ and have seen photographic evidence on the web of several other aircraft parts, plus eyewitness accounts. Even remains of seat cover fabric being identified by an ex-stewardess as coming from an American Airlines aircraft.
12. Cell phones are possible from aircraft, specially if flying at low altitude. Several posters on these boards have actually done so.
These cock-ups come from only the first few paragraphs. So I gave up reading anyfurther.
