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Rockwell Collins to Work on Advanced Radio Technology
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Rockwell Collins to lead an initiative aimed at "revolutionizing" the current state-of-the-art of radio technology by giving it "superior" performance and flexibility, while significantly reducing its cost, size, and power consumption.

ViaSat Gets Order from ARINC for More Broadband Satcom Terminals
ViaSat says it has received a $12 million order from ARINC for additional production quantities of its airborne integrated satcom terminal that are used in ARINC's SKYLink broadband communication system for business jets.

ARINC Sends Weather Graphics over VDL Mode 2
ARINC says it has uplinked color weather images to a cockpit EFB (electronic flight bag) using standard ACARS (aircraft communications addressing and reporting system) messages transmitted over high-speed VDL (VHF digital link) Mode 2.

NTSB Investigating Incidents of Incorrect Runway Use
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is looking into three recent airline incidents involving airliners, two of which involved operations on an incorrect runway.

Ten-Year-Old Nav Canada Reflects on Accomplishments; Looks to Future
Nav Canada is celebrating its first decade as the owner and operator of Canada's civil air navigation system, after taking over from the federal government on November 1, 1996, for $1.5 billion.

Switzerland Joining EASA and Single European Sky

Victoria Cox Named VP for ATO Operations Planning
Victoria Cox was named the FAA's Air Traffic Organization's vice president for operations planning.  She has been serving in the post as acting vice president since January.

Smiths Detection's Latest Screening Systems Aimed at New Threats
Smiths Detection is introducing a people screening portal that can detect both metal and non-metallic items, such as plastic explosives, hidden under clothing.  It is also demonstrating a new x-ray inspection system that automatically detects explosives or liquids in hand baggage.

TUI Selects AD Aerospace's Cockpit Door Camera System
German tour operator, TUI AG, will forward fit the ten B-737 NGs it has on order with AD Aerospace's Flight Deck Entry Video Surveillance Systems (FDEVSS).

Flight Explorer and Rally Caparas Team on New Online Travel Tools
Flight Explorer and Rally Caparas are partnering on a revamped consumer-focused air travel Website that will be launched on November 15^th.

Raytheon Unveils New "Cockpit" for Unmanned Aircraft
The Raytheon Company is introducing what it describes as "a first of its kind" UAS (unmanned aerial system) "cockpit."

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Rockwell Collins to Work on Advanced Radio Technology

The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has selected Rockwell Collins to lead an initiative aimed at "revolutionizing" the current state-of-the-art of radio technology by giving it "superior" performance and flexibility, while significantly reducing its cost, size, and power consumption.

DARPA is responsible for developing new technology for use by the U.S. military, but has funded the birth of a number of technologies that have major civil effects worldwide, including computer networking, which eventually grew into the Internet), as well as the first hypertext system, and an important precursor to today's ubiquitous GUI (graphical user interface).

The initiative, known as the Analog Spectral Processors (ASP) program, will employ MEMS (micro electro-mechanical systems) technology.  DARPA has teamed Rockwell Collins with the MEMS scientific community to develop an ultra-wideband, multi-channel receiver and spectral sensor.  The plan is to leverage innovative RF (radio frequency) architecture and novel RF MEMS technologies, which include high-performance tunable filters and RF switches, which will lead to more affordable, low-power heterogeneous integration for radio front ends.

The first phase of the program includes development of filters and components which will be followed by a second phase where components will be integrated into filter banks and prototypes.  Demonstration of the complete radio front end will take place in the third phase of the program.

Rockwell Collins' team will include the Teledyne Scientific Company (formerly Rockwell Scientific), Cornell University, Stanford University, University of California-San Diego, Innovative Micro Technologies, MEMS Exchange and Sanmina-SCI.  11-08-2006.  (Top)

ViaSat Gets Order from ARINC for More Broadband Satcom Terminals

ViaSat says it has received a $12 million order from ARINC for additional production quantities of its airborne integrated satcom terminal that are used in ARINC's SKYLink broadband communication system for business jets.

ARINC recently announced the sale of the 50th set of avionics to Gulfstream Aerospace, which was its SKYLink launch customer.  And also recently, Dassault Falcon Jet selected SKYLink as its factory broadband communications option for its new Falcon 7X that should be certified next year.  Dassault Falcon has already received more than 90 Falcon 7X orders for delivery between 2007 and 2010.

The SKYLink terminal is based on ViaSat's ArcLight satellite technology that uses a spread spectrum waveform, capable of delivering digital data to aircraft at rates up to 3 Mbps, which is similar to high-speed cable or DSL (digital subscriber line) Internet connections.  11-06-2006.  (Top)

ARINC Sends Weather Graphics over VDL Mode 2

ARINC says it has uplinked color weather images to a cockpit EFB (electronic flight bag) using standard ACARS (aircraft communications addressing and reporting system) messages transmitted over high-speed VDL (VHF digital link) Mode 2.

During a recent flight test, the flight crew was able to view a NEXRAD (next generation weather radar) color image of Florida thunderstorms within 20 seconds after sending a request.

The operational test was conducted outside Washington, D.C. for the Air Force Flight Standards Agency, using a class-2 EFB with ARINC-developed software applications integrated with the aircraft's datalink avionics, which interfaced directly with ARINC's graphical weather service on the ground.

According to ARINC, the system is customizable so that an airline can transmit its own weather products, such as turbulence plots.  In addition, it can work with most class 2 or 3 EFB installations.

Over 10% of the U.S. passenger fleet is already equipped with VDL Mode 2, and the avionics are now standard equipment on most new airframes, ARINC says.  Ron Hawkins, ARINC's vice president for commercial aviation solutions notes that, "The market has reached a critical mass with so many VDL Mode 2 equipped aircraft in service, and cockpit devices such as EFBs are becoming more common."  11-05-2006.  (Top)

NTSB Investigating Incidents of Incorrect Runway Use

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is looking into three recent airline incidents involving airliners, two of which involved operations on an incorrect runway.

On October 28, a Continental B-757 landed on a parallel taxiway to Newark's Runway 29, following what was apparently a circling approach to the seldom-used crosswind runway. There were no injuries and no damage to the aircraft.  On October 30, an Alaska Airlines' B-737, took off from Seattle-Tacoma's Runway 34 Right, instead of the assigned Runway 34 Center, and continued to its destination without any problems.

The Board says preliminary reports for these incidents will be available shortly at www.ntsb.gov.  11-07-2006.  (Top)

Ten-Year-Old Nav Canada Reflects on Accomplishments; Looks to Future

Nav Canada is celebrating its first decade as the owner and operator of Canada's civil air navigation system, after taking over from the federal government on November 1, 1996, for $1.5 billion.

The privately-owned, not-for-profit corporation, which is responsible for air traffic control in Canadian airspace, employs over 2,000 air traffic controllers. It operates independently of government funding, and is responsible for its own capital budget needs.

John Crichton, Nav Canada's president and CEO, said of the milestone that the company has improved safety, reduced system delays, added some 250 operational air traffic controllers, and invested $1 billion in new technology and facilities.

Here are some of its accomplishments during its first ten years:

• The rate of aircraft "losses of separation" was reduced from 1.36 per 100,000 aircraft movements in 1996 to 0.77 in 2006.  Kathy Fox, Nav Canada's vice president for operations, attributed this improvement to new technology such as the company's automated conflict alert system, but also credited its operational staff and its collaboration with customers and industry partners.

• The development of a "paperless" flight data processing and display for air traffic controllers known as EXCDS (extended computer display system). The system is not only used in Canada, but has been adopted by the U.K.'s National Air Traffic Services (UK NATS) for use at London's Stansted and Gatwick airports, with Luton and Heathrow coming on line. EXCDS was also sold to Denmark's air navigation service provider, Naviair, for use at Copenhagen.

• The implementation of GAATS (Gander automated air traffic system) at its Gander, Newfoundland, area control center.  GAATS will also soon be implemented by UK NATS with Nav Canada's assistance.

• The company's movement toward ADS-B (automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast) technology. It will be installing its initial six ADS-B ground stations on the shoreline of Hudson Bay in 2007-2008.  Direct controller-pilot voice communications will also be deployed as a complement to ADS-B, in this area, where there is currently no radar coverage, and only limited communications capability.  Additional ADS-B, and similar controller-pilot communications, are planned in the rest of Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and Northern B.C., and eventually in the Canada's southern domestic airspace.

Nav Canada claims its investments in technology, improved procedures, and other initiatives, are saving airlines and other operators about $100 million annually, because of fewer delays and increased efficiency.  At the same time, the company says its service charges have risen by about 10 per cent on average since they were fully introduced in 1999, which is 10 percentage points below Canada's inflation rate during the same period.

On a per passenger basis, Nav Canada says its charges are at least 20 per cent lower than the air transportation tax they replaced, and adds that its charges were reduced by an average of 1.8 per cent as of September 1 this year.  11-08-2006.  (Top)

Switzerland Joining EASA and Single European Sky

Switzerland has agreed to officially participate in the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and the Single European Sky (SES) as of December 1, 2006.  11-09-2006.  (Top)

Victoria Cox Named VP for ATO Operations Planning

Victoria Cox was named the FAA's Air Traffic Organization's vice president for operations planning.  She has been serving in the post as acting vice president since January.

In comments posted on the ATO Website, Ms. Cox said sees her unit's role as liaising with the inter-agency Joint Planning and Development Office (JPDO) and coordinating with other parts of the FAA and government to help in the transition to the Next Generation Air Transportation System.  In addition, she will oversee the FAA's facilities at its Atlantic City William J. Hughes Technical Center, and will be responsible for directing the ATO's international strategy.

Cox joined the FAA in 2003, coming from the Department of Defense, where she last served as director of international technology programs, and subsequently held several high-level positions in the agency, before her current position.  11-09-2006.  (Top)

Smiths Detection's Latest Screening Systems Aimed at New Threats

Smiths Detection is introducing a people screening portal that can detect both metal and non-metallic items, such as plastic explosives, hidden under clothing.  It is also demonstrating a new x-ray inspection system that automatically detects explosives or liquids in hand baggage.

The system's Tadar technology, which was developed by Farran Technology, uses passive millimeter-waves, which reflects the body's radiation on to very sensitive sensors.  The resulting signals are processed by a computer to produce high-resolution, real-time images.

Smiths expects to begin production of the machine early next year, and says airports worldwide are already showing considerable interest.

Hand Baggage Liquid Detector

In a related development, Smiths Detection is demonstrating an x-ray inspection system that automatically detects explosives or liquids in hand baggage.

The Smiths HI-SCAN 6040 aTiX demonstration machine that is undergoing trials with relevant authorities automatically highlights potential threats with a red box on a display screen.  Suspect liquids can be identified with a hand-held analyzer, such as the Smiths RespondeR RCI, which is based on Raman spectroscopy, and is highly accurate in identifying the chemical substances in liquids, powders and solids.  11-09-2006.  (Top)

TUI Selects AD Aerospace's Cockpit Door Camera System

German tour operator, TUI AG, will forward fit the ten B-737 NGs it has on order with AD Aerospace's Flight Deck Entry Video Surveillance Systems (FDEVSS).

The FDEVSS uses a number of cameras positioned to cover the approach to the flight deck door and the forward galley areas to allow the pilots to view anyone outside the cockpit on their MFDs (multifunction displays) from their normal seated positions.  11-06-2006.  (Top)

Flight Explorer and Rally Caparas Team on New Online Travel Tools

Flight Explorer and Rally Caparas are partnering on a revamped consumer-focused air travel Website that will be launched on November 15^th.

Caparas is a former FAA air traffic controller, turned air travel expert, who provides air traffic reports via the Internet, print and broadcast media.  He appears weekdays on CNN Headline News, using Flight Explorer as his primary broadcast tool.

Flight Explorer says it has overhauled the design and navigation of its site, making it simpler not only to track flights, but also to get airport information such as security wait times.  11-06-2006.  (Top)

Raytheon Unveils New "Cockpit" for Unmanned Aircraft

The Raytheon Company is introducing what it describes as "a first of its kind" UAS (unmanned aerial system) "cockpit."

According to Mark Bigham, Raytheon's Intelligence and Information Systems business development director, the company's new Universal Control System (UCS) comes from "the best-of-breed technologies" from the gaming industry, which were coupled with Raytheon's UAS command and control expertise.

"We broke down the operator's tasks and objectives and constructed a system built entirely around them, rather than building the system around the air vehicle first, without input from the operators. Improvements included adding a wrap-around display to enhance operator effectiveness. We wanted to put the operator in the UAS 'cockpit' virtually and dramatically enhance his or her situational awareness.  UCS operators will have better situational awareness than any manned platform, which dramatically improves safety."

Besides better situational awareness for the operator, Raytheon said it wanted to decrease human factors issues associated with the command interface, which have been blamed for a number of UAS mishaps according to a 2004 study by the FAA ("A Summary of Unmanned Aircraft Accident/Incident Data: Human Factors Implications").

Raytheon also designed its system to give the operator the option of standing or sitting, and provides flexibility in controlling multiple functions, including multiple dissimilar UASs simultaneously.  11-06-2006.  (Top)

Cessna delivered its 100th Citation Sovereign to a Canadian company. 11-09-2006.

FedEx Express cancelled its $2.3 billion order for 10 A380Fs and placed an order for 15 B-777Fs along with 15 options.  11-09-2006.

Air Atlanta Icelandic's first B-747-400SF, a converted freighter, which is temporarily leased out to Cargolux, has commenced operations. 11-09-2006.

Kuwait-based leasing company ALAFCO has ordered six more A320s. 11-09-2006.

Air New Zealand converted three Q300 options on behalf of its Air Nelson regional subsidiary.  11-09-2006.

TAM has leased an A319-100 from Volito Aviation. 11-09-2006.

Singapore Airlines will use Rolls-Royce Trent 700s to power its 19 new leased A330-300s that will begin arriving in early 2009. 11-09-2006.

Aeroflot took delivery of its first A320 that will be flown on an operational lease.  11-09-2006.

Sino Swearingen Aircraft Corporation (SSAC) delivered its first production SJ30 to an unnamed customer.  11-09-2006.

Thai Airways took delivery of the first of six B-777-200ERs. It will take delivery of three more this year and two in 2007.  11-09-2006.

Austrian Airlines plans to eliminate four A330-200s and two A340-300s from its fleet in 2007, leaving its long-haul fleet with four B-777-200ERs and six B-767-300ERs.  11-09-2006.

IAI's Bedek Aviation Group received a FAA STC (supplemental type certificate) for its B-747-400 passenger to cargo conversion.  11-09-2006.

Australia's Virgin Blue yesterday ordered three Embraer 170s and 11 Embraer 190s along with options for six more.  11-09-2006.

Delta AirElite Business Jets is adding another Challenger 604 to its charter fleet.  11-09-2006.

Caribbean Star Airlines took delivery of its fourth Q300.  11-09-2006.

Shanghai Airlines ordered five A321s through China Aviation Supplies Import and Export Group's order for 150 A320 family aircraft placed last year.  11-09-2006.

Delta Air Lines leased ten used PW2037-powered B-757-200ERs from ILFC. Deliveries are scheduled between July and November 2007.  11-09-2006.  (Top)

Nav Canada's August traffic increased by an average of 4.9% compared to the same month in 2005. Traffic for its complete fiscal year 2006 was 3.5% higher than in fiscal year 2005. (Nav Canada's fiscal year runs from September 1 to August 31.) 11-09-2006.

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) reported a 4.7% year-on-year growth in international passenger traffic for September 2006, which is below IATA's 5.9% average for the year to date, and continues a downward trend in growth that began in May.  International freight traffic rose 4.9%, up from 4.7% in August, but below IATA's historic long-term average growth of 6.0%.  For the year-to-date, freight demand grew 5.2% over the same period in 2005.  Middle East carriers showed the strongest growth with September passenger demand increasing by 13.1% and cargo demand by 13.9% over the same month in 2005.  Both are below the region's year-to-date growth of 15.4% for passenger and 16.8% for cargo.  Latin America's carriers had a 8.6% contraction in September passenger traffic compared to 2005.

More IATA traffic statistics for September 2006 can be found on its Website. 11-09-2006.

The U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) said its 20 reporting carriers had an overall on-time arrival rate of 76.2% in September, down from September 2005's 82.7% , but an improvement over August 2006's 75.8%.

Cancellations

In September, the carriers canceled 1.7% of their scheduled domestic flights, down from September 2005's 2.0%, but more than August 2006's 1.6%.

Causes of Flight Delays

The carriers filing on-time performance data reported that 8.37% of their September flights were delayed by aviation system delays, compared to 7.04% in August 2006; 6.77% by late-arriving aircraft, compared to 7.51% in August; 5.74% by factors within the airline's control, such as maintenance or crew problems, compared to 6.58% in August; 0.92% by extreme weather, compared to 0.99% in August; and 0.06% for security reasons, compared to 0.27% in August.  (Weather is a factor in both the extreme-weather category and the aviation-system category.)

In September, 45.44% of delayed flights were delayed by weather, up 17.11% from September 2005, when 38.80% of delayed flights were delayed by weather, and up 10.94% from August when 40.96% of delayed flights were delayed by weather.

Detailed information is available at http://www.bts.gov.  11-09-2006.

Raytheon Aircraft delivered 39 jets and 36 King Airs in the third quarter of this year compared with 29 jets and 27 King Airs in the same period 2005. For the first nine months of 2006, Raytheon delivered 187 turbine-powered airplanes, compared with 158 for the period last year. The company is now forecasting it will deliver 154 jets and 143 King Airs for all of 2006, which exceed last year's total of both types by 42.  11-09-2006.  (Top)

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