{"id":8213,"date":"2015-04-06T11:59:16","date_gmt":"2015-04-06T15:59:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/?p=8213"},"modified":"2019-11-15T07:05:53","modified_gmt":"2019-11-15T12:05:53","slug":"aicraft-electronics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/aicraft-electronics\/8213\/","title":{"rendered":"In-Flight Electronic Foolproof Systems"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Due to the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-32035121\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">recent tragic event<\/a>,\u00a0one question arises: How can we be assured of in-flight safety if one of the pilots is mentally unstable? Can we do anything to mitigate the human factor risks? The answer is: Yes, we can, with a\u00a0wide-scale commercial deployment of the system co-developed by Boeing and Honeywell, one of the largest developers of aerospace technologies.<\/p>\n<p>The system is based on a very simple principle: Once the situation in the cockpit is critical or unknown, all cabin piloting systems are switched off and are no longer operable. A pilot could push any button or try to operate any gear, but would find himself in a situation much like this cute squirrel: all piloting would be done by the ground service operators.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/IANwb_qT1gg?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;start=75&amp;wmode=transparent\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>How does it work? Of course there are no geeky dispatches armed with a joystick and VR helmet. All of the flight parameters are uploaded to FMC, or Flight Management Computer, beforehand. The system is then capable of operating the flight entirely from the ground. As you can imagine, many electronic systems need to be in place to make this happen, and they are already here.<\/p>\n<h3>Flying by wire<\/h3>\n<p>In today\u2019s aircrafts, the digital <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Fly-by-wire\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Fly-by-wire<\/a> technology is increasingly becoming widely used. The first aircraft to ever deploy it was an Airbus A320, back in 1980s. The essence of this tech is very straightforward: electric gear is used to operate the aircraft instead of mechanical gear, e.g. pushrods, tension cables, hydraulic circuits, transmit load amplifiers, and so on. Those electric gears are controlled by a computer and connected by wires, hence the name.<\/p>\n<p>The benefits of deploying this tech are simple: the aircraft becomes lighter, less expensive, and more reliable, particularly in terms of foolproof security features. Why hadn\u2019t the Germanwings pilot just sent the aircraft into the nosedive? The automatics control the flight; not allowing a high negative <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aircraft_principal_axes#Lateral_axis_.28pitch.29\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pitch<\/a> and descent at an excessive sink rate.<\/p>\n<div class=\"pullquote\">When the speed gets lower than the limit, or the sink rate is excessive, a smart electronic system makes corrections automatically.<\/div>\n<p>For this reason,\u00a0it\u2019s impossible to allow the modern airliner to get into a <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Stall_(fluid_mechanics)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">stall<\/a> or <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Spin_(aerodynamics)\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">spin<\/a> accident: when the speed gets lower than the limit, a smart electronic system automatically accelerates to a higher speed.<\/p>\n<p>The higher the degree in which the in-flight systems are managed by a computer, the more capable the automatic pilot system is. For instance, it might take over the task of operating direction, speed and altitude parameters of the flight, as well as set the flaps at the required angle, extend the landing gear, activate automatic breaking, or, to put it simply, land the aircraft in a fully automatic mode not involving any action from pilots.<\/p>\n<p>It would be enough to remotely upload the flight parameters into the in-flight systems and provide a necessary landing approach pattern, and everything would self-govern from there.<\/p>\n<h3>Beacons of Hope<\/h3>\n<p>As many might guess, in order to work this magic, super-precise navigation is paramount. Luckily, the aviation industry already has access to the majority of necessary positioning assets. Classical aeronautics use ground radio beacons, whose location and frequency is already known to the piloting systems. By setting the receiver onto a certain frequency, a pilot can define the aircraft\u2019s location based on the range of the beacon.<\/p>\n<p>The most primitive beacon called <a href=\"http:\/\/https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Non-directional_beacon\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Non-Directional Beacon<\/a>, or NDB, is equipped with a single antenna and in-flight systems are capable of only defining where the beacon is positioned in relevance to the aircraft\u2019s position.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Non directional beacon (NDB). Aeronautical aid in my city. Transmit on 321 khz CW code \"ABT\" (._  -\u2026 -) <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/oThLbsXynQ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/oThLbsXynQ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Antonio S. EA5GTI (@sicral) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/sicral\/status\/317579481411899394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">March 29, 2013<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Another kind of beacon, a VOR, or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/VHF_omnidirectional_range\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">VHF Omni-directional Radio Range beacon<\/a>, is based on a more complex concept. It has a number of antennas located circle-wise and, thanks to the Doppler effect, allows to define the aircraft\u2019s relevant location along with the beacon\u2019s magnetic radio bearing \u2014 or, in other words, the aircraft\u2019s current course in relevance to the beacon.<\/p>\n<p>Frequently, VOR beacons are combined with another type of beacon \u2014 DME, or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Distance_measuring_equipment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Distance Measuring Equipment beacon<\/a>, in order to define the distance to them. The in-flight systems send requests, the beacon sends responses, and the difference in timing required to get the signal through serves to define the distance. With all this data at hand, it is possible to define the air position with maximum precision.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">100% <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PureNewZealand?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@PureNewZealand<\/a> office view! Our Techs upgraded the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/VOR?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#VOR<\/a>\/DME in <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LoveQueenstown?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@LoveQueenstown<\/a> with this backdrop <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/avgeek?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">#avgeek<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/XUCVuzFzd0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/XUCVuzFzd0<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Airways New Zealand (@AirwaysNZ) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AirwaysNZ\/status\/578765628934328321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">March 20, 2015<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Landing somewhere suitable<\/h3>\n<p>For landing, azimuth and elevation transmitters are used. Together, both of them form ILS, or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Instrument_landing_system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Instrument Landing System<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>This is how it works: the azimuth transmitter serves to form two \u2018fields\u2019 with different radio signal frequencies (one on the left-hand side and one on the right-hand side of the runway). If the signal power is equal for both, then the aircraft is positioned straight along the central axis of the runway, and everything works like a Swiss clock. If one of two signals is stronger, then the aircraft should shift left or right in order to adjust the course.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"embed-youtube\" style=\"text-align:center; display: block;\"><iframe class=\"youtube-player\" type=\"text\/html\" width=\"640\" height=\"390\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/MdK1Q8gdgmo?version=3&amp;rel=1&amp;fs=1&amp;showsearch=0&amp;showinfo=1&amp;iv_load_policy=1&amp;wmode=transparent\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The elevator transmitter works according to the same principle, but the \u2018fields\u2019 are, respectively, used to identify the position on the vertical axis in relevance to the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Final_approach_(aeronautics)#Final_approach_point\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">glide slope line<\/a> \u2014 it is the \u2018vertical track\u2019 on which the aircraft positions itself when landing. The principle remains the same: once one signal gets stronger than the other, the pilot has to adjust the vertical velocity in order to return onto the track.<\/p>\n<h3>Land us, ye Satellite<\/h3>\n<p>There is an alternative approach and landing system which employs SatNav and is called GLS (GNSS Landing System). The principle of this technology lies within defining the air position by satellite coordinates supplied by a SatNav system like GPS, Glonass, or any other.<\/p>\n<p>As the precision of satellite geopositioning is not high enough for the landing approach, GBAS, or <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/GNSS_augmentation#Ground-based_augmentation_system\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Ground Based Augmentation System<\/a> beacons are established on the ground to transmit a high-precision signal.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-pullquote\"><p>In-Flight Electronic Foolproof Systems<\/p><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/share?url=https%3A%2F%2Fkas.pr%2Foh6V&amp;text=In-Flight+Electronic+Foolproof+Systems\" class=\"btn btn-twhite\" data-lang=\"en\" data-count=\"0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">Tweet<\/a><\/blockquote>\n<p>Unlike the satellite, ground stations are fixed in relevance to runways and are located closer to the aircrafts. As a result, the aircraft\u2019s position coordinates error does not exceed 10 ft (or 3 m). The main advantage of this system is its affordability (there\u2019s no need to have separate beacons for each runway), reliability, and increased precision of guiding the airplane down the glide-slope line.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Driverless cars \u2013 what's to come? <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/XERAi2e9NM\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">https:\/\/t.co\/XERAi2e9NM<\/a> via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaspersky?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">@kaspersky<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/t.co\/y16EjoGTnW\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/y16EjoGTnW<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Kaspersky (@kaspersky) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/kaspersky\/status\/544530038725419008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\">December 15, 2014<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>All of these technical solutions are available and operating now, but when all of it would enable fully automatic flight, remains an unanswered question. In theory, all tech needed is available right now, and today\u2019s pilots, in fact, take over the control from the in-flight systems solely in emergency cases.<\/p>\n<p>The problem is that if an emergency situation happens, one cannot entrust the electronics with the task of fully controlling the situation. That is why a human is unlikely to be excluded from the piloting process anywhere in the foreseeable future. Moreover, it would require an immense capital investment to refit all airplanes in the world to deploy such systems, so it won\u2019t be possible to quickly upgrade every single aircraft with fully-automatic pilotless systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Can we do anything to mitigate the human factor risks in aviation? The answer is: Yes, we can<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":540,"featured_media":8215,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[951,1048,1050,1049,385,1051],"class_list":{"0":"post-8213","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-news","8":"tag-aircrafts","9":"tag-aviation","10":"tag-beacons","11":"tag-electronic-systems","12":"tag-gps","13":"tag-ils"},"hreflang":[{"hreflang":"x-default","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/aicraft-electronics\/8213\/"},{"hreflang":"es","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.es\/blog\/aicraft-electronics\/5739\/"},{"hreflang":"ru","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.ru\/blog\/aicraft-electronics\/7381\/"},{"hreflang":"ja","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.co.jp\/aicraft-electronics\/7280\/"},{"hreflang":"ru-kz","url":"https:\/\/blog.kaspersky.kz\/aicraft-electronics\/7381\/"},{"hreflang":"en-au","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com.au\/blog\/aicraft-electronics\/8213\/"},{"hreflang":"en-za","url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.co.za\/blog\/aicraft-electronics\/8213\/"}],"acf":[],"banners":"","maintag":{"url":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/tag\/aircrafts\/","name":"aircrafts"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8213","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/540"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8213"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8213\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":30525,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8213\/revisions\/30525"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8215"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8213"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8213"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.kaspersky.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8213"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}