If only MH370 had this flight tracking system, which is being installed by First Air in Canada
- 17 HOURS AGO MAY 11, 2014
Aircraft involved in the MH370 search. Picture: CPL Nicci Freeman. Department of Defence. Source: Supplied
HOW on Earth does a commercial plane vanish in the modern aviation age?
This is the perplexing question that the world is still struggling with, two months after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
It’s hard to fathom the fact that a plane carrying hundreds of people cannot be tracked constantly — and in real time — throughout its entire journey, an issue raised by Malaysian authorities last week in a preliminary report on the shocking incident.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about what happened to the stricken jet, but the report indicated it was deliberately flown in a westerly direction shortly after it dropped out of radio contact in what’s feared was a deliberate attempt to avoid Indonesian air space. It was missing for four hours before Malaysia’s Rescue Coordination Centre was activated.
So could a groundbreaking new flight tracking system that’s being installed by the tiny Canada-based airline First Air have aided the desperate search for answers?
The new “FLYHTSTream” system was chosen by First Air as it was unsatisfied with the tracking systems already in use by airlines around the world.
Created by Calgary-based FLYHT Aerospace Solutions, the technology will allow the airline to know where its planes are at all times as it can live-streams black box data which can be viewed on television screens on the ground. It’s an industry-first move.
“Everybody talks about the black box on an aeroplane, but it is permanently installed on an aeroplane and if (it) goes missing so does the black box,” Vic Charlebois, vice president of Flight Operations at the airline told GlobalNews.
“What this technology allows us to do is if the aircraft gets into difficulty the Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) will look back 20 seconds from where the event (emergency) occurred and pick up the data from the aeroplane — the same data that is being stored in the black box — and start streaming it to a secure server.”
First Air, which flies between Ottawa, Canada, and the Arctic, began to roll out the system two-and-a-half years ago, but only recently announced it was doing so. It’s hoped the system will be fully implemented by the end of the month.
Where did MH370 go? Source: Supplied
What is FLYSTream?
Essentially, the system gives those on the ground constant access to flight data and the cockpit audio recorder in the event of an emergency.
There’s a button that pilots can push to notify those on the ground that the flight is in trouble, with data immediately transmitted. Ground staff can also activate the streaming.
“If one of the dispatchers happened to see something unusual going on with the aircraft they could push a button and it would start streaming the data to the ground,” Charlebois said.
“Let’s take the case of the Malaysian aircraft — if it was being monitored through satellites and a dispatcher did see it wander off course somewhere, the procedure would be to activate the Flight Stream and then contact the crew to see what was going on.”
The underwater search for MH370. Picture: AFP/Australian Defence/Lsis Bradley Darvill Source: AFP
Matt Bradley from FLYHT said had MH370 been fitted with the new system, a range of information would have been available even if it lost power.
“With triggered data transmission, we would know where the aircraft was when AFIRS last had electrical power and we would know the behaviour of the aircraft at all times leading up to the point at which aircraft sensors or data buses lost power, including altitude, attitude, airspeed, direction/heading, engine state, doors open/closed, and many other parameters.”
A First Air plane in Calgary. Picture: Alan Sim Source: Flickr
The system also provides alerts on the health of the aircraft, identifying components that may need to undergo maintenance.
At a cost of up to $100,000 to buy and install an AFIRS box and antenna per aircraft, it’s not cheap. But keep in mind that a single business class seat can cost this much. It’s a small price to pay for safety.
So how does this differ from the current flight tracking system?
The Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) is the standard system used by airlines for the transmission of short messages between aircraft and ground stations that has been used since 1978.
It’s a one-way communications system and relies on radar connections or spotty satellite pings, Charlebois said. And First Air simply doesn’t have radar available along its routes as it flies into remote locations through harsh weather conditions that take down radio and phone communications for automatic departure and arrival message protocols. They previously relied on this to determine the status of their flights.
The search continues. Source: AP
Charlebois said the new system gives the airline greater confidence: “AFIRS knows where the aircraft should fly so if it veers more than about 20 miles (32 kilometres) from its path. everyone is alerted.”
So why aren’t other airlines adopting the system? Skift cites misconceptions in the industry that ACARS already does everything that airlines need. Also, the additional data the new system provided is only needed in rare cases as flying is so safe.
A candlelight vigil for passengers on the missing MH370. Source: AP
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