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New autopilot will make another 9/11 impossible
Last updated at 22:52pm on 03.03.07
Enlarge the picture to see how 'autoland' will work
A hijack-proof piloting system for airliners is being developed to prevent terrorists repeating the 9/11 outrages.
The mechanism is designed to make it impossible to crash the aircraft into air or land targets - and enable the plane to be flown by remote control from the ground in the event of an emergency.
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Scientists at aircraft giant Boeing are testing the tamper-proof autopilot system which uses state-of-the-art computer and satellite technology.
It will be activated by the pilot flicking a simple switch or by pressure sensors fitted to the cockpit door that will respond to any excessive force as terrorists try to break into the flight deck.
Once triggered, no one on board will be able to deactivate the system. Currently, all autopilots are manually switched on and off at the discretion of pilots.
The so-called 'uninterruptible autopilot system' - patented secretly by Boeing in the US last week - will connect ground controllers and security services with the aircraft using radio waves and global satellite positioning systems.
After it has been activated, the aircraft will be capable of remote digital control from the ground, enabling operators to fly it like a sophisticated model plane, manoeuvring it vertically and laterally.
A threatened airliner could be flown to a secure military base or a commercial airport, where it would touch down using existing landing aids known as 'autoland function'.
After it had landed, the aircraft's built-in autobrake would bring the plane safely to a halt on the runway.
Boeing insiders say the new anti-hijack kit could be fitted to airliners all over the world, including those in the UK, within the next three years.
The latest move to combat airline terrorists follows The Mail on Sunday's disclosure three weeks ago that scientists in Britain and Germany are developing a passenger-monitoring device.
This will use tiny cameras linked to specialist computers to record every twitch, blink, facial expression or suspicious movement made on board flights in order to identify potential terrorists.
A Boeing spokesman said : "We are constantly studying ways we can enhance the safety, security and efficiency of the world's airline fleet.
"There is a need in the industry for a technique that conclusively prevents unauthorised persons gaining access to the controls and threatening the safety of passengers.
"Once this system is initiated, no one on board is capable of controlling the flight, making it useless for anyone to threaten violence in order to gain control."
Reader views (11)
For your information we gave a talk at the 26th Digital Avionics and Systems Conference on October 25, 2007. The paper was "An Onboard Pilot and a Remote Copilot for Aviaton Safety, Security and Cost Savings".
The paper was selected for the award of the Best Paper of The Session.
It not only would have prevented another 9/11 it would prevent most fatal airplane crashes like Comair wrong runway, Helios decompression, etc. Everyone asked why isn't being implemented now. It would be if our politicians were more interested in public safety than in getting free press coverage when they visit a preventable disaster.
- Sy Andleslie Levine, Culver City, USA
Excellent.
One pressure sensor is all that stands between human control and automation. One small sensor.
Added to the "passenger monitoring" system we're marching blindly towards confirmation of "Orwellian" vison.
How long will it be before all passengers have to be sedated like cattle for the trips?
Think of the advantages!
No inflight entertainment costs
No Air hostesses needed
No meals
No windows
No reclining seats
No toilets...
Infact, with the cargo hold stacked with sedated humans in tubes, the passenger/space ratio will be improved. This will help the passenger/fuel ratio no end.
Seriously. Let's drug all passengers, load them into tubes with thier own luggage and stack them in cargo planes. Cheaper, safer and more efficient.
- Nick, Malmö Sweden
Well blowing up planes isn't that easy anymore. The security starts at the airport not on the plane.
- Errox, A'dam, The Netherlands
As an ex-professional aviator and current software developer I am appalled. Think how many crashes Airbus had in the early days due to software bugs. This is madness and just one more step towards totalitarianism. When will we stop treating everybody as a criminal until they can prove themselves innocent; though I'm not sure the authorities actually believe any of us are truly innocent.
- Ron, Peterborough England
Right. So when the plane comes into severe turbulence, enough to throw one of the airhostesses against the flight deck entrance door, suddenly the autopilot kicks in and nobody is able to save the plane anymore?
Great idea.
- Wouter Verhelst, Ekeren, Belgium
It reduces the options of the terrorists to executing passengers or blowing up the plane. Every time we remove a variable from the options list of terrorists we can focus our security efforts on the remaining areas. Flying with Federal Air Marshals (a practice not operated in Europe - foolishly in my opinion - which is why I won't fly on european carriers) helps to mitigate the passenger execution scenario, although it doesn't eliminate it entirely. The counter argument that it is dangerous to introduce a person with a gun onto a plane is a valid one, but I'd rather have the hope that there is someone with a gun on my side than not have them. So that leaves blowing the plane up.
- Barry, San Jose, CA, USA
This is a great move.
Now, rather than wasting trained terrorists in firey crashes, they can be kept safely on the ground while the plane is remotely flown into a building.
A far more effective means of combating terrorism risk would be to eliminate the injustices which drive these people to kill others.
Thanks Boeing - once again profiteering and marketing is overtaking common sense.
- Jase, Melbourne, Australia
Can't they already do that anyways? Personally I think this is a boon - prevents them from being able to take control and crash the planes into buildings, reactors, oil depots, etc.
Of course, it's all a matter of speculation what an inside job can do... if they can disable the remote control system before takeoff, what happens if the control is jammed, etc.
- Jason, Texas, USA
The traditional scare about this (see New Scientist passim, for example) is terrorists gaining control of the aircraft remotely from the ground. Zombie jets make zombie home PCs controlled by hackers look rather tame...
- Damoon, London, UK
Seriously, Boeing will have a lot of 'splainin to do the first instance this is used and the hijackers decide to start offing passengers. Think of the reactions of the other passengers in a hijacking these days, it's certainly not the usual "stay calm until things are over" situation anymore. People will NOT be willing to submit to a potential hijacking now that safety is no longer near-guaranteed via compliance.
With no one available to threaten directly on the plane with regards to their objectives, you've essentially created a massive hostage situation with a set deadline.
Adding deadline stress to those already militant? Yeah this is a brilliant idea...
- Adam E. B., Sherbrooke,QC,Canada
Not sure if this is such a good idea. Won't the terrorists just start executing passengers or simply blow the plane up when it is over their target?
- Andy, London, UK
