ANSWERS: Questions of the Week - 06-05-2009

from 06-05-2009:

Background - Proposals -
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***Transmit real time records of cockpit conversations and flight data directly to a storage facility via satellite.
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***Redesign 'black boxes' so that they float.
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***Redesign 'black boxes' so their beacon life is longer.
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QUESTIONS of the WEEK
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1 - Which two proposals are impaired by major failure modes and what are those modes?
ANS: The first proposal (real time records) is subject to malicious hacking and solar flare data corruption.
The second proposal (floating black boxes) is restricted by aircraft weight. Flotation must be heavy enough to survive pressures at great depth, yet light enough to fly without impairing fuel consumption significantly; or able to inflate at depth, yet not explode at reduced depth.
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2 - One of the two proposals also suffers from a current technological problem and raises serious U.S. labor issue with pilots. What are the problem and issue, respectively?
ANS: (Real time data collection) We currently don't have the technological wherewithal for an aircraft to transmit that much data continuously, says Dan Elwell, vice-president of the Aerospace Industries Association.
Also, pilots unions have objected to monitoring of flight crews, such as real-time voice data collectioin would enable.
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BONUS
3 - Were the black boxes from the two planes that crashed into the world trade center on 9-11 ever located?
ANS: Officially, NO.
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Submarines are always silent and strange.