A closer look
Commercial airplanes literally drop off radar screens while crossing large oceans because land-based radar systems simply cannot reach the middle of the Atlantic or Pacific, meaning air traffic controllers often have to rely on pilots calling in their coordinates via radio; despite living in an age where your smartphone can flawlessly track a ten-dollar food delivery order moving down your street in real-time, giant multi-million-dollar flying metal tubes packed with hundreds of people still occasionally use the honor system over open water; they eventually transition to satellite tracking, but the mere thought that a massive Boeing 777 can just legally disappear into a radar dead zone for an hour is a fantastic reminder that modern aviation is still somewhat held together by duct tape and good intentions
