From: none@freedom.net   
      
   On Sat, 20 Jun 2009 00:11:18 -0400, "John Gilmer"   
    wrote:   
      
   >   
   >"Government Shill #2"  wrote in message   
   >news:c42i35d0nqukdpods38p00hru041jepk37@4ax.com...   
   >> On Wed, 17 Jun 2009 07:39:01 -0700 (PDT), "alanryder@aol.com"   
   >>  wrote:   
   >>   
   >>>If this has been addressed before I apologize. With all the   
   >>>sophisticated electronics on a plane, can't the black box data just be   
   >>>transmitted as it's occurring to a central processing station?   
   >>>Wouldn't this be a viable solution to investigate crashes, and allow   
   >>>new safety measures to be put in place faster? Why can't something   
   >>>like this be implemented? Isn't the data digital? If not, could it be?   
   >>>It would seem an easier, faster, more efficient method than all the   
   >>>time and manpower and expense needed to find these black boxes.   
   >>   
   >> As electronics advances this could very soon be possible, if it's not   
   >> already. However, stop for a minute and consider the 10s of thousands of   
   >> aircraft airborne at any given moment in time. You are talking about a   
   >> *lot* of data. Data that no one cares about, except in extremely rare   
   >> circumstances.   
   >   
   >1)  To an approximation, the A/C was transmitting data to the home base.   
   >That's the primary basis of what the guesses about what happened are about.   
      
   With all the real-time data transmitted to the "home base", I wonder   
   why simple GPS coordinates aren't included?  Or are they?  In this day   
   and age, I find it hard to believe that this aircraft "vanished" and   
   the crash site is still not known with any accuracy.   
      
   >2)  Since customers enjoy (and are willing to pay for) telephone and   
   >internet services while in flight, there is the potential of having plenty   
   >of bandwidth available to "maintenance."    Data storage is cheap and   
   >getting cheaper so at least a "data summary" can be kept 'just in case.'   
   >There is a "privacy" question as to whether cockpit voice should be   
   >automatically "phoned home."   
   >   
   >3)   It's clear from this accident that the whole issue of the "black boxes"   
   >should be re-visited.   First, how should the data recorder be   
   >protected/packaged/and "beeped."   What should be monitored?   Should the   
   >data be "processed" before being stored?   When consumers routinely store an   
   >hour of video on an inexpensive 'chip', the 'technology' of the black boxes   
   >looks that something from a century ago.   
   >   
      
   It does sound like outdated technology.  Again, it might help to   
   transmit GPS location along with just a beep, beep, beep....   
      
    I realize at the bottom of the ocean it would be difficult for a   
   device to pick up GPS satellites, but last known location could be   
   transmitted.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)