FLYHT Aerospace Solutions Ltd V.FLY

RE:"What is a 'black box', and why do we still rely on them?"

[rai19]

Here is the part of the article relevant to Flyht. The author obviously has a limited understanding of the technology and what it offers.

Can't the black box stream its data?

In a world where digital data can easily be transmitted and streamed live, there is the question of why planes still store their flight information and voice recordings on a physical black box, rather than in the Cloud.

It turns out this technology does exist, but it just hasn't been widely adopted yet. FLYHT Aerospace has designed a tracking system, about the size of a hotel room safe. It transmits data including coordinates, speed and altitude, to the ground via satellite as soon as the plane suddenly loses altitude, banks sharply or experiences engine vibrations.

 

However, this black box streaming service doesn't come cheaply - over $120,000 £90,000) per plane. The airline industry is unlikely to invest money in such technologies that will only be used in very rare circumstances.

Why aren't planes tracked by satellites?

When Malaysia Airline’s flight MH370 went missing on March 8, 2014, many people were surprised to learn that something as large as a Boeing 777 could effectively disappear from radar screens. It was sobering to discover that, when you're on board a plane watching the in-flight tracker, you have more information about the plane's exact whereabouts than air traffic control.

That's all about to change.

Commercial aircraft are fitted with transponders that relay their location via radar, but these cannot be detected once the plane is more than 150 miles from land. The technology is getting better. A new innovation called Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) means planes can be tracked by receivers on the ground for up to around 290 miles from the shore.

Soon, the scope of ADS-B will be even greater. There is a company called Aireon which in January 2019 launched 66 satellites (and nine spares) kitted out with ADS-B receivers to monitor air traffic. This technology, they say, allows air traffic controllers to track planes flying in previously un-trackable areas with pin-point accuracy. 

 

The satellites have been trialled over the North Atlantic, and regulations mandating the usage of ADS-B mean that all planes in the US must have it fitted by January 2020, and all planes in Europe must be equipped by June 2020. Other countries are in the process of implementing the technology over the next few years. Watch this space (literally).