Inmarsat is proposing a free global airline tracking service as part of the proposed adoption of further aviation safety service measures by the world’s airlines following the loss of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370. It is offering a live data tracking device that would be triggered in the event of a deviation from flight-path.
Inmarsat was appointed as a technical adviser to the UK Air Accident Investigation Branch on Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 after having investigated the Doppler effect of the last available data received from the aircraft.
Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 vanished from civilian radar screens less than an hour after take-off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing with 239 people on board on March 8, 2014. Investigators say what little evidence they have to work with, including the loss of communications, suggests the Boeing 777 diverted thousands of kilometres from its scheduled route. The main body of the aircraft has never been found.
Despite an extensive search, there is still no evidence of what happened to the flight, the sea-search for which has been called off. However, calls have been made for full flight tracking of aircraft in the future, so that aircraft data can be transmitted in live-time, rather than being done via a transponder (that can be switched off) and flight data and cockpit voice recorders (that can only be recovered after wreckage).
Black Box in the Cloud
Inmarsat has announced its support of the regulatory body, the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), and its recommendations to enhance aviation safety, saying it is ready to help in the adoption of a standard for global tracking of commercial aircraft. In a company statement, it said a “safety solution could be up and running in a matter of weeks”.
ICAO: After #MH370 saga, #aircraft set for minute-by-minute tracking — Malay Mail Online http://t.co/FelriGBTHf
— Malaysia Air News (@MalaysiaAirNews) February 10, 2015
The ICAO wants to see flight tracking implemented as quickly as possible as part of the proposed Global Aeronautical Distress and Safety System (GADSS). Inmarsat has been heavily involved in the development of Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Contract (ADS-C) on board aircraft that supports flight tracking activities.
Mary McMillan, Vice President of Safety and Operational Services at Inmarsat, said: “Inmarsat is looking forward to working with ICAO, member states, airlines and all air navigation stakeholders leading to an expedited implementation of the GADSS concept”, says McMillan.
Over 90% of today’s wide-bodied trans-oceanic aircraft are currently equipped with avionics compatible for ADS-C use, meaning it can be rapidly deployed to ensure global harmonisation and operational seamlessness. ADS-C provides active aircraft position tracking by transmitting the aircraft’s current position and the next two planned positions, allowing flight dispatchers and air traffic controllers to track the aircraft’s progress and predict its next position.
Inmarsat is proposing an enhanced position reporting facility to support reduced in-flight aircraft separation, and a ‘black box in the cloud’ service, under which – on the back of certain defined trigger events (such as an unapproved course deviation) – historic and real-time flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder information can be streamed off an aircraft to defined aviation safety recipients.
The service is being offered to all 11,000 commercial passenger aircraft, which are already equipped with satellite connection, virtually 100% of the world’s long haul commercial fleet. It is hoped the new technology could finally track every aircraft and put an end to the speculation about the tragedy of MH370.
