Broadcasting Black Box & CVR Data

[Skylark 4 BLW]

Ladies & Gentlemen, I would welcome your thoughts on something that has been in my mind for a number of years.

Given that CVRs and FDRs are nearly always the only 100% reliable source of data for piecing together the vital few seconds before a crash etc,it strikes me as highly vulnerable that this kit is actually carried on the aircraft and has to be found from the wreckage.

I was wondering therefore, does not the technology exist to continously 'download' via a VHF / UHF transmission this data every ten seconds or so to either the conrolling ATC or maybe a dedicated site? By all means keep the CVR & FDR in the aircraft but if it is possible to do this (and I dont see why not), this would give instantaneous access to this vital data and would in the case of last Tuesday's unfortunate event have possibly given ATC the full picture.

Just an idea, please feel free to tell me I'm talking bullocks if you like.

Sincere condolencies to everyone concerned with NYC - we in Britain feel your pain.

PM

[mikeyp]

It would be ok except for the poor pilot not liked by management that made a off handed comment. Just imagine you and your best friend driving down the road. What do you talk about? Is there any talk that you would not like anyone to hear? ever? It's impossible to sit in the cockpit for hours on end, and not to talk to the guy or girl next to you. Most of the time nothing is said that would offend anyone. Ocassionally jokes are told or discussions take place that could offend most everyone. And if they knew enough to turn off the transponders there may be nothing on the CVR or DFR either.

just my two cents.

[Eboy]

The technology building blocks exist to do this. A transponder, for example, transmits basic aircraft data regularly. One might craft a system using Inmarsat or another satellite network. Trucks in the U.S., as another example, can use Qualcomm's Omnitracs satellite system to send truck positioning information, cargo temperature, speed of the truck, etc. with a little bubble antenna on the roof. Ideally you want to get countries together on this (frequencies, transmission standards, etc.), and that would be tough. I'm just talking technology here. The pilot's privacy concerns are real and should be addressed in any such system.

[Pentac]

This could be done and is actually being discussed in some circles. Some practical problems for this relate to bandwidth requirements to transfer data and onboard recording/processing devices to package and send the data. Many data points bubble up and traverse the ARINC 537/717/429/575 data bus at a fairly high rate of occurrence, around 1/6th of a second for every input (dozens on newer aircraft). Couple that data with audio, and possibly video (if Mary “I don’t understand economics” Schiavo gets her way), and you have a large data package to squeeze into a narrow tube (VHF). While there have been advances in VHF data links, you are now talking about nearly continuous data streams clogging the airwaves.

I am a proponent of information transfer, not data connections for the sake of data. If you have smart devices (data concentrators) onboard the aircraft to recognize significant deviations from the standard flight profile, have triggering events to turn it on, you could establish a situation where data/information are jettisoned - almost like jettisoning the Captains log.