Pilots must be able to turn off transponders, and sometimes must turn them off for safety reasons.
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It is technically possible for airplanes to operate without being continuously tracked by radar, it is important to understand the context and limitations involved. Why do planes fly in a curved path? Are planes always on radar? Can a fighter jet's radar identify the type of airplane the target is flying?
Turning off the transponder is as simple as setting it to OFF or pulling a circuit breaker and yes, it can be selected OFF in flight, it is just a switch.
These days, many flight trackers provide real-time updates about a plane's location, altitude, and speed, and they can be used to monitor nearly all commercial and cargo flights, and even some private and military flights, too.
Cockpit crews used to include a navigator, who would calculate position via maps, dead reckoning, later the LORAN radio system. Landmarks, both physical and radio. Also, with certain flight paths, there was even celestial navigation used (navigating using the stars).
The good news is that hidden city ticketing isn't illegal. The bad news is that you can get in trouble with airlines for hidden city ticketing, as it does violate the contract of carriage you agree to when booking a ticket.
During inclement weather, the autopilot is normally used. In cases of significant turbulence, a pilot may disengage the autopilot to help ease the vertical loads on the airplane by reducing the corrective control inputs. All takeoffs and most landing are done manually.
To recap, the main reason airplanes dim their cabin lights during nighttime takeoffs and landings is for safety. It creates a safer environment by making the emergency exits easier for passengers to find while also allowing passengers to adjust their vision if an emergency occurs.
Answer: Yes, pilots know what every button and switch does. The school to learn the specifics of an airplane is very intense, requiring great concentration for several weeks.
Critical small pitch and power changes cannot be achieved if the pilot's hand is not on the throttle. The rule should always be to keep your hand on the throttle any time you are at or below the airport traffic pattern altitude.
Is skiplagging illegal? No, but it's against most airlines' contracts of carriage or the rules people must follow to fly with the airline. American Airlines and Southwest Airlines both put skiplagging first on their lists of prohibited booking practices.
To recap: Ghosting is when a fare shows up in the search results of an OTA or flight search site like Google Flights, but when you go to book it, it's no longer available It's a bummer when a great fare ghosts, but there's nothing you can do about it.
Planes have headlights so that pilots can see what is in front of them. Unfortunately, they are only effective during takeoffs and landings. Even with the slight illumination offered by the headlights, only darkness is visible when looking out the front window of a cockpit.
The most tracked flight consists of 4.79 million trackings and was achieved by ZZ177 RAF Boeing C-17A Globemaster III, carrying Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, from Edinburgh, Scotland to London, England on 13 September 2022.
Some high profile aircraft, such as Air Force One are not displayed. Most other aircraft subject to restriction are shown as anonymized by aircraft type.
Modern-day technology on commercial airliners is so good that air traffic control can track the aircraft's position even when it's flying over an ocean.