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The industry's attention to these systems has led some companies

Oct. 16, 2018 by Carolyn Mueller

The industry's attention to these systems has led some companies to push forward with new approaches that are often more expensive and more complex than existing systems. For example, Airbus is developing a system to "automate, automatically adjust, and control a flight to a specific flight path from the cockpit," according to Reuters: "The system uses the cockpit and computer to create a 3D, 3D-based approach to determine the course of the flight, based on the parameters selected by the pilot."

The first such system, called MELANES, is an automated approach to an Airbus A320. The system uses an onboard software platform called the MELANES software. (It uses a combination of automation technology and software design to "automate, automatically adjust, and control a flight to a specific flight path from the cockpit.") The system is known as "HVAC" and consists of three modules: a computer that processes and analyzes data from the cockpit, a small computer that generates and displays the flight path data, and a small satellite system. HVAC is used to process the data that shows up on a sensor on the computer screen.

While HVAC has been used for years, it has become popular with aviation customers—most notably, Boeing—who have long worried that it would allow pilots to "fly blind or to lose control of the aircraft," "in an attempt to make a profit, or to lose control." The problem with VEI is that it is much more complex than one might expect with the current system. The system must be able to control an Airbus A319 with a single voice command.

For the time being, HVAC is the only way that aircraft companies can use the systems to accurately predict the course of a flight. The system can also be used to determine when the aircraft should be stopped and a change in takeoff frequency is required. The system can also be used to "immediately change the approach of the aircraft," according to Reuters: "In a time when the air traffic control system is more advanced and more sophisticated, HVAC is an option that can be used to determine a change in approach to an aircraft while it is in motion."

Other products are in the works that could benefit from the HVAC system. According to FAA, flying with an aircraft that is no longer in the air "does not provide any additional security or safety benefits for the aircraft or occupants, in fact, does not offer additional security or safety benefits for the occupants or passengers