Tim Ripley
Aircrash investigators will have their job made easier thanks to a new software package which rapidly translates the data from "black box" flight recorders of crashed aircraft into three-dimensional computer imagery.
The data replay software expertise of software engineers Tenet has been combined with the UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency's (DERA) aircraft test and evaluation experience to produce a unique development that will assist in the rapid assessment of black box data for aircraft crash analysis.
The Icarus advanced, real-time cockpit instrument display facility is being displayed by DERA this week on Stand A434.
"Icarus brings real commercial benefits to all aircraft operators, both military and civil, by allowing them to visualise data real-time rapidly in a dynamic system rather than dealing with black box data that is traditionally presented as traces or lists of numerical values," says DERA representative Joanna Sale.
Investigation
"Icarus accelerates the process of incident investigation and makes the state of the aircraft clear at all stages of the flight.
"Data can be extracted from the black box flight recorder or via a telemetry downlink from the aircraft in flight, thus replaying the instrument reading on the simulated cockpit display in real-time.
"Icarus is a highly flexible and configurable system which can be extended to other domains beyond air accident analysis," she says.
"For example, it could be used as a debriefing tool for pilot training where complex manoeuvres can be replayed one stage at a time, allowing instructors to evaluate a pilot's performance."
Icarus' features include a flexible customer editor to allow the cockpit model display to be configured to match the real cockpit environment. It also provides a dynamic replay process for driving the cockpit model from the recorded data.
Other features include replay of flight data, integrated audio data, HUD and 3D display, high configurability, compatibility with other Accident Data Recorders (ADRs) and Windows NT or UNIX interface.
Source: Flight Daily News
