Integrated Flight Data Recorder design - Data via satellite
Slightly ahead of what's happening right now with the AF 330 accident, but is it time for governments to mandate the design of self transmitting FDR's / CVR's that broadcast dynamic real time data streams via satellite.
There are technical issues here, particularly with antenna and transmitter integrity in the event of inflight structural issues. But with existing design capacity withstanding high G loads, then surely it's possible to build units with integral antennas and transmitters that have equivalent strucrural capacity to provide data for for the same period of time.
Clearly, this would enable much more rapid accident analysis as the physical recorders would not have to be located.
I'm sure there are experts in this field who read PpruNe who can answer this ?