A data acquisition, monitoring and transmission system designed to provide global coverage beyond the reach of existing systems such as ACARS (aircraft communication addressing and reporting system) has been unveiled by airborne communications specialists NAT Seattle and Canadian-based Star Navigation Systems.
The system combines Star Navigation’s ISMS (in-flight safety monitoring software) with JetLan, an airborne server unit produced by NAT Seattle, which is a member of the Cobham Avionics & Surveillance Group and was formerly known as Pentar Avionics.
NAT Seattle, which specialises in the development of airborne data communications and networking systems principally for the business jet market, recently expanded to cover larger commercial aircraft when its server was selected for the Airbus A380.
The JetLAN products are a line of PC-based-aircraft certificated computers, routers and servers with applications ranging from airborne networks and maintenance data functions to electronic flight bag (EFB) systems and in-flight entertainment (IFE).
The ISMS is a data acquisition, monitoring and transmission system designed for automatic operation and therefore to be independent of flight crew management, says the team.
The system monitors and transmits data such as airspeed, heading, pitch and roll, engine data and position information from the flight data recorder, position reporting, destination information and crew flight time tracking from the flight management system and cabin and cockpit information from the air data system.
All of these functions are transmitted to the JetLAN through the Arinc 429 or Arinc 573 / 717 databuses and decoded and analysed with ISMS software.
The data is communicated and monitored through a secure internet site, says the team, which adds it is stored for onward transmission when the aircraft is out of range of a suitable satellite.
At the Star Navigation ground station, the flight data is decrypted, monitored and stored.
At the same time, the encrypted flight data and alert notifications are automatically transmitted, securely over the Internet, to the airline’s operations control centre or maintenance control centre.
NAT Seattle and Star Navigation have been briefing potential carriers about the system at recent industry events such as the Dubai air show, and the first systems are believed to have become operational recently in aircraft operated by unnamed carriers in India and China.
GUY NORRIS/LOS ANGELES
Source: Flight International
