27 October 2006
Massachusetts-based Alakai Technologies has announced that it has developed a ‘black box’ system for light aircraft, which is initially to be fitted to Cirrus aircraft.
The system will record 61 “critical aircraft, engine and flight parameters, creating a
permanent safety data record for every flight”. Among the parameter it’s promising to monitor are engine performance, rate of climb or descent, true and indicated airspeed, heading, altitude, engine trends, miles per gallon, and GPS navigation waypoints.
Black boxes are, of course, a requirement on larger aircraft, but small aircraft are exempt from that requirement, largely on the grounds of expense and weight. Light aircraft crashes – maybe wrongly – also tend not to raise large-scale public demands for that questions be answered into the cause of such accidents.
However, the recent New York crash of Cory Lidle (into a Manhattan apartment) went against that trend, with international media eager to learn what the ‘black box’ said – only to lead to a certain amount of consternation when they discovered that there wasn’t one.
The Alakai solution (which will be manufactured by Accent Technologies) is likely to cost $5,000 and weigh in at 3.5 lb, both fairly reasonable figures for aircraft like the Cirrus. It may also, the company claims, save on insurance costs to the tune of $1,000 a year.
The system could be approved by the FAA as a supplemental type certificate by the end of the year.
<a href=’http://www.alakai1.com ‘ target=’_blank’>Alakai Technologies website</a>
