Transmit the data and we don't have to search for the recorder. Saves a lot of money
Originally Posted by
Derfred
Do you really think they wouldn't have bothered searching for AF, or indeed MH if they had the black box data already? Try telling that to the relatives of the deceased...
If the data included the position of the aircraft then it is true you would not have to search - you would know where it was. This entire thread and for that matter the one on AF447 exists because nobody knows where the aircraft is and what happened. After AF447 BEA proposed that aircraft over oceans should make regular ADS-C reports down to as often as once a minute so that in an emergency the search and rescue/recovery knows where to start. The BEA proposal was discarded of course as the beancounters wouldn't pay. Now INMARSAT is offering a free service for this 'tracking' perhaps someone will start setting ADS-C contracts down to say 90 seconds. For FANS 1/A aircraft this could be done today without any equipage change and with INMARSATs offer it could be done at no cost.
Why isn't it being done?