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Articles on Aircraft safety

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An image from 17 March 2014 showing Filipino artists with a depiction of flight MH370, created to express solidarity with the passengers. AMIEL MENESES / EPA IMAGES

Flight MH370 is still missing after ten years – forensic experts explain what we know and why we haven’t found the plane

Despite advanced technology and search techniques the rugged seafloor can hide objects much larger than a plane.
The Boeing 737 MAX is expected to take to the skies again following a review of the MCAS system which was responsible for two crashes in 2019. Jason Redmond / Getty Images

The 737 MAX is ready to fly again, but plane certification still needs to be fixed – here’s how

The Boeing 737 MAX, which has been grounded since 2019 following two fatal crashes, is expected to be cleared to fly again. An aviation law expert proposes a way to improve the certification process.
Globally, 387 delivered and about 400 undelivered Boeing Max aircraft remain grounded indefinitely. AAP/Mark Wagner

Grounded: what’s behind Boeing’s production shutdown of MAX aircraft

The Boeing MAX disaster has already cost the company billions of dollars and will have ripple effects on suppliers and the wider US economy, with tens of thousands of jobs at risk.
Planes have many sensors, supplying all kinds of useful data. vaalaa/Shutterstock.com

Too many airplane systems rely on too few sensors

A pilot and researcher knows that airplanes are full of sensors – and finds a way onboard computers can use the data to detect equipment failure and tell pilots what’s a real emergency and what’s not.
Perth air traffic control tower. As a pilot flies towards the destination, the air traffic control tower sends an interrogation signal. The aircraft automatically responds with a series of short pulses that let air traffic control know the identity of the plane and its altitude. © Copyright Airservices Australia

Curious Kids: what’s the history of aircraft squawk codes and how do they work?

Secondary radar is an important tool in the control of aircraft traffic, and helps make air travel safe. It was developed during dangerous times.
Would you be – or feel – safer if one of these people were a robot? Skycolors/Shutterstock.com

Your next pilot could be drone software

Airplanes could be safer with technology at the helm. A key sticking point is human opinion.

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