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iPods to be Used as Flight Data Recorders

Posted by CowboyNeal on from the cockpit-white-boxes dept.

udamahan writes "Flight Global reports small aircraft manufacturer LoPresti is introducing a system that uses an iPod as a flight data recorder. The company states that they chose the iPod for its size, low power requirements, and the 'thousands of developers passionate about writing applications for the iPod.' The article notes that data recorders are typically used for maintenance, flight/safety analysis, or, assuming proper protection, crash investigation."

18 of 200 comments (clear)

  1. Shocking... by arlo5724 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Hmmm, not so sure if I like the sounds of this. I broke an iPod by dropping it about 4 feet, I can only imagine how one will fare after plummeting 30,000...

    1. Re:Shocking... by Konster · · Score: 5, Funny

      Just throw it out of the plane before it crashes, no need to worry about fire then.

    2. Re:Shocking... by imdx80 · · Score: 4, Funny

      and now the new shuffles make sense

    3. Re:Shocking... by jimmydevice · · Score: 4, Funny

      I think most pre-"air accident victims" are too busy doing the "life flashing before their eyes" thing to remember to save the data for the FAA's post crash analysis. Most programmers have problems doing backups after a 3 day coding marathon when all they're thinking of is beer and sleep.

    4. Re:Shocking... by Gordonjcp · · Score: 4, Funny

      If you can get your single-engine piston aircraft to 30,000 feet, you're doing well. If you ran into problems, you'd have time to phone in the flight data recorder information before you hit the ground...

    5. Re:Shocking... by TEMMiNK · · Score: 3, Funny

      It's not it breaking we have to worry about, its having to install iTunes on the aircraft's computer systems to use the damn thing!

      --
      "The stupider people think you are, the more surprised they will be when you kill them..."
    6. Re:Shocking... by PHPfanboy · · Score: 4, Funny

      Just press f12 to Eject

      --
      29 mpg. YMMV.
  2. Re:Wow. by John+Pfeiffer · · Score: 4, Funny

    Drops out of your pocket? The damned things break if you drop it IN your pocket!

    --

    Friend: "The NIC is misconfigured..." Me: "No prob, I'll just telnet in and fix it." *Silence*
  3. In other news... by MrNaz · · Score: 5, Funny

    A commercial airliner has crashed killing all 182 passengers on board as well as 8 flight crew. Investigators have recovered 191 flight recorders.

    --
    I hate printers.
  4. A whole new meaning... by iliketrash · · Score: 5, Funny

    This brings a whole new meaning to a "disk crash."

  5. And then! by Konster · · Score: 4, Funny

    Flight International is doing a similar thing, but with the Zune, it crashes before the plane does!

  6. Worse still by MountainMan101 · · Score: 5, Funny

    After an accident there will be many people who need to investigate the flight data. How problematic is it going to be that they will only be able to put the data on five computers?

  7. Re:OMG NAME! by deathcow · · Score: 4, Funny

    I prefer "iDead"

  8. See by mastershake_phd · · Score: 3, Funny

    Harrison Ford had it right, the Ipod can be used for data storage. Hollywood hacker movies are right again. One of these days someones going to hack the Gibson.....as soon as they build the Gibson.

    --
    Libertarian Leaning Political Discussion Forum.
  9. I can see the headlines now... by Hanners1979 · · Score: 5, Funny

    "Despite recovering the flight data recorder from the wreckage, the caush of the crash is yet to be established. It has been confirmed however that the pilot was a big Pink Floyd fan"

  10. Re:Flash drives would be better.. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

    "flying off a lecture room table and hitting the floor two meters below"

    do you go to giant school or something?

  11. Re:It won't break by dosquatch · · Score: 3, Funny

    Absolutely! Similarly, the iPods will be programmed to loop "We Built This City" endlessly, virtually guaranteeing that somebody will show up to scream "Turn that crap off!"

    --
    "Hey, the third matrix movie would have been good except for the plot,story, and acting." --AC
  12. This wil never work by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 4, Funny


    Won't the iPod disrupt the plane's flight electronics and CAUSE crashes, though? That's why the flight attendants always remind us that the use of portable electronic devices during takeoff and landing is forbidden, right?