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Boeing Says Trials of "Tailored Arrivals" Show Significant Fuel Savings
Boeing says current operational trials of its Tailored Arrivals concept are indicating that "significant amounts" of fuel can be saved from their implementation.

Boeing Tests Enhanced/Synthetic Vision System for Rescue Helicopters
Boeing has field tested a new enhanced/synthetic vision system (E/SVS) for helicopters performing rescue missions in reduced visibility conditions.

Rockwell Collins' Head-Up Guidance Certified on CRJ705 and CRJ900
The FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and Transport Canada (TC) have certified Rockwell Collins' head-up guidance system on Bombardier's CRJ705 and CRJ900 regional jets.  Air Canada Jazz will install the system on its CRJ705s; Lufthansa CityLine (CLH) on its CRJ900s.

NATS Chooses Several WSI Weather Products
NATS, the U.K. provider of air traffic services, will use a range of WSI (Weather Services International) products including its weather-related decision support tools, weather changes alerting, and forecasts for its domestic and North Atlantic routes and its airport hubs.

Lockheed Martin to Develop FAA's Road Map for Unmanned Aircraft
The FAA has selected Lockheed Martin to assist it in developing a "road map" for introducing UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) into U.S. airspace.

Eurocontrol Validates Airport Safety Benefits of A-SMGCS
Eurocontol says A-SMGCS (advanced surface movement guidance and control system) leads to significant improvements in the efficiency of airport surface movements reducing accident rates by up to 50%.

Firefighting DC-10 Using Blue Sky's Satellite Tracking System
A DC-10 operated by 10 Tanker is using Blue Sky Network's (BSN) satellite asset tracking and communications system for the first time while helping to fight several wild fires in California.

Porter Airlines to Use Sabre Airline Solutions' Operational Control Suite
Toronto-based Porter Airlines, Canada's newest carrier, will use a suite of applications from Sabre Airline Solutions to maintain operational control, manage crew tracking and compliance, and produce optimized flight plans, when it begins flights in October to destinations in Canada and the U.S.

ICG Introducing New Cabin Telecommunications Unit for Business Jets
International Communications Group (ICG) is introducing a new cabin telecommunications unit (CTU) that provides an automated integrated package of telephone, fax and data services for small- to medium-sized business jets.

IS&S Awarded STC for New Pilatus PC-12 Display System
The FAA has granted Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) a STC (supplemental type certificate) for a flat-panel display system in the Pilatus PC-12.

Smiths to Supply Walk-Through Trace Portals for U.S. Registered Travelers
Smiths Detection will supply its explosives detection walk-through portals to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as part of the U.S. government's Registered Traveler (RT) program to expedite pre-approved passengers through airport security screening.

Study Says A380 Wake Won't Be as Bad as First Feared
A steering group, which studied the wake vortices of the A380, found that its turbulence is not as serious an issue as ICAO has feared.

SITA Expands Market Reach of Its Bag Management System
SITA has partnered with ground handler Northport to deploy its baggage reconciliation system across Scandinavia that signals a broadening of its usual airport-by-airport or individual airline-market focus for this technology.

If you have comments on Wingman or anything you see in Flt Tech Online, you may send an email to editor@flttechonline.com.

Check Out Current Fleet Changes

Check Out Current Industry Trends

AEEC Is Expanding Its Representation Base
The Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC), which is holding its annual General Session in Montreal next week (October 9-12), says it is transforming itself by including representatives of airframe manufacturers and military organizations into its membership.

ARINC To Hold Wireless Gatelink Conference
ARINC is sponsoring the "first global industry conference" on gatelink on October 24, 2006.  The one-day event will focus on the latest applications and market developments for the wireless transmission of data to-and-from airplanes at airport gates.

Check Out Additional Industry Events

Note:  If you would like FTO to highlight your meeting or conference, please send an e-mail to editor@flttechonline.com.

Boeing Says Trials of "Tailored Arrivals" Show Significant Fuel Savings

Boeing says current operational trials of its Tailored Arrivals concept are indicating that "significant amounts" of fuel can be saved from their implementation.

According to Boeing, these on-going trials at San Francisco - like previous ones in Australia and in The Netherlands during the past two years - show fuel savings from 400 pounds (180 kilograms or approximately 60 gallons) to 800 pounds (360 kilograms or approximately 120 gallons) per flight.

"The implication of these studies is that, when fully implemented, Tailored Arrivals could save airlines $100,000 per year in fuel costs per aircraft for flights into major airports," said Rob Mead, the lead engineer for advanced ATM air/ground communications at Boeing Phantom Works.

Boeing is conducting the evaluation at San Francisco under a joint program with NASA's Ames Research Center.  United Airlines, the FAA's Oakland Air-Route Traffic Control Center and Northern California Terminal Radar Approach Control, Sensis Corporation, Lockheed-Martin, and San Francisco International Airport authorities, are also involved in the project.

The first set of trials at San Francisco included 17 flights with United B-777-200s from August 17 to September 6.  A second set of trials at the same airport, with 777s and 747s, is scheduled to start later this month.

As the participating aircraft approach their start-of-descent point, they receive complete horizontal and vertical clearances all the way to their arrival runways. To accomplish this, the FAA's new Ocean 21 system, with its FANS (future air navigation system)-1/A integrated datalink communication, is used to receive the aircraft's downlinked position, intent and weather data.  These data, in turn, are used to establish a four-dimensional descent profile, which is then uplinked back to the approaching aircraft's FMS (flight management system).

Once the crew accepts the profile, the FMS flies the more continuous trajectory, instead of using a traditional vectored, step-down approach, with its concurrent voice instructions.

An important objective of the San Francisco trials is to validate capabilities of NASA's EDA (en-route descent adviser), which computes optimal descent paths through complex traffic constraints and airspace restrictions.  Specifically, the trial managers are examining the EDA's ability to predict trajectories and make adjustments to flight profiles and arrival times, and to coordinate and execute these trajectories across multiple air traffic control sectors and facilities.

Boeing sees this concept as a significant step toward achieving the goals of the U.S. Next-Generation Air Transportation System (NGATS) and the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) program.  10-03-2006.  (Top)

Boeing Tests Enhanced/Synthetic Vision System for Rescue Helicopters

Boeing has field tested a new enhanced/synthetic vision system (E/SVS) for helicopters performing rescue missions in reduced visibility conditions.

The E/SVS, which was developed by Boeing Advanced Systems and Boeing Phantom Works, will be integrated into the tandem-rotor HH-47 Chinook aircraft proposed for the U.S. Air Force Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) program.

The field test validated the integration of multiple active and passive sensors, including infrared low-light level video cameras and laser radars that provided real-time, 185 degree panoramic viewing for pilots and crew via sensor and synthetic data fusion.  The demonstration also evaluated millimeter-wave radar and hyperspectral sensors, Boeing said.  (Hyperspectral refers to a sensor system that observes a target in hundreds of spectral bands to increase information.)  Besides the fused-sensor information, Boeing says the system's information set is further supplemented with terrain references from digital-terrain-elevation data and satellite imagery.

The system is meant to detect obstructions such as wires, vehicles or personnel present in landing areas, regardless of what is causing the visibility restriction.  The operational E/SVS system will provide 360 degree coverage with video data available to the flight crew through five head- mounted displays and one spare cabin video system.

Boeing says the system also can be used on standard CH-47 Chinook and AH-64 Apache helicopters as well as the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor in future applications.  10-01-2006.  (Top)

Rockwell Collins' Head-Up Guidance Certified on CRJ705 and CRJ900

The FAA, European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), and Transport Canada (TC) have certified Rockwell Collins' head-up guidance system on Bombardier's CRJ705 and CRJ900 regional jets.  Air Canada Jazz will install the system on its CRJ705s; Lufthansa CityLine (CLH) on its CRJ900s.

Rockwell Collins' HGS-4200 overlays the aircraft's flight path and acceleration symbols and command guidance on the pilot's outside scene, which allows for intuitive and highly precise hand-flown approaches, and corresponding energy management.  Additional features include rollout guidance and deceleration cues, information on runway remaining information, tail-strike avoidance and symbology for unusual attitude recovery.

Rockwell Collins HGS

Source: Rockwell Collins

NATS Chooses Several WSI Weather Products

NATS, the U.K. provider of air traffic services, will use a range of WSI (Weather Services International) products including its weather-related decision support tools, weather changes alerting, and forecasts for its domestic and North Atlantic routes and its airport hubs.

NATS wants the products to minimize the impact of disruptive weather and support optimal decision making.

The Web-based products chosen by NATS include WSI's Pilotbrief International global aviation weather information, the WSI WeatherAlert graphical terminal-weather decision-support tool, and WSI Hubcast, a configurable decision-support tool to help manage weather-caused flight disruptions.

WSI says it currently supports over 80 commercial aviation customers in Europe including Eurocontrol's CFMU (central flow management unit).  10-02-2006.  (Top)

Lockheed Martin to Develop FAA's Road Map for Unmanned Aircraft

The FAA has selected Lockheed Martin to assist it in developing a "road map" for introducing UAS (unmanned aircraft systems) into U.S. airspace.

Lockheed Martin will create a five-year projection of government and industry UAS initiatives to help the FAA's Unmanned Aircraft Program Office refine its operating plans and budgetary requirements.  Included will be an evaluation of UAS mission needs, a forecast of their near-term demands on airspace capacity, and a strategic plan to how they can be safely integrated with other airspace operators.

Currently, most UAS flights in the U.S. are operating for the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and other government agencies.  But according to FAA, even today, there are more than 50 manufacturers that offer nearly 150 UAS products, and many others are poised to enter the commercial marketplace.  09-30-2006.  (Top)

Eurocontrol Validates Airport Safety Benefits of A-SMGCS

Eurocontol says A-SMGCS (advanced surface movement guidance and control system) leads to significant improvements in the efficiency of airport surface movements reducing accident rates by up to 50%.

The pan-European air-traffic-management organization's conclusion followed an "extensive validation" of the system during operational trials at Paris Charles de Gaulle, London Heathrow, Frankfurt, Vienna and Zurich, which also involved real-time simulations.

The concepts and procedures derived from the A-SMGCS evaluation will be presented to the International Civil Aviation Organization ICAO near the end of this year, along with a generic safety case, a human-factors case and a cost benefit assessment.

Paul Adamson, Eurocontrol's A-SMGCS project manager, said the positive results of the trials, "means that we can now make clear proposals to ICAO for how to move forward with implementing this technology which will have clear safety benefits."

Between 23 and 26 October 2006, Eurocontrol will host a workshop at the Eurocontrol Institute of Air Navigation Services, in Luxembourg, for ATC organizations, airports and airlines.  The meeting will review the benefits of A-SMGCS implementation and explore possible future developments that could include fully integrated safety nets for controllers, pilots and vehicle drivers. One day of the meeting will be dedicated to runway safety, in particular the contents of the European Action Plan for the Prevention of Runway Incursions.  Industry organizations will exhibit as well.

More details and registration information can be found at: http://www.eurocontrol.int/airports/public/standard_page/projects_asmgcs.html.  Attendance is free.  09-30-2006.  (Top)

Firefighting DC-10 Using Blue Sky's Satellite Tracking System

A DC-10 operated by 10 Tanker is using Blue Sky Network's (BSN) satellite asset tracking and communications system for the first time while helping to fight several wild fires in California.

The system gives 10 Tanker's ground-based managers the ability to view the exact path of the flight while having an excellent real-time communications link with the pilot.

BSN provides voice and data communications along with tracking and two-way messaging for other firefighting operators and aircraft as well, including a B-747.  10-01-2006.  (Top)

Porter Airlines to Use Sabre Airline Solutions' Operational Control Suite

Toronto-based Porter Airlines, Canada's newest carrier, will use a suite of applications from Sabre Airline Solutions to maintain operational control, manage crew tracking and compliance, and produce optimized flight plans, when it begins flights in October to destinations in Canada and the U.S.

Porter will use the FliteTrac, CrewTrac and Dispatch Manager modules from the Sabre Flight Control Suite, which was designed to meet the operational requirements of any airline, regardless of its size.  Sabre says the suite is often called "SOC in a box," referring to an airline's system operational control center, because these products can immediately automate many of its important, and even critical, management functions.  09-30-2006.  (Top)

ICG Introducing New Cabin Telecommunications Unit for Business Jets

International Communications Group (ICG) is introducing a new cabin telecommunications unit (CTU) that provides an automated integrated package of telephone, fax and data services for small- to medium-sized business jets.

The AeroCom 1100 supports up to eight separate extensions in the cabin and provides familiar switched telephone services, such as call on-hold, call transfer, intercom, conferencing and voice prompts.  Familiar telephone audio tones are used for busy signal, ringing and dial tone, and voice prompts and status messages can be recorded in any language.  Communication circuit selection and transceiver control is fully automatic and transparent to the caller.  Calls from the ground can be direct-dialed to any cabin extension, and incoming fax calls are automatically detected and routed to the onboard fax machine.

The new CTU is compatible with the full range of air-to-ground communication media, including Iridium, Inmarsat and HF radio.  And its open-ended architecture ensures compatibility with emerging new communication services as they come on line without adding new external interface devices, ICG says.

"The AeroCom 1100 will provide an easy 'plug-and-play' conversion solution for installed MagnaStar telephone systems after Verizon shuts down its Airfone air-to-ground service in North America in December of 2007," said Armin Jabs, ICG's president.  10-01-2006.  (Top)

IS&S Awarded STC for New Pilatus PC-12 Display System

The FAA has granted Innovative Solutions & Support (IS&S) a STC (supplemental type certificate) for a flat-panel display system in the Pilatus PC-12.

Besides primary flight control and navigation information, the IS&S Cockpit/IP (information portal) display system presents other situational and safety information such as TCAS (traffic collision alert and avoidance system), TAWS (terrain awareness and warning system), and RVSM (reduced vertical separation minima) information.  The system accepts and presents typical navigation information from terrestrial and GPS sources, as well as a FMS (flight management system).

In all, IS&S says the system will give PC-12 owners Part-25 performance capabilities at less than Part-23 costs.  (Federal Air Regulation Part 25 refers to required airworthiness standards for transport category airplanes; Part 23 for normal, utility, acrobatic, and commuter category airplanes.)

Roman Ptakowski, IS&S's president says his company also offers an optional installation of EFB (electronic flight bag) features, such as navigation charts, to provide pilots with real-time, GPS-referenced location information both on the ground and in the air, which he describes as "a critical navigational feature highlighted in the aftermath of recent tragedies."  Customers are also showing great interest is a "zoom" feature that magnifies pilot-selected settings, making them larger and easier to read, IS&S says.

According to IS&S, its partners, Western Aircraft and Epps Aviation, are available to install the displays, and can do the job in under four days.  10-02-2006.  (Top)

Smiths to Supply Walk-Through Trace Portals for U.S. Registered Travelers

Smiths Detection will supply its explosives detection walk-through portals to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) as part of the U.S. government's Registered Traveler (RT) program to expedite pre-approved passengers through airport security screening.

The Registered Traveler program is being offered to passengers who volunteer biometric and biographic information to a TSA-approved RT vendor and successfully complete a security threat assessment.  The program is meant to be market-driven and offered by the private sector with the TSA largely playing a facilitating role.

Smiths has joined the Fast Lane Option (FLO) Alliance, a group of companies that includes the Saflink Corporation, Microsoft, JPMorgan Chase, Johnson Controls, ID Technology Partners and The Paradies Shops, to provide the service, and will  supply FLO with necessary security equipment, including its Sentinel II portal.

The Sentinel II uses ion mobility spectrometry (IMS) to analyze particles that are naturally absorbed by or cling to a person's clothing, hair or body.  As a person walks through the trace portal, air is made to automatically and gently pass over the person's body to release particles that are drawn by a vacuum and collected for analysis.  Detection of particles or vapors can indicate that a person is either carrying an explosive device or has come into contact with explosive substances.  10-01-2006.  (Top)

Study Says A380 Wake Won't Be as Bad as First Feared

A steering group, which studied the wake vortices of the A380, found that its turbulence is not as serious an issue as ICAO has feared.

The Airbus Wake Vortex Steering Group, comprised of representatives from the European Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA), the FAA, Eurocontrol, and Airbus, found that  ICAO's interim recommendation, calling for 10 nautical miles of separation between an A380 on approach, and a following aircraft, need "only be applied to light aircraft."

The Group said its detailed scientific work was conducted by a subgroup consisting of a majority of the leading international experts in this field.  It was supported by what is described as "an unprecedented" program of flight tests, totaling over 180 flight hours, with innovative aspects such as back to back comparative testing of different aircraft, cruise wake encounter tests, and ground and airborne LIDAR (laser imaging detection and ranging) wake measurements.

In addition to its recommendation for light aircraft, the Group's other findings can be summarized as follows:

• In approach situations where the A380 is followed by a "heavy" aircraft, the recommended spacing can be increased from an existing four miles to six; and for a medium-sized aircraft, from five to eight.  (Airbus maintains, however, that the A380, itself, can land as close as practicable to a preceding aircraft, even another A380, which can compensate for the additional spacing required for the following one.)
• For departures, a heavy aircraft following an A380 will have to wait two minutes, and medium-sized and light aircraft will have to wait three.  (Airbus noted that the A380, itself, can safely takeoff as close as possible to any preceding airliner.)
• For cruise and when flying in a holding pattern, where ICAO had recommended a minimum separation of 10 miles, the Group concluded that the A380 is "very similar to the 747" and "is considered to be identical to any other aircraft both for vertical and horizontal spacing."

While the issue was not specifically addressed by the Steering Group, Airbus injected that flight tests have shown that the A380's wake have no affect on parallel runway operations separated by more than 760 meters. (2,500 feet.), but added that "this should be monitored in operational service for verification." 10-03-2006.  (Top)

SITA Expands Market Reach of Its Bag Management System

SITA has partnered with ground handler Northport to deploy its baggage reconciliation system across Scandinavia that signals a broadening of its usual airport-by-airport or individual airline-market focus for this technology.

The reason for the change, according to SITA, is the substantial increase in checked baggage resulting from new restrictions in carry-on items imposed by security officials responding to new terrorism threats.

Ilya Gutlin, a SITA regional vice president, said, "We have signed our first ever deal with a ground handler for our baggage reconciliation system and this could be the beginning of a trend as we see a tremendous increase in the quantities of luggage being checked-in following the introduction of more stringent controls on carry-on luggage as a result of the August security alerts in the U.K."

Northport's initial installation will be at Helsinki, followed by 14 other Finnish domestic airports.  Following this, Northport plans further deployments at Stockholm's Arlanda, Oslo's Gardermoen and Copenhagen.  Northport is also considering introducing BagManager into the Baltic States.

Northport is a wholly owned subsidiary of Finnair Plc.  10-01-2006.  (Top)

Singapore's Phoenix Aircraft Leasing purchased two PW4000-powered A310-200s from China Eastern Airlines. 10-03-2006.

Transaero ordered eight A330-200s for deliveries over three years, starting in 2009.  The contract is valued at $1.2 billion at list price. The Russian airline also plans to purchase ten new A320s, and confirmed its commitment to purchase ten Tu-214s. 10-03-2006.

Regional Express Australia, agreed to a long-term lease of 25 advanced Saab 340Bs from Saab Aircraft Leasing. 10-03-2006.

NAYSA, a regional operator based in the Canary Islands ordered four new ATR 72-500s, with a value of about $ 71 million. The aircraft will be delivered between 2008 and 2009.  10-03-2006.

Lufthansa CityLine extended its leases of 13 Avro RJ85s with BAE Systems Regional Aircraft. 10-03-2006.

Adam Aircraft received an amended FAR Part 23 type certificate, authorizing its new A500 all-composite, pressurized, centerline twin-engine aircraft to operate at night and in IFR (instrument flight rules) conditions.  10-03-2006.

AirTran is postponing the delivery of five B-737NGs originally scheduled for delivery in the second half of 2007 and the first quarter 2008, to delivery dates starting in 2009 and continuing through 2011. Twenty aircraft scheduled for delivery this year will not be affected.  10-03-2006.

Raytheon Aircraft Charter & Management has added a Nashville-based Beechjet 400A, a Dallas-based Hawker 800A, an Atlanta-based Challenger 600, and a Van Nuys-based Beechcraft Premier IA to its charter fleet.  10-03-2006.

HondaJet, one of several new VLJs (very light jets) coming into the marketplace, will go on sale for the first time at the National Business Aviation Association (NBAA) annual meeting, October 17-19, in Orlando.  10-03-2006.

All Nippon Airways took delivery of its fourth B-767-300F.  10-03-2006.

FedEx says it will spend $2.6 billion to buy and upgrade as many as 90 used B- 757-200s into freighters to replace its B-727s. The package carrier is planning for the 757s to enter service between 2008 and 2016. 10-03-2006.

Piper Aircraft is expected to reveal details of its next-generation aircraft, widely believed to be a single-engine VLJ (very light jet), at the NBAA Convention (October 17-19, 2006).  Piper says its price will be somewhere between the $2 million Meridian single-engine turboprop and the approximately $4 million HondaJet.  10-03-2006.

NetJets Europe ordered 24 Falcon 7Xs valued at US $1.1 billion, which represents the largest business jet order in European history. The deal is the second largest order ever and is Dassault's largest ever private jet sale. The 24 aircraft will be delivered over six years, from the first quarter in 2008 through 2014.  10-03-2006.

Italy's My Way Airlines ordered 19 CRJ900s, 15 of which Bombardier will convert to the 90-seat CRJ900X, if Bombardier launches the stretched version.  The deal is valued at $702 million.  10-03-2006.

Qatar Airways ordered 40 GE90 engines to power the 14 B-777-300ERs and six B-777-200LRs it is purchasing from Boeing.  The -300ERs will be powered by the GE90-115B; and the -200LRs will be powered by the GE90-110B. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in 2007.  The engine order is valued at more than $750 million (U.S.).  10-03-2006.  (Top)

Eurocontrol reported the number of flights operating in its airspace increased by 4.1% during the three summer months of 2006 (June, July and August) compared to the same period in 2005.  Air traffic flow management delays increased from 2.3 minutes per flight in 2005 to 2.6 minutes per flight in 2006. The "rapid growth" of low-cost carriers and of business aviation accounted for most of the growth, Eurocontrol said.  Low-cost carriers added around 800 flights per day over the summer – 3% of the 4% growth.  Business aviation was 13% higher this summer than in 2006, adding a further 240 flights per day.  10-03-2006.

IATA's member airlines reported a 4.8% increase in international RPKs (revenue passenger kilometers) in August compared to the same month in 2005.  According to IATA, this is the smallest monthly passenger traffic increase since the end of 2003 "and marks the fourth consecutive month of declining growth in passenger demand." ASKs (available seat kilometers) were up 4.3% in August and load factor was 79.4%.  In the year's first eight months through August, IATA members' international traffic grew 6.1% against a 4.7% rise in capacity.  10-03-2006.

The Association of Asia Pacific Airlines announced that its members had over 12 million passenger boardings in August, and the number of international passengers carried increased by 4.4% for the month.  Its member's RPKs (revenue passenger kilometers) increased by 3.0% which, together with a slight reduction in capacity, led to a 2.4 percentage point improvement in the passenger load factor, to 78.5%.  International freight traffic, expressed in freight tonne kilometers (FTK), grew by 5.5% in August.  The freight load factor was 65.8%, reflecting a 2.2% increase in capacity.  10-03-2006.

Twelve new runways have opened at the busiest airports in the U.S. since the summer of 2000, including at Denver, Cleveland, Miami, Orlando, St. Louis and Atlanta.  According to the FAA, the new runways have the capacity to accommodate 1.6 million more annual operations and cut average delays at the 12 airports by five minutes.  Currently, six additional runways are under construction at Boston, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Seattle, Washington Dulles and Chicago O'Hare, and 23 more are planned to the built at America's largest airports in the next 20 years.  10-03-2006.  (Top)

AEEC Is Expanding Its Representation Base

The Airlines Electronic Engineering Committee (AEEC), which is holding its annual General Session in Montreal next week (October 9-12), says it is transforming itself by including representatives of airframe manufacturers and military organizations into its membership.

Previously, the venerable avionics-equipment standards group had limited its official participants to persons from airlines and general aviation.

Incidentally, for anyone still interested in attending the 2006 General Session, Roy Oishi, the Committee's chairman says they are welcome to all open sessions, which includes a symposium that this year will focus on data-driven navigation and ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) developments. 10-03-2006.  (Top)

ARINC To Hold Wireless Gatelink Conference

ARINC is sponsoring the "first global industry conference" on gatelink on October 24, 2006.  The one-day event will focus on the latest applications and market developments for the wireless transmission of data to-and-from airplanes at airport gates.

The Gatelink Summit, which will be held at the Walt Disney World Coronado Springs Resort in Orlando, is being designed to inform airlines about the current status of gatelink technology.  Workshops will be provided on how gatelink is applicable to EFBs (electronic flight bags), IFE (in-flight entertainment), and FOQA flight operational quality assurance programs.

Ron Hawkins, ARINC's vice president of commercial aviation solutions, described gatelink as a technology that has always been "next year."  "But with the advent of new communications on new aircraft, and the growth of electronic flight bags, gatelink has become a crucial communications alternative for many airlines.... Many airlines are looking to gatelink to support the large file sizes common with new and emerging applications," Mr. Hawkins asserts.

Earlier this year, ARINC collaborated with Lufthansa, along with network and avionics vendors, and two major European airports to gather test data needed to fully evaluate a global gatelink standard.  These trials resulted in a white paper which will be made available to conference attendees as well.

The conference will precede the ARINC ASAP Users Group Meeting that is also being held in Orlando, and airline IT (information technology) and flight operations managers, as well as airport IT managers, are encouraged to attend.  For more information, contact Mike Dufton at (410) 266-4607, or e-mail mgd@arinc.com.   09-30-2006.  (Top)

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