Abstract:
A method for preserving information from an airborne aircraft ( 10 ) includes receiving an activation signal, and in response thereto, establishing a call from the aircraft ( 10 ) to a ground support facility ( 210 ) over a wireless telecommunications network ( 200 ). Sounds within the aircraft ( 10 ) are monitored, and an audio signal reflecting the same is generated. Flight data from the aircraft ( 10 ) is obtained and encoded. The audio signal and encoded flight data are multiplexed to generate a combined output signal ( 300 ) which is transmitted via the call from the aircraft ( 10 ) to the ground support facility ( 210 ).

Description:
FIELD 
   The present invention relates to the art of wireless communications and aviation. It finds particular application in conjunction with wireless telecommunications networks and aircraft, and will be described with particular reference thereto. However, it is to be appreciated that the present invention is also amenable to other like applications. 
   BACKGROUND 
   Aircraft, and in particular commercial aircraft, are often equipped with what is commonly known as a flight recorder (FR). A typical FR may include a cockpit voice recorder (CVR), a flight data recorder (FDR), or a combination of both. When activated, the CVR records and stores or otherwise captures the cockpit voices, sounds and/or audio information. This may include, but is not limited to, sounds and audio material or information occurring within the cockpit, the voices and/or conversations of cockpit personnel (e.g., the flight crew or the like), and/or the voices and/or conversations of other personnel in communication with the aircraft (e.g., the ground crew, air traffic controllers, other control tower personnel, etc.). Similarly, when activated, the FDR records and stores or otherwise captures flight data regarding the aircraft and/or its environment. Exemplary flight data includes, but is not limited to, the aircraft&#39;s: tail number (e.g., it may be assigned by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO)), position (i.e., latitude and longitude), altitude, attitude, trajectory, air speed, yaw, lift, decent or climb rate, acceleration, fuel level and/or consumption, flap and/or throttle positions, flight and/or other instrument readings, engine function data, cabin pressure, experienced weather conditions, etc. 
   The information acquired by the FR is often used to gain an understanding of or recreate the circumstances surrounding an undesirable event experienced by or on the aircraft, such as, collisions, crashes, hijackings or other calamities. For example, through analysis of the FR information it is often sought to determine the precise cause or origin of the undesirable event, be it aircraft failure, pilot error, security breach, bomb or otherwise, so that appropriate remedial actions may be taken to prevent the undesirable event from occurring again in the future. 
   While generally useful, FRs have some limitations. For example, the FR and/or the information captured thereby are typically stored in what is commonly known as a “black box” situated in the aircraft. The black box, while intended to be indestructible, can still be damaged, particularly in extreme environments and conditions as may be experienced in connection with explosions, aircraft collisions, crashes, etc. Further, the black box may become lost or otherwise irretrievable, e.g., in the case of a deep sea crash or a crash in a remote or inaccessible geographic location. Accordingly, whether the black box is damaged or irretrievable, the desired information stored therein may be either partially or wholly lost. This can be an undesirable result. 
   Additionally, even when the black box is recovered completely intact, the information therein can only be used in hindsight some time after the undesirable event has taken place. For example, in the case of an aircraft crashing in a remote geographic location, it may take considerable time to locate and recover the black box from its crash location, transport it to a location suitable to extract the information therefrom, extract the information, analyze the information, and recreate the circumstances of the event from the information. By the time the circumstances surrounding the undesirable event are recreated, a significant amount of time may have lapsed since the event occurred. Again, this can be an undesirable result. It is particularly objectionable when the consequents of the event itself or other undesirable events occurring shortly thereafter may have otherwise been avoided or alleviated had the information been earlier available. For example, real time or early availability of the information may be desirable in hijacking cases so that it may be used to remedy or diffuse the situation as it is occurring, or to avoid or alleviate the consequences of a second or subsequent hijacking closely coordinated in time with the first. 
   Certain constraints are imposed on the FR insomuch as it is situated aboard the aircraft and/or housed in the black box having limited physical dimensions. Due to these constraints or otherwise, often, FRs have a limited capacity for information storage, e.g., 30 minutes worth of information. Commonly, the FR remains active for the entire flight of the aircraft, with the information being recorded in a looped fashion so that the most current information is being stored while the oldest information is overwritten or erased to make room for newer information. Accordingly, only the last limited time period is saved on the FR, e.g., the last 30 minutes worth of information. Information occurring prior to this time period is unavailable. Again, this can be an undesirable result. 
   The present invention contemplates a new and improved method and/or system for use in conjunction with or in lieu of FRs which overcomes the above-referenced problems and others. 
   SUMMARY 
   In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, a method for preserving information from an airborne aircraft includes: receiving an activation signal; establishing a call from the aircraft to a ground support facility over a wireless telecommunications network in response to the activation signal; monitoring sounds within the aircraft; generating an audio signal in response to the monitored sounds; obtaining flight data from the aircraft; encoding the flight data; multiplexing the audio signal and encoded flight data to generate a combined output signal; and, transmitting the output signal via the call from the aircraft to the ground support facility. 
   In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, a system for preserving information from an airborne aircraft is provided. The system includes control means for controlling the system. The control means activate the system in response to an activation signal. Detecting means monitor sounds within the aircraft and generate an audio signal in response thereto. Acquiring means obtain flight data from the aircraft, and an encoder encodes the same. The audio signal and encoded flight data are combined by combining means to generate a combined output signal. Communication means establish a connection with a ground support facility over a wireless telecommunications network when the system is activated. The combined output signal is transmitted to the ground support facility via the established connection. 
   In accordance with yet another aspect of the present invention, a method of transmitting information from an aircraft to a desired destination is provided. The method includes obtaining information from aboard the aircraft. The information includes at least one of an audio signal and/or flight data. At least one call between the aircraft and the desired destination is established over a cellular telecommunications network, and the obtained information is transmitted to the desired destination via the at least one call. 
   One advantage of the present invention is the ability to provide substantially real time cockpit voice and flight data from an in flight aircraft to ground facilities. 
   Another advantage of the present invention is the ability to guard against the loss of cockpit voice and flight data from an in flight aircraft. 
   Yet another advantage of the present advantage is the ability to efficiently and securely transmit cockpit voice and flight data from an in flight aircraft to ground facilities. 
   Still further advantages and benefits of the present invention will become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art upon reading and understanding the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments. 

   
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
     The invention may take form in various components and arrangements of components, and in various steps and arrangements of steps. The drawings are only for purposes of illustrating preferred embodiments and are not to be construed as limiting the invention. Further, it is to be appreciated that the drawings are not to scale. 
       FIG. 1  is a diagrammatic illustration showing an aircraft incorporating an exemplary embodiment of an emergency air-to-ground information transmission system (EAGITS) and an exemplary ground support configuration therefor in accordance with aspects of the present invention. 
       FIG. 2  is a schematic block diagram showing details of the EAGITS in  FIG. 1 . 
       FIG. 3  shows a portion of an exemplary signal format used by the EAGITS of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
   

   DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS 
   With reference to  FIG. 1 , an aircraft  10  has a cockpit  12  as is commonly known, and is equipped with a FR  20  in the usual manner, optionally including a CVR  22  and/or a FDR  24 . While shown here as an airplane, other aircraft  10  are contemplated, e.g., helicopters, airships, etc. The aircraft  10  is also equipped with an EAGITS  100  including an antenna  102 . As shown, the FR  20  is arranged within the tail end of the aircraft  10 , the core of the EAGITS  100  is located in the nose end of the aircraft  10  along with other aviation electronics, and the antenna  102  is attached to the outside and underside of the aircraft  10 . However, any one or more of these elements or parts thereof may be otherwise arranged or located within or on the aircraft  10 . 
   With added reference to  FIG. 2 , the EAGITS  100  includes at its core a control module  106  having an encoder  108 , a multiplexer (MUX)  110 , an access port  112 , and a mobile station  114  connected to the antenna  102 . The control module  106  is optionally a line replaceable unit (LRU) containing electronics, such as a microprocessor, central processing unit (CPU), etc., which control and/or regulate operation of the EAGITS  100 . The access port  112  provides an individual (e.g., a technician) access to the control module  106  for maintenance, testing, programming and/or other desired manipulations of the control module  106  and/or the EAGITS  100 . The antenna  102  and mobile station  114  are cellular devices or the like operative to communicate over a wireless telecommunications network, such as a cellular telecommunications network (CTN)  200  including one or more base stations. The mobile station  114  is suitably a transmit only station or may be a transmit and receive station. 
   As shown, an activation control  120 , an audio detector  122 , and an activation indicator  124  are located in the cockpit  12  and wired to or otherwise in operative communication with the control module  106 . The activation control  120  is suitably a manual control incorporated in the cockpit&#39;s control and/or instrument panel. Operation of the activation control  120  allows an individual (e.g., a pilot or other flight crew member) to manually activate the EAGITS  100 . In particular, operation of the control  120  sends an activation signal therefrom to the control module  106  which then activates the EAGITS  100 . 
   To restrict unwanted deactivation, once the EAGITS  100  is manually activated by the control  120 , further operation of the control  120  will not deactivate the EAGITS  100 . That is to say, once an activation signal is received by the module  106  from the control  120 , then further signals therefrom are ignored or disregarded by the module  106  until the EAGITS  100  is reset. Accordingly, for example, if the pilot were to manually activate the EAGITS  100  with the control  120  in response to a hijacking, the hijacker could not then deactivate the EAGITS  100  by further operation of the control  120 . 
   Additionally, the control  120  is advantageously a “normally closed type” switch. That is to say, in its otherwise normal position, the switch circuit is closed and the EAGITS  100  is not activated. When the switch is thrown or operated, the circuit is opened and the EAGITS  100  is thereby activated. In this manner, should the switch be damaged, destroyed, or otherwise should there be an attempt to disable the switch, any of which result in the opening of the circuit, then the EAGITS  100  would be activated. Alternately, the control  120  is a voice recognition circuit (VRC) responsive to one or more selected voices or audible commands or key words or sounds, in which case the VRC is optionally wired to or otherwise in operative communication with the audio detector  122 . 
   The audio detector  122  is suitably a microphone, or other audio receiver, or a plurality thereof, arranged in the cockpit  12  and/or flight crew headsets, so as to pick-up or detect the voices of flight crew, sounds or other audio information in the cockpit  12 , and/or the voices of others in audio communication with the cockpit  12 . The detected audio information or signal is transmitted from the detector  122  to the control module  106 . 
   The indicator  124  is suitably incorporated in the cockpit&#39;s control and/or instrument panel and/or the flight crew headsets. In response to a signal received from the control module  106 , the indicator  124  provides a humanly perceivable indication of whether or not the EAGTIS  100  is in an activated state. As shown, the indicator  124  is a speaker which provides an audible indication of the EAGITS&#39; state (e.g., a warning buzzer or siren may sound when the EAGITS  100  activated), however, the indicator  124  may also provide a visual indication of the EAGITS&#39; state (e.g., the indicator  124  may be a warning light or the like which illuminates or flashes when the EAGITS  100  is activated), or the indicator  124  may provide a combination of audible and visual indications. 
   The module  106  is also wired to or otherwise in operative communication with a weight-on-wheels (WOW) sensor  130  and the aircraft&#39;s flight data  132 , for example, via the aircraft&#39;s aeronautical radio incorporated (ARINC) data bus  134  or otherwise. As shown, the module  106  bridges or otherwise makes connection with the bus  134  through connector  136 . The bus  134  carries signals corresponding to the aircraft&#39;s flight data  132 , and signals from the WOW sensor  130 , which are in turn accessed therefrom by the module  106 . 
   The WOW sensor  130  detects when the aircraft  10  is resting on or otherwise supported by its wheels or other landing gear  140 , and outputs a signal in response thereto. In response to the output signal from the sensor  130 , the module  106  deactivates and/or resets the EAGITS  100 . For example, if the EAGITS  100  is activated while the aircraft  10  is in flight, it will remain activated until the aircraft  10  lands and the sensor  130  detects that the aircraft  10  is resting on otherwise supported by its wheels or other landing gear  140 , at which point the module  106  upon receiving the corresponding signal from the sensor  130  automatically deactivates and/or resets the EAGITS  100 . Optionally, for on ground testing, the access port  112  may be used to override or provide a substitute signal for the sensor&#39;s output. Additionally, a similar override may be provided in the cockpit  12  or elsewhere on the aircraft  10  to selectively disable the automatic deactivation of the EAGITS  100  upon landing. Also, prior to take off or at other times when the aircraft  10  is grounded, it may be advantageous to not have the EAGITS  100  automatically deactivated in response to the corresponding signal from the sensor  130 . Accordingly, upon receiving an activation signal while simultaneously receiving a signal from the sensor  130  that indicates that the aircraft  10  is resting on or being supported by its landing gear  140 , the module  106  is advantageously programmed to ignore or disregard the signal from the sensor  130  or otherwise not deactivate the EAGITS  100 . 
   Alternately, the EAGITS  100  is not automatically deactivated and/or reset in response to a signal from sensor  130  indicating the aircraft  10  is on the ground, but rather, it is manually deactivated and/or reset via the access port  112  which is only practically accessible while the aircraft  10  is on the ground. To further protect against unauthorized access, a password or other like security may be employed when accessing the EAGITS  100  via port  112 . Optionally, if the aircraft takes off with a disarmed EAGITS  100 , it is automatically reset to an armed state in response to a signal from sensor  130  indicating the aircraft  10  is off the ground. 
   In addition to the manual activation of the EAGITS  100  by operation of the control  120 , the module  106  is optionally programmed to automatically activate the EAGITS  100  is response to receiving flight data  132  indicative of an emergency or other determined condition, e.g., a position, altitude, attitude, trajectory, air speed, yaw, lift, decent or climb rate, acceleration, fuel level and/or consumption, flap and/or throttle positions, flight and/or other instrument readings, engine function data, cabin pressure or some combination thereof which is inappropriate for the aircraft  10 , adverse weather conditions, etc. 
   Alternately, or in addition to the WOW sensor  130 , other options are employed to determine when the aircraft  10  has landed or is otherwise not airborne, i.e., the aircraft  10  is on the ground. The aircraft&#39;s state in this regard is optionally determined from the flight data  132 . For example, when the aircraft&#39;s altitude is substantially stable and its airspeed is zero or less than some minimum that would keep the aircraft aloft, it may be assumed then that the aircraft  10  is on the ground. 
   With particular reference again to  FIG. 1 , the operation of the EAGITS  100  is now described by way of example. Upon activation, the EAGITS  100  places a call to a designated or otherwise determined phone number via the mobile station  114  (shown in  FIG. 2 ). The call is received over an air interface channel  150  by a base station  202  of the CTN  200 . The received call is routed through the CTN  200  and/or any intervening public switched telephone network (PSTN) or other network to a ground facility  210  where it is received by a receiving server (RS)  212  corresponding to the phone number called. Once the call is established between the mobile station  114  and the RS  212 , the RS  212  sends a steady tone or other signal back to the mobile station  114 . If this steady tone or signal is lost, the EAGITS  100  assumes the call has been dropped, and continues attempts to reestablish the call and/or employs one or more alternate phone numbers until successful. 
   With particular reference again to  FIG. 2 , having established the call, the module  106  acquires the audio signal from the audio detector  122  and the flight data  132  or some portion thereof. For example, the acquired flight data is acquired by the module  106  as 32 bit data from the bus  134  in self-clocking fashion. The acquired flight data is encoded by encoder  108 . The MUX  110  interleaves or otherwise combines the encoded flight data with audio signal to produce an output signal, for example, the output signal  300  as shown in  FIG. 3 . Optionally, a buffer is used to match the speed of the bus  134  with that of the channel used to acquire the audio signal. The signal  300  is transmitted via the established call to the RS  212 . 
   The encoder  108  encodes the acquired flight data into dual tone multi-frequency (DTMF) pairs defining, for the data being transmitted, logic 0 (e.g., shown in  FIG. 3  as region  302  of the combined output signal  300  from MUX  110 ) and logic 1 (e.g., shown in  FIG. 3  as region  304  of the combined output signal  300  from MUX  110 ). While other encoding options are contemplated, DTMF encoding is advantageous insomuch as DTMF is designed to avoid false signals that can be caused by human voices. Accordingly, the DTMF encoded flight data can be reliably combined with or otherwise transmitted along with the audio signal. 
   Optionally, all the flight data  132  is acquired, encoded and transmitted via the established call. However, due to limited bandwidth of the air interface channel  150 , it can be advantageous to use a smaller subset of the flight data including selected data that is most relevant for tracking the aircraft&#39;s flight, e.g., the aircraft&#39;s tail number, position, altitude and trajectory. 
   The signal  300  is received and process, substantially in real time, by the RS  212 . The received signal  300  is first processed by a splitter or demultiplexer (DEMUX)  214  which divides or separates the audio signal into an audio channel and the encoded flight data into a data channel. The audio signal is sent to a speaker  216  or other like output device for live playback, optionally, after suitable smoothing or filtering. The encoded flight data is sent to a decoder  218  where it is decoded and/or formatted for display on a video monitor  220  or other like output device. Advantageously, the decoded flight data is formatted to provide a live display that tracks the flight of the aircraft  10 , e.g., in similar fashion to an air traffic control monitor or radar screen. 
   The received audio signal and decoded flight data are also sent to a storage device  222  where they are recorded and/or saved. The storage device  222  is optionally an electromagnetic storage device (e.g., a tape, disk, hard drive or the like), an optical storage device (e.g., an optical drive), a memory, or any other suitable data storage device. Optionally, while shown as a single device, separate storage devices may be employed for each signal being recorded and/or saved. Advantageously, one or more of the received encoded data and/or the raw signal  300  are also sent to the storage device  222  where they are likewise recorded and/or saved. The signals sent to the storage device  222  are time stamped and synchronized to one another. Synchronization is optionally achieved with reference to the raw signal  300 . 
   Advantageously, as compared to conventional FRs which may support only a limited amount of recording time, because the storage device  222  is not constrained by being onboard the aircraft  10  or contained in a secured black box with limited physical space, considerably more recording time is achievable. The storage device  222  may be advantageously sized so as to be capable of recording audio information and flight data for the entire duration of a flight. In a suitable embodiment, as long as the call remains established, the signal  300  is received and processed by the RS  212 . Once the EAGITS  100  is deactivated, the call is terminated. 
   Advantageously, the EAGITS  100  and ground support configuration therefor (including elements identified by reference numbers in the two hundreds) optionally incorporate and/or inherently possess certain security and/or privacy features. For example, as a first line of defense, the phone number for the ES  212  is unpublished or otherwise not widely known or disseminated. Additionally, when a call is established between the mobile station  114  and the RS  212 , the call is authenticated to verify that it is a real call, as opposed to a fraudulent call placed by a hacker or other unauthorized individual. What is commonly known as an authentication, authorization and accounting (AAA) server is optionally employed to verify calls, or alternately similar functions thereof are incorporated in the RS  212 . Caller identification (ID) may also be employed to ensure that received calls are coming from a mobile station  114  having a phone number that corresponds to a registered or otherwise known EAGITS  100 . 
   In a suitable embodiment, the EAGITS  100  has stored therein or is programmed with a secret unique identifier recognizable by the RS  212 . This identifier is then transmitted from the EAGITS  100  to RS  212  either when the call is established or along with the flight data in the signal  300 . Via the identifier, the RS  212  is able to distinguish real calls from fraudulent calls. Further, it is contemplated that known data encryption and/or signal scrambling techniques may be employed to further bolster security and/or privacy. Optionally, the air interface channel  150  to the base station  202  within the CTN  200  is a dedicated channel which is only accessible by the EAGITS  100 . 
   Security and/or privacy is further enhanced insomuch as the signal  300  is transmitted via an established call within the CTN  200 . That is to say, the signal  300  is not broadcast out and/or received over an otherwise open frequency or channel as may be the case with other forms of radio and/or wireless communication. 
   As a further measure to verify call authenticity, the ground facility  210  has the ability to contact a third party  230  having knowledge of the aircraft&#39;s position and/or flight plan. The ground facility  210  can then check the received flight data against the third party&#39;s information. For example, the third party may be an air traffic control center which can locate the aircraft  10  via radar or otherwise. Alternately, the third party  230  may be an airline, airport, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) or other entity having filed or recorded therewith the flight plan of the aircraft  10 . 
   It is also contemplated that the RS  212  is arranged so that the third party  230  (be they one of the aforementioned exemplary third parties or some other third party) has the option of accessing the RS  212  to retrieve the signal  300  in its raw state and/or post-processing by the RS  212 . For example, the third party  230  makes a dial-up connection to the RS  212  and bridges the call to retrieve the signal  300 . In the case of retrieval of the raw signal  300 , the third party  230  is equipped to conduct the same processing functions as the RS  212  to extract the audio signal and flight data therefrom. It is also contemplated that the third party  230  and ground facility  210  are in fact one in the same. That is to say, the ground facility  210  may constitute an air traffic control center, an airline, an airport, the FAA or the like. 
   While a combined signal  300 , transmitted via a single call, over a single channel  150 , has been shown, it is also contemplated that optionally multiple separate calls are established over multiple separate channels  150 , and that optionally the transmitted flight data and audio signal are not combined, but rather they are transmitted separately via the multiple separate calls/channels. Each of the aforementioned options can have certain advantages over the other. For example, the combined signal approach advantageously conserves bandwidth and provides a further option for verifying call authenticity insomuch as the flight data and audio signal are more closely tied to one another. On the other hand, the separate approach advantageously provides more overall bandwidth for transmitting information, allows for the omission of the MUX  110  and DEMUX  214 , and may allow for a greater range of flight data encoding options, including optionally using no encoding, thereby also permitting the optional omission of the encoder  108  and decoder  218 . In the multi-call/channel option, the security measures employed optionally include using the aforementioned secret unique identifier in connection with each of the calls/channels. 
   Additionally, while the EAGITS  100  is shown as a supplement to the FR  20 , nevertheless, it is also contemplated that the FR  20  may optionally be omitted with the EAGITS  100  being substituted therefor. Again, each of the aforementioned options can have certain advantages over the other. For example, it is appreciated that cellular network coverage may not be uniform. In particular, cellular coverage may be limited to particular geographic locations and/or may not reach higher altitudes. The EAGITS  100  therefore may be less reliable in these areas, in which case, including the FR  20  is advantageous to the extent that the FR  20  may then be serving as the sole recording device. However, it is also appreciated that many undesirable events, for which it is desirable to have audio and flight data available, occur at lower altitudes near metropolitan areas (e.g., during take-off and landing at airports) where cellular coverage is generally good. In these situations then, the EAGITS  100  is likely to be substantially reliable, and the FR  20  is a redundant system that could (absent other considerations) advantageously be omitted, e.g., to simplify the aircraft&#39;s electronics, realize a cost savings in aircraft assembly, etc. 
   For purposes of simplicity and clarity herein, only one aircraft  10  with one EAGITS  100  has been shown. It is to be appreciated, however, that multiple aircraft such as described are equipped in the fashion described with multiple EAGITS&#39; such as described, all or some portion thereof operating or otherwise in use substantially at the same time. 
   The ground support configuration as shown optionally supports and/or administers its functionality to multiple EAGITS&#39;. That is to say, a single ground facility  210  is equipped with sufficient call switching and/or handling resources to simultaneously and/or consecutively receive multiple EAGITS calls from a plurality of different aircraft. Suitably, a variety of known call switching and/or handling techniques and/or systems may be used to handle the EAGITS call volume. The individual aircraft are identified by their respective tails numbers, and/or the individual EAGITS are identified by their respective secret unique identifiers, or optionally via caller ID. 
   It is further contemplated that multiple ground facilities equipped and/or arranged in similar fashion to the one described may be employed in the ground support configuration. Additionally, multiple RS&#39; equipped and/or arranged in similar fashion to the one described are optionally distributed in one or more ground facilities. 
   In a suitable embodiment, each call reception site (a “site” representing an individual RS and/or an individual ground facility) optionally has a unique phone number or a bank of unique phone numbers separately assigned thereto. Each aircraft or each airline is then likewise distinctly assigned to one or more sites. In corresponding fashion, each aircraft&#39;s EAGITS is supplied with one or more uniquely designated phone numbers to call such that the site reached is distinctly assigned to that aircraft and/or distinctly assigned to that aircraft&#39;s airline. In this manner, possible issues over privacy are avoided. 
   Optionally, when initiating calls, the respective EAGITS&#39; are programmed to call a designated phone number or alternately a determined phone number, e.g., a phone number selected from a list thereof. The selection criteria or process may be random, provide for a cyclical or other patterned progression through the list, or be based upon one or more factors or detected conditions, e.g., the aircraft&#39;s position, the availability and/or location of ground support resources, etc. The designated phone number, phone number list, selection criteria or process, factors and/or detected conditions employed by each respective EAGITS are either preprogrammed or may be dynamically updated. For example, the dynamic updating may be internally achieved independently by the EAGITS or with the assistance of other onboard instrumentation or data. In another suitable embodiment, the dynamic updating may be achieved by one or more sites periodically uploading programming instructions or commands or other data to respective EAGITS&#39;. In this manner, rather than having an EAGITS call a fixed predetermined site or subset of sites, the dynamic updating allows an EAGITS&#39; calling to be dynamically adjusted or tailored to reach a desired site or subset of sites that may be dynamically variable, e.g., the nearest site capable of receiving and/or handling the call. 
   It is to be appreciated that particular elements or components described herein may have their functionality suitably implemented via hardware, software or a combination of hardware and software configurations. Additionally, it is to be appreciated that certain elements described herein as incorporated together may under suitable circumstances be stand alone elements or otherwise divided. Similarly, a plurality of particular functions described as being carried out by one particular element may be carried out by a plurality of distinct elements acting independently to carry out individual functions, or certain individual functions may be split-up and carried out by a plurality of distinct elements acting in concert. Alternately, some elements or components otherwise described herein as distinct from one another may be physically or functionally combined where appropriate. 
   The invention has been described with reference to the preferred embodiments. Obviously, modifications and alterations will occur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detailed description. It is intended that the invention be construed as including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they come within the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.