Virtual Black Box Technology Currently Available for Augmenting the Role of Black Box During Flight and After Accidents
TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - April 2, 2015) - Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. ("Star "or "the Company") (TSX VENTURE:SNA) (OTCBB:SNAVF) has been a long standing advocate of the need for streaming mandatory and critical aircraft parameters of the flight of an aircraft to a ground station, during the flight. This is the first step towards the concept of creating a virtual black box.
Currently, with the MH370 mystery still unresolved, the Air Asia accident, and the unfortunate Germanwings incident, Star Navigation reiterates its position that the use of its state-of-the-art technology will complete the transition of an airborne Black Box to becoming a Virtual Black Box on the ground.
Star's technology can play a vital role in aircraft operations/data availability in both the following scenarios:
- Live operations - Star technology provides routine flight data in real time, for all operational needs including flight operations and maintenance, and operations efficiency oriented monitoring, including system engine alerts. It also includes precise and continuous Real time flight tracking using worldwide satellite coverage including over remote and trans-oceanic zones.
- Post-accident Data recovery - where the Cockpit Voice Recorder and Flight Data Recorder, commonly known as the "Black Box", is simply not available and or data is missing or corrupted.
Star has analyzed the recent accidents, including AF447, and is very confident that its technology would have helped the investigators in their preliminary and longer term fact findings:
MH 370,- had Star's technology been in service on MH 370, the system would have known that the transponder was turned off, that the communications were also turned off and would have identified its deviation from its original flight path. All of that information would have been analyzed by the on-board component of the STAR-A.D.S. ™ system and reported as major deviations from the "normal" flight plan. The on-board computer is impervious to any tampering as it does not have cockpit interface and would have sent critical alerts to ground identifying the aircraft, showing trajectory and systems health and streaming down all critical parameters to the ground. In addition, it would have specifically indicated the aircraft's final position.
Air Asia 8501- investigators are still investigating the root-cause of the accident. However, the airplane's unusual descent and abnormal flight envelope would have been identified by the Star equipment on -board and ground operations would have been informed immediately. The real time flight tracking technology would have precisely identified the final position of the downed aircraft.
AF447- The investigation undertaken by the French BEA following the tragic disappearance of AF447 noted that if an aircraft is tracked every minute, the wreckage can be found with 4-6 nautical miles. Star's technology has this capability.
Germanwings 9525- the unusual aircraft descent of the aircraft outside of its flight path would have been picked up by Star's technology immediately and would have been transmitted to the ground along with the stream of data, including critical parameters. Even with the DFDR still not recovered, the Authorities would have had available to them transmitted data on systems status until the last moment.
Star's technology is available now and is fully capable of significantly augmenting the role of current Black Box technology by transmitting crucial information in real time to the ground.
Indeed, it is a game changer in the industry.
About Star Navigation: (www.star-navigation.com)
Star Navigation Systems Group Ltd. owns the exclusive worldwide license to its proprietary, patented In-flight Safety Monitoring System, STAR-ISMS®, the heart of the STAR-A.D.S. ™ System. It is the first system in the world to feature in-flight data-analysis, monitoring and diagnostics with a real-time connection between aircraft and ground. Its real-time capability of tracking performance trends and predicting incident-occurrence enhances aviation safety and improves fleet management while reducing costs for the operator.
Star's MMI Division designs and manufactures high performance mission critical flight deck, flat panel displays for defence and commercial aviation industries worldwide.
Certain statements contained in this News Release may constitute forward-looking statements. When used in this document, the words "may" "would", "could", "will" and similar expressions, as they relate to Star or its management are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Such statements reflect Star's current views with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Many factors could cause Star's actual performance or achievements to vary from those described herein. Should one or more of these factors or uncertainties materialize, or should assumptions underlying forward-looking statements prove incorrect, actual results may vary materially from those described herein as intended, planned, anticipated, believed, estimated or expected.
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