System for in-flight aircraft cockpit to ground service recording and real-time transmission

Abstract

Systems, methods, and apparatus for monitoring an aircraft, including activities occurring within the aircraft and conditions of the aircraft, wherein one or more sensing components (e.g., cameras, microphones, or other sensors) are positioned within the aircraft at a location where information can be determined. Preferably, the components are camouflaged within the surface of the aircraft or within the instrument panel of the aircraft. The sensing components are connected with a communication mechanism to transmit communications from the system within the aircraft to a ground portion of the system over a communication link (e.g., a satellite communication link). The system can process information corresponding to conditions or activities of the aircraft and generate an alert when a trigger is met or exceeded. The system components on the aircraft can monitor conditions and activities without using or interfering with the aircraft instrument panel, and the system uses only the aircraft power supply.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of application number 201880027333.X, filed on April 20, 2018, entitled "System for Recording and Transmitting In-Flight Aircraft Cockpit Data to Ground Services in Real Time". Technical Field

[0002] Systems, methods, and apparatus for aircraft monitoring and cockpit or cockpit recording, more specifically, can be implemented as systems for determining real-time information about events occurring within the monitored area of ​​an aircraft. Background Technology

[0003] Current systems for aircraft monitoring and cockpit recording are inadequate in many ways. For example, if a passenger plane crashes, the only reliable way to retrieve reliable data about the cause of the crash or accident is to retrieve the so-called black box flight data recorder. Many small aircraft lack such flight data recorders, making it difficult for investigators, insurance companies, and safety regulators to reconstruct the events leading to the accident. Furthermore, sometimes it is difficult to recover aircraft flight data recorders, and sometimes they are simply unrecoverable. For example, it took nearly two years to recover the flight data recorder of Air France Flight 447, which crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. As another example, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, presumably crashed into the Indian Ocean, still has not recovered its wreckage or flight data recorder more than two years later. In fact, there are currently more than 400 aircraft accidents each year that result in one or more deaths, many of which involve small aircraft that do not have flight data recorders at all.

[0004] Even if a flight data recorder is recovered, it doesn't necessarily provide a complete set of information about the activities that led to the incident or accident. For example, many flight data recorders record the pilot's voice in the cockpit, but they don't record images of the pilots, what they are doing, or even whether they are present in the cockpit or conscious, as was the case with Helios Airways Flight 522. During that flight, the entire aircraft was unusable due to decompression at high altitude, and because there was no communication and no way to obtain cockpit photos to determine the crew's condition, the military aircraft had to be harassed to visually verify what had happened.

[0005] Furthermore, many crashes are caused by pilot error or misunderstanding of instruments or flight conditions. In such cases, if there are methods to identify accidents or crashes in emergency flight situations (resources available to pilots), it is possible, even possible, for independent flight experts or artificial intelligence flight systems to provide substantial assistance in preventing accidents or crashes. Even experienced professional pilots make simple mistakes that can be quickly corrected with objective, independent advice. For example, Air France Flight 447, entirely under pilot control, remained in a nose-up stall for over three minutes, with multiple indicators on the instrument panel pointing to elements of the stall situation, until it plunged into the sea from 38,000 feet. At some point during those three minutes, the stall and eventual crash could have been easily prevented; the pilots simply used certain instruments to indicate the aircraft's status, pointing the nose down and regaining sufficient airflow over the wings to guide the aircraft back to flight.

[0006] In other circumstances, hijackers may breach the cockpit, and unless they choose to communicate, they often know very little about the aircraft's condition. For example, in the September 11, 2001 attacks on the United States, a considerable amount of time passed before ground controllers realized the seriousness of the situation because the attackers did not communicate at all through air traffic control frequencies. In fact, based on passenger calls to the ground, several people knew the exact status of the aircraft before the aircraft's command or air traffic controllers did. To this day, there is no system in place for ground controllers to independently view the status of an aircraft's cockpit.

[0007] The same situation exists for private jets. Private jets are involved in more accidents each year than passenger planes, and they have less equipment to record accidents or provide assistance in flight emergencies.

[0008] The fact that installing anything on an aircraft that might obtain readings from instruments or other systems installed on the aircraft requires a lengthy and costly certification process exacerbates the aforementioned problems. Connecting anything to instruments or existing aircraft systems in any way on an aircraft typically violates the aircraft's airworthiness certificate.

[0009] Therefore, what is needed is a system that is completely independent of the aircraft's existing avionics and systems, but can still monitor the key elements affecting the aircraft and its operation. Summary of the Invention

[0010] Systems, methods, and devices for monitoring aircraft are provided. These systems, methods, and devices are configured to monitor and acquire information from key components affecting the aircraft and its operations. The system is configured to acquire information independently of and free from the constraints of existing avionics and aircraft operation and guidance components.

[0011] The system, method, and apparatus acquire information about an aircraft, which may include, for example, but not limited to, information acquired by monitoring the aircraft’s avionics and instruments, including both cockpit audio and video, to determine pilot activity (including their presence), cockpit sounds (e.g., audible alarms, pilot or other conversations in the cockpit), and observations through cockpit windows to provide some indication of external conditions or weather during aircraft operation.

[0012] Furthermore, this system, method, and apparatus do not merely record monitored information (such as the aforementioned elements) to a recording device (which must be verified to be intact to determine its content). During flight, the system can wirelessly transmit these elements to a location, facility, airline operations center, or other suitable ground system. According to some embodiments, the transmission can occur selectively under certain conditions during flight or when activated by the pilot.

[0013] Additionally, according to some embodiments, the system is configured to communicate with the aircraft's pilot at appropriate times, preferably independently of whether the aircraft's conventional radio equipment is operational or whether the aircraft is outside the range of air traffic control or other ground transceivers.

[0014] This invention provides the capabilities described above, and more. Although features may be disclosed in specific embodiments, embodiments of the invention may implement one or more or combinations of the features disclosed herein. Attached Figure Description

[0015] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram depicting an exemplary embodiment of a system according to the present invention, showing a device for imaging and related components for managing information.

[0016] Figure 2A It is a perspective view of the cockpit, showing the two pilots sitting in the cockpit as if viewed from the rear forward.

[0017] Figure 2B yes Figure 1 The perspective view of the cockpit shown depicts the pilot sitting inside. Detailed Implementation

[0018] Figure 1 The basic invention is disclosed herein, and is further described herein, along with options for modifications to elements thereof without limitation or departure from the scope thereof. For the purposes of this disclosure, the invention is referred to as a Real-Time Flight Recorder System (RFRS).

[0019] First, refer to Figure 1An exemplary embodiment of the system according to the present invention is illustrated. In the depicted embodiment, the RFRS is shown as including a camera 102, which typically has a wide-angle lens 101A, a microphone, and a speaker 101B. Figure 1 As shown, the microphone speaker 101B and camera 102 can be contained within a single housing, or, according to an alternative embodiment, can be mounted separately. Preferably, the camera, speaker, and microphone are mounted in a location within the cockpit 101 that does not interfere with aircraft operation but still provides a view of the cockpit 101 and the pilot, such as, but not limited to, […]. Figure 2A and 2B Cockpits 201 and 101 are shown respectively. For example, as... Figure 2A and 2B As shown, the camera determines an image of the cockpit view, in which numerous aircraft instruments operating during flight are imaged and recorded. This image can be transmitted to ground unit 120 during (or after) flight to provide information about the aircraft's condition during flight. This information may include real-time information. According to some alternative embodiments, information obtained from components (e.g., from cameras and sensors) can be processed by aircraft unit 100 of the RFRS, and processed data obtained from image or sensor information can be transmitted from aircraft unit 100 to ground unit 120. Component 115 may be configured with software or other artificial intelligence to identify or detect aircraft conditions (based on cameras and / or other sensors) and provide alerts when conditions reach or exceed thresholds. Additionally, without departing from the scope of the invention disclosed herein, Figure 1 The single camera 102 shown can actually be two or more cameras to provide complete coverage of the cockpit. Additionally, as is known to those skilled in the art, the cameras, microphones, and speakers can be miniature, allowing their locations to be hidden, concealed, or disguised as part of other instruments or switches, and thus making them difficult for hijackers or other unauthorized personnel to identify. Camera 102 and microphone are configured primarily to record images and audio in the cockpit 101 during emergencies, but can be configured to record at any time, including the entire duration of flight or for training purposes. The recording device is connected to system 100 residing on the aircraft, but not to a power supply (configuration or installation of the system to receive power from the aircraft), and the recording device is never connected to any other aircraft system otherwise, and therefore it is easy to install on an already operational aircraft and / or does not affect the aircraft's airworthiness certificate.

[0020] In addition to camera 102, microphone, and speaker 101B, the aircraft portion 100 of the RFRS also includes means for automatically recording and / or transmitting image, sound clips, or full video when the system detects certain sound or image. Listening circuitry may be configured. For example, the listening circuitry may process input from camera 102, microphone, or other detection components (e.g., sensors, which may be part of camera 102 or may be configured separately to be associated with system components). Compression, formatting, and encryption 106, optional recording functions 102, recording triggering functions 104, and optional continuous full video and audio 105 are provided to prepare for transmission via link 108 to a satellite radio transceiver 109 with a suitable antenna 110 to the ground portion 120 of the RFRS. According to some embodiments, the ground portion 120 may be configured to include means for transmission via satellite (e.g., a satellite link represented by satellite 112 and...). Figure 1 The satellite transceiver 114 (links 111, 113) depicted transmits and receives communications. The aircraft portion of system 100 may also include sensors separate from the aircraft's sensors, optionally including barometric pressure sensors, accelerometers, and attitude sensors (not shown). The aircraft portion 100 of the RFRS is shown, including a monitoring computer or control circuitry 107. According to some embodiments of the invention, contrary to the fact that the aircraft portion of the RFRS is functionally separable, all functional elements of the aircraft portion 100 of the RFRS may be contained within a single computer or programmable circuitry without departing from its scope. According to other embodiments, functional elements may be arranged in one or more separate arrangements, for example, where camera 102 and / or other sensors that collect or provide information are arranged separately from operating circuitry or processing components and transmission components.

[0021] According to some embodiments, system components may be housed together within the housing. Embodiments can be configured such that one or more components (e.g., camera lenses, sensors, or microphones) are placed separately from the housing and concealed within cockpit instruments, switches, panels, and / or other internal components. One or more components not located within the housing are preferably connected to the housing or one or more other components within the housing. This can be accomplished through appropriate connections, which can be wired or wireless (where transmission does not interfere with the aircraft instrument cluster).

[0022] During operation, various sensors can operate individually or collaboratively to record situations to the monitoring device, recording images and audio or video and audio, and optionally transmitting them immediately or saving them for later transmission. Trigger points or combinations can be set by a program before installation, before a single flight, or in real time, and this program can be optionally updated locally or via a radio link to another site. For example, recording can begin if the RFRS detects a specific indicator light on the instrument panel, a warning audio from the instrument, or an unusual sound. Audio can also be set to trigger recording if it detects a word or sequence spoken by the pilot, such as "mayday" or "help," or simply a sequence of numbers known to the pilot but unknown to unauthorized personnel. This allows the pilot to trigger the recording and transmission system with minimal additional effort in emergency situations.

[0023] Additionally, the RFRS section 100 on the aircraft can be configured to record continuously throughout the entire flight, whether in flight or while the aircraft is powered, and sufficient memory can be placed within the RFRS aircraft section 100 to store the value of the audio and video throughout the flight. For example, recording 12 hours of low-motion video under low-loss compression might only require 8GB of memory, which can easily be provided by modern flash memory or other non-volatile memory in the RFRS aircraft 100. This video can optionally be linked to the ground section 120 of the RFRS at any time via satellite links (represented by satellite 112 and links 111, 113), or it can be dumped in reverse chronological order (i.e., the most recent) when an emergency signal is transmitted. In this way, transmission can be controlled to prioritize events leading to an emergency, transmitting those events to the ground section 120 of the RFRS first.

[0024] Optionally, acceleration sensors, attitude sensors, and cabin pressure sensors can be used in combination to indicate when the aircraft takes off and climbs or lands, which are the times when emergencies and incidents most often occur, and the system is programmed to record only, record and transmit only, or transmit only during these time periods.

[0025] Many combinations of sensor readings and thresholds (including sound and images) can be combined in the program on the RFRS monitoring device in the aircraft 100, which can be conceived by practitioners in the field of aircraft emergency and systems, without departing from this scope.

[0026] When ground unit 120 receives audio and video from RFRS aircraft unit 100 via satellite links (see, for example, satellite 112 and links 111, 113), it can store and optionally analyze them immediately via an automated artificial intelligence system included in component 115 (e.g., a computer connected to receive information from RFRS aircraft unit 100 via satellite transceiver 114) or by personnel trained to assist pilots in emergency situations (not shown). If the aircraft is in a detected or declared emergency, the artificial intelligence function or personnel can use the satellite link and speakers on the aircraft to provide advice to the pilots as appropriate.

[0027] In addition, RFRS can distribute video and audio from the aircraft to authorities or the airline's flight operations department, or to any other specific entity or machine that needs to receive such information, or any combination thereof.

[0028] For example, if this RFRS system were installed on an Air France 447 in the mid-Atlantic, some of the aircraft's sensors could detect abnormal attitudes and accelerations, and immediately begin transmitting video and audio of the cockpit situation via satellite link to Air France's flight operations office in Paris. The Parisian flight operators, being outside the cockpit, could easily see multiple instrument panel indicators suggesting a stall, observe the pilots' incorrect methods of pulling the aircraft out of the stall, and communicate directly to the cockpit via satellite link, without needing multiple ground controllers and unknown ground-to-aircraft communication conditions, potentially saving the aircraft. Even if the attempt to save the aircraft and passengers ultimately failed, at least the flight operators would immediately know the cause of the crash, instead of waiting nearly two years to find the flight data recorder.

[0029] Embodiments of the invention also include an aircraft equipped with a camera 102 and / or system components for detecting activities within the aircraft (personal behavior or smoking, etc., in the cockpit, cabin, or other spaces) or aircraft movements (movements of the aircraft, such as altitude, speed, and other detectable motions). This system is preferably deployed separately from other instrumentation within the aircraft. The camera 102, microphone, speaker, or other components of the system (including other sensors) may be positioned separately from other components of the aircraft (e.g., measurement system sensors that may also measure other aircraft instrumentation). The system can be implemented on the aircraft by connecting its power supply to the aircraft's power source, such as a generator, battery, power terminal, or other power source. The system may receive power directly from the aircraft's power source, or the system may be configured with its own power source, such as a rechargeable battery, or a combination thereof, wherein the aircraft's power source charges the system battery. However, according to a preferred embodiment, the system determines information sensed by system components rather than by the aircraft instrumentation (e.g., activities within the aircraft cabin or cockpit, operational status such as altitude, speed, etc.). Although the aircraft is equipped with instrument clusters and sensors that can display indications on the cockpit instrument panels, the RFRS system components are separate from the aircraft instrument cluster, and the RFRS system uses these separately configured system components to determine information for transmission to locations remote from the operating aircraft. Figure 1 As shown, the aircraft is preferably configured to carry a system transceiver 109 and an antenna 110, which are equipped with the system's communication mechanisms and sensors (e.g., camera 102) to provide information to the system's ground portion 120 via a satellite communication link (see, for example, 112 and 111, 113). The aircraft can be configured such that system components for sensing activity are located in different positions within the aircraft's dashboard to make it more difficult for malicious actors to disable the components. For example, camera lenses can be placed and concealed within specific instrument panels, lights, buttons, or switches in different locations on one aircraft and on another. According to some preferred embodiments, the system components are installed on the aircraft during construction. According to some other embodiments, the system is installed in the constructed aircraft.

[0030] The system, method, and apparatus also provide services that subscribers can receive. Embodiments of the invention are designed to provide a subscriber system for receiving determined information, wherein information for one or more aircraft can be managed among one or more subscribers. For example, the service can be implemented with the system, and information can be transmitted to reside in a subscriber's account. For example, a portion of the system may include one or more computing components, data repositories, or other storage devices that receive information transmitted from the aircraft portion of the system. For example, images from camera 102 may be transmitted periodically (or circularly, or periodically and streamingly, upon the presence or detection of activity or other triggering conditions). The ground portion may be configured to capture data from the transmissions received from the aircraft portion and process the information. According to some embodiments, the system is configured as a subscriber system, and subscribers can subscribe to receive access to information provided by the system even while the aircraft is in flight. The subscriber side of the system is preferably located in the ground portion of the system that (authorized) subscribers can access. The information can be subscribed to, and the subscriber system may also include an alarm system configured to provide notifications to subscribers. For example, according to one implementation, subscriber notification parameters can be preset (through subscriber preferences or other means) to provide alerts to subscribers from the aircraft system that indicates a triggering event has occurred or been detected, at the subscriber's receiving account. Subscribers can subscribe to one or more subscription components, such as aircraft, carriers, regions, or other characteristics, so that the subscriber receives information related to a specific aircraft of interest to the subscriber. Approval and authorization can be provided to subscribers before granting them access to information. Subscriber communications may also be encrypted. Other subscription requirements may include subscriber accounts, contacts, and payment systems for purchasing or maintaining subscriptions. Potential subscribers include, for example, aviation authorities or government agencies, law enforcement agencies, military agencies, or other regulatory bodies or organizations. The subscriber system can be configured on a computing component, which may include a computer with a processor, and a storage component maintained on or associated with the computing component, allowing information to be stored and retrieved from the storage component. The storage component may be a hard disk drive, flash memory, a computer drive, a remotely linked drive, or other suitable data storage element. For example, the subscriber system computer may be configured with software containing instructions for processing information from the aircraft portion of the system. For example, a subscriber system computer can be configured to store and distribute aircraft information (such as records) obtained from the aircraft systems section, and distribute it to appropriate flight operators, instructors, authorities, etc. These organizations or individuals can be subscribers. Different access levels can also be provided to subscribers so that some subscribers can access information different from other subscribers (based on company affiliation, subscriber employment, position or job level within the organization, etc.). Subscriptions can be set up as monthly, annual, or other payment methods for the service and invoiced accordingly.

[0031] These and other advantages can be obtained by using the inventive systems, methods, and apparatus disclosed herein. Although the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, this description is exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. For example, the sensing components may include one or more cameras and multiple sensors, and may be positioned at different locations on the aircraft. This configuration may provide sensor redundancy or alternative locations for viewpoint positioning, etc. Various modifications and changes will be possible for those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth herein and in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A method for real-time monitoring of an aircraft, comprising: (a) Providing a flight recorder system, wherein the flight recorder system is separate from the aircraft’s own avionics and includes at least one sensing component, the sensing component including one or more sensors to detect conditions; and positioning the sensing component within the aircraft at a location where information can be determined; (b) Determine the aircraft's status using at least one sensing component. (c) Transmitting and / or receiving communications in a communication network via a communication mechanism connected to the sensing component; as well as (d) Operate a control mechanism connected to the sensing component to receive information from the sensing component and transmit information via a communication mechanism; (e) wherein the one or more sensors include a barometric pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor and an altitude sensor, wherein the barometric pressure sensor, the acceleration sensor and the altitude sensor are used in combination to provide indication of when the aircraft takes off and climbs or lands, and wherein the one or more sensors are independent of avionics and guidance components. (f) Use sensors to detect emergency situations encountered by the aircraft; (g) When the system detects an emergency, it provides advice to the pilots via speakers located in the aircraft cockpit; (h) The acceleration sensor, the altitude sensor and the barometric pressure sensor are used in combination to provide indication of when the aircraft takes off and climbs or lands, and the system is programmed to record only, or record and transmit only, during the aircraft's takeoff and climb or landing.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The sensing components include one or more of a camera, a microphone, and a speaker.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The sensing components include at least a plurality of cameras.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising providing a remote ground operations unit, the method further comprising using the remote ground operations unit to monitor the status of the aircraft and using the remote ground operations unit to receive transmissions including indications of when the aircraft takes off and climbs or lands, the indications being provided by the combination of the acceleration sensor, the altitude sensor and the barometric pressure sensor.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein, The communication mechanism connected to the sensing component transmits and / or receives communication over a communication network via a satellite communication link. The sensing component is mounted on the aircraft and includes an aircraft portion of the system. The aircraft portion is a separate system independent of the aircraft's own avionics and is located on the aircraft. The communication mechanism of the aircraft portion includes a satellite radio transceiver and an antenna for transmitting signals for communicating with the ground operations unit via the satellite communication link. The ground operations unit includes a receiving component configured to receive communications transmitted from the communication mechanism of the aircraft unit. The method further includes using the receiving component of the ground operations unit to receive communications and communicating between the aircraft unit and the ground operations unit via the satellite communication link.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein, The ground operations unit includes a computer with processing components and software configured with instructions for instructing the processing components to analyze information transmitted from the aircraft unit by comparing the information with one or more thresholds; The analysis of information transmitted from the aircraft is performed by using computers in the ground operations section to process information compared to one or more thresholds. Generate a response when a threshold is detected; The response is transmitted to the aircraft cockpit via one or more components of the aircraft part of the system. The response is transmitted via satellite link from the ground operation unit's satellite transceiver to the aircraft transceiver via the aircraft's antenna. The control mechanism includes one or more of a computing component or a control circuit device; wherein the response is transmitted to the computing component or the control circuit device. The computing component or control circuitry of the aircraft portion is configured to process the response received from the ground operations portion and issue an alarm via one or more components of the aircraft portion. Process the response received from the ground operations section and issue an alarm via one or more components of the aircraft section; The ground operations component includes an artificial intelligence module, and the method includes detecting the status of the aircraft from the communication, which provides information obtained by the sensing components of the aircraft portion of the system.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein, Communication in case of anomalies is transmitted to the aircraft cockpit via the satellite link through the satellite transceiver of the ground operations unit, and also to the aircraft transceiver via the aircraft part antenna.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein, The aircraft portion of the system includes speakers located in the cockpit, and communication of abnormal conditions includes auditory communication via the speakers.

9. The method according to claim 1 or 7, wherein, The monitored aircraft has a cockpit and an instrument panel located in the cockpit, and the system includes one or more cameras located in the cockpit. The method includes recording the aircraft's instrument panel using at least one of the one or more cameras, the camera being positioned to record the aircraft's instrument panel.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising defining a threshold or a change in the threshold for one or more conditions sensed by the one or more sensors, and monitoring and processing information from the sensors to determine whether the threshold or the threshold change has been reached, and wherein when the threshold or the threshold change is reached, a camera is actuated to record an image.

11. The method according to claim 8, wherein, The communication takes place between the ground operations unit and the aircraft via satellite communication, and messages are transmitted from the ground operations unit to the aircraft via cockpit speakers.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising using the system to determine when the aircraft is in a detected or declared emergency via sensors independent of the aircraft's avionics, and implementing artificial intelligence functions of the system to provide advice to the pilot via a satellite link through speakers in the aircraft.

13. The method of claim 11, further comprising using the system to determine when the aircraft is in a detected or declared emergency via sensors independent of the aircraft's avionics, and implementing the functions of the system, wherein a human selectively provides advice to the pilot using satellite links and speakers within the aircraft.

14. The method of claim 5 or 6, wherein the monitored aircraft has a cockpit and an instrument panel located in the cockpit, and wherein the system includes one or more cameras located in the cockpit, and wherein the one or more cameras include a capture element mounted within the aircraft cockpit assembly, and wherein, The capture element is disguised as being integrated with the cockpit assembly.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the one or more cameras include a capture element mounted within an aircraft cockpit assembly, wherein the capture element is disguised as being integrated with the cockpit assembly.

16. The method of claim 5, wherein the ground operations portion operates computer software, and a) Processing and storing information received from the aircraft; b) Identify subscribers; c) Subscriber and access regulations; as well as d) Provide subscribers with access to aircraft information based on subscriber access regulations.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein, The subscriber specifies an aircraft or classifies one or more aircraft; and the method includes generating an alarm including a subscriber alarm based on a trigger generated during the processing of information transmitted from the aircraft portion, and transmitting the subscriber alarm to the subscriber specifying the aircraft or classifying one or more aircraft.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein, The generated information update includes information received from the sensing component, and the system is configured to regulate access to the information or information-based updates by restricting the information to authorized subscribers.

19. A method for managing a subscription service that provides information about aircraft activities, comprising: (a) Providing a flight recorder system, wherein the flight recorder system is separate from the aircraft’s own avionics and includes at least one sensing component, the sensing component including one or more sensors for sensing conditions; and positioning the sensing component within the aircraft at a location where information can be determined; (b) Determine the aircraft's status using at least one sensing component; (c) Transmitting and / or receiving communications in a communication network via a communication mechanism connected to the sensing component; as well as (d) Operate a control mechanism connected to the sensing component to receive information from the sensing component and transmit information via a communication mechanism; (e) wherein the one or more sensors include a barometric pressure sensor, an acceleration sensor and an altitude sensor, wherein the barometric pressure sensor, the acceleration sensor and the altitude sensor are used in combination to provide indication of when the aircraft takes off and climbs or lands, and wherein the one or more sensors are independent of avionics and guidance components. (f) Use the sensor to detect emergency situations encountered by the aircraft; (g) When the system detects an emergency, it provides advice to the pilots via speakers located in the aircraft cockpit; (h) Combining the accelerometer, altitude sensor, and barometric pressure sensor to provide indication of when the aircraft takes off and climbs or lands, and programming the system to record only, or record and transmit only, during takeoff and climb or landing; and (i) Operate the ground-based operating components to: i) Processing and storing information received from the flight recorder system; ii) Identify subscribers; iii) Regulations regarding associated subscribers and access; and iv) Provide subscribers with access to aircraft information based on subscriber access regulations.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein providing subscribers with access to aircraft information based on subscriber access provisions includes providing aircraft information to the airline to which the monitored aircraft belongs.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising the option of providing a subscriber with a specified aircraft or a category of one or more aircraft; and generating an alarm including a subscriber alert, and transmitting the subscriber alert to the specified aircraft or a category of one or more aircraft, wherein transmitting the alarm to the subscriber is based on a trigger generated during the processing of information transmitted from the aircraft portion.

22. The method according to claim 19, wherein, Subscribers can access the aircraft's flight information during flight.

23. The method according to claim 19, wherein, Communication is transmitted and / or received over a communication network via a satellite transceiver and an antenna, the antenna broadcasting communication signals from the flight recorder system residing on the aircraft to the ground-based operating computer via a satellite link.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the ground operation unit is connected to a subscriber-accessible network, and wherein, Subscribers access information from the ground operations unit via a network accessible to them.

25. The method of claim 19, providing an account for each subscriber; associating one or more aircraft with a subscriber designation, associating each subscriber account with a subscriber designation, and providing the subscriber with information about the aircraft of each subscriber designation.

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