eli5 Why can’t black boxes in Aeroplanes update data to a cloud throughout a flight or after a crash has occured? why do we need to find the physical box?
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Airplanes would need to constantly upload to most likely a satelite link, and that is expensive times 25,000 flights per day in the us. Crashes are also extremely rare, so its not a huge benefit compared to the cost when a black box. The black box is very reliable too, and can record data while a crash is occuring. During many crash scenarios a plan would lose a fragile satelite uplink, while a black box will record till the very end.
Black boxes are fairly basic devices. They record everything with the intent of it being preserved through a crash. A lot of aircraft data is recorded and broadcast, such as ADS-B data, but streaming the cockpit voice recorder as well as flight data requires a lot of additional technology that costs more money and requires more equipment that needs to be made robustly (to avoid dying in a crash). That said, companies like Inmarsat are trying to create a black box in the cloud.
https://www.inmarsat.com/en/insights/aviation/2016/the-black-box-in-the-cloud.html#:~:text=’%20Officially%20termed%20Flight%20Data%20Recorders,vital%20signs%20to%20cockpit%20conversations.
There basically needs to be upgrades to the aircraft, as well as ground supports/satellites to manage this information. For the ICAO to consider this as good enough, not only does it need to be as strong as a black box type recorder but also have the reliability that we just don’t currently have infrastructure for, nor the real desire from an aviation money side to implement.
Airplanes would need to constantly upload to most likely a satelite link, and that is expensive times 25,000 flights per day in the us. Crashes are also extremely rare, so its not a huge benefit compared to the cost when a black box. The black box is very reliable too, and can record data while a crash is occuring. During many crash scenarios a plan would lose a fragile satelite uplink, while a black box will record till the very end.
Lots of planes upload telemetry data as they go, mainly for performance analysis (engines are operating better than expected, nice tailwind improving arrival, etc)
The data is *also* recorded in the black box
There is one big problem with “upload to the cloud after a crash”. How?
You need a power source and antenna that both survived the crash and are still connected to it. If you’ve got that then the cockpit radio probably still works too
Black boxes are fairly basic devices. They record everything with the intent of it being preserved through a crash. A lot of aircraft data is recorded and broadcast, such as ADS-B data, but streaming the cockpit voice recorder as well as flight data requires a lot of additional technology that costs more money and requires more equipment that needs to be made robustly (to avoid dying in a crash). That said, companies like Inmarsat are trying to create a black box in the cloud.
https://www.inmarsat.com/en/insights/aviation/2016/the-black-box-in-the-cloud.html#:~:text=’%20Officially%20termed%20Flight%20Data%20Recorders,vital%20signs%20to%20cockpit%20conversations.
There basically needs to be upgrades to the aircraft, as well as ground supports/satellites to manage this information. For the ICAO to consider this as good enough, not only does it need to be as strong as a black box type recorder but also have the reliability that we just don’t currently have infrastructure for, nor the real desire from an aviation money side to implement.
Lots of planes upload telemetry data as they go, mainly for performance analysis (engines are operating better than expected, nice tailwind improving arrival, etc)
The data is *also* recorded in the black box
There is one big problem with “upload to the cloud after a crash”. How?
You need a power source and antenna that both survived the crash and are still connected to it. If you’ve got that then the cockpit radio probably still works too
Lots of planes upload telemetry data as they go, mainly for performance analysis (engines are operating better than expected, nice tailwind improving arrival, etc)
The data is *also* recorded in the black box
There is one big problem with “upload to the cloud after a crash”. How?
You need a power source and antenna that both survived the crash and are still connected to it. If you’ve got that then the cockpit radio probably still works too
Airplanes would need to constantly upload to most likely a satelite link, and that is expensive times 25,000 flights per day in the us. Crashes are also extremely rare, so its not a huge benefit compared to the cost when a black box. The black box is very reliable too, and can record data while a crash is occuring. During many crash scenarios a plan would lose a fragile satelite uplink, while a black box will record till the very end.
Black boxes are fairly basic devices. They record everything with the intent of it being preserved through a crash. A lot of aircraft data is recorded and broadcast, such as ADS-B data, but streaming the cockpit voice recorder as well as flight data requires a lot of additional technology that costs more money and requires more equipment that needs to be made robustly (to avoid dying in a crash). That said, companies like Inmarsat are trying to create a black box in the cloud.
https://www.inmarsat.com/en/insights/aviation/2016/the-black-box-in-the-cloud.html#:~:text=’%20Officially%20termed%20Flight%20Data%20Recorders,vital%20signs%20to%20cockpit%20conversations.
There basically needs to be upgrades to the aircraft, as well as ground supports/satellites to manage this information. For the ICAO to consider this as good enough, not only does it need to be as strong as a black box type recorder but also have the reliability that we just don’t currently have infrastructure for, nor the real desire from an aviation money side to implement.
This question came up on Reddit when that Malaysian airplane disappeared a few years ago and the common answer was that it costs too much.
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