‘The Technology Is Out There,’ but Satellites Don’t Track Jets
Airlines routinely use satellites to provide Wi-Fi for passengers. But for years they have failed to use a similar technology for a far more basic task: tracking planes and their black-box flight recorders.
Over the last several years, airlines have been installing satellite-based Wi-Fi systems for passenger entertainment that could also be used to facilitate data-streaming, Mr. Mann said.
“It’s ironic that we have this technology so passengers can pay to watch reruns of ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ but that we still have to make the safety case for their use,” he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/technology/though-high-tech-tools-exist-satellites-dont-track-planes.html?hp&_r=1&version=meter+at+6®ion=FixedCenter&pgtype=article&priority=true&module=RegiWall-Regi&action=click
Airlines routinely use satellites to provide Wi-Fi for passengers. But for years they have failed to use a similar technology for a far more basic task: tracking planes and their black-box flight recorders.
Over the last several years, airlines have been installing satellite-based Wi-Fi systems for passenger entertainment that could also be used to facilitate data-streaming, Mr. Mann said.
“It’s ironic that we have this technology so passengers can pay to watch reruns of ‘Charlie’s Angels,’ but that we still have to make the safety case for their use,” he said.
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/21/technology/though-high-tech-tools-exist-satellites-dont-track-planes.html?hp&_r=1&version=meter+at+6®ion=FixedCenter&pgtype=article&priority=true&module=RegiWall-Regi&action=click