Honestly, who cares what a Filipino boxer thinks about gay marriage in the United States?  View

Safelander was recently patented in China and it could make China a leader in Commercial Aviation. By Sy Levine The Russian Plane Fatal Crash Once Again Shows The Need To Utilize The Black Box Data In Real-time Russia can become the leader in commercial aviation if it utilizes the black box data in real-time to make flying safer and more economical. The black box should not only be used in the autopsy mode but should be used proactively to decrease the cost of flying and the fatal crashes. Planes should also have a remote copilot in addition to the on-board for safety and economy. THERE IS NO TECHNICAL REASON FOR THE RUSSIAN AIRLINER FATAL CRASH OR FOR NOT TELEMETERING THE BLACK BOX DATA TO THE GROUND IN REAL-TIME A year prior to 9/11 at the International Aviation Safety Association meeting in New York, methods for preventing crashes like golfer Payne Stewart’s decompression crash were proposed. None of these methods were implemented by the aviation industry and we got 9/11 (hijacking is about ten percent of aviation fatalities) and the 2005, 100 fatality, Helios decompression crash. When a plane deviates from its approved flight plan, we now have the ability to securely take remote control of it and land it safely at a designated airfield. We presently have remote pilot vehicles (RPVs) flying over Afghanistan that are controlled/piloted from continental United States (CONUS). Currently we are utilizing secure high bandwidth communication networks (for our RPVs, submarines, AWACS planes, etc.) and there isn't a logical reason for not making that technology available for cargo and carrier aircraft. The cost of 9/11 alone is ten times the cost of putting in a safe system and yet nothing has intentionally been done. When a plane decompresses there is a good possibility that if we remotely bring it down in altitude to a point where there is sufficient oxygen and fly it remotely for 15 minutes, the pilot and passengers may regain consciousness. At that time the control of the aircraft could be returned to the pilot or remotely landing it to save the lives of the people who are onboard. This would have saved the lives of those aboard Helios. Billions of dollars are wasted on unnecessary airport runway expansion and insufficient data programs to reduce fatal ground incursions. The lack of data has caused excessive verbal communication between the pilots and the controllers that is prone to errors. These ground incursions wouldn’t even occur if the flight data was shared so pilots and air traffic control had better visibility. But because the digital data isn’t shared automatically the pilot sees only a fraction of the information necessary to prevent a crash and the same holds true for the air traffic controllers (ATCs). Crashes such as Tenerife (583 fatalities), Comair (49 fatalities), etc. are directly caused by the lack of visibility due to not sharing the DFDR, ATC and airport runway data in real-time. Too many crashes are listed as pilot error when they are a direct result of a lack of visibility brought on by not sharing the digital flight data/Black Box in real-time to provide the necessary situation awareness. Many of the fatal in-air crashes fall into the same category. For example there was a crash where a plane ran out of fuel over JFK. The controller thought the pilot had more fuel left and the pilot who said his fuel was low didn’t use the correct emergency verbiage. Since the fuel supply is another black box input there is no reason why a red light, similar to the one on everyone’s car, doesn’t light up on the ATC display. The red low fuel light would reduce the controller’s work load and increase his situation awareness so that the people aboard a flight similar to the one that crashed would now live. Using the Black Box data decreases the work load of the pilot the air traffic controller as well as increases their situation awareness. By the lack of sharing the already digitized data in real-time we have egregiously curtailed the use of automation and expert systems technology for the prevention of crashes, increased the cost of flying and jeopardized our national security. The real-time use and sharing of the DFDR data to prevent crashes is more important then its present post mortem autopsy mode of operation. By the use of expert systems the problems aboard Air France Flight 447 would have been automatically recognized and with one second provided the pilots with the method to safely handle the situation and thus prevented the fatal crash. We do this for our astronauts (that is how they got back from the moon) and there is not technical reason for not providing this to the travelling public. The already digitized data used in real-time allows the use of automated expert systems to check many of an aircraft’s sensors prior to, and during, a flight to assure that everything is functioning correctly without having a person in the loop. When a malfunction is detected it can automatically inform the pilot and ATC as to the best way to work a round a malfunction. Using cross checks and correlation most of the sensors can be checked and work a round’s provided to the flight deck crew for safe transportation. It will also automatically notify the ground operational center of expected malfunctions and the safest work a round’s using a history file that should be followed. By so doing, the pilot’s work load will be reduced and his performance enhanced. Also, it would save the time and cost of retrieving the recorder data and analyzing it (see AirFrance, flight 447, 228 fatality crash into the Atlantic in 2009). It would also assure that the recording data is correct since it would be automatically checked the performance data at flight time and during the flight (this could prevent some of the fatal crashes). Sy Levine Sr. Life Member of the IEEE sylevine1@sbcglobal.net For more info on this subject see the following link: http://www.safelander.com  View

Immigration law in this country is a total mess. I read the other day that when combining births, deaths, and immigration, the anticipated population increase for the United States next year is expected to be 1 person every 17 seconds. Unbelievable. Hopefully the Supreme Court is able to make some consistent legislation. e  View

The sooner the United States government stops meddling with American business this sooner American business will start growing and we'll all be better off.  View

By far the worst president in U.S. history. Just look what this guy has done, could you imagine 4 more years without him worrying about reelection! It would be the end of the United States! Not the end as we know it, no, just "the end," "period."  View

@Emily Coleman, your obviously just another uneducated American who believes everything the media says.(so many of you out there). Do you realize the United States dollar is on the verge of collapse? and Romney, Gingrich and Santorum have no plans to lower our national debt. Any candidate besides Ron Paul will drive this country into he ground further then Obama has. Ron Paul 2012  View

Slavery is still alive and well here in the United States; here's just one of many examples of it. As America returns to Feudalism, I find it really sad to see how poorly the serfs get treated - even if the first wave of them are illegal aliens.  View

I would have to agree with the political blogger in that even if the United States does not have advance warning I think it is highly likely that they will be a major military sponsor if an attack occurs.  View

My apologies, Mr. Santorum. Apparently you missed that phrasing in The Constitution of the United States of America.  View

Touche Mizzou88, touche. If, however, you are of the mindset that the United States of 2012 is in any way more appropriately governed by a Christianity-infused idealism, I strongly question your peceptions of the development of an intellectual society.  View