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Iridium Satellite Establishes Value-Added Developer Program
Iridium Satellite has created what it calls a Value-Added Developers (VAD) program, with the appointment of four companies, including Flight Explorer.

Ireland and Iceland Upgrading Their Joint North Atlantic HF Service
A new HF (high frequency) air-ground radio system has been commissioned by the Aeronautical Communications Division (ACD) of the Irish Aviation Authority and Iceland CAA to upgrade its integrated North Atlantic service.

ARINC Expanding its Datalink Business Relationships in Asia
ARINC has renewed contracts with the Aviation Data Communication Corporation (ADCC) of China, and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AEROTHAI) – plus established a new joint venture with ADCC – to strengthen its datalink service presence is Asia.

NovAtel Demonstrates Dual-Mode GPS and Galileo Receiver
NovAtel says it has successfully demonstrated the performance of a dual-mode GPS and Galileo L1/E5A dual-frequency prototype receiver to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

DFS Launches LAAS-Approach Project at Bremen Airport
Germany's Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) is installing a satellite-­based precision landing system GBAS at Bremen, and expects it to become operational for CAT I approaches in 2007.

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Iridium Satellite Establishes Value-Added Developer Program

Iridium Satellite has created what it calls a Value-Added Developers (VAD) program, with the appointment of four companies, including Flight Explorer.

Iridium wants to widen its direct technical relationships with companies that have a particular expertise or capability to help it develop new products or solutions for its voice or data services.

Besides Flight Explorer, which provides real-time global flight tracking information via the Internet, the other three companies are Gannexion, the Oceanscience Group, and Ontec Technologies. Only Flight Explorer's services are related to aviation, however.  06-06-2005.  (Top)

Ireland and Iceland Upgrading Their Joint North Atlantic HF Service

A new HF (high frequency) air-ground radio system has been commissioned by the Aeronautical Communications Division (ACD) of the Irish Aviation Authority and Iceland CAA to upgrade its integrated North Atlantic service.

The first phase of the RO-FDS (radio officer – flight data system), to install four new transmitters, was done by Iceland's TERN Systems.  Four more transmitters will be installed during the second phase of the upgrade later this year.

A major portion of ACD's facility was upgraded in 2004 when Thales installed 18 new receivers, two new transmitters and a touch-screen control system to integrate its HF, VHF (very high frequency) and satellite phone communications.  06-06-2005.  (Top)

ARINC Expanding its Datalink Business Relationships in Asia

ARINC has renewed contracts with the Aviation Data Communication Corporation (ADCC) of China, and Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (AEROTHAI) – plus established a new joint venture with ADCC – to strengthen its datalink service presence is Asia.

ARINC and ADCC established a datalink network in China, and ARINC worked with AEROTHAI to create a similar system in East and South East Asia, including Australia.  Together, this datalink infrastructure now includes more than 120 remote ground stations, and is part of the reason why datalink has become an integral part of airline operational control for many airlines there, the partners believe.

The Asia Pacific division of ARINC and ADCC intend for their joint venture to research and develop new aviation products and services, such as real-time monitoring and management of aircraft within an airport.

Under the arrangement, ARINC will help ADCC distribute its products globally and ADCC will assist ARINC in localizing its products and services in China.  06-04-2005.  (Top)

NovAtel Demonstrates Dual-Mode GPS and Galileo Receiver

NovAtel says it has successfully demonstrated the performance of a dual-mode GPS and Galileo L1/E5A dual-frequency prototype receiver to the Canadian Space Agency (CSA).

The receivers will be ready to accept signals from the first Galileo satellites, which are scheduled to launch later this year or in early 2006, according to NovAtel.  (Galileo is Europe's satellite navigation system, which is expected to be operational between 2010 and 2012 with up to 30 satellites.)

NovAtel is developing two sets of L1/E5A engineering receivers and L1/E5A transmitters for the CSA that can be used with Galileo satellites.  The receiver is being integrated into a modified version of NovAtel's WAAS-GII system, which also includes the Euro-3M L1/L2 dual frequency GPS receiver.  The signal generator is based on a previous design built for the new U.S. WAAS (wide area augmentation system) uplink.

A number of satellite-based augmentation systems (SBAS) around the world use NovAtel navigation receivers, including the U.S. WAAS, the European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service (EGNOS), Japanese MSAS (multi-functional satellite augmentation system), Chinese SNAS (satellite navigation augmentation system), and India's Gagan (GPS and geostationary augmented navigation).  06-06-2005.  (Top)

DFS Launches LAAS-Approach Project at Bremen Airport

Germany's Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) is installing a satellite-­based precision landing system GBAS at Bremen, and expects it to become operational for CAT I approaches in 2007.

According to DFS, Bremen will be the first German airport to be equipped with GBAS (ground-based augmentation system).  GBAS is the ICAO designation for differential GPS, which the FAA calls LAAS for local area augmentation system.

While GBAS will only be used for CAT I operations in lieu of ILS (instrument landing system), initially, it will be extended to CAT II and III at a later stage, DFS says.  (CAT I, II and III refer to precision approaches in increasingly more demanding visibility conditions from about 2400 feet (750 meters) to essentially zero.)

Germany's Deutsche Flugsicherung (DFS) is installing a satellite-­based precision landing system GBAS (ground-based augmentation system) at Bremen.  (GBAS is the ICAO designation for differential GPS, which the FAA calls LAAS for local area augmentation system.)

According to DFS, Bremen will be the first German airport to be equipped with GBAS, where it should become operational in 2007, after which the system will allow precision approaches in lieu of conventional ILS (instrument landing system).  Initially, GBAS will only be used for CAT I operations, but will be eventually extended to CAT II and III at a later stage, DFS says.

GBAS uses four ground reference receivers to evaluate the GPS signals, taking into account various errors (ionosphere and troposphere) and propagation problems.  The relevant corrections are then transmitted via a VHF channel to required avionics on the landing aircraft, which use the information to continuously calculate the airplane's exact position.

DFS expects to realize considerable cost savings from GBAS over ILS in the long term, since only one system is normally required per airport, while ILS requires one for each usable runway end.  Furthermore, GBAS doesn't need interference protection zones near active runway ends, as ILS does.

The first trial phase of GBAS approaches at Bremen is planned for 2007, and should be concluded in 2008 with the publication of a GBAS CAT I procedure.  In the meantime, DFS admits that "a lot of groundwork has to be done and many questions have to be resolved – mostly at an international level."

There are no certified ground stations as of now, and their availability is a "major prerequisite" for the unrestricted operation of GBAS, DFS acknowledges.  But as of now, DFS says, the required hardware and software will probably be available by 2007, and points to Honeywell's ground station in Memphis as coming "very close to meeting the applicable ICAO requirements."

FAA LAAS Remains in Limbo

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the FAA deferred LAAS development in January 2004, and its CAT II and III capability still remains essentially a research project; Congress provided only $10 million for LAAS in Fiscal Year 2005 for early CAT I operations.  As of now, the FAA has no schedule for starting or completing LAAS, according to a May 26, 2005, Department of Transportation Inspector General report.

The stringent integrity criteria for LAAS approaches in less than CAT I visibility and airline disinclination to invest in the needed avionics are two prominent reasons given for the FAA's decision to postpone.  Of course, current budget constraints are also an important factor.  05-04-2005.  (Top)

Czech Republic, Slovenia and Austria ANSPs Join on ATM Initiative

The air navigation service providers of the Czech Republic, Slovenia and Austria have jointly formed a One Air Traffic Management System EWIV (European Economic Interest Grouping) within the framework of the Single European Sky.

The new entity is a technical and commercial initiative that intends to replace the current ATM (air traffic management) system operated by the ANSPs with one that is commonly developed.  Besides making their own operations more efficient, the group says it also wants to minimize service costs for its airspace users and to maximize benefits for its other stakeholders.  06-06-2005.  (Top)

Jet-Care and Spectro Expanding Engine Healthcare Program

Jet-Care and its sister company Spectro are expanding their recently launched healthcare programs for Honeywell TFE731 powerplants to several Pratt & Whitney Canada engines, including the PW100, PW300, PW500 and JT15D, as well as Williams International’s FJ44 turbofan.

The Jet-Care Total Healthcare Program features an in-depth aircraft engine examination including a comprehensive scheduled analysis of gas path, oil and filter.

The company's laboratories offer a range of diagnostic and analysis services to measure and monitor engine and airframe condition, including its ECHO (engine condition health online) diagnostic software that gives users a detailed picture of their engine's status.  06-06-2005.  (Top)

Jet-Care Offering Condition Monitoring for Honeywell Engines

Jet-Care International is offering condition monitoring for Honeywell TFE731 engines, based on data from their DEEC (digital electronic engine control) downloads.

The company says it used data from over 130,000 DEEC (digital electronic engine control) downloads to develop the information necessary to provide a full history of engine performance, and has identified all registered fault codes.  Thus it is able to send operators, enrolled in the service, a report of the extracted fault codes with each download, and will also immediately contact them with any critically important information.

Honeywell's maintenance manual instructs operators of aircraft with DEECs to read all downloads, but Jet-Care points out that its DEEC program allows the downloads to be read by a second person, besides storing and recording all the data.

All DEEC downloads will be archived, allowing the operator to investigate the entire history of the engine, according to Jet-Care, and can be used as evidence of a well-maintained aircraft when needed.  06-06-2005.  (Top)

Arconics Aviation Launching Manual Manager

Arconics Aviation says it will introduce the latest component of a product suite at this month's Paris Air Show that enables airline publications' personnel to more easily manage SGML (standard generalized markup language) documents from Airbus and Boeing.

The component, called Manual Manager, provides a visual word-processor style interface that automates the comparison of the airline operator's master document with aircraft manufacturer's revision documents.  In addition, the importation of unstructured content into structured documents is simplified, and master documents can be easily exported in PDF (portable document format), HTML (hypertext markup language) or XML (extensible markup language) formats.

The Arconics product suite includes a Flight Ops Edition especially designed to automate the production of specific information for pilots, cabin crew and ground staff, and a Maintenance and Engineering Edition that allows engineering staff personalized access to a vendor documentation and information systems from multiple locations.  06-06-2005.  (Top)

AMT and MIT to Promote "Lean-Based Practices" in Airline Operations

Aircraft Management Technologies (AMT) and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI) are collaborating to develop and promote lean‑based best practices among aircraft operators and companies involved in airline operations.

The collaboration, known as the Lean Flight Initiative (LFI) sees the development of lean‑based best practices for airline operations as a logical extension to a similar program already used in aerospace manufacturing.

The basic idea of Lean is to pool the knowledge of all members, so new technologies can be implemented faster, and their associated benefits realized sooner.

AMT and LAI claim that enterprises have dramatically improved their competitiveness, productivity, and cost efficiency after Lean principles have been introduced.  Moreover, the effectiveness of Lean methods has been demonstrated in many different businesses, from manufacturing to back office processes and even medical care, according to AMT and LAI.

LFI aims to extend the use of Lean best practices to users and providers of software applications, line maintenance and dispatch operations, documentation and content management, and other frontline processes.

Dublin-based AMT provides software to automate and streamline aviation operations.  Its Flightman product is a software framework used for "connected aircraft" technology (e.g. electronic flight bags with a communications link).  The Lean Aerospace Initiative (LAI) is headquartered at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics.  06-03-2005.  (Top)

DOT IG Says U.S. Air Traffic Modernization Remains Stalled

U.S. Department of Transportation's Inspector General said in a recent report that "cost growth, schedule delays, and performance shortfalls" continue to stall the FAA's air traffic modernization efforts.  The agency needs to revalidate the capabilities and benefits of its modernization projects, make better estimates of the cash flow requirements needed to complete them, the IG said.

The IG analyzed 16 FAA major acquisition programs to reach its conclusions.  Eleven of the 16 have experienced cost growth of over $5.6 billion (from $8.9 billion to $14.5 billion), which is more than double the $2.5 billion the FAA was appropriated for modernization in FY 2005.  Additionally, nine of the 16 projects have schedule delays ranging from two to 12 years, while LAAS (local area augmentation system) and NEXCOM (next generation communications) have been deferred indefinitely.

Since June 2003, the estimated cost of six of the 16 projects has increased by about $1.7 billion, which includes a cost growth of about $1.1 billion for STARS (standard terminal automation replacement system) and $400 million for WAAS (wide area augmentation system).  Nine other programs don't have reliable cost, schedule, or performance baselines, which means that FAA can't effectively plan resource requirements and manage the programs, the IG said.

Here are some examples:

• In April 2004, the FAA decided to deploy STARS at only 50 sites, down from its planned 162, and began considering the possibility of retaining the Common ARTS (automated radar terminal system) as an alternative.  Now if the agency deploys STARS at all the original 162 sites, its cost will nearly triple its beginning estimate, the IG says, from less than $1 billon to almost $3 billion, and may not be fully deployed until 2012 – a seven-year delay from the original plan. Moreover, because of the delays, some STARS components are becoming obsolete, which will force the FAA to begin modernizing STARS beginning in FY 2006.

• Because of delays, the cost of WAAS (wide area augmentation system) was recalculated in May 2004, which added about $3 billion to this program.  As of now, WAAS can't support CAT I precision approaches, but the agency is still pursuing that capability, relying on the promise of an enhanced GPS with a second civil signal for aviation use.  In the meantime, it intends to provide LPV (lateral precision with vertical guidance) capability.  The IG noted it is still an open question whether the FAA will reduce its own costs as WAAS is implemented because it hasn't determined which surface navigation aids will be replaced.

• In its ASR-11 (airport surveillance radar‑11) program to replace analog radars at smaller airports with digital radars, the FAA changed its requirements in July 2004. These changes included, among other things, digitizers at all sites where STARS will precede the ASR‑11 program. These actions increased the program's costs by $87 million, the IG said, and will delay its implementation for an undetermined period.

• In May 2004 the FAA’s Joint Resources Council approved the addition of the Terminal Weather Forecast product to the agency's ITWS (integrated terminal weather system) program.  However, because production costs have more than doubled from original estimates ($360,000 to $1.1 million per system), the agency will now only deploy 22 of the 34 it first planned, and finish the program six years behind schedule.

• Now the FAA is working on what the IG describes as its "ambitious" $2.1 billion ERAM (en route automation modernization) program, one of its "largest and most complex acquisitions."  The IG acknowledges that progress is being made with the first ERAM deliverable: a back‑up system for the ATC system host computer.

The IG worries that since the FAA's annual funding requirements for the STARS, WAAS, ASR‑11, and ERAM programs will essentially double in the four-year period between FY 2004 and FY 2008, a significant portion of available modernization funds will be spent on just these four projects. Moreover, if the FAA decides to acquire additional STARS and ASR‑11 systems – which it might do this month – more money might be needed for these two programs, leaving even less for other initiatives.

Historically, a significant portion of FAA's investment in air traffic control modernization projects has gone toward enhancing capacity and efficiency and replacing aging equipment.  The total modernization effort is expected to cost $48.6 billion through 2007, but the FAA received only a little more than $2.5 billion (editor’s emphasis) from Congress for this purpose in FY 2005.  Of that, about 57 percent, or a little more than $1.4 billion, will be used on modernization projects, according to the IG. The remaining funds go to personnel expenses, support contracts, and facilities.

According to the IG, the FAA plans to spend about 16 percent of the $1.4 billion on three programs intended to increase capacity: Free Flight Phase 2, ASDE‑X (airport surface detection equipment - model X) and WAAS. The remaining 84 percent will be used to support activities such as ERAM and STARS.

Given this bleak picture, the IG says the crucial question is how FAA can address both capacity and affordability.  Based on its audit, the IG said the FAA must determine how to get the most out of its limited resources by establishing new program cost baselines and revalidating each program's benefits.

The complete IG report, "Status of FAA's Major Acquisitions: Cost Growth and Schedule Delays Continue to Stall Air Traffic Modernization," can be viewed by clicking here.  06-04-2005.  (Top)

Virgin Blue Airlines to Use EMS Satellite Antennas for LiveTV

LiveTV, a wholly owned subsidiary of JetBlue Airways, ordered direct broadcast satellite (SBS) systems from EMS Technologies Defense & Space Systems division that will be installed on Australia's Virgin Blue's B-737-700s and 800s.

Virgin Blue's LiveTV service will bring twenty‑four channels of FOXTEL and AUSTAR programming directly to the passenger seat, real‑time during the flight.

EMS says it has been teamed with LiveTV since its inception to provide satellite antenna systems for JetBlue, Frontier and WestJet, which are currently installed on more than 115 commercial aircraft.  06-06-2005.  (Top)

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