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Sensis Surface Surveillance System Operational at Bangkok
Sensis Corporation's Multistatic Dependent Surveillance (MDS) System is operational at the just opened Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.

FAA Says URET Is Getting Its Job Done
The FAA says its URET (user request evaluation tool) has been successful in increasing the capacity and efficiency of America's airspace since its full deployment - and may be making things safer too.

Raytheon to Modernize FAA's Long-Range Radars
The FAA has awarded the Raytheon Company a contract to modernize up to 68 of its radars as part of the agency's Long Range Radar Service Life Extension program (SLEP).

Purdue Researchers Create New Simulation Tool to Study Airspace Improvements
Researchers at Purdue University have created a mathematical simulation that could be used in a new national strategy to ease airport congestion and improve the overall transportation system, while allowing a fresh look at how the U.S. is doing.  One key finding:  There is a mismatch of time scales between infrastructure providers and operators.

Alchemy to Help Airways New Zealand Develop New CDM Tool
Christchurch-base Alchemy has been asked by Airways New Zealand to develop a new online CDM (collaborative decision making) support tool to help it manage the island nation's air traffic more efficiently.

SITA to Upgrade Saudi Arabian Airlines' Telecommunications
SITA is doing a major telecommunications infrastructure in a major technology upgrade for soon-to-be privatized Saudi Arabian Airlines' that includes a fully managed global desktop service.

New XML-Based Messaging Standards Developed for the Air Transport Industry
ARINC and SITA have released a detailed set of standards and specifications to enable XML (extensible markup language) - based business-to-business messaging for the air transport industry.

Retrofit Offering for Falcon 50 Features Universal Display Suite
Universal Avionics has joined with Premier Air/West Star Aviation to create a retrofit package for the Falcon 50 that includes a five-panel suite of LCD (liquid crystal display) electronic flight instruments with Universal's recently certified SVS (synthetic vision system).

Israel Certifies Reveal Imaging EDS
The Israeli government has certified an EDS (explosive detection system) developed by Reveal Imaging Technologies.

Investigators Focusing on Transponder in Brazil Midair Collision
Accident investigators looking at the recent Gol B-737-800 midair collision and subsequent crash in Brazil have reportedly concluded that the other aircraft, an ExcelAire Legacy 600XL, had its transponder switched off.

NTSB Advises Pilots to Be More Alert To Severe Weather during IFR Flight
The U.S National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a special safety alert warning pilots to maintain awareness of severe weather - especially when flying using IFR (instrument flight rules).

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Sensis Surface Surveillance System Operational at Bangkok

Sensis Corporation's Multistatic Dependent Surveillance (MDS) System is operational at the just opened Suvarnabhumi International Airport in Bangkok.

In addition to MDS, Thailand's ANSP (air navigation service provider), Aeronautical Radio of Thailand (Aerothai), is deploying 30 Sensis' ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast), VeeLo (vehicle locator units) at the airport.  Sensis partnered with Thales ATM on the Suvarnabhumi MDS installation.

MDS uses non-rotating sensors to detect and track the movement of aircraft and vehicles based on their transponder signals.  The system provides precision comparable to GPS, a higher update rate than traditional airport surveillance radar, and consistent surveillance performance regardless of weather conditions.

And since MDS is compatible with ADS-B, Sensis sees multilateration as providing a bridge to other new related surveillance technologies.

In addition to Suvarnabhumi, Sensis MDS is operational or being installed at nine other major European and Asian airports.  The system is a key component of Sensis A-SMGCS (advanced - surface movement guidance and control system) in New Delhi, Brisbane, Melbourne and Sydney and at 35 U.S. airports for the ASDE-X (airport surface detection equipment - model X) program.  10-07-2006.  (Top)

FAA Says URET Is Getting Its Job Done

The FAA says its URET (user request evaluation tool) has been successful in increasing the capacity and efficiency of America's airspace since its full deployment - and may be making things safer too.

According to a report posted on the FAA's ATO (Air Traffic Organization) website, data shows that URET-equipped ARTCCs (air route traffic control centers) have saved its "customers" (aircraft operators) 25.6 million nautical miles of flight distance in 2006, which translates into $179.3 million.  In July of this year alone a new monthly high of over three-million nautical miles were saved, after seasonal adjustments.  And since fiscal year 1999, URET-equipped centers have saved 89.5 million miles or $626.5 million.

URET automatically predicts conflicts between aircraft or between aircraft and special use airspace.  Its pertinence to these savings comes from its capability of allowing controllers to make trial plan changes to an aircraft's route or altitude, which makes it easier for them to respond to pilot requests for more direct routes or altitudes that increase fuel efficiency.

Besides reducing flight distances, the ATO claims there is evidence that URET's can contribute - at least indirectly - to safety too.

Between 2000 and 2006 the operational error rate for URET-equipped centers decreased, even as the rate for non-URET centers remained the same or increased slightly and the total number of flights handled by centers increased. Statistically significant decreases in the operational error rate occurred in six centers after URET was introduced, including three centers with the highest error rate.  No centers have shown a statistically significant increase after URET was introduced.

Tom Spellerberg, a former URET program manager who is now the implementation manger for ERAM (en route automation modernization), cautions that the operational error statistic has not been confirmed by ATO Safety, but the analysis was based on published operational error information.

"We have always kept track of operational error rates at URET facilities because we, too, care very, very, very much about safety," Mr. Spellerberg said. "I wanted to be sure that deploying URET was not degrading the system.

"In the simplest terms," Spellerberg adds, "you can certainly say that URET has not caused an increase in ops errors, and there is evidence that URET is facilitating a decrease."

Numbers and statistical data, of course, are subject to interpretation.  And referring to the FAA's claims that URET's are causing reduced distance flown, Spellerberg says he understands the argument that at least some, if not many, of the direct-to flight plan amendments credited to URET, would have been given anyway.

"The one truthful statement that you can make," Spellerberg says, "is that URET is having a significant positive effect on the flow of traffic through the en-route centers.  We're sending people on more direct routes and people are spending less time in the en route environment."

URET was developed as part of the FAA's Free Flight program and was first installed as a prototype at Indianapolis and Memphis Centers in the mid-1990s. As of June 2006, the system was placed in all 20 centers in the contiguous United States.

The CNA Corporation has compiled a detailed analysis of URET savings that can be viewed here. 10-08-2006.  (Top)

Raytheon to Modernize FAA's Long-Range Radars

The FAA has awarded the Raytheon Company a contract to modernize up to 68 of its radars as part of the agency's Long Range Radar Service Life Extension program (SLEP).

Under the contract, with an estimated potential value of $185 million, Raytheon will manufacture, test and deploy new solid-state transmitter systems to replace the radar's current tube-based transmitters.

The initial contract authorization for $32 million includes manufacturing, testing and delivering four low-rate initial production, new solid-state transmitters and associated hardware, software and interfaces. 10-10-2006.  (Top)

Purdue Researchers Create New Simulation Tool to Study Airspace Improvements

Researchers at Purdue University have created a mathematical simulation that could be used in a new national strategy to ease airport congestion and improve the overall transportation system, while allowing a fresh look at how the U.S. is doing.  One key finding:  There is a mismatch of time scales between infrastructure providers and operators.

According to PhysOrg.com, which first reported this development, the simulation was created as part of a NAS research project to develop "a robust, scalable transportation system concept" that would be more resilient and better able to withstand factors such as severe weather, equipment malfunctions and shifting future demand, said Daniel DeLaurentis, an assistant professor of aeronautics and astronautics.

A resulting published study covers various aspects of America's air transportation system and takes into account the possible benefits of introducing VLJs (very light jets) into the system, which has caused controversy - especially between the Air Transport Association, and other aviation trade groups.

The researchers intended that the study take a fresh look, using "a first-of-its-kind system-of-systems" approach, which Professor DeLaurentis described as a method of analyzing a complex system that is made up of many component systems.  According to DeLaurentis: "There have been other studies of next-generation air transportation systems, but they typically focus on particular aspects or details, such as the need for a certain kind of airplane, radar system or runway additions at large airports.... What we do... is look at technological, economic and policy factors simultaneously, and that was our unique starting point."

To accomplish this, the researchers combined two new mathematical techniques called agent-based modeling and network theory to integrate all of the components within the air transportation system to predict overall performance.  The model mimics the behavior of transportation service providers, such as airlines and small air taxi companies, along with the infrastructure providers, such as the FAA and the U.S. Department of Transportation.

A main finding: If infrastructure providers don't keep pace with demand, the flight service providers stagnate because they can't add the flights they need, and such responsiveness - what DeLaurentis calls agility - is critical.

This seems obvious, but DeLaurentis warns: "Improving agility, we found, requires not so much that you build a brand new runway at every large airport. You need to be able to add capacity in a variety of other quicker ways.  One of the problems in the current system is that it takes so long to develop new capacity at a major airport that by the time the capacity is available, the demand has already changed."

One factor in the system's current sluggishness is that policy changes are needed to help streamline the system, he said.

"There are various air-traffic management technologies that are always coming up, but historically it's been difficult to implement them in a timely manner - not necessarily because the technology is poorly understood, but because the rules and policies of how they are to be used and when they are to be used just don't develop fast enough," DeLaurentis said.

Professor DeLaurentis believes the simulation could be used by the FAA and other infrastructure providers to weigh various options faster.

"I would say that the airlines and other service providers are operating on a different time scale than the FAA," DeLaurentis said. "The FAA is thinking of developing capacity in terms of a 10-year time frame, but the service providers and the customer base that generates demand are changing decisions every three months, so there is a mismatch.  A more agile system would have a closer connection between the two time scales."

Professor DeLaurentis also argues that currently there is a lack of strategic planning and coordination among service and infrastructure providers, and that better coordination is needed among the different operators.

Findings from the study will be used by both NASA and the FAA.  10-07-2006.  (Top)

Alchemy to Help Airways New Zealand Develop New CDM Tool

Christchurch-base Alchemy has been asked by Airways New Zealand to develop a new online CDM (collaborative decision making) support tool to help it manage the island nation's air traffic more efficiently.

The project, known as CDM-CMS (capacity management system) will combine several digital networks over the Internet, using an evolutionary scheme described as "netcentricity," to provide improved outcomes for New Zealand's airlines, according to Greg Atkins, Airways New Zealand's service improvement manager.

Airways sees CDM-CMS as enabling its airline customers to jointly agree on flight priorities and re-scheduling to optimize their overall demand needs when capacity is limited, thereby potentially significantly reducing operating costs, including fuel burn, while managing their passenger's expectations.

The New Zealand ANSP (air navigation services provider) believes this aspect of CDM has never been done before in any of the world's air traffic systems. 10-06-2006.  (Top)

SITA to Upgrade Saudi Arabian Airlines' Telecommunications

SITA is doing a major telecommunications infrastructure in a major technology upgrade for soon-to-be privatized Saudi Arabian Airlines' that includes a fully managed global desktop service.

The $4.1 million contract for SITA's DesktopSelect, also involves an equipment refresh and a migration to IP (Internet protocol)-based VPN (virtual private network) technology.  The contract will be implemented over five years at the airline's facilities in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Italy, Malaysia, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, U.K. and the U.S.

SITA developed DesktopSelect to meet the needs of a distributed out-station situation such as that found in an airline like Saudi Arabia.  Since it allows for the standardization of out-station computing environments, it makes the migration to IP and the replacement of legacy equipment easier, SITA says.

Through integration of the newly developed SITA IT Service Management System which is based on internationally recognized ITIL (information technology infrastructure library) standards, DesktopSelect will also provide Saudi Arabia Airlines with significantly improved customer support with constant, real-time monitoring.

At the same time, SITA's IP VPN "future-proof" architecture also enables the airline to roll-out new applications not previously possible, such as VoIP (voice over IP).  10-07-2006.  (Top)

New XML-Based Messaging Standards Developed for the Air Transport Industry

ARINC and SITA have released a detailed set of standards and specifications to enable XML (extensible markup language) - based business-to-business messaging for the air transport industry.

The standards define a new messaging approach, called Type X, which makes use of XML and Web technology to complement existing industry Type-B messaging.  According to ARINC and SITA, while Type-B message formats can still be used, the Type-X format will enable more cost efficient and flexible IT (information technology) communications.

ARINC and SITA's global networks carrying an estimated 40 million Type-B messages daily for airline reservations, passenger check-ins, baggage handling, and data communication between airlines, global distribution systems, ground handlers, and other travel service providers.  The underlying IATA standard spans both legacy and IP (Internet protocol) communications.

More than a year of development by an industry work group that included representatives including Amadeus, British Airways, Galileo, Lufthansa Systems, Mercator, Northwest Airlines, Sabre, and Worldspan, led to this result, ARINC said.  The group worked closely with the IATA XML Task Force, OASIS (Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards), and the OpenTravel Alliance to ensure their open standards-based specification would complement the efforts of these groups.

Mansour Rezaei-Mazinani, the head of network services engineering at SITA, said, "Transitioning to XML will pave the way for changes being driven by the industry-wide implementation of applications such as e-ticketing and new security requirements for passenger processing, while enabling significant benefits delivered by the use of XML technologies.  These include driving down spending on development and maintenance, reducing costs related to legacy platforms, and enabling faster integration of applications."

By the end of year the work group plans to sponsor pilot projects to demonstrate real-life implementation of the Type X standard.

The new Type- specifications and a "white paper" discussing their ramifications are available at the ARINC and SITA websites and the Type X Work Group website at www.TypeX.aero.  10-07-2006.  (Top)

Retrofit Offering for Falcon 50 Features Universal Display Suite

Universal Avionics has joined with Premier Air/West Star Aviation to create a retrofit package for the Falcon 50 that includes a five-panel suite of LCD (liquid crystal display) electronic flight instruments with Universal's recently certified SVS (synthetic vision system).

According to Universal Avionics, the retrofit program, dubbed the "Falcon 50SV", will feature its EFI-890R dual PFD and ND (primary flight and navigation displays), and will come standard with its Vision-1 SVS.  The package also consists of an EEI (electronic engine instrumentation) display, dual UNS-1F FMS WAAS (flight management system with wide area augmentation system) LPV (localizer performance with vertical guidance) approach capability, and an advanced aircraft performance component, which computes and displays take-off and landing speeds.  A class-A TAWS (terrain awareness system), dual RCUs (radio control units) and a UniLink CMU (communication unit) are also included.

Falcon 50SV

Source: Universal Avionics

Vision-1

Source: Universal Avionics

Israel Certifies Reveal Imaging EDS

The Israeli government has certified an EDS (explosive detection system) developed by Reveal Imaging Technologies.

Reveal Imaging says it's only the third company to have passed the performance criteria set forth by Israeli airport regulators, and its CT-80 EDS is one of the few such machines that has been formally approved for use in that country.  The CT-80 is already certified by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and also exceeds European Level 2 and Level 3 explosives screening standards recently proposed by EU legislation.  10-09-2006.  (Top)

Investigators Focusing on Transponder in Brazil Midair Collision

Accident investigators looking at the recent Gol B-737-800 midair collision and subsequent crash in Brazil have reportedly concluded that the other aircraft, an ExcelAire Legacy 600XL, had its transponder switched off.

According to a report from Estado de Sao Paulo, the transponder - which is needed for proper ATC radar interrogations and for TCAS (traffic alert and collision avoidance system) operation - apparently was off before the collision, but later turned back on.

The Legacy's two American pilots, who are being held in Brazil for questioning, have denied turning off the device.

At the time of the collision, the Gol Lineas Aereas Flight 1907 was proceeding to the southeast, while the Embraer Legacy 600XL was heading northwest.  The Gol 737 crashed into the Amazon jungle, killing all 155 persons onboard.  The damaged Legacy was able to land safely.

According to preliminary reports, the Legacy, which was flying at FL (flight level) 370, was to descend to FL360 after passing Brasilia, but for reasons unexplained by authorities, failed do so.  10-10-2006.  (Top)

NTSB Advises Pilots to Be More Alert To Severe Weather during IFR Flight

The U.S National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued a special safety alert warning pilots to maintain awareness of severe weather - especially when flying using IFR (instrument flight rules).

The Safety Board points to several accidents in which severe weather appear to be causal or contributory, all of which involved aircraft operating IFR and in contact with air traffic controllers.

"Severe weather avoidance is the responsibility of the pilots," said NTSB Chairman Mark V. Rosenker.

Several accident investigations have shown that pilots were either not advised about areas of severe weather or were given incomplete information.  But the Board reminds pilots, that a controller's primary responsibility is aircraft separation; even though they are also required to provide additional services, such as weather advisories, when their workload permits.

The NTSB presents scenarios in which pilots did not take full advantage of air traffic services or where there was confusion about the meanings of instructions and advisories.  It also recommended that pilots become familiar with the various on-board weather avoidance technologies now available, including real time graphical weather depictions.

The entire safety alert, which contains examples of recent NTSB accident investigations, is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/alerts/alerts.htm.  10-07-2006.  (Top)

Reader Feedback: Regarding Tailored Arrivals

Regarding our report of Boeing Tailored Arrivals, Reader Lou Rosgen wrote: "I recall this same program at Denver Stapleton, as well as several others.  'Profile Descent' was the name of the program, even had published procedures.  Are we reinventing the wheel here?"

Editor's Response:

There was a prior "profile descent" program that included Denver.  However, the "tailored arrivals" of today might be more aptly described as wheel improvements rather than wheel reinventions.

Mr. Rosgen's recall of "profile descents" is likely referring to the FAA's LFM/PD (local flow management/profile descent), which according to a NASA document (Airborne Trailblazer, Chapter 7-1), was first installed on an experimental basis at Denver and Dallas Fort Worth in the late 1970s.

While LFM/PD was considered an improvement over existing arrival procedures, it had a couple of significant drawbacks:  First, while the program gave the controllers the time each aircraft was to cross its metering fix, they had to manually compute how to get the airplanes to that fix at the correct time, speed, and altitude.  Second, even though pilots were given the speed and altitude, or altitude range, at which they were to cross the fix, controllers had the responsibility for modifying the speed and/or descent profiles of arriving aircraft to meet the time requirements of the schedule.

In the late 1970s, researchers at Boeing and NASA began working on profile descent equations, using the four-dimensional capabilities of NASA's TSRV (transport systems research vehicle) 737's FMS (flight management system).

In June 1979, these new algorithms were installed in the TSRV 737, for a series of flight tests of LFM/PD at Denver, which proved to be successful, and the FMS-controlled profile descent proved to use 28% less fuel.

But there were other issues:  For example, what would be the consequences of different airplanes using different, climb and descent paths and speed profiles even though they made their metering fix times?  And how would aircraft using profile descents mix with aircraft not equipped for that kind of approach?  In addition, even though the airborne FMS was capable of accuracies within seven seconds, the ground metering system at that time was only accurate within 30 seconds.

NASA conducted additional profile descent experiments in 1984-85, which eventually showed that if individual airplanes were controlling their own descent paths, controllers wouldn't be able to predict the exact trajectory of the descending airplanes, and there was too much potential for unexpected maneuvers.  In other words, even though the onboard technology worked well, the ATC infrastructure couldn't incorporate it.

It wasn't until the FAA began introducing CTAS (center tracon automation system), in the l990's that controllers had the same basic information that pilots had that things could move forward.  Denver and Dallas-Fort Worth were two of the first airports to get this arrival tool.

The oceanic tailored arrivals (OTA) of today use the integrated CNS (communication, navigation, and surveillance) capabilities available in aircraft with FANS (future air navigation system) equipment, and the ground capability available through the FAA's ATOP (advanced technologies and oceanic procedures) system.  ATOP, which is also known as Ocean 21, is currently in various stages of deployment at the Oakland, New York and Anchorage ARTCCs (air-route traffic control centers).

A number of flight demonstration activities associated with Tailored Arrivals have been carried out in the U.S and abroad. An in-service demonstration was conducted by Airservices Australia in 2004, in partnership with Qantas Airlines, Boeing and the Air Traffic Alliance, where static clearances were issued by datalink to B-747 and A-330 aircraft into Melbourne and Sydney.  Other related activities include continuous descent approach (CDA) field trials conducted at Louisville in 2002 and 2004 with United Parcel Service, and similar CDA trials at Mather airport near Sacramento, and RNAV (area navigation) arrivals into Atlanta.  Other important related work is going on in Sweden, where in January of this year, a SAS B-737 performed, what was described as the first managed four-dimensional-trajectory (4DT) flight, as well as the first advanced continuous descent approach (A-CDA), ever made in revenue service.  10-10-2006.  (Top)

Emirates finalized an order for ten B-747-8 Freighters, valued at approximately $2.8 billion dollars, for its SkyCargo expansion.  10-10-2006.

Lockheed Martin rolled out the 2300^th C-130 Hercules from its assembly line in Marietta, Georgia. The milestone aircraft is a KC-130J tanker destined for the United States Marine Corps.

2300TH Lockheed Martin C-130 Hercules

Source: Lockheed Martin

The Teal Group's 2007 market study estimates that UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) spending will more than triple over the next decade from current worldwide UAV expenditures of $2.7 billion annually to $8.3 billion, totaling close to $55 billion in the next ten years. "The most significant catalyst to this market has been the enormous growth of interest in UAVs by the US military, tied to the general trend toward information warfare and net-centric systems," said Teal senior analyst Steve Zaloga, one of the authors of the new study. (Further details and study availability can be found at www.tealgroup.com).  10-10-2006.

The CFM56 engine has set a new sales record, with 1,772 engines ordered by September 30, 2006, compared to 1,640 engines ordered in the previous year.  10-10-2006.

Embraer's firm order backlog reached U.S. $13.3 billion at the end of the third quarter, a 29% increase over the previous quarter.  The Brazilian manufacturer had 137 new commercial aviation firm orders in the third quarter, including 50 ERJ 145s and 50 Embraer 190s to the HNA Group, 30 Embraer 175s to Republic Airways, six Embraer 170s to EgyptAir, and one Embraer 170 to an undisclosed customer.  A significant number of Embraer executive jets, including the Lineage 1000, Legacy 600 and the Phenom jets were sold during the third quarter, and the Phenom family backlog surpassed the mark of 300 jets.  Embraer revised its delivery forecast for 2006 to 135, from the 145 originally forecasted.  It expects a minimum of 160 aircraft will be delivered in 2007, up from the previously announced 150.  10-10-2006.

Boeing delivered 100 commercial aircraft in the third quarter, compared to 62 in the third quarter of 2005.  Eighty-one were 737NGs; three were 747s, three were 767s and 13 were 777s.  Year-to-date deliveries total 295 compared to 217 in the year-ago period.  This year's total deliveries breakdown to two-hundred twenty-three 737NGs, forty-seven 777s, eleven 747s, nine 767s and five 717s (including three under operating lease).  10-10-2006.

Robert E. Breiling Associates says business jets were involved in 18 non-fatal accidents and three fatal accidents during the first nine months of this year, compared with 16 non-fatal accidents and one fatal accident in the same period last year.  The number of people killed remained level at eight for both periods. Two people were killed in one accident involving a chartered business jet versus no fatal accidents involving chartered jets in the nine-month period last year. There were two non-fatal accidents involving fractional jets versus one period-over-period.  In the first three quarters of this year, fatal accidents involving business turboprops increased to 13 from 10 last year, but fatalities decreased to 24 this year from 32 last year. Corporate operations of propjets were involved in two fatal accidents in the first three quarters of this year, compared with no fatal accidents in the same period last year.  10-10-2006.

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) said the 20 carriers reporting on-time performance recorded an overall on-time arrival rate of 75.8% in August, an improvement over both August 2005's 75.2% and July 2006's 73.7%.  The carriers also canceled 1.6% their scheduled domestic flights in August, a lower rate than both the 2.1% recorded in August 2005 and the 1.7% rate of July 2006.

The carriers reported that 7.04% of their August flights were delayed by aviation system delays, compared to 7.16% in July 2006; 7.51% by late-arriving aircraft, compared to 8.37% in July; 6.58% by factors within the airline's control, such as maintenance or crew problems, compared to 7.53% in July; 0.99% by extreme weather, compared to 1.15% in July; and 0.27% for security reasons, compared to 0.05% in July.  (Weather is a factor in both the extreme-weather category and the aviation-system category.)

In August, 40.96% of flights were delayed by weather, down 14.02% from August 2005, when 47.64% of flights were delayed by weather, and down 2.57% from July when 42.04%of flights were delayed by weather.

Detailed information on flight delays and their causes is available on the BTS site on the World Wide Web at http://www.bts.gov.  10-10-2006.  (Top)

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