French company Airbus has called for the aviation industry to come together to find common standards for wireless technology adoption on airplanes.
The aircraft manufacturer wants the technology to be used to help pilots fly the machines better by boosting onboard wireless signals, which could lead to safety-related applications.
According to the Wall Street Journal, aviation experts said that if successful, the Wireless Avionics Intra-Communications initiative could lead to wireless signals being used as backups for engine controls.
Other applications would be monitoring the condition of landing-gear systems, detecting dangerous icing on airplane surfaces, alerting about defective airspeed sensors, and warning pilots in case of excessive vibration or structural stress.
Those supporting Airbus’ vision believe these wireless deployments on aircrafts need to be separated from passengers’ on-board infotainment services.
The initiative was presented to the industry in a letter to the US Advisory Committee RTCA in early September by senior Airbus flight-systems manager, Jean-Paul Platzer.
In a statement, Boeing has shown support for industry wide standards on wireless communication. Last week, ViaSat inked an agreement with Boeing to work towards offering wi-fi connectivity in its aircraft from launch.
