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Unlike trains, there isn't one action that is basically always safe (stop the train). A dead man switch activating at the wrong time, could itself cause an acci
by HPsquared 3y ago
Unlike trains, there isn't one action that is basically always safe (stop the train). A dead man switch activating at the wrong time, could itself cause an accident.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- Johnny555 3y agoIt doesn't have to stop the plane, it could just trigger a cockpit alarm.
- throwawaaarrgh 3y agoOr alert air traffic control, and maybe they can send an alert into the cockpit. But there must be a way to raise an alarm. My guess is basically nobody cares that much about this rare condition. It's much more likely the pilots are incapacitated rather than asleep, in which case the alarm is pointless. But I guess it's not that rare: - https://www.newsweek.com/pilots-boeing-737-both-doze-off-overshoot-airport-two-hour-flight-1735435 - https://jalopnik.com/tale-of-both-pilots-sleeping-during-flight-reminds-us-t-1849014190 - https://www.cnn.com/travel/article/pilots-sleep-cockpit-airline-safety/index.html - https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-24296544 - https://www.cbsnews.com/news/both-pilots-fall-asleep-during-british-airbus-flight-incident-report-reveals/ - https://www.aero-news.net/index.cfm?do=main.textpost&id=A9AAFE58-18F4-40B5-B59A-EBE316BBE878 - https://content.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1932040,00.html
- sand500 3y agoSome planes can land themselves now: https://discover.garmin.com/en-US/autonomi/#autoland https://discover.garmin.com/en-US/autonomi/#autoland
- zettabomb 3y agoAutopilot and autoland have been around for a while, but they still need to be set up by the pilot, only operate under certain conditions, and autoland in particular only works at some airports. This is probably not a solution, not for quite a while at least.
- sand500 3y agoThe Garmin autoland can automatically activate, determine which airport to land at communicate on ATC frequency to say it is going to land at X airport.
- jxcole 3y agoEach pilot can have a button they must always press, if both are released loud tritones alarms and flashing will fill the cockpit, something no one can sleep to.
- zettabomb 3y agoA proper deadman's switch can't just be a button - you could weight it down, or just fall asleep on top of it. Trains commonly use a pedal you have to hold down halfway. Not sure this is really the best idea though, as pilots typically need both hands (and usually feet) free to actually, you know, control the plane.
- schoen 3y agoThat's not impossible, but the pilots' limbs are already largely "spoken for" by other controls and tasks, so it would be a harsh tradeoff.
- jamesrom 3y agoIf other controls are being actively engaged by the pilot, the need for the button press would be delayed only until there's some continuous period of non-engagement.
- bombcar 3y agoExactly - something like positive activation every minute of some control or another or it starts hooting.
- SequoiaHope 3y agoSimple, cut the engines. /s
- a-r-t 3y agoDo a barrel roll :)
- amluto 3y agoThat’s true, but there are plenty of other options. For example, a dead-man switch could: Send an alert via transponders that it has been activated. Maintain level flight but avoid terrain. (After a waiting period in which a pilot can deactivate this feature.) Or descend to a safe altitude if cabin pressure is lost. Activate a mode in which the plane could be remotely flown or directed to land itself. Alert flight crew that the pilots are incapacitated. Or the most basic: make some noise to wake up the pilots.
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago> Maintain level flight but avoid terrain Your other ideas are good. But this could kill people if it misfires and takes the plane off course and too far from an airfield.
- qingcharles 3y agoNot having anyone flying the plane when it is on manual control can also kill people...
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago> Not having anyone flying the plane when it is on manual control can also kill people Not as quickly. Routes are programmed into an airliner before takeoff. Those routes are planned with emergency landing in mind. Left to its own devices, a plane flying its flight path is safer than one simply holding FL (while avoiding terrain).
- pompino 3y ago>That’s true, but there are plenty of other options. Well we can't settle it in the comments, nor should we. So which of those options can successfully survive a detailed engineering review on its merits?
- cloud_line 3y agoI recall reading that certain aircraft manufacturers do offer more robust security features if the airlines are willing to pay for them. I don't have a link or source handy, but it's entirely possible that these features have been discussed, but through the lens of how much more would it cost to implement them.
- readyman 3y agoAnother of seemingly infinite reasons why trains > planes.