Why it is hard to track small planes in a crash

Jimmy Wanjala info@airspacenews.co.ke Pilots in Kenya should have pocket transmitters when flying smaller aircraft. Some regions in Kenya are expanse; in case of an incident, it may be hard to track a plane down. The Jumbo jets have black boxes (also referred to as flight recorders) because they fly faster, higher, and cover huge distances of wilderness. Some can fly for as long as 16 hours without landing anywhere while cruising at 450kts ground speeds. If such an aircraft disappears, the black boxes help identify the last point of disappearance. The smaller aircraft have piston engines and some gas turbine aircraft have no black boxes. This, however, varies from the country’s regulations. TYPES OF FLIGHT RECORDERS The weight and price of an aircraft, also determine if it will have a black box or not. Why have a piece of equipment in an aircraft which costs the same price as the aircraft? The complexity of the black boxes is also another factor. It needs a flight computer while smaller aircraft have very simple systems. Recorders usually comprise two individual boxes: The Cockpit Voice Recorder (CVR) and the Flight Data Recorder (FDR). They are yellow and are easily visible. The shell is made to be so hard deliberately to absorb heavy impact. The smaller aircraft however have emergency transmitters that will show their last positions. Kenyan Pilots should have pocket transmitters when flying smaller aircraft. Some regions in Kenya are expanse; in case of an incident, it may be hard to track a plane down. At that particular time, the people searching for you will need all the help they can get you.