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Airlines and regulators have no interest in slapping on crude, consumer grade transmitters to existing aircraft. As is the case with any aircraft part, it needs

Airlines and regulators have no interest in slapping on crude, consumer grade transmitters to existing aircraft. As is the case with any aircraft part, it needs to be a high-grade, reliable, tested, and certified. When you start tying in transmitters to the aircraft's existing avionics, the need for a redundant, extremely reliable, tested and fault-free system is even greater. An absolute must. That's where the big expense comes in. And I believe that's what passengers have come to expect. Personally, I'd rather fly on an airliner without a satellite tracking system than fly with one that hasn't been subjected to the same testing and certification standards as the rest of the plane's equipment. The cost is the prohibitive factor. I can imagine that Delta, for instance, has no interest in a $90M charge to retrofit their aircraft with a system that they will probably never use.

toomuchtodo 12y ago
The money would probably be better spent speeding up ADS-B transmitter installations, as well as incentive payments to Iridium to get their new satellites with ADS-B receivers into orbit. No point in reinventing the wheel.
- brandon272 12y ago
  I'm sure it's something that will be worked out in time. Perhaps the manufacturers themselves will be more interested in rolling out tracking technology in new aircraft versus airlines retrofitting existing planes. But it's not an industry that responds quickly due to media hysteria surrounding rare and isolated incidents, that's for sure.
- cpncrunch 12y ago
  This is already being done, by Aireon.
  - toomuchtodo 12y ago
    Right, which is a subsidiary of Iridium: http://www.aireon.com/AboutAireon/AnIridiumInnovation http://www.aireon.com/AboutAireon/AnIridiumInnovation
JoeAltmaier 12y ago
And yet... and yet, the pilots I know who fly big jets brought their own GPS units into the cockpit decades before 'reliable tested' versions were certified. And used them. Because they were helpful, but not necessary.
- brandon272 12y ago
  And they are free to do so because the GPS units pose no risk to the aircraft, just as I use my iPad or smartphone on a plane. Once you start talking about tracking systems that are tied into the plane's avionics in order to deliver information about the aircraft itself, that's another story.

toomuchtodo 12y ago

The money would probably be better spent speeding up ADS-B transmitter installations, as well as incentive payments to Iridium to get their new satellites with ADS-B receivers into orbit. No point in reinventing the wheel.

brandon272 12y ago
I'm sure it's something that will be worked out in time. Perhaps the manufacturers themselves will be more interested in rolling out tracking technology in new aircraft versus airlines retrofitting existing planes. But it's not an industry that responds quickly due to media hysteria surrounding rare and isolated incidents, that's for sure.
cpncrunch 12y ago
This is already being done, by Aireon.
- toomuchtodo 12y ago
  Right, which is a subsidiary of Iridium: http://www.aireon.com/AboutAireon/AnIridiumInnovation http://www.aireon.com/AboutAireon/AnIridiumInnovation

JoeAltmaier 12y ago

And yet... and yet, the pilots I know who fly big jets brought their own GPS units into the cockpit decades before 'reliable tested' versions were certified. And used them. Because they were helpful, but not necessary.

brandon272 12y ago
And they are free to do so because the GPS units pose no risk to the aircraft, just as I use my iPad or smartphone on a plane. Once you start talking about tracking systems that are tied into the plane's avionics in order to deliver information about the aircraft itself, that's another story.