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After the baffling disappearance in March of Flight MH370, critics accused the aviation industry of "dithering" over equipping jets with real-time tracking systems. Now, with another passenger plane lost, the call for action is becoming more insistent.
Tracking aircraft by satellite and live-streaming of black box data were cited as top priorities by industry insiders after the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 with 239 people on board. Its fate remains a mystery despite a long underwater search west of Australia. Members of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)—the UN's aviation body—agreed in the aftermath of the incident to mandate real-time tracking.
But they did not set a timeline as airlines mulled the additional costs involved. Many carriers have been losing money for years. Now, with the apparent loss of AirAsia Flight QZ8501 on Sunday off Indonesia, the calls for immediate changes have returned with vehemence.
http://phys.org/news/2014-12-airasia-fuels-real-time-tracking.html
[Related]: http://www.airtrafficmanagement.net/2014/12/iata-no-silver-bullet-solution-on-tracking-in-wake-of-mh370/
(Score: 2) by tibman on Wednesday December 31 2014, @06:17PM
You are assuming that knowing where every plane was in your fleet (in real-time) wouldn't save you money somewhere. If your friends could track your flight in real-time then that is also a perk. They can check their phone and know exactly where you are and not just some best guess "on-time" listed on the website. "Just do it" doesn't mean it doesn't cost money or time. It means just do it. I have installed and used two-way satellite communication systems. They are as difficult to maintain as a normal radio (not difficult). Transmitter, receiver, laptop, and a bunch of cables. That is for a two-way system. It will cost more money to install the thing than to purchase it. There is so much nay-saying over something that has been solved for a decade. Google will turn up plenty of options if anyone actually cares to look instead of judging my suggestion without any research.
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