FREE ESSAY ON COCKPIT VIDEO CAMERAS...THE ISSUES

COCKPIT VIDEO CAMERAS...THE ISSUES

Introduction
The National Transportation Board has recommended to the Federal Aviation Administration
that all FAR Part 121, 125, and 135 passenger-carrying aircraft be equipped with cockpit
video recorders, cockpit voice recorders and digital flight data recorders (Rimmer,
2000). The use of flight data information has been very useful to the National
Transportation Safety Board for solving countless aircraft accidents and mishaps. The
recent surge for the upgraded equipment, especially the cockpit video recorders, stems
from the crashes of ValuJet Flight 592 in the Florida Everglades, Swissair Flight 111,
which crashed off the coast of Halifax, and more recently the EgyptAir 990 crash ("Safety
Board Favors Cameras For Cockpits," 2000). The current equipment used in the aircraft
today is the Cockpit Voice Recorder and the Flight Data Recorder. The cockpit voice
recorder records the radio transmissions between the pilots and the air traffic
controllers who guide the planes to their designated areas in the air and on the ground.
The cockpit voice recorder also records the sounds inside the cockpit between pilots,
stall warning signals, engine noise, landing gear extension and retraction, weather
briefs, and any other abnormal noises (Barker, 1999). The flight data recorder monitors
certain parameters of the actual airplane such as the altitude, airspeed, compass
heading, vertical acceleration and time (Maharry, 2000).
Definition
The National Transportation Safety Board wants to upgrade existing flight data recorders
and implement cockpit video recorders for safety reasons and to help solve commercial
airline crashes. The airline pilots are against the idea of the cockpit recorders due to
the fact that they will be on camera at all times and feel that this is a breach of
privacy and the film could be leaked to the media (Sher, 2000). 
Affected Principles
The National Transportation Safety Board has cited that with the help of the cockpit
video recorders accidents can be solved more quickly ("Safety Board Favors Cameras For
Cockpits," 2000). Pilots oppose the use of the cameras stating that it is a breach of
privacy into the pilots workspace (Sher, 2000). Unions such as the Air Line Pilots
Association think very much the same as the pilots do. The unions think that today's
technology is sufficient enough so that cockpit video recorders are not necessary (Mann,
2000). The victims and the lawyers representing the victims want to be active
participants in the National Transportation Safety Board investigation (Richfield, 2000).
The upgrades and the cockpit video recorders can be beneficial to the airlines
themselves. The cockpit video recorders may determine if there were flaws in the
manufacturing of the aircraft or pilot error. The passengers who board the aircraft
everyday will stand to benefit from the information emotionally and economically;
confidence in the government to solve these issues is paramount (Hall, 1999).
How Principles Are Affected
The National Transportation Safety Board wants the cameras to show the whole cockpit to
include all crewmembers. The NTSB has stated that the faces of the pilots will not be
necessary in the implementation of the video cameras. Two hours of color video will be in
constant use in the cockpits. The cameras need to be color due to the color coordination
of some of the flight screens in the cockpit. The use of the camera can show the actual
settings of the instruments also. The video can be compared to what the flight data
recorder indicates. This information can be critical if both recordings show different
readings ("Safety Board Calls For Cameras In The Cockpit," 2000). The National
Transportation Safety Board has indicated that the circuit breaker to the camera will be
inaccessible to any of the crew during flight. This decision arises from the idea that
the pilot from SilkAir737 pulled the circuit breaker to the flight data recorder before
allegedly crashing the plane. ("Safety Board Calls For Cameras In The Cockpit," 2000).
The National Transportation Safety Board, along with taxpayers, will also be affected
economically with the implementation of the recorders. Currently, the National
Transportation Safety Board has spent more than 13 million dollars and 2,400 workdays
trying to solve the crash of EgyptAir 990. Economic projections for this crash may run as
high as 17 million dollars before the investigation is either solved or unsolved (Mann,
2000).
The pilots of the airlines are concerned that the actual cockpit video recordings might
be leaked to the public. Images such as these would then be put on tabloid television for
the world to see (Sher, 2000). Pilots are also concerned that the flight data may or will
be used against them in court. The pilots also think that the information may be used
against them by the airlines to impose disciplinary actions (Richfield, 2000). In March
2000, a New Zealand pilot was charged with manslaughter for killing four people on his
aircraft. Pilots view the video recorders as an infringement on their privacy in their
workplace (Bill, 2000). A United DC-9 pilot was quoted as saying, It'll be just like the
old Soviet Union, with Big Brother watching you, (Carley, 2000). The cockpit is their
office and pilots think that the camera is being unjustly used to monitor their actions
(Bill, 2000). 
Unions such as the Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA) think the usefulness of the camera
is over-rated. With today's modern technology, the upgrades to existing recorders and the
implementation of Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) program should provide
enough information for safety purposes (Mann, 2000). The Flight Operations Quality
Assurance program is designed so that the flight data information is saved to disk
therefore capturing all information instead of the minimal recording time mandated by
Federal Aviation Administration. The disk is then downloaded at the headquarters of that
particular airline for review. The computer then reads all the information from the disk
and captures any readings that are out of character for the flight, thereby isolating any
problems with the pilot's actions or the aircraft itself. (Maharry, 2000). The Air Line
Pilots Association also wants a law in place to bar the release of information on the
video data recorders (Lieb, 2000). 
The victims and the lawyers representing the families of the victims of these tragic
accidents want all flight data to be accessible so that the information can be used in a
court of law. It is the perception of the lawyers and victims that the government is
providing a secure and sheltered environment for the airline industry on these issues
(Richfield, 2000). 
The airline organizations and designers can use the information retrieved in the wreckage
to identify exactly what happened in those last few minutes in a different way. The data
analyzed can determine if there was a flaw in the design of the aircraft. Information
such as this, if it can be determined, can help to fix other aircraft immediately before
another mishap occurs. These findings can also help redesign new aircraft that may be
sitting on the assembly line or in the development stage. The information can be very
helpful to determine that mechanical failure did not cause the demise of the airplane.
This information can then be used to see if pilot error was the factor (Hall, 1999).
The frequent flying customers as well as the very reluctant flyer will benefit from the
accurate data collected. First, several accidents have been averted due to the
information that is already being collected by the recorders. The information that has
been collected and analyzed has averted serious injury and countless lives have been
saved due to data recorders already in place. The passengers' peace of mind is priceless,
knowing that he/she is flying in a safe airplane. Second, society is protected
economically also. The prevention of accidents reduces the cost of insurance for the
airlines and the passenger's tickets. Medical costs and other government costs are also
reduced due to the efforts of effective data recorders. It has also benefited the court
systems by avoiding long, expensive litigation lawsuit. How many more lawsuits can be
avoided due to more accurate data recorders? Third, the confidence level in the
government to solve the accidents would increase. When the investigation team can
determine the exact cause of an accident, few questions go unanswered. This in return
will boost the integrity of the transportation system (Hall, 1999). 
Key Issues
James Hall, National Transportation Safety Board Chairman, has assured lawmakers that the
same rules and guidelines will mandate the video recorders, as far as viewing, as the
cockpit voice recorder (Mann, 2000). The National Transportation Safety Board does
release transcripts of the voice recordings, but are prohibited by law to release the
actual recordings of the voice recorders (Carley, 2000). Duane Woerth, President of the
Airlines Pilots Association, stated that the protection already in place is not
sufficient enough to protect the recordings. There were several instances where the news
has received actual voice recordings and used them for the world to listen (Mann, 2000).

Flight Operations Quality Assurance does not require an accident to happen in order for
information to be obtained. The data collected before an accident is used for decision
making base on the analysis and data collected. The information collected because of FOQA
gives airlines a good indication of how effective the training and flight procedures are
for their pilots (Frenzel, 2000). 
Organizations that use the Flight Operations Quality Assurance programs fear that the
information being collected can be used against them in criminal cases. If a pilot feels
that the information being collected can be used against him/her, he/she will not want to
participate in the program (Maharry, 2000). 
How many cameras should be used in the cockpit? Duncan Schofield, manager of
flight-recorder engineering at Honeywell International Inc., a maker of aircraft
instruments stated that three cameras would be sufficient to cover all aspects in the
cockpit. One camera will be used to get the readings of the instruments in front of the
pilots, one for the instruments above the pilots, and one for the cockpit to get a
general idea of what the pilots are doing (Carley, 2000). 
Will the video boxes be able to survive the crash? Recorders must be crash proof so that
the essential information in the boxes is safe. The criteria for the boxes are as
follows: Able to withstand the impact of 3,400 G's. This is the equivalent to an object
coming to a dead stop traveling 360 miles per hour. It must be crush proof to withstand
5,000 pounds of force for five minutes. They must also be able to be protected against
punctures to the box. It must be fire proof, able to withstand temperatures up to 2,000
degrees for 30 minutes. It must be heat proof, able to withstand heat up to 500 degrees
for ten hours. It must be waterproof, able to last for thirty days under water at depths
of 20,000 feet. It must be corrosion proof, so it may last at least 30 days in a body of
water. It must be gunk proof also, able to survive 48 hours in submersed in oil, fuel,
hydraulic fluid, grease, and extinguishing agent (Maharry, 2000). 
Summary
Data recorders play such an integral role in the safety of commercial airlines. Since the
National Transportation Safety Board is the watchdog for all airline industries, they
increasingly want to upgrade and implement new recorders in the name of safety. Many
people and organizations are still at odds whether the video recorders will be beneficial
to help with safety and solve airline crashes. With more aircraft in the skies, the
Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will continue to
make advances in data collection for many years to come. 
In recent years, the air transportation industry and the federal government have spent a
significant amount of effort and money on different programs to make our skies safer.
Some examples of these efforts include the DOT Aviation Safety Action Plan, the White
House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security, the National Civil Aviation Review
Commission, and the FAA Safer Skies Initiative. These efforts have identified the most
important issues affecting air safety. These programs advocate a strong industry focus on
risk management and an aggressive, proactive safety program. The current industry thrust
is to provide the air transportation industry with the tools to detect & remedy the
unsafe and undesirable trends that will eventually result in accidents, and thereby
prevent the next accident without having to wait for an aircraft to fall out of the sky.

When it comes to improving air safety, cockpit video recorders are not the answer. The
cameras can continue to be used in a training capacity. Airline companies use the cameras
to assess students, which provide the student and instructor with instant feedback on
positive and negative aspects of their training. A lot can be learned by using the camera
in this function to ensure training is efficient and effective. 
Today's state of the art technology is so advanced and becoming more and more advanced
that the National Transportation Safety Board can make accurate assessments on the demise
of almost, but not all crash. Flight Data Recorders (FDRs) in the latest versions of
transport aircraft typically record more than a hundred different parameters. Enhanced
recording technology, combined with proactive air safety programs such as FOQA, will help
the NTSB to accurately identify airplane or pilot system deficiencies. This in return
will continue to keep our skies safe and friendly into the next century.
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