New flight tracking system on the way
- Latest News
- Friday, 23 September 2016
FlightAware is partnering with Aireon to launch GlobalBeacon, a product that will use 66 low-Earth-orbit satellites to track planes in real time across the globe.
It is expected to be in operation by 2018 and to eliminate 'dead zones' created, for example, when planes cross the North Pole.
Daniel Baker, ceo of FlightAware said: "Planes go out of touch all the time."
That makes it difficult for airline operators to know if planes are flying through a dead zone or are in distress. GlobalBeacon addresses this problem by piggybacking off equipment that the USA's Federal Aviation Administration is requiring planes to have by 2020 if they operate in certain airspace. This Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast, known as ADS-B, emits signals to provide the plane's location. Other governments including New Zealand are adopting it, too.
"If a plane stops reporting its position, the airline can know within minutes, not hours," Baker said.
