A Real-time Black Box System for Airlines and Passengers: Democratizing Air Safety

Jerry J. Huang, Qunshan Gu, Leshing Shawn Huang

Abstract:	Why do we need to find the black box after crashes? How can we prevent mishaps, errors, and chain of events before they cause a major disaster? The disadvantage of the flight data and voice recorder, or black box tied only to an aircraft was identified. A real-time black box with videos manageable from a ground station would have a chance to prevent the dangers of human errors in panic similar to Air France 447 and possibly for Malaysian Airline MH370, rather than analyze what happened after a crash, and only if the black box was found. We had successful flight tests of an experimental real-time online black box for airlines. The ground stations can see, listen to what is happening in the cabin, and find the locations of the flights. Using advanced signal processing, GPS positions and airline on-board wi-fi services, a real-time online black box is achieved. Further improvements and more tests are scheduled in the future. The solution is available for the public to use. The system does not interfere with existing flight operations and procedures. It is a complement to the black box, and renamed as a “white” box. www.USwhitebox.com http://youtu.be/7KgKu3RjB24.
Published in:	Proceedings of the 2015 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation January 26 - 28, 2015 Laguna Cliffs Marriott Dana Point, California
Pages:	251 - 255
Cite this article:	Huang, Jerry J., Gu, Qunshan, Huang, Leshing Shawn, "A Real-time Black Box System for Airlines and Passengers: Democratizing Air Safety," Proceedings of the 2015 International Technical Meeting of The Institute of Navigation, Dana Point, California, January 2015, pp. 251-255.
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