Airbus Adds Assisted Piloting To Save Planes From Crashing In An Emergency

Photo 37741815 © Evolution1088 | Dreamstime.com

It can be a worrying experience when you’re seated in a plane, and the attendants start strapping themselves in, and the lights start flashing, and all you have left to do is put your trust in the pilot to land the aircraft safely.
 
However, in emergencies, pilots might not always know the best route out of a predicament. That’s where Airbus’ latest assisted piloting system steps in. The test system, called ‘DragonFly’, can divert a flight and pick the best path to the nearest airport. It even considers airspace rules and weather conditions to ensure it lands in the best possible option.
 
DragonFly can even communicate with air traffic control and the airline’s operations center to aid the pilots in relaying the plane’s status if they cannot do so themselves. Furthermore, if the pilots cannot land the aircraft, the new system can do so itself—a pretty bold feat considering that even self-driving cars are still just a pipe dream.
 
It has a system of sensors and computer vision algorithms to help it land on the runway. 
 
Given such an intelligent system, Airbus is still under checks from regulators such as the Federal Aviation Administration in the US. It will be interesting to see if a self-flying aircraft will be approved in airspaces worldwide.
 
The prospect of having a plane be able to get itself out of an emergency might sound like a good idea, but will the judgment of algorithms and computer systems replace human perception? 
 
Nevertheless, fleets of self-flying aircraft have yet to take off, but with innovations such as these, it might not be long before such planes soar across our skies.

 
[via Engadget and Bloomberg, cover photo 37741815 © Evolution1088 | Dreamstime.com]