Beyond the Black Box

[Flashback]

IEEE Spectrum: Beyond the Black Box

An interesting look at the black box and where it may be headed in the future.

 

[medhead]

Yes interesting thanks.

It does seem to me that this cloud, review of all flight data could happen now already in a way. The could just download the data once a day to the server when it is "plugged in" at an airport. Sure that wouldn't address the lost blackbox situation, but it would provide the other benefits that are mentioned.

 

[straitman]

IEEE Spectrum: Beyond the Black Box

An interesting look at the black box and where it may be headed in the future.

I find this article interesting but lacking in current research. (There is a big statement)

Most new aircraft already have this capability, it is utilised extensively and this was alluded to in the article when referring to Air France 447. The problem with this technique is that from the moment that the transmissions cease, which can be very early in the timeline when an aircraft starts to break up there is no more data which is why the 'black (orange) box' is so important.

This live data transfer is used by Boeing, Airbus, Sikorsky, Bell, Agusta Westland to name just a few and has been used proactively many times to highlight engine and gear box issues before there is a failure.

What is really needed and is touched upon in the article is a uniform set of standards and monitoring for these data links. At the moment each manufacturer does their own thing, so to speak. Combine this with the involvement of several languages and the message can get quite garbled and/or too much or not enough information is collected and transferred.