Technology Innovation and Flight Tracking

I still remember a flight in 1989 - Swissair from Zurich to Nairobi, Kenya. I remember it because the plane was being refurbished and the supposed business class cabin still had old, uncomfortable seats. As I tossed and turned on that redeye, I was glad for the live flight map on the big screen. It was an early version of the GPS-enabled tracking maps most international flights now offer on personal entertainment screens at each seat. I am surprised, though, the software and content has not evolved much in the decade and half since. Be nice to see it integrated with the likes of Google Earth. When flying over Isfahan, Iran, on my trip last week, it would have been nice to see a short film on the town's tradition of fine rug making (most folks are nervous flying over that part of the world - some positive images would clearly help) or of Vienna's coffee houses.  Or a super imposition of local weather Dopplers on the flight maps. 

On domestic flights, Jetblue and Song offer live TV and flight tracking. On other airlines, you can always carry your own mobile GPS unit. (Not every airline or every pilot allows its use - check this list). I sat next to a guy on a Southwest flight and his GPS unit fed his cursor as we watched the plane on his mapping software - it was neat to see the major streets of cities and towns we were flying over - not to mention our speed, altitude etc.

Of course, there is the good old fashioned voice information shared by the pilots (ever wonder why sound systems on planes do not seem to improve even as other technology does?)  I quite like talkative pilots, but in recent years seems like they talk less on planes and more via blogs! Also, they know their passengers are starting to have much better resolution maps and flight and weather information on their laptops in the back than they do up front! In a surreal experience, passengers on the Jetblue flight which recently had a landing gear problem watched live TV coverage of their emergency landing.

Flight information sharing has become far more sophisticated for people on the ground awaiting passengers (or departing passengers checking to see how the in-bound flight is tracking) - or aviation enthusiasts who just love to monitor airspace.  Most airlines now offer to page, email, SMS you about specific flights and show (limited) flight specific information on their web sites. Third party sites like FlightAware, FlyteComm, FlightView show an unbelievable range of data on flights in transit, airlines, airports, equipment etc. They report IFR data shared with the FAA. It is a bit spooky to see trans-Atlantic flights all terminate in the ocean short of Greenland but as the FlightAware site explains "For flights departing the US for an international destination, FlightAware will be able to track the flight until it leaves the US and then it will be lost with no arrival ever recorded." But overall, a nice service - FlightAware tracks over 30,000 arrivals every day. I was once waiting for a delayed flight and could tell the ground agent was just saying nice things to keep the crowd pacified. I could monitor the progress of the in-bound flight on my WIFI enabled laptop and tell the poor guy was lying through his teeth!

In a future post I hope to write about what the FAA, NTSB and other agencies are using technology to manage the complex air traffic grid. And keep up with UFOs which do not use IFR!

Most passengers love to watch movies or read books or nap on flights. I know Leonardo Da Vinci would be sitting agape watching the flight track in total awe of the magic of modern aviation - and do not feel too bad for doing so myself, especially when my laptop batteries have run out.

See this neat post from Rick Segal on how access to a flight tracking site enabled him to get a better meal before a delayed flight and an upgrade!

Comments

[Simon G]

I have learnt recently not to expect much from any US company with map-related apps if the data is not for the US. I wonder when they will start to realise that 95% of the world's population and geographical area exists outside the US.

[Vinnie Mirchandani]

in fairness, it would seem like a good opportunity for someone local in each region to develop GPS driven maps. The payback in lcoal driving directions, supply chain logistics is huge - not just from an air travel perspective.

[maurice bailey]

I was redirected to this site from Rick Segal's Blog. Flytecomm has just launched a capability of providing its flight tracking information via cell phone carriers. The new service also includes a capability to get scheduled data right on you mobile phone, particularly useful if your plane is late and you are in a hurry and can afford the costs of changing flights