KLM Flying Dutchman - Flight Tracking on B737-700

KL's newest 737-700s have overhead screens displaying flight tracking info. State-of-the-art, presumably. So why is the presentation so incredibly static, repetitive and boring? Map - data - map - data - map - data forever.

Has the concept been developed by monks in a remote and isolated monastery who still use quill pens and completely lack imagination?

Johan

I have never found a flight tracking software on any plane of any airline that I really liked. While the KL thing you describe is certainly a more old- fashioned approach, I have not found any newer flight tracking system that would really explore all the options and possibilities you could have with a cool software. I think that flight tracking screens are one of the most underdeveloped aspects of the airline business. What a shame. I love flight tracking.

Indeed - other than throwing in distance and direction pointers to nearby sites of interest - or sites of religious significance - or interspersing the display with ads/airline information/destination information -what else had you in mind for the Moving Map????

I think that flight tracking screens are one of the most underdeveloped aspects of the airline business. What a shame. I love flight tracking.

I love the maps as well, and thought the same until I saw (and tried out) the KAL map tracking (in C) which IMO is the best one out there... Don't know if it's perfect, but compared to the others it's pretty cool with detailed graphics and user interaction ^

what else had you in mind for the Moving Map????Oh, there is so much potential . . . . just let your imagination run wild!

Johan

Are you saying you want it turned into an in-flight entertainment screen?

If not, then please advise what KLM could add to the moving map.

Virgin has Google maps integrated. Very cool---you can zoom and switch between satellite views to see exactly where you are. In much more detail than KL's maps.

Are you saying you want it turned into an in-flight entertainment screen?

If not, then please advise what KLM could add to the moving map.

A good start would be if you could customize your screen. This could involve a connection to google maps and google earth such that you could freely zoom around. Regarding the data I imagine a menu where you can choose your language and click the items you want to have displayed in a data window. You would then be able to move your customized data window at any point on the screen where you have your perfectly zoomed map and could choose the size of the data window. This would be a good start. Beyond this, I could also imagine 3D flight simulations in combination with google earth alnong partly custmized trajectories, and from different angles. Also, you could offer different styles of maps to choose from, i. e. different projections (Mercator, cone projections, etc.) and map content (satellite, countries with capitals, or
climate and vegetation zone maps, etc). The possibilities are endless.

These things would work if people have individual screens. In those cases where airlines still have screens for the cabin, a major step forward would be to employ people who know how to design a beautiful map and who have an idea of what type of information would be relevant and interesting on a map. And you might wish to change regularly between two or three beautiful maps.

In any case, there is loads of work waiting for someone who really enjoys thinking about maps properly. So far all systems are disappointing.

Interesting - but after all, the present set-up does the job intended (shows you roughly where you are, and gives the basics like how long is left and the times at destination/departure point).

The moving map (which on the B737s the OP mentioned are on the "shared" screens) is not provided as entertainment, which is why I find it difficult why anyone would characterise them as "boring". Presumably pax can choose something else to look at, or bring something to divert themselves, instead of staring at the screens for the duration of the flight. (It's kind of like saying the seat in front of you is "boring", because it doesn't change during the flight).

Interesting - but after all, the present set-up does the job intendedYeah, but improving things, even those that "do the job" has gotten mankind to where we are now, for better or for worse.

Johan

Interesting - but after all, the present set-up does the job intended (shows you roughly where you are, and gives the basics like how long is left and the times at destination/departure point).
.

This is exactly my point. The current set-up merely does what it is intended to do. I imagine that airlines just say, $hit, we have spent loads of time and money on designing the planes, the seats, the menue, the uniforms and now we have forgotten the flight tracking system. And then they ask some computer guy doing an internship if he could set-up a flight-tracking system within 2 hours.

Having a cool flight-tracking system could bring a bit of magic back into flying.

Perhaps KLM could ditch the screens altogether and instead assign a member of the crew to information/entertainment detail. Armed with a microphone, this crew member would stroll through the aisles, and in between issuing updated location/altitude/time to destination information, would interview members of the "audience", recount anecdotes and amusing stories, and lead the passengers in a good-old sing song.

Perhaps KLM could ditch the screens altogether and instead assign a member of the crew to information/entertainment detail. Armed with a microphone, this crew member would stroll through the aisles, and in between issuing updated location/altitude/time to destination information, would interview members of the "audience", recount anecdotes and amusing stories, and lead the passengers in a good-old sing song.

I appreciate your enthusiasm for a cool flight-tracking system. ;-)

Look, for you, a map showing the location of the plane might just be a map showing the location of the plane, but for other people it is related to the fascination of flying. Flying still somewhat amazes me, despite the hundreds of flights I took in the past years. And I reckon that setting up a proper flight-tracking system would not cost the airlines more than offering one more movie for the inflight entertainment system (taking into account that good map software, once set up, should work for 5 years or so). And of course, you are free to watch a movie while I am zooming through the maps.

Virgin has Google maps integrated. Very cool---you can zoom and switch between satellite views to see exactly where you are. In much more detail than KL's maps.

Easier to do on a personal system than the one the OP is referring to....drop down screen are never that thrilling when it show just that info. Then again, i remember being impressed by any moving map years ago when I was used to horrible BA Tristars 'entertainment' systems.

Perhaps KLM could ditch the screens altogether and instead assign a member of the crew to information/entertainment detail.That's how it used to work. Simple and cheap.

http://www.freeimagehosting.net/t/ej4eu.jpg (http://www.freeimagehosting.net/ej4eu)

Aaaah! The Good Old Days!

Johan

As another frequent flyer who still finds flight tracking systems fun, I find this a very interesting thread. So, for my three pence worth ...

First, the system on the KL B737s - as has been pointed out - uses communal screens, so there is a limit on what can be done in terms of interactiveness. However, the program that switches through the views and data could be improved: for example, on an AMS-GLA flight, I really don't see the point in showing, for about 2 x 30 seconds each cycle, two "entire world" views - one with the globe portrayed as a circle, with <AMS> and <GLA> so close together they can't be separated, and the other using the (normal) Miller Projection, with the same issues (except that, on this one at least, you can see where the sun is rising, overhead and setting at the current time).

Second, in terms of the long-hauls, fitted with personal screens/systems, there are many, many ways to improve the flight-tracking program. A few years ago, I was on a Delta flight, AMS-BOM, and their system allowed full interactive access to the maps - such as being able to zoom in at any of about 8 levels, to anywhere in the world, with an option of automatically tracking the flight. In fact, I found this one particularly interesting because, as we approached BOM, we were put into a holding stack by ATC, and the system showed you exactly what sort of 'orbit' we were making (turned out to be in the form of a gigantic running-track shaped circuit).

But, back to the communal systems. Anybody been on a BA intra-Europe recently? I was moved to BA's LHR-BUD by KLM a few months back (fog at AMS) and was really impressed with their (communal) flight tracking program: excellent maps and, best of all, a moving, 3D representation of the aircraft and its upcoming flight path, in various zoom levels and different projections (e.g. from above, pilot's view, etc). Nearby cities/towns were also shown, so you could watch the screen and then, at the appropriate moment, look out of your window and identify the town that was passing by, a few miles to starboard.

So yes, there is plenty of scope for improvement.

-- Henry

Emirates has a view that let's you see the point of view from the cockpit with instruments and such pointing out speed/altitude etc.

Anybody been on a BA intra-Europe recently? Yes, I have, and yes, BA's program is really much better.

Johan