A Concept for Smartphone-Based Emergency Flight Data Indication Systems in Light Aircraft

This paper explores the feasibility of using smartphones as emergency flight data indication systems in light aircraft. The presented solution may be applied in potential situations such as failures of the vacuum system or the gyroscopes driving analog instruments, as well as electrical power failures in aircraft equipped with digital avionics. Such failures may lead to the loss of essential flight information, significantly increasing pilot workload and conceivably compromising flight safety. The analysis was based on simulations conducted in a computational environment utilizing a custom-developed model. An experimental measurement flight using the MP-02A "Czajka" aircraft was conducted to collect real flight data for integration into a computational model. During the test flight, the aircraft was deliberately maneuvered into various attitudes and flight conditions to evaluate the model's performance across the widest possible range of operating states. A smartphone mounted in the cockpit recorded sensor data, including accelerometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and GPS information. The results demonstrated that key flight parameters can be accurately determined using only data recorded by a smartphone. For example, the determined pitch angle values during stall maneuvers deviate from the reference values by no more than 5°. The proposed solution shows significant potential for further development and practical implementation as a supplementary system to assist pilots during in-flight emergencies.