CAN
CAN SOMETHING BE DONE TO DETECT THESE?
THESE?
THESE? >>
THESE? >> TRAFFIC 12:00 AND SEVEN
MILES OFF THE DIRECTION TO
10,000 --
10,000 --
10,000 -- >> THE 77 ECODEMONSTRATOR, WE
HEAR THIS.
HEAR THIS. >> LEVEL OFF.
LEVEL OFF.
LEVEL OFF. >> THAT IS THE SOUND OF THE
TRAFFIC COLLISION AVOIDANCE
SYSTEM THAT'S BEEN IN COCKPITS
FOR DECADES.
FOR DECADES. AIRPLANES COMPUTER HAS
CALCULATED THAT ANOTHER
AIRPLANE HAS CHANGED ITS PATH
IN WAY THAT COULD CONFLICT WITH
US AND IT CAN COMMUNICATE
DIRECTLY WITH THE T-CASK ON
ANOTHER JET TO AVOID A
COLLISION.
COLLISION. THIS WAS NOT A CLOSE CALL.
WHETHER IT'S A T-CASK ALERT OR
RADIO ADVISORY FROM AN AIR
TRAFFIC CONTROLLER AND
SEATTLE'S INCREASINGLY CROWDED
SKIES, IT'S NOT UNEXPECTED.
THE NATION'S AIR SPACE CAN
FUNCTION SAFELY AND SMOOTHLY
BECAUSE OF A SYSTEM WHERE MOST
AIRCRAFT IDENTIFY THEMSELVES.
YOU CAN SEE THEM MOVING ON
THESE SCREENS INSIDE SEA-TAC'S
CONTROL TOWER.
CONTROL TOWER. WE CAN SEE JETS FROM UNIT,
SOUTHWEST, DELTA AND ALASKA
INCLUDING THEIR DESTINATIONS.
EVEN SMALL PLANES HEADING TO
BOEING FIELD.
BOEING FIELD. THIS FEDEX TRIP 77 -- 777 IS A
BIG FLYING LABORATORY.
WE SAW HOW IT WAS USED TO
PREVENT COLLISIONS IN THE
GROUND AND AIRPORTS NOW BEING
USED IN THE AIR.
AIR SPACE IS BECOMING MORE
CROWDED AND NOT EVERYTHING IN
THE AIR SPACE IS IDENTIFYING
ITSELF.
ITSELF.
ITSELF. THESE DAYS, THIS IS WHAT HAS
EVERYONE'S ATTENTION.
EVERYONE'S ATTENTION. A DRONE ISN'T COMMUNICATING
WITH ANYBODY OTHER THAN ITS
OPERATOR.
OPERATOR.
OPERATOR. CONFLICTS SHOULDN'T HAPPEN
BECAUSE SMALL DRONES ARE NOT
SUPPOSED TO FLY OVER 400 FEET
AND WITHIN FIVE MILES OF AN
AIRPORT.
AIRPORT.
AIRPORT. THERE ARE EXAMPLES OF WHEN THEY
DO ILLEGALLY.
DO ILLEGALLY. >> PART OF A LIGHTED DRONE JUST
FLEW RIGHT OVER US.
>> Reporter: THE FAA IS
DISCOVERING WHAT COULD HAPPEN
WHEN A DRONE STRIKES A FAST-
MOVING AIRLINER EVEN COMPARING
DAMAGE A DRONE WOULD DO SIM
THROWER A -- SIMILAR TO A SAME-
SIZE -- BIRD.
>> WHAT HAPPENS IF THAT OTHER
THING IN THE SPACE IS NOT A
COOPERATIVE TARGET, IT HAS NO
BROADCAST.
BROADCAST. WE HAVE TO BE ABLE TO SEE IT.
MAYBE WE CAN TRY TO HAVE A
CAMERA TO HELP OUT.
>> Reporter: ABOARD OR
DEMONSTRATOR IS THIS CAMERA
BEHIND THE WIND SCREEN.
IT'S PART OF A FLEDGLING
TECHNOLOGY CALLED "DETECT AND
ADVISE."
ADVISE."
ADVISE." IN THIS CASE, IT'S SO NEW WE
DON'T SEE ANYTHING FROM IT.
THE IMAGE DATA IS SENT BACK AND
STORED IN A COMPUTER BOX IN THE
TEST RACKS WHICH WILL THEN BE
FORWARDED TO BOEING RESEARCHERS
IN AUSTRALIA WHO ARE TRYING TO
DEVELOP THE SYSTEM.
WHAT KIND OF WARNING COULD A
PILOT RECEIVE?
PILOT RECEIVE? IF THE CAMERA PICKS UP A DRONE
OR ANY UNIDENTIFIED FLYING
OBJECT, AN INDICATOR MIGHT
DISPLAY ON A COCKPIT SCREEN
SHOWING ITS LOCATION LIKELY
ACCOMPANIED BY SOME SORT OF
AUDIO ALERT.
AUDIO ALERT. >> AS A PILOT, YOU SEE THE
TARGET AND LET'S YOU KNOW THAT
THERE'S AN OBJECT IN YOUR
FLIGHT PATH AND MAYBE HELP YOU
FIND IT BY YOURSELF OR ADVISE
ON AN ACTION.
>> Reporter: THE
ECODEMONSTRATOR IS A LOWER COST
WAY TO GIVE EXPERIMENTS LIKE
DETECT AND ADVISE A CHANCE TO
BECOME REAL PRODUCTS.
HOW DO YOU TURN A HUGE FEDEX
PACKAGE FREIGHTER INTO A FLYING
LABORATORY?
LABORATORY? >> THIS AIRPLANE WAS DELIVERED
IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR AND
WENT INTO SERVICE FOR THE
CHRISTMAS RUSH, BUT ONCE THE
RUSH WAS OVER, THEN BOEING
LEASED IT BACK AND BEGAN
INSTALLING THE EQUIPMENT TO
EXPERIMENT WITH THESE 35
TECHNOLOGIES.
TECHNOLOGIES. >> Reporter: THOSE TECHNOLOGIES
HAVE RANGED FROM OUR HISTORIC
100% BIOFUEL FLIGHT TO EVEN
SMALL EXPERIMENTS.
SMALL EXPERIMENTS. SOME WILL MOVE FORWARD.
SOME MAY NOT.
ECODEMONSTRATOR MANAGER DOUG
CHRISTIANSEN.
CHRISTIANSEN. >> OPPORTUNITY OF THE PROGRAM
GIVES -- REALLY HAS SHOWN ITS
VALUE IN ACCELERATING
TECHNOLOGIES AND BRINGING THOSE
TECHNOLOGIES TO OUR AIRCRAFT.
>> Reporter: THIS 777 FREIGHTER
IS THE FIFTH AND LARGEST
ECODEMONSTRATOR SO FAR AND
PLANS ARE ALREADY UNDER WAY FOR
ANOTHER ONE NEXT YEAR.
THERE ARE ADDITIONAL FAA
REQUIREMENTS COMING BY 2020 FOR
AIRCRAFT FLYING OVER MUCH OF
THE COUNTRY IN WHAT'S CALLED
ADSB, A SATELLITE AND GROUND-
BASED SYSTEM THAT DOES A LOT OF
THINGS INCLUDING ALLOWING
BETTER TRACKING OF AIRPLANES
AND THERE ARE ADSB PRODUCTS
AVAILABLE FOR DRONES.
>> WHAT ABOUT SOMETHING LIKE
SAY THERE WAS A BALLOON OUT
THERE?
THERE?
THERE? COULD IT SEE THAT AND IDENTIFY
--
--
-- >>
-- >> Reporter: THAT'S WHERE THEY
ARE TRYING TO GO.
THERE IS NOT A REQUIREMENT IF
IT'S AN AIRCRAFT LIKE A HAND
GLIDER OR LIKE A BALLOON THAT
DOES NOT HAVE AN ELECTRICAL
SYSTEM ON IT.
THEY WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO
KNOW THAT THEY ARE OUT THERE SO
THEY CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE -- SO
THEY CAN SEE IT, AVOID IT,
WHATEVER IT IS, AND SAVE LIVES.
>> YOU SAID OVERALL THAT THIS
ECODEMONSTRATOR HAS ABOUT 35
DIFFERENT TECHNOLOGIES ON IT.
WILL THEY ALL MAKE IT ON TO THE
JETS?
JETS?
JETS? >>
JETS? >> THEY WON'T.
THIS IS THE CHANCE TO SORT OF
KIND OF RAKE EVERYTHING INTO A
PILE, PUT IT ON TO AN AIRPLANE
AND GO FLY AND GO TEST THESE
THINGS RATHER THAN TRYING TO
SPEND A LOT OF MONEY TESTING
EVERYTHING INDIVIDUALLY WHICH
TAKES MORE TIME.
THIS IS THE LATEST
ECODEMONSTRATOR PROJECT.
ECODEMONSTRATOR PROJECT. THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL OTHERS.
THIS PROGRAM SEEMS TO BE
ACCELERATING AND TESTED ABOUT
75 TECHNOLOGIES SO FAR.
ABOUT 25 OF THEM ARE ACTUALLY
ON AIRPLANES, ABOUT 25 OF THEM
DIDN'T MAKE IT AND THE OTHER