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
No Time for Tact
On 31/10/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Larry Winget
Publisher: Penguin Group
ISBN: 978-1-592-40503-9
What about having your very own pocket advisor, a little book that contains a few wise words for every day of the week… A little book you open at the breakfast table and read that day’s advice which will amuse you, make you angry, set you thinking but will never leave you unimpressed.
Larry’s manner is anything but smooth (the title “No time for tact” is no accident) but what he says will make you come back for more. Each day, every day.
He holds a mirror to your face and at first you will think it is a mirror that distorts reality. After a time, you will realize that it was you who distorted reality to make it fit with your particular weaknesses.
Larry does not mince words and he calls a spade a spade. It is not his fault that you suddenly realize just how many things you have done wrong. Don’t blame Larry. Blame yourself.
What about this: Stress comes from knowing what is right and doing what is wrong. Or: You can never build yourself up by tearing others down.
Sounds simple? Yes, reading it now would, would it not. But if you were asked to come up with the same simple things before reading them here, would you have been able to? I thought so…
Here is one more, something that may be a little more contentious: Constructive criticism is a stupid concept. To construct means to build up. To criticize is to tear down. Pick one. You can’t do both at the same time.
And so it goes on and on, food for thought for every day of the year.
Whether you read this book day by day or in one go on a Sunday afternoon, you will put it down wiser and better prepared for whatever life will throw at you.
Highly recommended.
Emergence – Chapters from the history of Hungarian air traffic control
On 21/10/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Jozsef Torocsik
Publisher: Athenaeum
ISBN: 978-963-293-123-4
We usually only review books written in English but every now and then an exception is warranted as in the case of Jozsef Torocsik’s wonderful book about air traffic control in Hungary. I hope an English translation will be available soon because it is simply unfair that non-Hungarian speakers should be denied the pleasure of reading what is arguably the most enjoyable account of ATC in Central Europe.
The beauty of this book is that whether you have an aviation background or not, you will understand every detail Jozsi is talking about as he takes you to the secret world of air traffic control and the wider pastures of ATC training in Hungary.
His own background in air traffic control comes vividly alive and we travel with him to Riga for training and get tears in our eyes when he relates the inevitable tragedies that are also part of life in this otherwise superbly safe industry.
The title of the Hungarian version of the book is of course not Emergence… this is just my attempt to translate the cute play on words the original Hungarian title represents. They took the Hungarian equivalent of “Emergency” (Veszhelyzet) and removed the V whereby it became Eszhelyzet, something that could best be translated as a “Mindful Situation”.
I know the environment Jozsi is writing about well and I can tell you, his stories are spot on.
If you are a Hungarian speaker, get a copy. If not, check back often, we will tell you when the English version becomes available.
In the meantime, why not read some more stories from Hungarian ATC in the Same time, same place… category of Roger-Wilco.
The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error
On 03/10/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Sidney Dekker
Publisher: ASHGATE
ISBN: 978-0-7546-4826-0
When faced with a human error problem, you may be tempted to ask ‘Why didn’t they watch out better? How could they not have noticed?’. You think you can solve your human error problem by telling people to be more careful, by reprimanding the miscreants, by issuing a new rule or procedure. These are all expressions of ‘The Bad Apple Theory’, where you believe your system is basically safe if it were not for those few unreliable people in it. This old view of human error is increasingly outdated and will lead you nowhere.
The new view, in contrast, understands that a human error problem is actually an organizational problem. Finding a ‘human error’ by any other name, or by any other human, is only the beginning of your journey, not a convenient conclusion. The new view recognizes that systems are inherent trade-offs between safety and other pressures (for example: production). People need to create safety through practice, at all levels of an organization.
Breaking new ground beyond its successful predecessor, The Field Guide to Understanding Human Error guides you through the traps and misconceptions of the old view. It explains how to avoid the hindsight bias, to zoom out from the people closest in time and place to the mishap, and resist the temptation of counterfactual reasoning and judgmental language. But it also helps you look forward. It suggests how to apply the new view in building your safety department, handling questions about accountability, and constructing meaningful countermeasures. It even helps you in getting your organization to adopt the new view and improve its learning from failure.
So if you are faced by a human error problem, abandon the fallacy of a quick fix. Read this book.
Click here to read the full article
Make Ideas Happen
On 28/09/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Scott Belsky
Publisher: Portfolio Hardcover
ISBN-10: 159184312X
ISBN-13: 978-1591843122
Most of us have been in situations where either ourselves or somebody else had a really brilliant idea, it was put forward and the next year was spent by discussing with our peers, boss or the public at large why it would be impossible to realize. No discussion on how things could be made better so that the brilliant idea became possible… instead obfuscation until the idea went away. No doubt for many people this is the more comfortable option. They do not need to do anything, they do not rock the boat or upset the applecart, they will not be criticized if things do not work out (see how crazy the system really is: you seldom get criticized for not doing something) and peace and quiet is restored… at least until another bozo comes along with a brilliant idea.
If you are one of these people, do not read Scott’s book “Making Ideas Happen”. It will only make you nervous.
If however you are the one with the brilliant ideas and keen for a handle to eliminate the nay-sayers, this book is for you. Here is what Publishers Weekly had to say about it:
“Though creation always begins with an idea, ideas don’t always lead to creation; examining why that’s so, online entrepreneur Belsky finds that, no matter how unique or radically different ideas may be, the individuals and teams who carry those ideas to fruition share a number of common traits, such as engaging peers and leveraging communal forces. In this guide to realizing ideas, Belsky examines those traits in detail. Chapters like “The Chemistry of the Creative Team” set forth an action-based plan that forgoes time-wasting meetings and other corporate culture standbys, citing studies, progressive thinkers and case studies of companies like Best Buy, IBM and Sun Microsystems. Modern-day successes, Belsky contends, have traded “the traditional butts-in-chairs mindset” for a “Results Only Work Environment,” where employees are compensated based on achievement of specified goals, rather than work hours. Ultimately, Belsky insists, creative success is a matter of rethinking methods and increasing focus, while emphasizing and rewarding old-fashioned passion and perspiration.”
Highly recommended!
Reinventing Project Management: The Diamond Approach to Successful Growth and Innovation
On 22/08/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Aaron J. Shenhar and Dov Dvir
Publisher: Harvard Business Press
ISBN-13: 9781591398004
ISBN: 1591398002
Projects are the engines that drive innovation from idea to commercialization. In fact, the number of projects in most organizations today is expanding while operations is shrinking. Yet, since many companies still focus on operational excellence and efficiency, most projects fail-largely because conventional project management concepts cannot adapt to a dynamic business environment. Moreover, top managers neglect their company’s project activity, and line managers treat all their projects alike-as part of operations.
Based on an unprecedented study of more than 600 projects in a variety of businesses and organizations across the globe, Reinventing Project Management provides a new and highly adaptive model for planning and managing projects to achieve superior business results.
Here is a reader comment:
Most projects fail because conventional project management concepts cannot adapt to today’s dynamic business environment. This book provides a new and highly adaptive model for planning and managing projects. Aaron J. Shenhar and Dov Dvir explain how to use their “Diamond Framework” to understand the nature of your projects, and diagnose the gaps between your current capabilities and what you need to do to make your projects succeed. Their flexible model provides valuable information for evaluating and managing projects for maximum competitive advantage. This book is recommended for managers who want to strengthen their ability to take charge of projects in a more systematic and compelling way.
Professional aviation English book “Flightpath” now available
On 29/06/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
A while ago we published a review of Cambridge University Press’ professional aviation English book “Flightpath”. The Student book is now available for purchase and the Teachers’ book should come before the end of the Summer.
We will be bringing you a review of the complete package (both books and the DVDs) in due time.
The Tuskegee Airmen
On 29/06/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Joseph Caver, Jerome Ennels, Daniel Haulman
Publisher: NewSouth Books
ISBN: 978-1-58838-244-3
With the passage of time ever new generations of aviation professionals and enthusiast step on the stage and they can be excused if some of the previously well known details of aviation history are a bit obscure or even totally unknown for them. It is up to us old-timers and the electronic and printed press to keep those all important details alive lest our common heritage erodes over the decennia.
NewSouth Books has done just that with the publication of “The Tuskegee Airmen”, an illustrated history of the first African American pilots who fought in World War II.
During WWII African Americans in many US states were still subject to racist Jim Crow laws and the US military was racially segregated. The black airmen of the Tuskegee air base had to contend with all the adversity this entailed but nevertheless they trained and flew with distinction.
They served overseas in North Africa, Sicily and other parts of Italy and later as bomber escorts over the rest of Europe where they were especially successful in their missions.
The introduction of this fascinating book starts off by relating how, during the early 20th century, many white military and civilian aviation experts were convinced that African Americans lacked the mental capacity, aptitude and reflexes to fly airplanes. In a way you could say that the book is a wonderful proof of the opposite.
Click here to read the full article
Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area – EC White Paper
On 27/04/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
For many years now aviation lived under the shadow of demands that envisaged solving environmental and congestion problems by capping aviation growth. Misguided and economically damaging as this idea was, it was getting traction in various fora in Europe, sending shivers across the industry.
With the publication of the EC White Paper entitled “Roadmap to a Single European Transport Area”, for the first time a high level EC document refutes the capping idea, stating bluntly: “Curbing mobility is not an option”. Although a white paper is not law, it does send a powerful message about the thinking of the Commission.
The paper does provide the inevitable support to EU star projects like Galileo and SESAR but other than that, it does not go into detail on how some of the essential funding will be provided especially in terms of SESAR. This is crucial as SESAR’s success is viewed more and more as dependent on seed money coming from public sources.
While far from perfect and obviously missing a few important elements (like water-tight assurances that the regulatory burden on operators will not be allowed to unduly increase), the paper does bring a fresh and refreshing framework that is suitable for guiding the development of future policies. This fact is reflected by the generally positive reception of the paper in the wider aviation community.
Get your copy here.
A Lifetime of Chances
On 11/04/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Mary Chance VanScyoc
Publisher: Parkwood Press, Wichita, Kansas, USA
ISBN: 0-9649065-0-3
I do not know how many air traffic controllers have taken the trouble to write up their story (I guess there are not so many of them) but I am very happy that Mary did. Her book may look simple and the washed out photos on the cover may not look very promising but appearances are often misleading. After reading a few chapters you slowly realize that you are holding a rare gem in your hands.
She does not give up her secrets easily. You have to work for the privilege. On the first few pages of the book Mary takes you through her impressive family tree and you learn, among others, the origins of the rather unusual VanScyoc and Chance names. Her clipped and crisp style feels a bit rough at the edges but you soon acquire a taste for it and you start appreciating just how accurately this style reflects the rough and tumble life she had as a child in rural America. I do not know how she does it but those staccato sentences precisely convey the emotions, sights and even smells of her world… when she says Spring, you feel the gentle breeze and smell the fresh grass.
A girl who cares more for her pilot license than the new sheer nylons she was given as a present to make her “more lady-like” (a big mistake, she has never put them on), it was quite natural that Mary should try for a profession hitherto closed for women. She became an air traffic controller in an age where the skies were still filled with DC-4s and its kin and I wonder what she means when she says “traffic at our airport was quite heavy”… But then she mentions several times how they had to rely on the Aldis lamp to send light signals to the pilots, that military aircraft were also mixed in for good measure and you start to appreciate why, even if the numbers may not have been huge in absolute terms, the complexity of the traffic, to use a term born decades after her time, must have made it feel really heavy.
Click here to read the full article
Federal Airways Manual of Operations 1941 – Chapter C, Airway Traffic Control Section
On 28/03/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
The Manual...
I do not know about you but I love old books. If nothing else, thinking about the many people and many hands that have owned and touched such an old volume feels like a travel back in time. But reading some of them and comparing the style and content to our contemporary reality is also an exercise worth undertaking.
It is a pity that so few professional books that were not sold in general bookstores remain. FAA forerunner CAA and other such organizations had many manuals and other interesting publications right from the start but it is rare indeed to find one these days that you can also obtain for your own collection.
It is for this reason that I was so happy when Virginia Volk kindly agreed to share with Roger-Wilco and the readers of our Bookshelf section a real and unique gem, the 1941 edition of the Federal Airways Manual of Operations. You can download the Manual here.
If you are familiar with the ICAO provisions applicable to-day and in particular ICAO DOC 4444, PANS-ATM you will no doubt find this Airways Manual of Operations familiar. This book dates from 1941 and the first edition of ICAO DOC 4444 (at the time called PANS-ATC) saw the light of day in 1946. One of the main inputs had been the material already used extensively in the USA and which you can now add to your treasured relics and ATC mementos.
Click here to read the full article
Flightpath – A great tool for better communications in aviation
On 23/02/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
For most of us, Cambridge University Press needs no introduction. Their name is synonymous with innovation and quality. When they decide to publish a book to improve aviation communications you can be sure it will be something special.
Roger-Wilco was granted an exclusive opportunity to review a pre-production version of Flightpath, Cambridge University Press’ brand new take on a communications study course that will be published around May 2011. Flightpath is comprised of a Student’s Book with audio CDs and DVD and a Teacher’s Book. Our review now covers the Student’s Book without the electronic material. We will bring you a supplementary review of the complete package once it is on the marker, so stay tuned. In the meantime, this is what we think about this pre-production gem.
First of all let me say that as a former air traffic controller who has also done quite some work on analyzing the causes of runway incursions, I am especially sensitive to the importance of using proper phraseology in all circumstances. Many incidents and serious accidents could have been avoided had the pilots and controllers concerned adhered to the prescribed way of expressing things. It is therefore always welcome when I come across a publication that tries to improve the communications scene on both sides of the cockpit/control unit divide.
The task is not easy! People can learn to express themselves in the formal way ICAO has prescribed but in order to continue using the proper phraseology and avoid falling back on colloquial speech, they need two things: first and foremost, they must understand the deadly danger inherent in not using correct phraseology. Second, proper communictions must be the subject of constant supervision via official means as well as via peer pressure.
Click here to read the full article
The Grand Design
On 16/02/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Stephen Hawking and Leonard Mlodinow
Publisher: Bantam Books
ISBN : 978-0-553-80537-6
If you have read and liked “A Short History of Time” from Hawking, you will love his new book, “The Grand Design”, co-written with California Institute of Technology physicist Mlodinow.
Few scientists combine the ability to come up with totally new ideas of how the Universe works, get proven right in their lifetime AND being able to write about those ideas in a way that is enlightening, enjoyable and accessible to a huge worldwide audience. Stephen Hawking is a master at doing both.
Reading “The Grand Design” might make you feel awfully small and the comparison to a gold fish gazing out from its glass bowl may even strike you as a but too humbling… but what the heck, once you realize that you actually understand what parallel dimensions and realities mean and how those may be governed by predictable laws of physics, you will forgive the comparison to a goldfish. You will accept that we are probably just that and we better accept it.
True to form, the authors do discuss the nature and relevance of time and lead you gently to that higher plane of thought where you start to believe that time did in fact have a beginning.
You may not think that reading about cosmology would make you miss your favorite show on TV but start reading this book and you may very well forget for a time that you actually had a favorite show…
Highly recommended.
Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition
On 11/02/2011, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Daniel Okrent
Publisher: Author
ISBN – 10: 0743277023
We in aviation are blessed with a professional culture that makes drinking on the job far less tolerated by our peers than is the case in some other professions. It is rare indeed to find an intoxicated pilot or air traffic controller on the job. Sadly, a drinking problem at home is less of a rarity…
Nonetheless, a book about the Prohibition, especially one as well and entertainingly written as Daniel Okrent’s Last Call is something we aviation types will find as interesting as the rest of the population. Prohibition, the law banning alcohol in the United States was ratified in 1919 and it stayed in effect until 1933 when it was finally repealed. It is perhaps a lesser known fact that early on Americans were prolific drinkers and this included prominent figures like John Adams and James Medison. But even everyday people consumed alcohol at an alarming rate.
You can of course approach a problem like this in several ways. You can try to educate people, you can try to scare them or… you can take away the substance causing the problem. To be sure, the US government went overboard and elevated the banning of alcohol to the level of the Constitution!
Over the years human society has shown over and over again that banning something usually has the opposite effect from what was intended. Something very similar had happened as the result of Prohibition. Casual drinkers did not feel that they were criminals while criminals felt that it was their duty to cater to the casual (and less casual) drinkers… While overall alcohol consumption did drop in those years, the magnitude of the problem did not diminish at all. There was one clear winner: the Mafia who wisely invested in all kinds of novel ways to circumvent this law.
Not that getting the law passed was an easy matter. Wayne R. Wheeler was the man who labored incessantly to hammer together a coalition of supporters (composed of the most unlikely bed-fellows) which was able in the end to make Prohibition reality.
Click here to read the full article
Air-ground voice communications – the vital and often weakest link. New guide from EUROCONTROL for GA pilots
On 11/10/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
It is a curious fact of life in air traffic management that it is impossible to do ATC without proper communications yet the air-ground voice communications system as we know it to-day is both a hindrance to increasing capacity and a potential source of serious incidents. The former is due to the fact that a controller can only speak to aircraft in a sequential manner and hence he or she will run out of talking time relatively soon when traffic increases beyond a certain level; the latter is due to the relative ease with which the spoken word can be misunderstood, even if it is in a standardized form like the standard radiotelephony prescribed by ICAO. From call-sign confusion to misunderstood clearances resulting in near-misses or runway incursions, communications is a major source of problems.
Of course there are many things the aviation community can do to mitigate the risks inherent in voice communications. Air/ground digital link supporting Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC) will enable more capacity while also reducing the possibility of misunderstandings.
Where voice remains, better training and discipline in the application of the relevant procedures can go a long way towards improving the situation.
EUROCONTROL has now published a cute booklet, available in electronic format, entitled “A Guide to Phraseology for General Aviation Pilots in Europe”. As the title says, the book does not cover peculiarities applicable only in the United States or other parts of the world but it is still a useful addition to the library of any GA pilot. Since aircraft operations in Europe are mostly subject to strictly ICAO compliant procedures, this book is also a good reference to check what the ICAO rules say in certain communications related situations.
You can access the guide here.
Predictably Irrational – The hidden forces that shape our decisions
On 13/09/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Dan Ariely
Publisher: HarperCollinsPublishers
ISBN – 13 978-0-00725652-5
Air traffic management and flying aircraft require controllers and pilots to constantly make decisions, often split second decisions and usually in circumstances where there is no room for a second try. You have to get it right first time, every time. Of course controllers and pilots are trained to do this and the exemplary safety record of aviation bears witness to just how effective this training really is.
If you read Dan Ariely’s book, you will appreciate how important it is to enable those selected experts to act (most of the time at least) in a fashion that goes against most of what humans tend to do without dose of controller or pilot training.
In a series of illuminating and groundbreaking experiments, Dan (who is a professor of behavioral economics at MIT) demonstrates how expectations, emotions, social norms and other invisible, seemingly illogical forces skew our reasoning abilities.
Not only do we make astonishingly simple mistakes every day, but we make the same type of mistakes. We consistently overpay, underestimate and procrastinate. We fail to understand the profound effects of our emotions on what we want, and we overvalue what we already own. Yet these misguided behaviors are neither random nor senseless. They are systematic and predictable.
From paying for coffee to losing weight, from buying a car to choosing a romantic partner, Dan explains how to break through these systematic patterns of thought to make better decisions.
Predictably Irrational is not simply a fascinating read; it has the power to change the way we interact with the world – one small decision at a time.
Recommended also for pilots and air traffic controllers. After all, when not flying or controlling aircraft, they tend to make the same, predictably irrational mistakes as the rest of us.
Order your copy here.
Multilateration – Executive Reference Guide
On 13/08/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
Multilateration (often shortened to MLAT) is a surveillance technology that promises to satisfy surveillance requirements in most circumstances and it is seen as the best option in the transition to ADS-B based surveillance. It is no accident that organizations around the globe are turning to this technology, not least because it offers a solution that is much less expensive than conventional radars.
ERA Corporation, one of the premier suppliers of MLAT solutions, is behind a new guide developed to provide an easy-to-read reference for air traffic management, airport and airline professionals to answer the numerous questions they usually have about multilateration.
It is a cute, compact volume which sums up things pretty nicely and even hardened veterans may find it useful when they need a quick fact or other reference for presentations or general papers. For others, it is a must have item.
Download your copy here.
There is also a web site dedicated to the subject, which you can access here. The site has a few rough edges but those will be ironed out in time I am sure.
HindSight – EUROCONTROL’s award winning safety magazine
On 05/08/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
EUROCONTROL’s award winning safety magazine HindSight, appearingtwice a year has just published its 11th edition. It focuses on airspace infringements, a subject well known to all who fly or control aircraft.
Get the latest edition here.
You can order your free, printed copy here.
Aeronautical Data Quality (ADQ) Guide
On 09/07/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
Publisher: EUROCONTROL
The purpose of the ADQ Guide is to support the implementation of the ADQ Regulation, by way of providing a harmonised interpretation of the ADQ Regulation. The ADQ Guide provides a rationale for each of the provisions, outlines to whom they apply and outlines possible means of compliance. It is intended to be applicable for use by anybody who is required to demonstrate compliance with the ADQ Regulation or who is responsible for overseeing implementation and audit of those who must comply.
Download the preliminary release of the ADQ Guide here.
You can find more information on the EUROCONTROL ADQ Guidelines here.
Terrain and Obstacle Data Manual
On 06/07/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
Publisher: EUROCONTROL
The first draft of the Terrain and Obstacle Data (TOD) Manual has been released on 16 June 2010. Its creators, the TOD Project Team is aware of a number of areas where information is still awaited to complete the document, which will be addressed in the next release. These sections are highlighted in red in the document.
All interested parties are encouraged to review the document for completeness and correctness, and to apply it in its current form in national TOD implementation projects as appropriate. The deadline for sending comments (either through the TOD WG Secretary or the eTOD Forum) is 26 November 2010, after which a Comment Response-document will be presented to the TOD WG on 9-10 December 2010 with the intent to raise the document from draft to final version in early 2011.
Download Draft Version 1.0 of the TOD Manual here.
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) for Dummies – IBM eBook 2nd Limited Edition (free download)
On 25/06/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
If you are following SESAR or NextGen for that matter, you will have come accross the abbreviation SOA (Service Oriented Architecture). A lot of discussion is being generated on the subject in the air traffic management world, not least because SOA has never really been applied in ATM before. If the experts have a problem figuring this out, what about the rest of us? Where can we turn for help?
Service Oriented Architecture is the most important technology initiative facing businesses today. SOA is game changing, and early SOA successes make it clear that SOA is here to stay. This book introduces you to the basics of SOA in context with the real life experiences of seven companies. Seen through the varied business environments depicted in each of the case studies, the authors hope you will recognize that SOA is more than a bunch of new software products strung together to allow technology companies to have something else to sell. SOA represents a dramatic change in the relationship between business and IT. SOA makes technology a true business enabler and empowers business and technology leaders alike.
Download the free IBM eBook here.
To be able to read the eBook, you will need Adobe Digital Editions to be installed on your computer. If it is not yet installed, with your approval the system will install it for you. Adobe Digital Editions is usable for other eBooks also created under the same protocol.
AEEC General Session report for 2010 is now available
On 23/06/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
The annual AEEC General Session is the most important single event on the AEEC calendar. The General Session marks the culmination of the years’ standards development work, and new ARINC Standards are discussed and approved at this meeting. Furthermore, at the General Session the AEEC initiates the work program for the next year. The AEEC General Session is an ideal opportunity for aviation industry professionals to obtain an overview of the important technical developments in air transport avionics and other aircraft electronics.
The 2010 AEEC General Session report summarizes:
- NextGen and SESAR Readiness
- Airframe perspective NextGen and SESAR Readiness
- Avionics Supplier perspective SFAR 88 Fuel Tank Symposium
- Software Management Symposium
- Security Aspects of Software Data Loading Symposium and
- AEEC Subcommittee and Project reports
It also contains valuable information on AEEC’s actions to adopt new ARINC Standards.
This is a must have publication for all professionals on the avionics side of the business. The report is in two parts with all the briefing material under separate cover.
You can purchase and download your copy here.
User Requirements for Air Traffic Services – IATA booklet
On 11/06/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
Publisher: IATA
IATA has put together a very useful booklet offering a better understanding of international airlines’ requirements and capabilities for communications, navigation, surveillance and air traffic management.
Gunther Matschnigg, IATA Senior Vice President, Safety, Operations and Infrastructure, has this to say in his introduction to the booklet:
“There are times when airlines are taken by surprise from announcements of new equipment for air traffic control being purchased that, as far as airlines are concerned, holds little promise of benefit. In most of these cases, airlines and other airspace users were not consulted during the planning process and the technology was bound to disappoint.
Such misadventures are costly to everyone and are a waste of scarce funding. Regrettably, such undesirable situations continue to occur today, when waste can be ill afforded by the air transport industry.
On the other hand, successful procurement projects are invariably associated with a planning and consultation process that draws upon input from representatives of the airspace users, as well as equipment manufacturers and neighboring States. Such planning also helps airlines schedule their own investments in aircraft technology to work in synch with new air navigation services equipment, leading to clear operational benefits.
Based on a thorough understanding of airspace user requirements and capabilities, these projects are far more successful in providing much-needed benefits to airspace users in terms of increased safety, on-schedule operations and cost efficiency.”
The booklet aims to help ensuring that ATM projects of all kinds are based on the real requirements of the airspace users and not guesses or technologies for technologies’ sake.
Download the booklet here.
Author of book on Wright Brothers’ flight school will speak also at YOUR event
On 26/05/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
Dr. J. H. Williams, author
Everyone knows the Wright Brothers spent some quality time in North Carolina and Ohio. But few people know they spent an important semester in Alabama.
In 1910, Wilbur came South, looking for a place to start the nation’s first civilian flying school. In January of 1910, the Wrights’ patents had grounded all airplanes in the nation other than their own. The only Wright Flyer actually in the air was in San Antonio, where U.S. Army officers were learning to fly the one airplane that the government had rather reluctantly bought.
However, the Wright Brothers hoped to sell airplanes to wealthy society sportsmen (aviation was a sport back then), and aside from the military officers in San Antonio, the only people who could fly a Wright airplane in the United States were the Wrights themselves. Unless they wanted to teach all the wealthy sportsmen, they’d have to teach young men to fly so that they, in turn, could teach the buyers of airplanes to fly. Dayton was far too cold in the winter to hold such a school, so Wilbur went South. He finally found a receptive city in Montgomery, Alabama.
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Showing up for life: Thoughts on the Gifts of a Lifetime
On 13/05/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Bill Gates Sr. and Mary Ann Mackin
Publisher: Broadway Books, The Crown Publishing Group
ISBN – 978-0-385-52701-9
Whether you are a Microsoft basher or a Microsoft lover, a book describing the growing up of Bill Gates is of interest. There have been many words written about the subject but this is the first time we learn about Bill’s early life from the most authentic source possible… the pen of his dad, Bill Gates Senior.
We all remember when Bill managed to crash the then new Windows 98 at a show even before the product was shipping but you will learn from this fascinating book that something very similar happened when Bill presented his very first creation (nothing to do with Windows yet) to city officials in Seattle. After many successful runs earlier, the thing refused to work when the need was highest… Luckily for all of us, Bill was not discouraged.
When Paul Allen showed Bill an article about a new personal computer being built by a company in Albuquerque, Bill’s genius surfaced immediately. Many lesser individuals would have tried to build a better computer to compete with the one described in Popular Electronics but not Bill; he was thinking both vertically and horizontally and was able to see the future in the proper perspective of personal computing as it would be… He called the company and offered to sell them SOFTWARE! The rest is history…
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Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet
On 29/04/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Bill McKibben
Publisher: Times Books
ISBN: 978-0805090567
Although the recent disruption caused by the Icelandic volcano was not connected to global warming as such, it did demonstrate to all who cared to stop and consider the event just what nature in a bad mood can do to our way of living. Although aviation was hardest hit, the consequences rippled through society and hit kiwi growers tens of thousand of miles away as well as car makers in Europe who ran out of parts normally delivered by air in a just-in-time operation.
The normal posture of environmentalists, and politicians lusting for the votes of the environmental lobby, is that we must restrict things now, change the light bulbs to the eco variety and change to bicycles in order to reduce carbon emissions which will, hopefully, start having an effect in a couple of decades.
In all the hot air scant attention (and even less money) is being expended on getting prepared for, and mitigating the effects of, climate change that is already upon us. This is a big mistake and the cost of the certain damage will be many times the amount of possible and uncertain savings three decades down the road.
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EUROCONTROL ATM Lexicon – A single point of access to validated ATM terminology
On 13/04/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
The EUROCONTROL ATM Lexicon offers the whole aeronautical community single access to a terminology tool containing ATM-related terms and their validated definitions. Based on a semantic MediaWiki platform, it also provides an environment where experts can make their own contributions and discuss new concepts and definitions.
“One sky – one term“ is what EUROCONTROL is aiming for with their very own lexicon for ATM – a field that is constantly having to deal with new technical terms and definitions.
Experts don’t always agree on concepts, meanings and definitions and this is why there is a need for the collection, validation and harmonisation of expert knowledge within a single tool.
The current EUROCONTROL ATM Lexicon is a beta version containing a start-up corpus of terms and definitions.
EUROCONTROL promises that it will be updated on a daily basis and is expected to grow from the current 600 terms to more than 1,500 terms by the end of 2010. You are also being invited to contribute. Check out how to do that here.
Access the ATM Lexicon here.
The Pocket Weather Forecaster
On 19/03/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Simon James Keeling
Publisher: Simon Keeling
ISBN-13: 978-0955628016
In the Pocket Weather Forecaster – How to identify clouds and the weather the foretell, television weather broadcaster Dr. Simon Keeling brings the flying community an essential reference work that is easy to read and which provides new insights even for seasoned pilots and weather enthusiasts.
With climate change a perennial theme for discussion, the interest in weather generally and weather forecasting in particular has grown substantially in recent years. In aviation, weather has always been a subject of high priority and this will not change in the future either. In particular with certain characteristics of the atmosphere apparently out of whack, the more we understand weather as it was and as it will be, the better we can counter its tricks.
A clear, fully illustrated book like Dr. Keeling’s is an excellent reference from which to start and to which to return with most of our weather questions.
Continuous Descent Operations (CDO) Manual from ICAO now available
On 26/02/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
ICAO has made available an unedited, advance version of the Continuous Descent Operations (CDO) Manual as approved, in principle, by the Secretary General. Although the final, edited version may still undergo editorial alterations, the substance should stay the same.
The purpose of this Manual is to provide guidance and harmonize the development and implementation of continuous descent operations (CDO). To achieve this, airspace and instrument flight procedure design and air traffic control techniques should all be employed in a cohesive manner. This will then facilitate the ability of flight crews to use in-flight techniques to reduce the overall environmental footprint and increase the efficiency of aircraft operations.
The generic term “continuous descent operations”, has been adopted to embrace the different techniques used to maximize operational efficiency while still addressing local airspace requirements and constraints. These operations have been variously known as, continuous descent arrivals, continuous descent approaches, optimized profile descent, tailored arrivals, and 3D/4D path arrival management forming part of the business trajectory concept.
Continuous descent operations (CDO) is one of several tools available to aircraft operators and air navigation service providers (ANSPs) to increase safety, flight predictability, and airspace capacity, while reducing noise, controller-pilot communications, fuel burn and emissions. Over the years, different route models have been developed to facilitate CDO and several attempts have been made to strike a balance between the ideal fuel efficient and environmentally friendly procedures and the capacity requirements of a specific airport or airspace.
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Latest edition of SITA’s “Air Traffic Management Highlights” now available
On 25/02/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
The latest edition of SITA’s newsletter, Air Traffic Management Highlights, dedicated to the ATM community is now available.
In this publication, you will learn more about two major initiatives undertaken by our industry in 2009:
• The Data Link Services Implementation Rule adoption by the European Commission and
• SITA’s selection by EUROCONTROL to deliver the Pan European Network Service (PENS).
This newsletter will also provide you with a high-level overview of the different air traffic management activities that SITA has been involved in recently.
Get your copy here.
747
On 25/02/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Joe Sutter with Jay Spenser
Publisher: Smithsonian Books
ISBN-13: 978-0-06-088241-9
For some time now we could read a lot about the development problems afflicting the latest big aircraft types. Just think of the Airbus A380, the 787 or the A400M military transport. Proud projects yet they started life with what appears to be more than their share of setbacks. Perhaps it is now the time to read something about the 747, the “Queen of the Skies”, the aircraft on which at one time Boeing had bet the future of the whole company… Was her birth any smoother?
There is no better guide to lead you through those exciting years than Joe Sutter, one of the most celebrated engineers of the twentieth century and the person who had spearheaded the design and construction of the 747.
747 size aircraft are commonplace today but when Boeing started building the first 747, it was bigger than anything ever built before and needed the world’s largest workshop just to be put together. Everything about the 747 was big including the larger than life personalities who were involved in or influenced this magnificent project.
It was far from smooth sailing and tensions between people as well as technological challenges all added up to make the project leader’s life difficult.
But Joe Sutter and his brilliant team of engineers carried on, never faltering, never doubting, pushing and pulling and even performing the odd miracle when that was called for.
If you think the 380 or the 787 had problems, what about reading that the third 747 in the flight test program actually crashed in Renton two weeks before the FAA was scheduled to certify the 747? Ok, it was pilot error and there was little damage but still… As it turned out, the FAA was actually very impressed by the crashworthiness of the aircraft and the incident had no adverse effect on certification.
With so much in Seattle hanging on Boeing’s future, the Sutters’ friends kept bugging Nancy Sutter, Joe’s wife, whether she believed her husband knew what he was doing… When the 747 first flew on February 9, 1969 Nancy was standing near the runway’s edge at the calculated unstick point, rewarded for all her patience with the best view of this historic event.
After reading this book, you will see big aircraft in a totally different light. Highly recommended.
Order your copy here.
Wings of Opportunity: The Wright Brothers in Montgomery, Alabama, 1910
On 08/01/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Julie Hedgepeth Williams
Publisher: NewSouth Books
ISBN-13: 978-1588381682
When stepping aboard an aircraft these days, few passengers spare a thought to the many visionary people who have made the wonder of safe and affordable air travel possible. Even giants like Orville and Wilbur Wright are fading in people’s memories.
Stretching the matter a bit further, even student pilots will be hard pressed if asked when, where and by whom the first flight school was established in the United States?
Readers of Roger-Wilco will of course fare much better. Our recent post in the Anniversaries section gave tribute to the Wright brothers for setting up the first US flight school a hundred years ago in February 1910, in Montgomery, Alabama.
Now comes a must-have book commemorating the centennial, entitled “Wings of Opportunity: The Wright Brothers in Montgomery, Alabama, 1910”.
Published by NewSouth Books, the 176 page volume describes how the Wrights had set up shop on a cotton field a few miles from Montgomery in their search for a climate more hospitable to their flying than snowy Dayton, Ohio.
Forward-thinking Montgomerians welcomed the Wrights and heralded the school as a way to rise above the shadow of the Civil War. Local businessmen offered timber, vehicles, land, hotel rooms and even water to help the State’s effort to entice the aircraft pioneers to settle there.
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Glossary of Air Traffic Management terms and definitions
On 04/01/2010, in Bookshelf, by steve
Ever since my first tentative steps into the world of ICAO provisions and the hard learned lessons about the need to use terminology properly even to a fault, I had this thing about texts that were lax and inconsistent in terminology use. To put it bluntly, I hated them. Not only do they fail to convey the intended message properly, they can potentially confuse the reader and may in fact result in requirements being defined erroneously. True, in the end things tend to sort themselves out but not before a lot of extra, totally unnecessary effort has been expended and with no guarantee that every instance of incorrect terminology use has been taken care of.
Descriptions that call everything a system, where information is down-linked or up-linked instead of being shared or published, where the vertical distance from the aerodrome’s elevation is called an altitude, etc., etc., still abound unfortunately and I am in the process of writing an article expressing my displeasure and suggesting some steps to remedy the situation.
When my attention was called to a new glossary of Air Traffic Management terms and definitions produced as part of the Episode 3 project deliverables, I went to have a look right away. Obviously, the new ATM environment will be generating its own terms and definitions and proper terminology use starts with having wide agreement on the meaning of the terms we use.
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CAA Radiotelephony Manual – free download
On 21/12/2009, in Bookshelf, by steve
There are certain books that should not be missing from any pilot’s or controller’s kits. Among these is the UK CAA’s Radiotelephony Manual (CAP 413). Now in its 19th edition, it has numerous additions and clarifications (including the call sign suffix “Super” for the Airbus A380) that we all must be aware of.
If you think this is nothing for you, think again. A leading cause of runway incursions the world over is improper radiotelephony usage… It is easy to slip into “slang” when we repeat the same limited set of expressions over and over again, especially when our friends on the other end of the radio tend to do the same. The result? Incident reports aplenty in which radiotelephony figures in a prominent place.
Browsing a volume like CAP 413 is an easy way to remind us of the many things we thought we knew as well as to learn about the new things in town.
You can get your free copy of the Radiotelephony Manual here.
Legend & Legacy – The Story of Boeing and Its People
On 02/12/2009, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Robert J. Serling
Publisher: St. Martin’s Pres, New York
ISBN-0-312-05890-X
When we read about Boeing these days, it is more often than not something negative. The new version of the 747 and the Dreamliner delayed, repeatedly it seems and for reasons that make one wonder what is going on in Seattle and Chicago. It is easy to forget that with the Dreamliner they are working in uncharted territory where surprises are not that unusual, even with the best of planning.
It is about time you dropped the daily paper and read a book about Boeing the company and Boeing, the people who have built this icon of aviation. Robert J. Serling created a masterpiece, taking you behind the scenes with humor, objectivity and abundant anecdotes. Published in 1991, the book talks about a Boeing that is yet to endure the effects of 9/11 and the latest economic crisis but when we read that the company once went seventeen months without selling a single plane on the domestic market and almost went bankrupt, one cannot but wonder. Has anything really changed?
Industrial history books can be dry and a bore. Not Legend & Legacy which reads like a novel except that it feels real from the first page to the very last and even when you read about incredible characters and incredible deeds that helped win WWII and conquered the commercial skies.
What about the salesman who almost traded a used 727 for 12 million bucks worth of underwear or the test pilot who barrel-rolled a prototype jetliner representing one-quarter of the company’s net worth… He felt the stunt would help sell the plane!
You will read about the conception, gestation and birth of the legendary 747 which will forever wear the crown of very big
airplanes even if it was overtaken by new types like the Airbus A380.
This is a compelling, fascinating journey from William Boeing’s Red Barn to the 777 shown through the hearts and eyes of the people on all levels who are and will always be the essence of the Boeing Company.
Pick up a copy and expect to miss even your favorite football game!
Nudge – Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness
On 19/11/2009, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Richard H. Thaler and Cass R. Sunstein
Publisher: Yale University Press
ISBN-978-o0300-12223-7
I am not a particular fan of books on healthy living or self-improvement. Having given up, without outside help, smoking a pipe after more than 35 years was enough to convince me that I had no use for such books… I have never drunk alcohol and am into my second marriage, so there is little left I could improve.
At first I viewed Nudge with the suspicion I reserve for anything by-lined “Improving Decisions About Health, Wealth, and Happiness”. Opening the book randomly presented my with Chapter 15 – Privatizing marriage. I started reading and after just a few pages was convinced that I should tell you about this book, principles or not.
Thaler is the inventor of behavioral economics and Sunstein is a brilliant legal mind and they combined to create a book that will not simply nudge you, it will knock you off your feet. As Daniel Gilbert, professor of psychology at Harvard University put it: “In this utterly brilliant book, Thaler and Sunstein teach us how to steer people toward better health, sounder investments, and cleaner environments without depriving them of their inalienable right to make a mess of things if they want to.”
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The Book of Clouds
On 07/11/2009, in Bookshelf, by steve
By John A. Day
Publisher: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. New York
ISBN-1-4027-2813-1
Oh no… another book about clouds! I can almost hear you say but hey, why not? Clouds are all around us, you can tell the weather by them (did you know that cloud-types from and dissipate in a precise sequence before and after weather fronts?) and in many cases, they are just damn beautiful. Unless you walk with your eyes permanently cast on the ground, you cannot fail to notice nature’s wonderful sky-scape. And if you see it, you will want to understand it. This book is a great help in doing just that.
If I had to characterize John A. Day’s book, I would say few words, lots of photos. This is good. Clouds are more a feast to the eyes and seeing them is much nicer than talking about them. But there is sufficient text nevertheless to explain things as we are lead through the cloud genera and into the realm of unusual clouds and optical effects.
A short section on weather forecasting using the clouds followed by cloud observation techniques complete the volume. A very useful glossary and index add more icing to the cake.
Whether you are interested in meteorology or just clouds as such, this book is a good one to start your collection of relevant tomes with.
New and Improved. The story of mass marketing in America
On 22/10/2009, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Richard S. Tedlow
Publisher: Heinemann Professional Publishing
ISBN-0-434-92002-9
It is rumored that when asked what he would give to every Russian should the opportunity arise, Franklin D. Roosevelt said give them a copy of the Sears catalogue. Perhaps a surprising choice but it highlights the impact mass marketing can have on society.
To-day, Coke and Pepsi, Ford and General Motors or A&P are household names. But how much do we know about the epic battles those companies fought with each other and at times with the world around them before they reached the pinnacle of their respective corporate successes? Very little indeed. This is a pity particularly in the light of the ongoing economic crisis that has left some of those very same companies just sad shadows of their former selves.
Whether we like it or not, mass marketing has spread around the globe and where there is disposable income, the marketing methods will mimic those originally developed and introduced by the likes of Sears and Montgomery Ward.
Professor Tedlow’s wonderfully entertaining book is the story of the development of mass marketing. Inevitably, it is an American story since mass marketing was first tried there. However, the big household names that pioneered the techniques have in the meantime become international and hence the story is less American after all than would at first appear.
What makes the book especially interesting is that it is not just business history; it is also a cultural and social history of our time, set against the biggest change ever in how goods are brought to us. Strongly recommended.
Under Control – The story of The International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations
On 14/10/2009, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Neil Vidler
Publisher: IFATCA
ISBN – 0-646-40574-8
A book written about the history of a professional association, published by the same association, will tend to present events from their particular point of view and Neil Vidler’s work on IFATCA is no exception. 318 pages of sometimes laborious text that is no doubt factually correct but it fails to properly present the rest of the aviation world in which IFATCA was created and in which it grew into the respected organization we know to-day.
This lack of context is particularly regrettable in the light of the long paragraphs devoted to ICAO (Friend or foe?) and the IATA Resolution 200 debate. While denying controllers free tickets is of course not the best way to make friends, this issue was certainly not the biggest problem of aviation at the time yet the book makes it look like it was the only issue that needed solving.
The book launches with the foundation of the federation and its first decade starting in 1961. The rest of the aviation world was transforming itself into mass transportation mode and in fact grew alongside IFATCA itself. The 70s, 80s and of course the 90s saw a huge culture change happen in the cockpit and after deregulation also in how airlines were being run. Pilots had to evolve and become not only good airmen but also system managers… They were called upon to manage a very expensive and sensitive business tool, the modern aircraft.
While ATC also evolved and did a marvelous job of handling ever more traffic, the same fundamental culture change had not really happened there yet in the time frame of this book which ends in 2001.
IFATCA’s life and struggles could have been made even more understandable to the reader if the revolution that was taking place in the cockpit and in the airline world had been provided as the backdrop to the story.
If you are looking for no more than a rather detailed, factual history of IFATCA, this book is a good choice. Not only to read end-to-end (something that might be a bit of a struggle) but also as a source of hard-to-find information in the years to come.
Sway – The irresistible pull of irrational behavior
On 08/10/2009, in Bookshelf, by steve
By Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
Publisher: Doubleday
ISBN – 978-0-38552438-4
Put two identical products in different packaging and with different names and different prices on a store shelf. Have the more expensive one recommended by a well known face, the other advertised only by itself. Which one will sell more? The one endorsed by the celeb… of course you will say. But what if I told you that our everyday lives, our every decision, every move we make is subject to what the authors term “sway”, our tendency to chose the irrational over the rational.
No place is safe from this peculiar human failing. The book opens with a chilling account of the Tenerife ground collision of two 747s and how a particular genre of “sway” played a determining role in the way events unfolded on that fateful day.
Drawing on cutting-edge research from the fields of social psychology, behavioral economics and organizational behavior, Sway reveals the many dynamic forces that influence our personal, business and professional lives. You will read about loss aversion (how we will go to extraordinary lengths to avoid perceived losses), the diagnosis bias (our inability to reevaluate our initial diagnosis of a person or situation) and the chameleon effect (our tendency to take on characteristics that have been arbitrarily assigned to us).
But there is more… Sway introduces the Harvard Business School professor who convinced his students to pay more than 200 bucks for a 20 dollar bill, brings convincing examples from the airline world, the world of football and the NBA and tells us why interviews are a terrible way to gauge future job performance.
This book will change forever the way you think about the way you think.
If you decide to buy the book after reading this review, you just got swayed… but buy it anyway. This is one decision you will not regret.
