GB2380269A

GB2380269A - Aircraft security system for discouraging hijacking

Info

Publication number: GB2380269A
Application number: GB0123312A
Authority: GB
Inventors: Keith Young
Original assignee: Individual
Current assignee: Individual
Priority date: 2001-09-28
Filing date: 2001-09-28
Publication date: 2003-04-02
Also published as: GB0123312D0

Abstract

The system provides at least one alert button or pullcord 7 operable from within the aircraft 1. Operation of the alert button causes the aircraft to be put into a predetermined flight pattern such as a circular flight path, and the aircraft is subsequently controllable only by signals from an external station. Consequently, once an alert button has been operated, no person on board the aircraft can influence the flight of the aircraft. Alert buttons may be provided within reach of each seat or of each of a selected group of seats. Two or more alert buttons may have to be operated within a predetermined period of time for the system to operate. The external station may be fixed or mobile, possibly an aircraft. The system may include guidance data for landing the aircraft at a plurality of airstrips.

Description

AIRCRAFT SECURITY This invention relates to aircraft security. In particular, it relates to a system for improving the security of an aircraft and reducing the likelihood of possibly catastrophic events caused by a hijacking or similar event on the aircraft.

The tragic events surrounding the deliberate crashing of hijacked planes into the World Trade Centre and other places in the United States in September 2001 clearly illustrate the risks attendant when a plane is hijacked. Whilst as many precautions as possible are taken to avoid hijackings occurring at all, and more and more of these will undoubtedly be taken in the future there still remains a risk that planes can still be hijacked. The aforementioned events involved hijackers taking over the controls of a plane or forcing the pilots of planes, to deliberately direct the planes into targets, destroying the targets and causing terrible loss of life both amongst passengers on the planes and persons at or in the vicinity of the targets. At present, the applicant does not know of any systems on a plane which, even after the plane has been hijacked, can be used to prevent such a deliberate targeting and in effect use of a plane as a guided missile.

The present invention arose in attempt to provide an improved security system for aeroplanes.

According to the present invention there is provided a security system for aircraft, comprising at least one manually operable alert means; aircraft guidance means connected

to the alert means and arranged such that upon actuation of at least one of the alert means the guidance means is arranged to guide the aircraft into a predetermined flying pattern, and means for enabling the guidance means to subsequently be controlled by a signal received from an external source and not to be able to be controlled or altered by any system or person inside the aircraft.

The aircraft will generally first be put into a circular flight path, which serves to indicate that there is a problem.

The aircraft may then be guided to a safe landing at an appropriate landing strip.

The aircraft is preferably an aeroplane.

Preferably, a plurality of alert means are provided and most preferably at least one alert means is provided in the cockpit and at least one alert means is provided in a passenger compartment. In preferred embodiments, a separate alert means is provided within reach of each seat.

Preferably, the aircraft is controllable, after being put into an initial predetermined flying pattern, only from an external signal which may be received from a ground station or from a separate aircraft which has been launched under operation or instruction of the ground station.

hnportantly, the system is such that once actuated, the flight path and flight route of the aircraft cannot be altered by any person on board the flight. The flight path is only alterable under instructions from an external controller such as a ground station or an external aircraft. In this way, even if an aeroplane il hijacked, if a passenger or flight officer or flight attendant operates an alert means, which may be an alert button or pull cord for example, then a hijacker cannot take control of the aeroplane or order a pilot or other person to fly an aeroplane on a particular path.

In a further aspect, there is provided a security method for aircraft, comprising providing at least one alert means operable from within the aircraft, wherein actuation of the alert means causes the aircraft to be put into a predetermined flight pattern, and wherein subsequently the aircraft is only controllable via signals from an external station, such that no person on board the aircraft can influence the aircrafts flight after actuation of the alert means.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying schematic drawings, in which: Figure I shows schematically a cross-section through an aeroplane fuselage; Figure 2 shows an aircraft put into a holding flight pattern upon actuation of an alert means; Figure 3 shows an aircraft brought to a landing by an external controller; Figure 4 shows an aircraft under flight control of a separate aircraft; and Figure 5 shows a security apparatus.

Referring to Figure 1, there is shown an aircraft 1 having a cockpit area 2 and passenger compartment 3. A pilot sits at a pilot seat 4 and possibly also other flight staff sit in the cockpit. Passengers each sit at one of a plurality of passenger seats 5. Seats 6 may also be provided for flight attendants. Within reach of each seat on the aircraft is an alert button 7 which is connected, directly or indirectly, to the aircraft's flight control/guidance system, which is shown more schematically at 8, as will be described further with reference to Figure 5 below. Although in preferred embodiments a separate alarm means 7 is provided within reach of every seat and therefore every passenger and every crew member and staff attendant, in practice fewer alarm means may be provided. For example, the alarm means may be provided only within the cockpit or just within the cockpit and near a flight attendants seat, optionally also within the reach of front passengers for example.

Many other variations, eg groupings, will be apparent.

Each alert means most preferably comprises a button or a pull cord or similar device which requires a simple operation to actuate. It may be mounted behind a glass or plastics panel of the'break-glass'type. Clearly, clear warnings will be displayed either near each alert mechanism or elsewhere on the plane, and/or verbal warnings will be given, that the device is only to be actuated in terms of utmost emergency and in any practical embodiment of the system, very stringent penalties will normally be applied for incorrect or malicious use of the system. In an optional feature, certain of the alert devices may be able to be disabled, perhaps by a key or by programming by attendants or otherwise, if an attendant or other staff member believes that a certain passenger, through reasons of alcohol intake or other inebriation, or other reasons may abuse the system.

As shown in Figure 5, each of the alert buttons 7 are preferably connected to an alert unit 8. This receives an alert signal from any of the buttons and is used to generate a signal which is sent to the aircraft guidance/control means 10. The so-called'auto-pilot'generally forms part of this. In some optional embodiments, in order to prevent or reduce errors, the unit 8 may be arranged to respond only if a predetermined number of alert buttons 7 are actuated within, say, a predetermined time period. In a hijack situation, it may be expected that more than one passenger or crew member would press an alert button whereas under a false alarm situation there is only likely to be one alarm pressed and so the use of this technique may reduce false alarms. The aircraft guidance system 10 is connected to a secure radio transmitter/receiver 11 which can transmit and receive signals, preferably over secure links, to ground control systems, such as an air traffic control system, shown schematically at 12. The guidance system 10 may also be connected to a database 11 which stores details of flight paths, approach paths and auto-pilot routes and guidance mechanisms for a plurality of airport or landing strip, preferably including at least those ones which the aircraft is likely to pass or be within flying distance of, on a particular journey, so that the guidance means can be used to retrieve data which enables the auto-pilot or aircraft guidance system to bring an aircraft automatically in to land at a certain airport for example, under control of the ground system by way of radio link between units 11 and 12.

Figure 2 shows an aircraft 1 travelling on a first path 20. At a point in time T, the alert system is actuated by a concerned passenger or staff member. The aircraft is then automatically put into a predetermined holding pattern, shown schematically at 21, and a radio link to a suitable external system 12 is established. This will generally be the nearest

air traffic control centre to the aircraft at that time. Means are preferably provided, such as radar or other sensing means (or a terrain database linked to the aircraft's navigational systems), which enables the guidance system to take avoidance measures if other aircraft are within, or are likely to stray within the area of the predetermined flight path or indeed if the predetermined path would bring the aircraft too close to terrain of the ground (eg mountains). Note that at this stage the system cannot be reset by any person upon the aircraft.

Referring now to Figure 3, operators at or associated with the external control system (air traffic control centre) 12 decide what action to take in regard to the aircraft. In the example shown, it is decided to bring the aircraft down to land at the nearest suitable landing strip 22. This can either be done by controlling the aircraft directly using radio signals from the control system 12 in order to bring it into a suitable landing site, or, if sufficient details are present in the on-board database 13, a signal is sent from air traffic control 12, via transmitter/receiver 11 to guidance system 10 to instruct the guidance system 10 to retrieve suitable data from the database to enable the aircraft to pilot itself to a land at the airstrip. The aircraft therefore follows path 23 when it leaves its holding path 21.

Sometimes it may not be possible to achieve direct control from a ground station because of the distances involved, for example, and, in these circumstances, an escorting aircraft 25 may be dispatched under instructions from the control centre. This will typically be a military aircraft. A radio communications link is then made between aircraft 25 and

the hijacked vehicle 1 and aircraft 25 then takes over control of the flight path of the vehicle 1.

This may be facilitated by using a system of codes, typically encrypted codes (preferably not available to the pilot) such that every flight taking off from a particular airport, or indeed from every airport worldwide, is provided with a particular code representative of that flight, and optionally, also the destination of that flight, details of the landing strips and flight paths which are stored in the database 13 and so. This information may normally be kept secure but may be released upon authority being given by certain organisations, such as Governments or military organisations, upon detection of a hijack or other emergency situation. The ground control station 12 and/or intercepting aircraft 25 may then be given the appropriate encryption codes which enables it to be able to communicate with the aircraft 1. This prevents unauthorised intercepting aircraft from being able to take control of the aircraft 1.

Claims

1. A security system for aircraft, comprising at least one manually operable alert means; aircraft guidance means connected to the alert means and arranged such that upon actuation of at least one of the alert means the guidance means is arranged to guide the aircraft into a predetermined flying pattern, and means for enabling the guidance means to subsequently be controlled by a signal received from an external source and not to be able to be controlled or altered by any system or person inside the aircraft.

2. A system as claimed in Claim 1, wherein a plurality of alert means are provided.

3. A system as claimed in Claim 2, wherein a separate alert means is provided within reach of each seat, or each of a selected group of seats.

4. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the aircraft is controllable, after being put into an initial predetermined flying pattern, only from a signal received from a stationary or mobile external station.

5. A system as claimed in Claim 4, wherein the external station comprises, at least partially, an aircraft.

6. A system as claimed in any preceding claim comprising a database containing guidance data enabling the aircraft to land at a plurality of airstrips.

7. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, including means for only actuating the security system if a predetermined number, of two or more, alert means are actuated within a predetermined time.

8. A system as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein the alert means comprises buttons or pull-cords.

9. A security method for aircraft, comprising providing at least one alert means operable from within the aircraft, wherein actuation of the alert means causes the aircraft to be put into a predetermined flight pattern, and wherein subsequently the aircraft is only controllable via signals from an external station, such that no person on board the aircraft can influence the aircrafts flight after actuation of the alert means.

10. A method as claimed in Claim 9, wherein a plurality of alert means are provided so that one is within reach of every person, or each of a selected group of persons, on the aircraft.

11. A method as claimed in Claim 9 or 10, wherein the external station is a fixed ground station and/or an aircraft.

12. A method as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 11, wherein the aircraft is guided to a landing.

13. A method as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 11, wherein a database is provided, storing flight guidance data for a plurality of landing strips, and wherein the external signals cause the aircraft to use selected data to cause the aircraft to land at a selected airstrip.

14. A method as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 13, wherein the method is actuated only if a predetermined number of alert means are actuated within a predetermined time.

15. A method as claimed in any of Claims 9 to 14, wherein the flight is given an encrypted code, and the external station requires that code, or a code related to it, to be able to communicate with the aircraft.

16. A security method substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

17. A security apparatus substantially as hereinbefore described, with reference to, and as illustrated by, the accompanying drawings.