Did you know that air travel is considered to be the safest form of transportation? Of course, this feat wasn’t achieved overnight. Rather, it is the result of decades of study, technological innovations, and pooled aviation expertise to ensure every plane that takes off will safely reach its destination.
The evolution of airline safety protocols is not only an interesting journey but also an important one. Whether you’re already a practicing airline crew or still in a pilot training in the Philippines, knowing this history can help you appreciate how far aviation safety has come. Here are some of the highlights in the development of air travel safety.
Early Technology
Airline safety technology in its early years relied heavily on learning from mistakes—often involving mishaps or accidents. Eventually, these hard-earned lessons led to technologies that fortified the safety of succeeding planes that took to the skies.
One of which is the invention of jet engines in the mid-1930s. Although it began as a military innovation, jet engines were eventually implemented for commercial planes as well. They proved to be more reliable and efficient than the traditional piston engines that were then in use and significantly decreased the chances of engine failures. Jet engines are still in use today, with modern planes even having multiple ones so that, in the rare instances that one of the engines fails, there’s always a backup.
Cabin pressurization is also an important step toward safer flights as it assures that planes can safely ascend to high altitudes, where air pressure is expected to decrease and can make breathing difficult. Planes carry overhead oxygen masks as well for instances when cabin depressurization happens.
In addition, communication technology used by aviation crew has greatly improved over time. A back and forth between pilots and air traffic controllers became possible thanks to radiotelegraphy in the earlier years and later on with the help of very high frequency (VHF) and ultra high frequency (UHF) radios.
Introducing Glass Cockpit Technology
One of the greatest marvels of aviation safety technology are glass cockpits. It is named so because the previous analog controls in the cockpit were then replaced with digital screens, allowing for clearer monitoring of the plane’s condition as well as better navigation.
Thanks to the glass cockpit technology, pilots now have numerous tools at their disposal to ensure everything is working smoothly. It has a radar which can alert them of any nearby object’s presence, computerized flight control systems that can receive pilot input and display information they need, global positioning system (GPS) technology for better navigation, and autopilot functions to help out the pilot during the flight.
Over the years, these components were improved upon to become more accurate and to offer more features for pilots to utilize fully.
Human Expertise
The expertise and intervention of various aviation professionals were also critical in improving airline safety protocols over the years. Safety culture was integrated and promoted even during training. The introduction of flight simulators and flight practice in controlled environments allowed pilots in training to improve their skills so they can stay safe during actual flights.
Moreover, risk management has become more rigid to ensure any potential issues can be mitigated early on. Hence, thorough aircraft safety inspections have become the norm. Likewise, if any incident were to happen, investigations are also done in detail to properly record what exactly caused it and how it can be prevented from happening again.
Modern Airline Safety
The introduction of more advanced technologies opened more innovations in aviation safety. One of the biggest players in modern airline safety is artificial intelligence (AI). Considering that data is being collected from around 27 million flights each year, AI’s ability to analyze such a huge pool of information can prove to be invaluable when it comes to improving safety precautions.
For example, some cockpits now use AI to help pilots manage emergency situations more efficiently. By checking its algorithm, the AI can offer solutions on how to fix issues that may arise during the flight. It can also alert aviation crew if a part of the plane may need servicing or repair, ensuring that each plane is in optimal condition. Meanwhile, its advanced monitoring systems can help adapt to changing weather conditions on the fly as well as avoid collision should it detect any nearby obstruction to the aircraft’s path.
Drones are also now used for air quality and weather monitoring. This data can then be transmitted to air controllers to help them make more informed decisions. Improved cybersecurity is another crucial point for airline safety to ensure sensitive flight data remain secure. Overall, when it comes to modern airline safety, it seems we’ll be seeing more AI implementation in the future.
Safety remains to be a top priority when it comes to the aviation industry, and thus we spare no effort toward improving safety measures and protocols. Thanks to this, aviation crew and passengers alike can feel at ease as they take to the skies.
