Aircraft Piloting Setpoint Selection for Single-Pilot Cargo Conversion
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Solution Overview
Problem
Converting a conventional pre-existing airliner into a cargo plane suitable for single-pilot operation poses challenges due to the existing two-pilot crew architecture and limitations of conventional autopilot systems, which can lead to safety risks in case of pilot failure or malicious acts.
Innovation Solution
An acquisition and analysis device is integrated into the pre-existing aircraft to acquire parameters from original systems, evaluate the aircraft's state and flight stage, and select an alternative piloting setpoint from manual, autopilot, or alternative modes, ensuring safe operation even in single-pilot scenarios.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If the number of pilots is reduced to one, then operational cost is reduced, but flight safety is degraded due to loss of crew redundancy
Solution Approach 1:
A ground-based co-pilot system acts as an intermediary to provide backup piloting capability when the onboard pilot becomes incapacitated. The ground co-pilot receives aircraft state data via communication means and can issue control commands to the flight control system, serving as a remote safety net that enables single-pilot operation without compromising flight safety.
Solution Approach 2:
The piloting function is segmented between the onboard pilot, the ground-based co-pilot system, and the automated flight control system. This segmentation allows the onboard pilot to perform primary piloting tasks while the ground co-pilot and automated systems provide backup and monitoring capabilities, enabling cost-effective single-pilot operation while maintaining safety through distributed piloting functions.
2Device complexity
If conventional autopilot system is used, then device complexity is reduced, but reliability is degraded during critical flight stages
Solution Approach 1:
The ground-based co-pilot system acts as an intermediary backup layer that activates when conventional autopilot fails during critical flight stages. This intermediary provides an additional safety layer without requiring complex modifications to the existing autopilot system, maintaining simplicity while improving reliability through remote human intervention capability.
3Reliability
If additional safety functions are integrated, then flight safety is improved, but device complexity and certification requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The ground-based co-pilot system serves as a remote intermediary that provides comprehensive safety functions without requiring complex onboard equipment. By locating the backup piloting capability off-board, the system reduces onboard device complexity while maintaining enhanced safety through communication links between ground and aircraft systems.
Solution Approach 2:
The ground-based co-pilot system performs multiple safety functions including monitoring aircraft state, detecting pilot incapacitation, issuing control commands, and providing backup piloting capability. This multi-functional approach consolidates various safety functions into a single unified system, reducing overall system complexity while improving flight safety.
Data Source
AI summary
An acquisition and analysis device to be integrated in a pre-existing aircraft that includes original systems comprising pilot controls and also an autopilot system includes acquisition means arranged to acquire parameters produced by the original systems, and analysis means arranged on the basis of the parameters, to evaluate whether the pre-existing aircraft is normal or abnormal, and to evaluate the current stage of flight of the pre-existing aircraft, on the basis of the state of the pre-existing aircraft and of the current stage of flight of the pre-existing aircraft, to define a piloting setpoint selected from piloting setpoints comprising at least a manual piloting setpoint produced by a pilot actuating pilot controls, an autopilot setpoint produced by the autopilot system, and an alternative piloting setpoint, and to cause the selected piloting setpoint to be transmitted to the original systems of the pre-existing aircraft.