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Large 'likely' piece of MH370 wing lands in Canberra
The sea floor search for MH370 appears to be running out of places to look just as more fragments of the airliner are washed up on western and southern Indian Ocean shores (blogs.crikey.com.au) Plus d'info...
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That wing has got quite a bit of lift, landing after two years...
The 406 was an example, there is no reason that commercial aircraft can't report their positions and other data (altitude, speed, etc.) via satellite every minute or some other interval. Reporting could also be automatically triggered by loss of altitude, and other parameters. The point is, the technology for reporting exists, the hardware and software exists, it is inexpensive but not used. This is just not acceptable.
This issue has been discussed many times on this site; I suggest searching for some of the previous threads.
For a one-off solution (i.e., something that can be put into an experimental category aircraft to provide the sort of world-wide coverage you're suggesting), it is indeed fairly straightforward and not terribly expensive. For something that's internationally standardized, widely used, and installed on transport category aircraft, it's not quite so simple.
Note, of course, that there are already plans to monitor the required ADS-B 1090ES signals (which include ID, GPS position, and vector, among other data) by satellites that are being deployed now (next generation Iridium, and maybe others). Having a separate solution for something people are already solving might not be a great answer.
For a one-off solution (i.e., something that can be put into an experimental category aircraft to provide the sort of world-wide coverage you're suggesting), it is indeed fairly straightforward and not terribly expensive. For something that's internationally standardized, widely used, and installed on transport category aircraft, it's not quite so simple.
Note, of course, that there are already plans to monitor the required ADS-B 1090ES signals (which include ID, GPS position, and vector, among other data) by satellites that are being deployed now (next generation Iridium, and maybe others). Having a separate solution for something people are already solving might not be a great answer.
The multi-year search would have been unnecessary if airlines were required to carry 406 ELT's. Instead ICAO caves to the cheapness of airlines and lets them disappear once out of radar coverage. Black boxes are a primitive joke in an age of satellite communications where critical data can and ought to be sent to ground stations while the aircraft is flying. The lack of satellite position and data reporting puts crew and passengers lives at risk on every long distance flight since SAR has no idea where to begin.
MH370 had a 406 ELT. It had this one right here:
http://www51.honeywell.com/aero/common/documents/myaerospacecatalog-documents/BA_brochures-documents/RESCU_406_AFN_ELT.pdf
That wasn't the problem. ELTs (regardless of frequency) don't work under water. If the crew had the presence of mind (and physical ability) to activate the ELT manually while still in the air, then we'd have that data now.
Once it's in the water, recovery depends on audio.
http://www51.honeywell.com/aero/common/documents/myaerospacecatalog-documents/BA_brochures-documents/RESCU_406_AFN_ELT.pdf
That wasn't the problem. ELTs (regardless of frequency) don't work under water. If the crew had the presence of mind (and physical ability) to activate the ELT manually while still in the air, then we'd have that data now.
Once it's in the water, recovery depends on audio.
