A Better ‘Black Box; More News

In the wake of the fatal crash of an Air France Airbus A330-200 in the Atlantic on May 31, 2009 and the inability of searchers to retrieve the jetliner’s flight data recorder (FDR) and cockpit voice recorder (CVR) from the bottom of the deep ocean water, interest has grown for continuous data streaming of critical aircraft condition and flight data recorder information to the ground.

That interest was heightened after the crash of another Airbus aircraft off the Comoros islands on June 30. The Yemenia Airlines Airbus A310 plunged into the Indian Ocean as it was trying to land in Moroni, killing 152 people. It took nearly two months and an extensive search by a specially-equipped French vessel to locate the flight data recorder on Aug. 28 in a zone where the average depth is estimated at 3,600 feet. The cockpit voice recorder was plucked from the ocean waters the next day.

The lack of success in locating the CVR and FDR aboard the ill-fated Air France Flight 447 prompted Airbus to consider redesign of the critical air safety devices so they broadcast the crucial data in advance of a crash.

Currently, the FDR and CVR simply serve as onboard recording devices. The FDR collects data from aircraft systems, while the CVR records crew conversation and aural warnings heard on the flight deck. The FDR holds 25 hours of data on 88 flight parameters while the CVR stores the final two hours of cockpit audio.

Presently, the devices must be recovered in the wake of an accident after which information can be retrieved from the FDR and CVR in a laboratory by skilled technicians. As designed, the so-called ‘black boxes’ do not transmit real time information from an aircraft.

The FDR and CVR work separately from a jetliner’s Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), an air-to-ground link that automatically sends operational information, maintenance data and fault reports to the ground. But ACARS does not offer the bandwidth needed for real-time transmission of all the data stored in the digital FDR and CVR.

Airbus is undertaking a study for improving flight data recovery, including, but not limited to, implementation of extended data transmission from commercial airliners, so that in the event of accidents, critical flight information can still be recovered and provided to accident investigation authorities even if finding the black boxes prove futile.

Tom Enders, president and CEO of Airbus says “various technical means for reinforcing flight data recovery and data transmission to ground centers are principally available. We will now study different options for viable commercial solutions, including those where our experience with real-time data transmission from our own test aircraft could support the further development of such solutions." The study will consider technological issues as well as data protection and privacy concerns.

At issue is whether a ‘better black box’ can be built. Aviation consultants say a constant stream of data from enroute jetliners would produce mountains of irrelevant data. "The volume of information you're talking about is infeasible in terms of what it would cost to do that for every airplane," Ray Oishi, a senior engineering fellow at ARINC, told Business Week. “Airlines would discard virtually all the routine data that was sent. Just because it's imaginable doesn't mean it's practicable."

Some years ago, L-3 Aviation Recorders, the largest maker of flight data recorders, teamed with a satellite company to study the cost of moving to a flight data transmission system. Even assuming a 50 percent reduction in future satellite transmission costs, the study estimated that the pricetag would be prohibitive: $300 million annually for a U.S. carrier flying international routes. In comparison, data and voice recorders cost about $20,000 and are certified for 100,000 flight hours, or about 30 years.

A couple of Canadian companies believe there may be a better way.

Calgary-based Western Avionics says automated emergency data streaming is available today. Company officials believe their CommuniCube is capable of streaming emergency data directly from the FDR buss, plus any other discreet input, to the ground. They say the CommuniCube feature has been available for four years and is included in most installations.

The CommuniCube is a powerful wireless server that is used in several different aviation applications, ranging from simple FOQA data transfer to moving emergency medical services (EMS) patient data ahead of the aircraft to a hospital. This flexibility has been utilized to allow Emergency Data Automated Transfer (EDAT).

In an extreme case, like Air France Flight 447, where the pilots might not have the time to activate data transmission, the CommuniCube can sense sudden changes in aircraft behavior and begin sending data immediately to an operations center. Thus the data transfer can be initiated automatically or through a pilot-initiated “panic” button.

“This information could be vital in locating an aircraft and later determining causes, especially if the FDR cannot be recovered,” the company believes.

The CommuniCube is currently flying on commercial aircraft worldwide, using four available methods of data communication, including satellite, HF and WiFi, to move aircraft data to operational centers.

Meanwhile, AeroMechanical Services, also headquartered in Calgary, says Automated Flight Information Reporting System (AFIRS) testing has been completed, promising to “stream data from aircraft to ground anywhere, anytime, in real-time.”

Under the brand FLYHT, AMS manufactures the patented AFIRS 220, a streaming mode that triggers transmission of essential position and FDR information. The system provides a continuous automated link between onboard avionics (including GPS and FDR), the Iridium global satellite network and a ground-based web-server that automatically routes messages to any number of designated recipients, all within seconds.

Formerly thought uneconomic owing to the massive bandwidth and infrastructure required, AMS’s technology compresses flight data to fully use available bandwidth, allowing it to send many times more information than an aircraft with a standard satellite communications system. The system also has a two-way voice capability so crews can contact ground personnel, and includes a manually initiated event button to report a hijacking or other non-system-related emergency.

The AFIRS system uses a combination of normal transmissions using short burst data, and emergency streaming of critical position and FDR information. The use of Iridium means that there are no coverage gaps in the AFIRS data streaming anywhere on the globe, said AMS, adding it promises a “significant contribution to aircraft safety and operational efficiency, especially for aircraft flying outside of radar and terrestrial-based communication coverage areas.” The emergency mode data streaming enhancement to the AFIRS 220 system is the subject of a new patent application filed by AMS.

Currently, more than 30 operators on six continents have contracted AMS for the AFIRS 220 system and these operators will be immediate beneficiaries of this new application of the existing technology.

“This capability is not only valuable in improving responses to in-flight issues, but in the rare case where an aircraft is lost. This data stream can provide immediate insight into the exact flight path, location, and the possible cause of the accident.” Said AMS president Richard Hayden.

“Doing this can provide insight into in-flight incidents and aid in rescue missions and accident reconstructions in the event that an aircraft’s black box cannot be recovered.

“Although Air France Flight 447 was equipped with satellite communication technology and ACARS, not having the ability to automatically stream position and flight data in real-time meant that the messages were limited in diagnostic information,” he noted.

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