Invisible Intelligence reports that its G.A.R.D. (General Audio Recording Device) is now providing air traffic recording at airports in 12 states, with Maine, Massachusetts, and Vermont on board with 100% funding.
The GARD software generates reports showing hourly, daily, monthly, yearly traffic patterns and more, company officials note.
Drew, my response is that those pilots would be the safety hazard. While FAA does not mandate that pilots use a radio, it is safer to use one to announce to everyone what your intentions are as a pilot. Kinda like why they install turn signals on your automobile. Besides, should you crash your aircraft into a ground vehicle or another aircraft at the airport. Wouldn’t you want your spouse to know you did everything right, to give them some closure? How about your insurance company? Wouldn’t they like to know that you were in the right and the incident was not your fault? By using the recordings the airport can better train its local ground ops staff (by knowing what they say and where they say they are V. what they should be saying and where they actually are) and its local pilots on proper radio etiquette? I’d say it’s a great safety training tool and provides better operations numbers for the FAA.
this is a safety hazard and privacy issue
pilots who now dont fly into towered airports will now stop using unicom at these airports
the worst is its not announced
This is not a safety hazard. Pilots who do not use the radio are a safety hazard. This device will allow accident investigators to determine if a pilot failed to use or improperly used the radio. This allows us (pilots) to learn all we can from aircraft accidents. That is why we read accident reports, so we can learn from the mistakes of others. This device should be installed at every non-towered airport. Perhaps if pilots knew their transmissions were being recorded, they would behave better, i.e. stop all non-essential chatter that ties up the frequency, and work to make proper and concise radio calls.