Plans for Phase 2 of CVR/FDR Search
"Air France 447 Search Effort: Phase II Fact Sheet
June 24, 2009
C & C Technologies, Inc. (C & C) has received inquiries regarding our discussions with the French BEA on the second phase of the AF447 search effort.
The following information may help minimize communication errors:
1) Pinger Life: Dukane, the AF447 pinger manufacturer, has confirmed that the pingers may only last a day or so longer than the specified thirty days. Unlike regular flashlight batteries that fade out slowly, the battery technology used in the pingers will hold its voltage for the thirty days, and then quickly collapse along with the transmitted signal.
2) Contact by BEA: The French BEA has contacted C & C by phone and e-mail regarding use of C & C's 4,500 meter (15,000 feet) rated autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) to perform a sonar search for the flight recorders. C & C has two 250 foot (76 meter) ships near the crash area equipped with state-of-theart AUV systems. However, the AUVs on those vessels are only rated for 3,000 meters (10,000 feet), and the wreck area approaches 4,500 meters. If the pingers are not found by the end of June, French authorities may ask C & C to send its 4,500 meter rated AUV to Brazil to search the mountainous underwater terrain.
3) Comments Regarding BEA's Actions: While the first phase of the search for the flight recorders continues, the BEA is making contingency plans for a second phase. Tapping C & C's world-renowned deepwater AUV search capability indicates the French authorities' commitment to locate the recorders and solve the mystery. Given the complexity of the situation, the BEA is making all the right moves.
4) AUV Description: Like the unmanned drone aircraft used by the military, AUVs are unmanned, untethered, computer controlled underwater vehicles. C & C's 4,500 meter rated vehicle is capable of searching large areas while flying at a constant height off the ocean bottom at four knots for two days at a time before returning to the surface to refuel. ..."
Lafayette Company Assists in AirFrance Efforts