A Rare Titanic Family – The Caldwells’ Story of Survival
On 27/01/2012, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Julie Hedgepeth Williams
Publisher: NewSouth Books
ISBN: 978-1-58838-282-5
Seeing the cover art and title of this book you may be wondering why I am reviewing something that has little to do with aviation. Well… I could say that it was intercontinental jet travel that killed Europe-US sea travel so we owe this to its memory. But I have a better, much better reason.
Julie Hedgepeth Williams does have an excellent aviation related book to her name which I reviewed a while ago but this is still not the main reason. She has written a new book… A “Rare Titanic Family” is a gem which you should read, weather you are a Titanic fan or not.
This is the story of Albert and Sylvia Caldwell and their son Alden, who all survived the Titanic disaster, and which has never before been fully told in the Titanic lore.
You would think that a shipwreck is the worst thing that can happen to a young couple, even when they survive it, but for the Caldwell’s this was but one episode in an epic journey that took them more than half-way round the world.
The young American couple, Presbyterian missionaries, went to Siam in 1909 but soon they had to leave due to Sylvia’s health problems. Trekking via the Far and Middle East and Europe, they eventually arrived in England as yet unaware of the fateful boat journey that was awaiting them.
Their escape from Siam (current day Thailand) was not without controversy. Other missionaries in their Church believed that they had constructed the medical problems only as an excuse to break their contract and come home before their time. Apparently even taking an unwanted dip in the Atlantic was not enough to dispel this suspicion. Luckily in the end their name was cleared and they had a full life part of which was dedicated to telling their story.
Click here to read the full article
Integrated Robot Loading at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol
On 25/01/2012, in CDM, by steve
With CDM starting to look increasingly towards the land-side of airports to optimize passenger flow processes in order to have a more predictable aircraft turnaround, it is not surprising that hitherto less visible processes, like baggage handling, are also coming under increasing scrutiny to find opportunities for improvements. Long labor intensive, baggage handling is taking important strides towards higher levels of automation, something that will fit nicely into the information managed environment of the future collaborative decision making environment.
The Integrated Robot Loading concept that was implemented at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol’s South baggage hall to create a smarter baggage system, was implemented by Vanderlande Industries and Grenzebach Automation The “Baggage on Demand concept” or pull-concept using batching and automatic baggage loading robots gives airports the ability to manage the growing amount of baggage in an ergonomic and cost efficient way.
Baggage make-up is the loading of ramp-carts and containers, which are driven to an airplane just before departure. In the Baggage on Demand concept, all baggage from check-in and transferring bags are first buffered in a storage facility, and then sent to a robot on demand. The robot loads the ramp-carts and containers automatically. The LTM (Logistics Transport Manager) manages the baggage flows in the system, and the robot replaces the muscle power of the workforce. This concept has first been deployed as part of the 70MB program at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, is future-proof, and is intended primarily to raise efficiency and reduce heavy manual labor. The Baggage on Demand operation handles the bulk of the daily baggage volume.
Click here to read the full article
5th International Conference on Research in Air Transportation — ICRAT 2012. 22-25 May 2012, University of Berkley, California
On 25/01/2012, in Events, by steve
Following the success of its four previous editions in 2004, 2006, 2008, and 2010 ICRAT has now been established as a mainstream biennial event in Air Transport Research, alternating with the USA/Europe ATM R&D Seminar. ICRAT is an excellent forum for young researchers within air transportation to share their work, expand their professional network, and gain new knowledge and inspiration. This fifth edition of ICRAT will include one day of tutorials, two days of technical presentations and a doctoral symposium where PhD students can expose their research problems to get advice from established scientists in the field. ICRAT 2012, in addition to world class keynote speakers, will have panels where senior researchers will provide constructive feedback to the paper presenters. Senior researchers are encouraged to attend ICRAT.
ICRAT 2012 is organized by the FAA and EUROCONTROL. Other co-sponsors include NASA and JPDO. It will be held at the Berkeley International House (I-House) of the University of California, Berkeley on May 22-25, 2012.
Are Airspace Users Really the Centre of ANSP Attention?
On 22/01/2012, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
More than a decade ago I was in the thick of a war raging between airspace users and air navigation service providers. At stake was the forced implementation of Mode S Enhanced Surveillance (ES), something some ANSPs considered to be vital while the airspace users in general considered to be an expensive folly. The business case developed by EUROCONTROL was at best dodgy and the promised benefits were seen as of questionable value.
At the time, Mode S elementary surveillance looked like a done deal. In the end, after having held back the Mode S ES for two years or so, three big ANSPs banded together and went ahead anyway… costing the industry millions without having realized measurable benefits to this day!
But now, Mode S Elementary Surveillance is rising from the ashes, more specifically the problems associated with the SES Implementing Rule (IR) on Aircraft Identification for Surveillance (Regulation (EU) No 1206/2011).
Two Members of the European Parliament have submitted questions for written answer (ref. E-000312/2012). You will find the text of the questions, as published, below in full.
I wonder what the answers will be. The questions paint a sad story indeed….
Click here to read the full article
Flight Safety Foundation Publishes First-Hand Account of Qantas Flight 32, Story and Video
On 20/01/2012, in Safety is no accident, by steve
In an article appearing today in the latest issue of AeroSafety World , editor J. A. Donoghue writes about Qantas Flight 32, as told by pilot-in-command Richard de Crespigny. Capt. de Crespigny was the keynote speaker at the Foundation’s International Air Safety Seminar in Singapore last November and sat down with ASW for a lengthy interview.
QF 32 took off from Singapore’s Changi Airport on November 4, 2010 and experienced an uncontained engine failure as it climbed through 7,000 feet. With the effort of the four other pilots who were in the cockpit with him, Capt. de Crespigny successfully landed the damaged A380 back at Changi; no one was injured.
“While we’ve all read the investigative reports and the news articles about this incident, hearing about the entire experience directly from the pilot-in-command is not to be missed,” commented Mr. Donoghue.
Mr. Donoghue’s entire interview with Capt. de Crespigny is available for viewing on the Foundation’s Web site. “In addition to the gripping story from Capt. de Crespigny, we also were able to sit down with Qantas Customer Service Manager Michael Von Reth,” Mr. Donoghue said. “His story is about keeping 469 passengers and crew members informed about the situation and calm. His actions leading the cabin crew were remarkable. His interview is available for viewing as well.”
The article can be downloaded here.
The videos of the interviews can be seen here.
Airbus Wing Cracks, not as Bad is it Seemed… it is Worse
On 20/01/2012, in Safety is no accident, The aircraft we fly, by steve
Only a few weeks ago Airbus said that the cracks discovered on the wing-rib feet of some A380s were not a threat to safety and they would be repaired as part of the four-yearly maintenance regime.
The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) does not agree. Carriers with A380s that have accumulated more than 1,300 takeoffs and landings must make the inspections immediately, and any aircraft that have made more than 1,800 trips need to be checked within four days. This translates to the grounding of some 20 aircraft or one third of the fleet within the next six weeks.
The inspection is done visually and takes just a few hours. In practical terms this means that each affected aircraft will be on the ground for a full day.
Although Airbus keeps stressing that while the cracking is “embarrassing”, it poses no danger to the passengers flying on the 380. The EASA Airworthiness Directive paints a slightly more ominous picture: “This condition, if not detected and corrected, could potentially affect the structural integrity of the aeroplane.”
Click here to read the full article
An Opportunity We Should not Miss!
On 20/01/2012, in The future is now, by steve
I was talking to an old time, well respected colleague the other day discussing his view that instead of forcing the industry to implement yet another expensive capability, full use should be made of what was already there… Once the benefits start to accrue, airspace users would be much more inclined to take the extra steps and accept the costs associated with the extra functionality (assuming of course that there was a business case for it). This discussion was in the context of basic PBN and the addition or not of things like Constant Radius Turns in en-route airspace.
Although I have always preferred a more all-out approach, his pragmatic views make perfect sense and is also something airline bean-counters are likely to accept more readily. Investing in speculative functionality when the existing stuff sits idle most of the time is difficult to justify. Of course focusing mainly on use-what-is-already-there-first will not speed up progress but will make the simpler things happen with a higher degree of probability. Aim for too much, and nothing happens. I hate to admit it, but he is right…
Having given credit where credit is due, my incorrigible drive for wanting the whole thing kept chewing my soul. There was something here that we could turn to our advantage. But what was it exactly?
Then I remembered… The thousands of A320NEOs and Boeing 737MAXs. Airlines have ordered these more fuel efficient versions of the old favorites to basically replace a large part of their fleets almost overnight. Now if only those new babies could come with all kinds of goodies fitted right from the start…
What are we talking about? From an air traffic management perspective, there are three items that I would have on my wish list: air/ground digital link and CPDLC, ADS-B in and out and a full set of PBN capabilities.
I can almost hear opponents shouting: with those new versions not due for another three years or so, what technology should the manufacturers use for ADS-B for instance? Stay with Mode S Extended Squitter or go for something else? But what? Would it not be better to wait until the technology debate settles? We have of course heard this in the past. Waiting is equivalent to doing nothing and missing the boat. We have also seen that in the past… and suffer the consequences in the present day.
No Sire, this time we should be smarter.
Click here to read the full article
The Real Cost of Flying
On 19/01/2012, in Just to let you know..., by steve
Since 2006, we have accepted the norm of zip-top-bagging our liquids, gels and aerosols, and ditching our water bottles at airport security checkpoints. Without going into the issue of whether or not these measures are effective from a security point of view, has anyone stopped to think about how these rules affect our wallets and the environment? Well, eCollegeFinder did and they produced a very interesting infographic which you can access here.
Check it out, the stats are pretty amazing!
Viewfinder View 6 – Helpful Security
On 16/01/2012, in Viewfinder view, by steve
Not aviation related but still very nice… If a roll of paper from the cash-register needs to be rolled up again, what better resource to use than the security guy. If somebody decided to rob this hamburger joint, throwing the roll against the robber would probably have had the right surprise effect!
In Place of Praise
On 12/01/2012, in Tower chronicles, by lajos
The end of 2011 is in fact the end of an epoch in the history of Hungarian air traffic control. I do not want to qualify this epoch, future generations might do that in the fullness of time. The fact remains, an important generation of controllers have retired. I call them the “beat-generation”. About 40 people have, willingly or reluctantly, chosen for retirement in 2011 mainly to avoid the consequences of the altered pension rules kicking in this year.
They were lucky in this also, like in so many things during the past 40 years. Our generation will miss out on any favorable terms of retirement, exactly because of the huge numbers in the “beat-generation” causing the strain on the State retirement fund to grow exponentially. This is why the age limit for retirement is being raised, a fact that affects our generation especially hard since the age limit is climbing in front of our very noses.
The “beat-generation” was lucky also in arriving at the airport at just the right time. With low traffic, they did not take long to learn the tricks of the trade. I have heard from them many times that they became air traffic controllers more or less by accident, they were working at the airport where they heard that aircraft could not only be flown but also controlled… Of course as time passed by, they grew with the traffic. They had another ace up their sleeves. In those decades, controllers were still a team, they knew how to stand together and protect their interests. This was the case when we came home from the ATC course in Riga after almost three years. They knew that our knowledge was superior to theirs (not only because of Riga) and they responded by simply closing ranks. At the courses held on home base they were present as instructors and they did their best to make us hate this business and to discourage us from trying to be more clever than they were.
Click here to read the full article
The Space Age Airport
On 10/01/2012, in Life around runways, by steve
When we think of space-flight, we tend to picture rockets blasting into the final frontier on the tip of a column of fire, thundering energy that seems to be totally random and untamable. Of course a rocket engine is anything but unpredictable but it is a technology very different from our more traditional winged aircraft operations.
But space-flight, at least sub-orbital and low-Earth orbit space flight is fast becoming reality with new machines that call home what is, for all reasons and purposes, a kind of traditional airport.
In a previous article we talked about the Lynx which takes off and lands as a traditional aircraft but its flight profile includes a rocket assisted climb which takes it to 200,000 feet which is commonly recognized as the lower limit of space.
Now comes Stratolaunch, an aircraft that looks like two 747s tied to each other side by side at the wingtips and a droppable payload in the middle which is released at an altitude of 30 to 35 thousand feet and which then boosts itself to low-Earth orbit. Initially designed for cargo (e.g. satellites) only, plans are to come up with a version in time that will carry around 6 passengers. This launch aircraft, which will actually use a lot of 747 parts, will have a wing span that is twice that of a 747-400. Clearly, she will need an airport that has a few things adapted for her special needs.
The Stratolaunch concept
The mass of this baby will be comparable to an Airbus 380 and the runway must be at least 12,000 feet long, no big surprises there. But the width of the taxiways and runways, the radius of the curves will have to be phenomenal and the refueling facilities will need to supply Jet A1 as well as liquid rocket fuel to fill up the drop-load. It is no surprise either that an airport aspiring for Spaceport status will have to be specially certified by the appropriate authorities before they can start spacecraft operations.
Click here to read the full article
Cracks in the Wings of the A380 – What Next?
On 08/01/2012, in Safety is no accident, by steve
Poor A380.
She had a difficult birth caused in no small measure by the rather peculiar corporate structure of Airbus and the consequent mismatch of the design software used in different parts of the company… Wire harnesses turned out to be too short, then the redesigned version did not fit either. After long delays she finally took to the air only to have an engine explode mid-flight. Now come the news that Qantas and Singapore airlines have reassured their passengers that there was no risk to safety from the cracks found on the wings of several A380s.
Well, what else did you expect them to say?
Airbus calls the cracks “minor” and confirmed that they were not a cause for concern. They also published a recommended way to repair them.
The cracking, about one centimeter long and almost invisible to the naked eye, was found while the Qantas aircraft on which the engine blew up was being repaired. The investigators say that the cracking was unrelated to the engine incident.
Singapore airlines have announced that they have also found cracks on the wings of two of their 380s.
Click here to read the full article
Is There Life After the National Airline?
On 06/01/2012, in Viewpoint, by steve
There used to be a time when each country had an airline and it was called the flag carrier. Some countries had more than one airline, but generally only one of them was recognized as the “flag carrier”. Those were the times when States regulated flights between their cities and more often than not, connections were based more on political considerations than economic viability. Very few of the flag carriers ever made money but that was not a problem. Taxpayers were “happy” to pitch in to cover the losses (even though they were rarely aware of their own largesse).
You will only find Hungarian products here!
Then times changed, deregulation hit both the US and Europe and airlines were forced to transform themselves into real commercial operations, accountable to their shareholders. Some were successful, others less so. Icons of the industry like Sabena, Swissair, Pan Am and TWA wend bankrupt and disappeared. Consolidation swept through the industry bringing disgrace to some great airlines as they were gobbled up by their rivals (think of Delta and Northwest or, even worse, KLM being bought by Air France). In the meantime, low cost airlines flourished while traditional carriers kept reducing their costs year on year. One thing is sure: through sweat and tears, the airline industry managed to stay on its feet through the worst economic crises the world has seen since the great depression.
Interestingly, there are a few holdouts, kind of legacy “flag carriers” which still struggle along thanks to handouts from their home States which, apparently, have not caught on to the changes taking place in the world.
One of these holdouts is Malev, Hungarian Airlines. I am particularly interested in them because I started my aviation career in 1969 at Malev, who was back then also the owner of the air traffic control service in Hungary.
Malev has never been big and in the communist times they were operating like any other state enterprise. No problem with fuel guzzling Russian aircraft types, no problem with being inefficient and no problem with having roughly nine times as many people per available seat than any comparable western company. Money was not an issue…
Click here to read the full article
Viewfinder View 5 – Passenger 57?
On 05/01/2012, in Viewfinder view, by steve
I am sure you remember the movie Passenger 57… There is a scene in which one of the bad guys gets his neck broken while seated in his airplane scene and then they cover his head with his hat to keep the cabin crew from asking questions too early. I was reminded of this scene when I found a passenger covered head to legs next to us on a recent flight to Madrid.
Click here to read the full article
Delivering the Real Time Airport
On 03/01/2012, in CDM, by shaun
Connecting terminal and airside operations to enhance true collaborative decision making
Martin Bowman, Transport Sector Director for Amor Group, a specialist provider of Airport Operational Systems, discusses the rationale behind Amor’s bid to take CDM concepts firmly in to the heart of the terminal operation, putting passengers at the centre of all airport processes.
With passenger numbers forecast to grow in excess of 5% in each of the next 3 years according to ACI data, global passenger numbers are set to pass 3.5bn. This load volume will put increasing pressure on capacity and resource constrained airports, in addition to all key stakeholder organisations such as airlines, ANSPs, immigration, security providers, ground handling and retailers.
Despite this forecast of continued growth, airport operators are under increasing pressure to drive greater value from existing assets.
This can only be achieved by focusing on improving the passenger experience via a combination of increased operational efficiency and enhanced strategic planning and capacity management – both within terminal and airside operations.
Why Create the Real Time Airport?
Click here to read the full article
Quote of January 2012
On 01/01/2012, in Quote of the month, by steve
Pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes.
John Ruskin
Happy New Year!
On 31/12/2011, in Anniversaries, by steve
We wish all our readers a Happy and Prosperous New Year!
Airbus, Sharklets and a Lawsuit
On 30/12/2011, in The aircraft we fly, by steve
Perhaps you too have been wondering when you saw Boeing 737s and 757s sprouting winglets: why was the Airbus 320 family stuck with the old-fashioned wingtip fences? Winglets have been shown to bring substantial (up to 5 %) reduction in fuel burn and the Aviation Partners, Inc. (API) blended winglet design, patented in 1994, have been around for many years.
Why was Airbus resisting?
I have talked to airline people who have had experience with specifying aircraft they were going to buy from both Boeing and Airbus. If I say they had a very low opinion of the European manufacturer’s relationship with customers, I am not even coming close to what they said. Remember the story of the A350? Had it not been for a few very vocal customers practically beating Airbus on the head, the folks in Toulouse would have not deviated from their original, rather outdated, ideas.
One can only surmise but it is probably true to say that with the 320 selling like hot cakes, Airbus simply did not much care. Why spend money and effort on improving something when it was being bought as it was, without fancy new appendages like winglets? It is interesting that Airbus customers were not banging the door about this… may be they had but there was nobody home. In any case, when the API winglets were tried on a JetBlue Airways A320, the 5 % fuel saving was actually demonstrated. By not adopting winglets much earlier, Airbus caused its customers to lose a lot of money quite unnecessarily.
Click here to read the full article
UDPP – What and Why?
On 28/12/2011, in Buzzwords explained, by Alex1
If I could give a word of advice to anyone embarking on a long ATM project (well, any ATM project, they’re all long) it would be ‘keep a good diary’. When Roger-Wilco’s indefatigable editor Steve asked me for a few words on the origins and meaning of UDPP, I struggled to find how and when the idea came about. I knew I had thought of it, and that it was first aired at a SESAR meeting in Bagneux in the Paris Banlieue. But beyond that I was guessing.
I was convinced it must have been ages ago, but even though I don’t have a diary note of a light bulb flashing, I see that it must in fact have been just about 5 years ago, about November 2006. I think the Work Group had been challenged by the Project Directorate to come up with some thoughts on the Network Operating Plan, not a subject I claim to know much about. But it did start me thinking about the way delays are distributed now (or more exactly, were then, but I doubt much has changed).
In the CFMU process flow rates, be they through a sector or in or out of a TMA, are determined by the service provider or passed to it, and slots are allocated on the basis of first applied = first allocated. In stable conditions this can keep the bottleneck well supplied with traffic, but it suffers from at least two flaws: the allocation of the delays is remote from the source, and the whole process is rather inflexible.
Click here to read the full article
Young European candidates wanted for Innotour USA – Application deadline 5 January 2012
On 26/12/2011, in Events, by steve
Dear Young European Innovators,
I am Kumardev Chatterjee, Founder and President of the European Young Innovators Forum (EYIF).
You will be aware of the competition for the Masterclass on Innovation we launched erlier this year with Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary, and which EYIF organised with the European Commission at its Innovation Convention (IC2011) in Brussels this December. We received a great response with over 60 submissions, from which four winners were invited to participate in the masterclass and present their innovative idea. The Masterclass was a spelndid success for us, the Commission and the candidates, one of whom was selected to have their entire research and innovation funded.
And now we have launched Innotour USA, an Innovation tour of the USA in February for a group of 10 young Europeans, with a full program of visits and meetings, and all travel expenses in the USA paid. The US Department of State via the US Mission to the EU, in collaboration with the European Young Innovators Forum, is responsible for the design, facilitation and managment of this intensive multi-state, multi-city programme to visit major American hubs of Innovation like Boston and Silicon Valley.
From 12-22 February 2012, a delegation of ten young European innovators and entrepreneurs will embark on a ten-day mission to the United States. Starting in Washington DC, they will visit major American hubs of innovation like Boston and Silicon Valley, interact face-to-face with top innovation practitioners and experts, experiencing first-hand best practices of turning innovative ideas into successful projects and businesses. More than just a study tour, Innotour USA is a cultural exchange that will have a broad and lasting impact, building bridges between Europe and the U.S. on a common quest for innovation and development.
You can find details here and on a dedicated Facebook page here.
Please note that the application deadline is 5 January 2012, so if you are interested act NOW!
Collaborative Departure Queue Management (CDQM) – What is this?
On 26/12/2011, in Buzzwords explained, by steve
Although the concept of Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) originated in the US, Europe did leapfrog ahead with its initiative called Airport CDM (A-CDM). A-CDM has been implemented at a number of European airports with varying degrees of success and it seems that the momentum of implementation has slowed somewhat. On the other hand, most everybody agrees that A-CDM, if done properly, does bring the benefits predicted by the early cost-benefit analyses.
While A-CDM has several elements, practically all the benefits arise from the shared information and resulting better decisions while the chief conceptual basis of A-CDM is embodied in the milestones approach. The milestones are in fact defined events and corresponding statuses that must be achieved at defined times as the flight is going through the turnaround process. The turnaround process is then managed proactively by all the parties involved who share the same view and understanding of the process and the consequences of not meeting a given milestone. In fact, the purpose of A-CDM is to make the operation more predictable which reduces unnecessary queuing at the runway.
Of course things did not stand still in the US either. While the basic principles of the A-CDM concept have been adopted it was necessary to steer developments in a direction that took account of the fundamental differences between Europe and the US environment. These concern mainly the more active role aircraft operators play in assigning and controlling airport resources like gates and ramp areas as well as the availability of the FAA Command Center which, unlike the CFMU in Europe, has real authority to dynamically manage the National Airspace System.
The FAA has developed a Surface CDM Concept of Operations which provides the overall framework for CDM implementation in the airport context, much like the A-CDM Concept of Operations does in Europe. Collaborative Departure Queue Management (CDQM) is one element of the Surface CDM Concept, which has actually been tested in the US (in Memphis among others).
Click here to read the full article
Merry Christmas!
On 24/12/2011, in Anniversaries, by steve
We wish our readers everywhere a Merry Christmas! May peace and love fill your hearts as our worldwide aviation family celebrates this special day.
You like our card? Check out what is available at Karsten Cards!
Fact sheets on SWIM
On 21/12/2011, in SWIM, by steve
One of the ways SESAR communicates with the world is the so-called fact-sheets. These are compact descriptions of certain aspects of the work-packages and as such provide a fairly useful source of quick reference.
System Wide Information Management (SWIM) has its own set of fact-sheets, well worth a look.
Check them out here.
Viewfinder view 4- Lost and found
On 19/12/2011, in Viewfinder view, by steve
Ever wondered what happens to your bag after you give it up to your favorite airline? Check these two photos which I call lost and found.
LOST....
...AND FOUND!
Flying around Christmastime can be Dangerous
On 16/12/2011, in The lighter side, by steve
This must be the ultimate Christmas yard decoration…
The site is near the Oak Creek Bridge on St. Michael’s Road [MD 33]. The folks who
own the property always have eye-catching displays celebrating various ‘holidays’ through
the year… this year they have certainly outdone themselves!
Click here to read the full article
How not to protect
On 16/12/2011, in Battle stations, by krisztian
An oldie, but still very current. This video shows the arrival of Condoleezza Rice at Brussels Airport. Diplomatic Security agent argues with a Belgian State Security agent and the protocol service, almost getting into a fight, WHILE Ms. Rice is already OUT OF THE PLANE and on her way down the stairs…
Lessons learned:
- Make good and proper arrangements PRIOR to the arrival of your principal with the local security teams;
- Be diplomatic, even if that means biting your tongue from time to time;
- Your ego is not the one needing protection;
- Cameras are ALWAYS watching your protection detail.
Enjoy the video (courtesy VRT).
Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS) – What are the Implications?
On 14/12/2011, in The aircraft we fly, by steve
We have all heard in the news how UASs have been used by the military and police forces to catch bad guys. Sometimes referred to as drones, these strange looking aircraft seem to possess superhuman abilities to sniff out targets. So what are they really and what will happen when they start to appear outside the battlefield?
First of all we have to clarify the meaning of “unmanned”. Although there have been experiments with aircraft that were flying completely on their own able to even avoid other aircraft and obstacles, a UAS is typically flown by a pilot, albeit remotely from the ground. There are even hybrid types which do have a cockpit while they can also be operated remotely. Such vehicles are flown to the scene of the action by a pilot on board and then the mission is performed locally with remote control.
Clearly, the most critical element for a UAS is the air/ground digital link that connects the remote pilot to the controls of the aircraft and vice versa. A hiccup in this link in a combat environment, even if it leads to the crash of the UAS, is a big deal from a mission perspective but hardly something that is likely to increase the general mayhem already present. This is why so far UASs for military use have been developing relatively unhindered by regulatory intervention. In civilian usage however, the picture is very different.
Who would want to use a UAS for civilian purposes you may ask? Well, the obvious users would be police and customs surveillance and interdiction units, charting agencies, environmental protection, just to name a few. But cargo airlines of all sizes have also seen the potential of UASs to reduce costs. If you consider that for an airline, salaries are the second largest operating cost after fuel, it is easy to see why an aircraft with the flight crew halved or eliminated is such an attractive proposition.
While some civilian use could be envisaged in civilian but segregated airspace, the real impact will come when operations are conducted in non-segregated airspace.
Click here to read the full article
FAA/NextGen Bashing on the other Side of the Pond
On 12/12/2011, in NextGen, by steve
If you thought we were occasionally unkind to SESAR, read this post. Then make up your own mind. While doing that, do not forget that what you are reading was put together before FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt was charged for driving under influence and subsequently quit the top-job of the FAA. Babbitt is a veteran pilot who flew 25 years for Eastern Airlines… But back to the article.
You will read things like “ERAM is the dead elephant in the room” and “How will the headless bureaucracy handle a doomed program that must succeed?”
What about this one: “In order to cost-justify NextGen, they have cooked the books on all future budget plans.”
The article is interesting, even if in places it fees a bit over-stressed, because it highlights what is probably a true problem for NextGen: basing it on ERAM, the En-Route Automation Modernization program, which is evidently struggling and might very well pull NextGen as originally envisaged down with it.
May be, just may be, there is also a lesson here for SESAR. Sorry… there we go again.
Direct Routes and Wind Updates – Boeing Tools to Improve Flight Efficiency
On 12/12/2011, in The future is now, by steve
For air traffic controllers, giving a “direct” to a flight is a good feeling. They have, after all, probably shortened the track to be flown and this saves fuel. A good thing, right? Well, yes and no.
In the legacy environment where aircraft are made to fly routes that are usually much longer than they need to be, a direct is almost always a welcome intervention. In the upcoming SESAR and NextGen 4D trajectory environment, a direct might be seen as a distortion of the carefully crafted business trajectory. The aircraft arrives early, impacting other trajectories and upsetting the balance that had been worked out to provide maximum efficiency.
Of course the SESAR/NextGen 4D environment is some way off and in the meantime Boeing is providing two new tools that go a long way towards optimizing the way aircraft fly. The beauty of it all is that these tools do not require extra hardware on the aircraft using them. Any reasonably modern aircraft can play.
So, what is Direct Route?
This is an application that is managed by Boeing InFlight Optimization Services and which is able to figure out how to optimize the trajectory of individual flights.
Click here to read the full article
The Final Moments of AF 447
On 09/12/2011, in Safety is no accident, by jeff
A lot has been written about Air France 447 but nothing is more revealing than the sounds and discussion that were recorded on the aircraft’s recording equipment. Those bits and bytes reveal the incredible scene that prevailed in the cockpit during the last minutes of the flight. Here is a synopsis by Jeff Wise (reprinted with his permission) of those last minutes…
At 1h 36m, the flight enters the outer extremities of a tropical storm system. Unlike other planes’ crews flying through the region, AF447′s flight crew has not changed the route to avoid the worst of the storms. The outside temperature is much warmer than forecast, preventing the still fuel-heavy aircraft from flying higher to avoid the effects of the weather. Instead, it ploughs into a layer of clouds.
At 1h51m, the cockpit becomes illuminated by a strange electrical phenomenon. The co-pilot in the right-hand seat, an inexperienced 32-year-old named Pierre-Cédric Bonin, asks, “What’s that?” The captain, Marc Dubois, a veteran with more than 11,000 hours of flight time, tells him it is St. Elmo’s fire, a phenomenon often found with thunderstorms at these latitudes.
At approximately 2 am, the other co-pilot, David Robert, returns to the cockpit after a rest break. At 37, Robert is both older and more experienced than Bonin, with more than double his colleague’s total flight hours. The head pilot gets up and gives him the left-hand seat. Despite the gap in seniority and experience, the captain leaves Bonin in charge of the controls.
At 2:02 am, the captain leaves the flight deck to take a nap. Within 15 minutes, everyone aboard the plane will be dead.
02:03:44 (Bonin) La convergence inter tropicale… voilà, là on est dedans, entre ‘Salpu’ et ‘Tasil.’ Et puis, voilà, on est en plein dedans…
The inter-tropical convergence… look, we’re in it, between ‘Salpu’ and ‘Tasil.’ And then, look, we’re right in it…
The intertropical convergence, or ITC, is an area of consistently severe weather near the equator. As is often the case, it has spawned a string of very large thunderstorms, some of which stretch into the stratosphere. Unlike some of the other planes’s crews flying in the region this evening, the crew of AF447 has not studied the pattern of storms and requested a divergence around the area of most intense activity. (Salpu and Tasil are two air-traffic-position reporting points.)
02:05:55 (Robert) Oui, on va les appeler derrière… pour leur dire quand même parce que…
Yes, let’s call them in the back, to let them know…
Robert pushes the call button.
Click here to read the full article
States should be Made to Pay
On 09/12/2011, in Viewpoint, by cleo
When I read about the Paris-Toulouse flight conducted by Air France to show how much CO2 emission they can save by optimized air traffic management including continuous descent approaches, my immediate reaction was not happiness about saving the planet. No sir, my reaction was: here is the best source of funds to pay ATM developments with, including aircraft equipment.
For decades, airlines were (and still are by the way) obliged to fly uneconomical routes, circumnavigate military areas, stay on sub-optimal levels because of outdated letters of agreements between control centers, fly obsolete departure routes… the list is endless. Politicians have paid lip service to wanting to improve ATM but did little to actually implement really effective improvements. Just look at EATCHIP, ATM2000+ and the political statements associated with them and compare to what had actually been done. Hell, the first wave of SESAR “improvements” are little more than what should have been accomplished by ATM2000+ years ago.
By inaction and omission, European States have caused billions of extra costs to the airlines and by proxy to their customers, the passengers. If anyone had any doubts that it could have been done much better, just look at the improvements that are suddenly appearing in air traffic management, driven by environmental considerations but still using much the same ATC equipment that was there also 10 years ago!
Click here to read the full article
The Boeing 787, more than just a new aircraft in the sky
On 07/12/2011, in The aircraft we fly, by steve
With the long awaited new 787 finally in the hands of launch customer All Nippon Airways, an 89 month run for the manufacturer has come to the end but it does not mean that they are looking to slow down in Chicago and Seattle. Two stretched versions, the 787-9 and the 787-10 are on the horizon and ramping up the production of the current model -8 is a challenge unto itself.
821 net orders for the type speaks for itself. Curiously, Airbus continues to hold that composite materials are suitable for wings and secondary structures but not for fuselage sections. They will build the A350XWB with this in mind… Well, time will tell but I do not think Boeing is a company that would get something like this wrong.
In any case, the 787 is an innovator in more ways than just its composite fuselage.
It has an interesting heritage, a kind of virtual family that never flew yet had a huge impact on what the 787 has become and what its competitors will look like (Airbus comments notwithstanding).
Back in the times when the Boeing 747-400 was still the undisputed Queen of the skies, Airbus came with the idea of building something even bigger. As the A380 slowly took shape, Boeing was faced with a dilemma. Should they compete with the new large transport head on or come with something not quite so big but so innovative that it took at least part of the limelight off from Airbus’ new baby?
The answer was not easy for two reasons: Boeing did honestly believe that there was no market for two aircraft types the size of the A380 and hence little chance of a competing line ever breaking even; if however they opted for a smaller product, they would need to avoid competing with their own best selling aircraft, the 777.
For a time, they felt that airlines might be attracted to a new aircraft that would beat everyone else by flying faster than anyone else. Not supersonic but coming close… The result of this thinking was the Sonic Cruiser, a concept that arrived at the worst possible time in terms of shifting airline preferences. It was the beginning of the times when fuel efficiency rose to the top of everybody’s agenda leaving higher speed off the wish-list (if indeed it had ever been there).
Boeing quickly dropped the Sonic Cruiser and redefined its offering, this time focusing on fuel efficiency. The 7 Efficient 7 was sketched out by engineers and soon renamed the 787 by the marketing folks.
It was clear from the start that the 787 must be something special.
Click here to read the full article
Viewfinder view 3 – Falling out or climbing in?
On 05/12/2011, in Viewfinder view, by steve
Getting stuff into and out of an aircraft’s hold is no simple matter. On occasion the guys handling our baggage must perform acrobatics to get the job done. Look at this picture. Is he falling out… or is he climbing in????
A Classic with Winglets
On 02/12/2011, in The lighter side, by heading370
Brussels Airlines, Belgium’s main carrier operates an interesting mixed fleet out of Europe’s capital. It is one of the few European companies that fly a winglet version of the Boeing 737 Classic, the 300 series. Airliner World has been invited to see how they fly.
Brussels Airlines rose from the ashes of Sabena after its bankruptcy in 2001. The new company was first set up with the trading name SN Brussels Airlines (SNBA), based on the former Sabena subsidiary Delta Air Transport (DAT). SNBA later merged with Virgin Express and the name was changed to Brussels Airlines. Brussels Airlines is currently part owned by Lufthansa and a member of the Star Alliance. Today the airline operates 32 Avro Jets (a mix of BAe 146-s, AVRO RJ85-s and 100-s), 4 Airbus A319-s, 5 Airbus 330-300-s serving the African destinations and 5 Boeing 737-300-s and 4 400 series, inherited from Virgin Express.
Our contributor joined a flight from Brussels to Naples that was operated by OO-LTM one of the Aviation Partners winglet equipped Boeing 737-300. This interesting project started in 2005 when Virgin Express was contacted by Aviation Partners – Boeing to propose the winglets for the company’s B737-300 Classics. Virgin Express made a historical decision since up to then no other operators retrofitted the type, only New Generation B737-s were equipped. Time has proven that the decision was right as the winglets bring remarkable benefits in daily operations. Using winglets result in an average 5 % fuel saving but also enhance aircraft performance: because of the reduced drag, less thrust is needed for the same take-off performance. This is particularly useful at very noise-sensitive airports like Brussels. In practice this meant that the company could de-rate the CFM56 engines at 20 kN, making take-off-s much quieter and also extending the lifespan of the engines.
Today all but one of the B737-300-s are equipped. (The exception, OO-VEN is modified with 2° drooped flaps as are all the 400-s because the winglet modification was not possible on this 300 and not available yet for the 400 series.)
Our aircraft OO-LTM (c/n 25070) was delivered in 1991 to another Belgian company, TEA Trans European Airlines then it was taken over later by EuroBelgian Airlines. From 1996 it has been flying in Virgin Express colours and finally from 2007 – following the merger with SNBA – adopted Brussels Airlines’ logo.
I met the crew of the flight Captain Frank De Paepe and First Officer Gregory Claes at Zaventem National airport in Brussels. The cockpit crew was supplemented by three cabin crew, Ms Brigitte Favaretto, Ms Agnes Mier and Mr Constantinos Triantafyllos. On this Saturday, the aircraft which is able to carry 142 passengers was about half full.
Click here to read the full article
Quote of December 2011
On 01/12/2011, in Quote of the month, by steve
A superpower is characterized not only by military or economic strength. It is recognized through complex national programs that no one can match.
Aaron Shenhar
American Airlines in Chapter 11 Protection – Memories of Another Day
On 30/11/2011, in Airline corner, by steve
It was a sunny afternoon in Brussels when we gathered with Russ Chew of American Airlines and my boss from IATA in our little garden in Zaventem to discuss how to proceed with the implementation of air/ground digital link and controller/pilot digital link communications (CPDLC). American was deeply unhappy with the way the FAA was handling the subject and they wanted to join the EUROCONTROL Petal trials which were booking good progress (in spite of repeated efforts on the part of some European States that wanted to kill the whole thing). The rest is history… American Airlines’ 767s were the first to be equipped with VDL Mode 2/ATN avionics and they played an essential role in ensuring that the US and Europe kept their respective digital link programs synchronized and fully interoperable.
This bold and unconventional step was typical of the spirit and attitudes of this great airline which traces its routes to the 1920s when it started to carry mail for the US government. Then in 1936 AA was the first airline to fly the Douglas DC-3, notable as the first aircraft designed to carry enough passengers to generate a profit even without revenue from mail or cargo.
But the list of innovative firsts tied to the name of American Airlines is almost endless. 1942 the catering service Sky Chefs was started to provide meals to AA passengers and in 1948 American introduced coach class service and family fares to make flying accessible to more people.
1957 saw the opening of the world’s first Stewardess College and in 1959 the first non-stop coast to coast service was introduced using the new Boeing 707.
Sabre, American’s state of the art computerized reservation system became an icon in itself first being made available to travel agents and later evolving into the core element of internet based reservation systems like Travelocity.
Click here to read the full article
RIASS in Amsterdam – What is this?
On 30/11/2011, in Life around runways, by steve
RIASS stands for Runway Incursion Alerting System Schiphol and it is a system to warn air traffic controllers in the tower of an imminent danger involving the un-authorized presence of an aircraft or vehicle on a take-off runway or landing runway already in use.
The system was developed by Air Traffic Control the Netherlands and the National Aerospace Laboratory (NLR) to further improve ground safety by reducing the incidence of runway incursions. It is a supplement to current technologies and procedures designed to prevent unsafe situations around runways.
RIASS has further improved safety at a time when air traffic volume is increasing, the runway system has been expanded, the number of crossings has increased, and the passage of aircraft and vehicles through the manoeuvring area has intensified. All take-off runways and landing runways at Schiphol are currently equipped with the RIASS system.
John Schaap, Director of Operations of Air Traffic Control the Netherlands: ‘Safety comes first in the services provided by Air Traffic Control the Netherlands, and the new system is an example of innovation and an active safety policy. The RIASS system has essentially given air traffic controllers an extra pair of eyes that allows them to monitor the moving aircraft and vehicles on the manoeuvring area even more closely.’
Click here to read the full article
Old habits that refuse to die
On 29/11/2011, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
Things like the Single European Sky (SES), SESAR, even the FABs were supposed to bring a fresh air to European ATM, dispensing once and for all with bad habits and procedures that kept making life for airspace users unnecessarily hard and expensive.
Among those old habits, the persistent mismatch between mandates to equip aircraft and adding the capability concerned to ANSPs was one of the most striking and expensive. What did this mean? The industry, sometimes all on its own but more often after “gentle persuasion” by the service providers “agreed” that a new piece of kit had to be bolted on the airplanes and a date was set by which time the new kit had to be operational. There was never a mandate for the ground to also equip, this happened in a haphazard way if it happened at all and often aircraft flew around for years with totally useless boxes on board that had cost a fortune to install with no benefit at all (just think of Mode S enhanced surveillance if you want an example).
One would think that under SES and its Implementing Rules (IR) this kind of mismatch is a thing of the past. Fat chance.
A few days ago two new SES IRs were published in the EU Official Journal.
Regulation No 1206/2011 prescribes that air navigation service providers must make use of the aircraft identification down-linked via Mode S by the second of January of the year 2020. This is a cool 17 years after the corresponding airborne retrofit date which was in 2003. Oooops….
Click here to read the full article
Commission Report Puts the Lie to Claims that ATM is in Great Shape
On 26/11/2011, in SESAR's Palace, by cleo
Regular readers of Roger-Wilco know that we have been sounding alarm bells over the European ATM situation and the even brighter future that some reports would make us believe is just around the corner. We did not make many friends with this kind of reporting… of course. It is much nicer to believe that all is well even when the plane is crashing. But we were not reporting unfounded facts. Our sources are better than most…
And now a press release from the European Commission finally brings to light just how bad the situation really is.
The “traffic light” assessments published today by the Commission – based on two progress reports – highlight serious cause for concern in relation to two major elements which go to the heart of the Single European Sky project: the performance scheme and the functional airspace blocks.
Only 5 out of 27 Member States (Belgium, Denmark, Lithuania, Luxembourg and the Netherlands) get a “green light” and are on track to meet both targets (for cost and capacity/delays) for the period 2012–14. The Commission has issued recommendations asking Member States to revise these targets. If necessary the Commission could adopt a binding decision requesting the Member State(s) concerned to implement specific corrective measures, although a short time remains available for the targets to be met without recourse to this action.
Existing plans by Member States would fail to meet the EU-wide capacity target of 0.5 minute delay per flight in 2014. If this target were achieved, some €920 million would be saved over 2012–14 due to fewer and shorter delays.
In addition, national performance plans would miss the EU-wide target for ATM cost efficiency by 2.4% in 2014. This would have a a major impact, both on airspace users and on the credibility of the Single European Sky. To meet the target, additional measures are needed to achieve a €250 million saving over the entire three-year reference period (2012–14).
Well, this is not exactly the bright picture that States and ANSPs would want the industry to see. Keep in mind also that all this is happening after the failure of EATCHIP and ATM2000+. I hope you are not going to say now that SESAR will be different. SESAR may be but the rest of the environment is not….
But there is more.
The great Functional Airspace Block fiasco.
Click here to read the full article
Airbus to support FAA Greener Skies Initiative with ATM expertise
On 25/11/2011, in Environment - Without hot air, by steve
Airbus has been selected to provide Air Traffic Management (ATM) and Performance Based Navigation (PBN) expertise for the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) Greener Skies Initiative. As part of Boeing’s FAA System Engineering 2020 (SE-2020) team, Airbus will identify procedures which fully utilize aircraft precision navigation capabilities to reduce fuel burn, lower emissions and decrease noise.
The Greener Skies initiative seeks to improve ATM efficiency and to minimize the environmental impact on the ground and in the air through the expanded use of PBN including Required Navigation Performance (RNP), area navigation (RNAV), and Optimized Profile Descents (OPD).
The industry consortium includes Adacel, Airbus, Boeing, Cessna and Honeywell, and is tasked with establishing methods for the full implementation of PBN by utilizing advanced flight deck and Air Traffic Control (ATC) capabilities while analyzing new policies and procedures. Airbus subsidiary Quovadis will provide PBN consultancy and implementation expertise for the initiative. Seattle will be used as a key site to enable these initial advanced operational capabilities to be introduced into the US National Airspace System (NAS). Click here to read the full article
