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!
Check out the Aero Glossary
On 14/11/2011, in Just to let you know..., by steve
It is probably the sign of the times but we are being inundated by abbreviations. Just watch your son or daughter write an SMS and you will see how they have caught on to the old secret familiar also in aviation: use abbreviations to express what you want to say and you can say much more in the same space of time… or the SMS as it were.
The old Q-code system is a good example of how abbreviations can be used to communicate effectively when the bandwidth is limited and it is important not to be ambiguous. That aviation still has this propensity to invent new abbreviations is probably due to a family trait that goes back to before even the Q-codes were introduced.
But it is not only abbreviations that make life difficult. Technology is progressing so fast that it is well nigh impossible to keep up. New terms keep coming at us and it is an achievement in itself if we can familiarize ourselves at least with all the new things popping up in our specialist area.
But help is at hand. Check out the free Aero Glossary here. This wonderful repository contains 12000 abbreviations, more than 2000 aircraft codes, more than 8000 airline codes and much much more, with their coverage increasing by the hour. A really nice touch is that you can access the free glossary not only from your PC but also your mobile devices as there are versions for Apple, Android and Windows Phone.
All this is brought to you by Compass Innovative Solutions Ltd. who will be also happy to receive your contributions to the glossary.
Before you ask, let me answer the obvious question. With Wikipedia around, why do we need the Aero Glossary? Wiki is great but I like the focused way Aero Glossary works. It also brings you, in an easy to navigate way, things that do not fit well with Wiki’s format. Just think of country or airline codes or ATC call-signs and you will see what I mean.
This is a very nice initiative and I will be using it all the time.
Aviation theme Christmas cards
On 22/10/2011, in Just to let you know..., by steve
Do you like this greeting card? If yes, visit Kersten Cards where you will find plenty more like this with an aviation theme as well as others with more traditional themes.
Kersten probably has the widest choice of really nice cards, so go ahead and order from them to surprise your loved ones this Christmas with cards of exceptional quality.
Airbus Acquires Metron Aviation
On 27/07/2011, in Just to let you know..., by steve
Airbus has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Metron Aviation, a leading provider of advanced Air Traffic Management (ATM) products and services for the global aviation industry. This acquisition strengthens Airbus’ strategy to accelerate and support ATM programs that will dramatically improve global air transportation capacity, efficiency and environmental sustainability.
The transaction is subject to customary regulatory approvals, and the acquisition is expected to be completed later this year. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Earlier this year, Airbus launched subsidiary Airbus ProSky, dedicated to supporting the FAA’s Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen), Europe’s Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) and other global ATM modernisation programs.
Click here to read the full article
What a way to run a railroad – the FAA is shutting down!
On 25/07/2011, in Just to let you know..., by steve
The writing has been on the wall for some time. Approval of the reauthorization bill (the all important act of Congress that ensures funding to the FAA) has been a convoluted process year after year and there have been a few near misses already. But this time they have done it!
The FAA went into partial shut-down last Friday… incredible but true. 4000 non-essential employees were furloughed and no money for the aviation trust fund can be collected or paid. Air traffic controllers are not affected but all FAA Regional offices will be closed and only essential personnel will come to work.
The impact on the aviation trust fund is a cool 200 million bucks lost revenue per week and in all likelihood the schedule of NextGen will also be adversely affected.
Of course thus may sound like peanuts compared to the very real danger of the US itself defaulting on its debts if no agreement is reached in raising the credit ceiling by 2 August but still…
KLM Fokker 100 lands safely on Schiphol Airport’s panorama terrace
On 03/06/2011, in Just to let you know..., by steve
No, this was not an ATC error or a botched landing. The Fokker 100 is leaving the KLM fleet for good and one of them got a truly special destination for its days in pension.
This Fokker 100 is there not only as a static specimen you can look at from the outside. She continues to welcome people also in her cabin even though she will no longer ply Europe’s airways.
Here is a video of how she was hauled onto the panorama terrace and other interesting details of this nice initiative. Although the clip is in Dutch, the pictures speak for themselves.
By the way, in one corner of the Schiphol shopping mall you will run into parts of a KLM 737’s fuselage… I wonder where the 747s will go once they are withdrawn from service?
Anyway, congratulations Schiphol and KLM, wonderful initiative and a worthy resting place for any airplane!
HOME SAFES AND OTHER SECURITY SAFES FOR TRAVEL BUGS
On 03/04/2011, in Just to let you know..., by steve
For frequent travelers, safety is a primary concern. It can be in the forms of safety before, during and after departure and safety of personal belongings. The fun and excitement disappear when cases of simple traveling become the start of habitual paranoia, more so a traumatic experience triggered by an obvious lack of security. Leaving home for a long period of time entails making sure contracts and similar important documents plus personal valuables like cash and pieces of jewelry are held in place where there is restricted access to avoid any instance of loss or damage.
Same goes when an employee has to travel often for official business, all files bearing confidential information about the company and its transactions and company property such as computer software programs should have a certain spot in the office away from the prying eyes and hands of nosy colleagues and outsiders and the effects of natural calamities. In these situations, security safes turn out to be helpful and indispensible.
Click here to read the full article
CRDS Rising from the Ashes
On 09/02/2011, in Just to let you know..., by steve
Few of our readers will still remember the original goal of EUROCONTROL… It was to have been THE European air traffic control organization. Nice dream it was and we all know what happened. More recently there was CEATS, the Central European Air Traffic Services Program which was a bit like a Phoenix, the original EUROCONTROL idea rising from the ashes to integrate ATS in Central Europe. After years of effort and a lot of money, this idea also died.
Scattered in Prague and Budapest were remnants of the CEATS elements that had been set up as the first step in realizing the ill-fated project. Prague had the CEATS Strategy and Development Unit, Budapest the CEATS Research, Development and Simulation Centre or CRDS. This latter was renamed in 2009 to EAVU (EUROCONTROL Airspace Validation Unit) no doubt in an effort to reflect the fact that the CRDS was a viable proposition even after the disappearance of CEATS as such. EAVU or not, the fate of the Budapest simulation centre was sealed when EUROCONTROL decided to close it once and for all.
But HungaroControl, the Hungarian ANSP had other ideas.
Click here to read the full article
Florida freezing – helicopters to the rescue
On 15/12/2010, in Just to let you know..., by steve
It is often said that helicopters do not fly, they just beat the air into compliance… But it is exactly this strange way of staying in the air that makes them so uniquely suitable for tasks no other flying machine can perform.
What about using the down-wash from helicopter rotors to warm the air below?
Outlandish? Not at all. This is exactly what crop farmers are doing currently in Florida as it suffers through an icy cold spell.
Click here to read the full article
THALES setting up ATM research center in Australia
On 27/10/2010, in Just to let you know..., by steve
The Australian arm of THALES is busy setting up a brand new research and development center in Melbourne, Australia to work on advanced air traffic management systems. The new center called CASIA (Centre for Advanced Studies in ATM) will concentrate the firm’s work on new air traffic management systems for Australia as well as the rest of the world. It will start cracking early in 2011.
“CASIA is the result of long term investment in our ATM business, which has grown from just a few employees 15 years ago to a global centre of excellence employing 400 people in highly skilled jobs,” said Chris Jenkins, Thales Australia’s CEO. “Thales Australia is ideally placed to offer local, regional and global customers the most innovative ATM solutions in the world today, building on our success with the Eurocat system and enabling effective airspace management in an era of increasing air traffic and technological complexity.”
For several years now we have witnessed how new and advanced ATM systems and technologies were proliferating in that part of the world while Europe was still trying to decide which way to go… In fact, during SESAR’s definition phase, THALES supported the work with an expert who came from Australia and who was the voice of reasoned vision. If he and others like him will take part in CASIA, it will be a very nice place to work at.
This is a very important and forward looking step from THALES but I cannot escape a nagging question.
Why not in Europe…?
In search of Roger
On 27/08/2010, in Just to let you know..., by steve
Looking for Roger...
When I opened my mail this morning, there was an item with the greeting “Aloha”… As a big fan of the islands and a subscriber to Aloha Joe’s newsletter, I do occasionally get mail from Hawai’i but reading this email touched my heart like no other has in a long time.
The sender is the co-founder of Wings Over Hawaii, a non-profit organization based in Honolulu, with the mission of promoting aviation education in their schools, grades 5-12. This is a wonderful mission by any measure but there is more.
Marissa, the sender of the email, is planning to launch a web site and blog dedicated to finding Roger. So who is Roger?
Well, if you are a pilot or an air traffic controller, you will have invoked his name thousands of times to acknowledge a transmission on the radio. But Marissa believes that there is another side to Roger which has never been described in the ICAO books but which is nevertheless equally real to those who love aviation.
Roger is the spirit of the sky and the essence of flight. Pilots touched by Roger have that special twinkle in their eyes and their hearts on their wings. We all encounter Roger somewhere, some time.
But how did the name Roger assume the meaning: correct receipt of the transmission is acknowledged?
Click here to read the full article
Summer schedule on Roger-Wilco
On 21/07/2010, in Just to let you know..., by steve
With the summer holiday period on us, we will use an adapted publication schedule until 31 August.
As you will have seen, normally we post at least one new item every week-day. However, with so many of our readers enjoying their well earned holidays we will now use an adapted schedule and publish only three new items per week. The normal schedule of one item per week-day will resume at the end of September. Why only then? Well, we will also be taking a break in early September…
Enjoy your holidays!
Christophe Hamel in new job with the FAA – Congratulations!
On 13/07/2010, in Just to let you know..., by steve
It is always with pride and great pleasure that we bring news of the successes and achievements of our contributors and experts featured in our articles. This time it is Christophe’s turn. We introduced him recently in the “Interesting People, Unusual Flight Plans” series and now we can bring you the happy news that Christophe has accepted a position with SAIC for the FAA that will be a continuation of his previous contribution to the CNS/ATM world in the EU and the US. He will be working at FAA Headquarters in Washington D.C.
The tasks of the Senior Regulatory Analyst (as his new post is called) include:
Click here to read the full article
In memoriam – Miklos Hamori
On 21/06/2010, in Just to let you know..., by steve
Miklos was just 59 when his life was cut short on 10 June 2010. We used to work together at Budapest Approach and later he returned to the tower where he carried Shift C as its supervisor for fifteen years or more. He was a real professional who knew not only the ATC side of the business but also the pilot side and in particular, light aircraft and general aviation. He was an icon for the young! You could never be bored when he was around, he was full of stories and anecdotes which he shared with everyone in his signature, good-natured manner. His wife, Susanne was also an aerodrome controller. I knew her from back when we were fighting to get the Hungarian authorities to allow women to become air traffic controllers.
A funeral is always a sad affair and it is not appropriate to say that a funeral was nice… But in Miklos’ case the funeral was truly unique, befitting someone who had lived for and with aviation.
Mourners coming to take their leave from Miklos were asked to bring flower seeds instead of flowers to the funeral. Light aircraft carrying Miklos’ ashes and the flower seeds took off from Dunakeszi and flew to Ferihegy International airport where the ashes and flower seeds were dispersed over the grassy area alongside runway 31L. As this was happening, the airport supervisors formed a cross on one of the taxiways using their vehicles.
An appropriate tribute to a man dedicated to flying and aviation in general.
Rest in peace my friend!
New series on Roger-Wilco
On 16/06/2010, in Just to let you know..., by steve
Over the past several months you could enjoy a series of articles about the life of Budapest-Ferihegy tower, as seen through the eyes and I may add, heart of an air traffic controller who has been working there from the very beginning. “The tower with a soul”, as the series was called, was huge hit with lots of readers for each installment.
Having traced the events of the past, Roger-Wilco will be bringing you stories from the present by the same author, our contributor Lajos, who has decided to chronicle the towers life in real time. His stories, well what did you expect, will once again go deeper than the practice of air traffic control, revealing the humans occupying the lofty heights of the tower with all their qualities and failings.
Stay tuned!
Watch the weather with pleasure – a must have weather gadget
On 24/02/2010, in Just to let you know..., by steve
Other than recommending interesting books, we do not usually call our readers’ attention to other merchandise. However, every now and then we do find things that are so interesting or innovative that they simply must be recommended. In the jungle of weather gadgets, YoWindow 2.0 is such a product.
I am sure you have seen weather gadgets before and they are usually very functional and are even nice with their carefully crafted graphics. However, YoWindow brings that bit of extra that sets it apart from the crowd.
You can download a free but slightly limited version or cough up $9.99 for an unlimited version (instant download) and enjoy 8 day forecasts, an unlimited number of favorite locations and also automatic update of the weather. There are no ads in the paid version. The free version might have ads in the future. There is even a widget version for inclusion in your web site and it is free!
So what is the big difference?
Click here to read the full article
Hudson River ditching 3D reconstruction
On 04/02/2010, in Just to let you know..., by steve
It is hard to believe that the historic ditching in the Hudson River of US Airways Flight 1549 was more than a year ago on 15 January 2009. Much has been written about the incident and the captain of the flight, Mr. Sully Sullenberger has given us an interesting book about how he experienced this event sharig also his thoughts about many other things related to the highest duty.
EXOSPHERE3D, a company specializing in technical animation and scientific visualization of complex data sets has recently brought us a very nice photorealistic animation depicting Flight 1549’s movements from take-off to ditching in the Hudson River. The animation is based on the latest, most complete information avaiable about the flight. With ATC radiotelephony and the words of the crew in the cockpit perfectly synched to the pictures, watching this video makes you think you are watching live TV.
Check out the video here.
Order Capt. Sullenberger’s book here.
2009 Airline IT Trends Survey now available
On 25/10/2009, in Just to let you know..., by steve
The 2009 edition of the Airline IT Trends Survey,
co-sponsored by Airline Business and SITA, is now available.
You can purchase the full results on CD by sending an email.
To download the very comprehensive Executive Summary, click here.
Questionable ads banished
On 28/09/2009, in Just to let you know..., by steve
It looked like a good idea… a banner that would bring context sensitive ads as visitors browsed Roger-Wilco. We tried it and it was a huge disappointment. Silly on-line games (albeit promoted with pretty girls) and dating-sites were the only stuff we got on the main blog level, clearly not the sort of thing we would want to have there.
So, the damn thing is gone, banished and will not be allowed to come back until its authors come up with something that does what it promises.
In case you were wondering…
On 21/09/2009, in Just to let you know..., by steve
The ad on the right hand side (the big one…) is experimental… its message is generated by the contents of the blog itself. Based on some of the first ads that came up, I started wondering what ATM is really about. Computers seem to have a very strange understanding of our profession!
Anyway, please bear with us… and click on the ads if you see something you like!
60 years of military transport flying
On 12/09/2009, in Just to let you know..., by steve
Those who looked skywards to-day in Hungary could glimpse a sight not previously seen anywhere. An Antonov An-26 of the Hungarian Air Force and the last airworthy Li-2 flew together to commemorate 60 years of military transport flying in the country.
The Lisunov Li-2, wearing the original Malev livery, is one of the several thousand examples license-built in the Soviet Union, actually the Soviet version of the Douglas C-47. The Russian designation was PS-84 and NATO reporting name Cab. It is rumored that the Russians have never paid a cent to Douglas in license fees. This particular example entered service with the Hungarian People’s Army in 1949 and was later turned into a civilian transport with the registration HA-LIX.
The Antonov An-26, NATO reporting name Curl, is a development of the An-24 and was first seen in 1969. It is easy to recognize by the modified rear fuselage housing a large cargo ramp.
Flying almost wingtip to wingtip to-day, the biggest problem for the An-26 skipper was flying slow enough not to overtake the Li-2…
Welcome
On 23/07/2009, in Just to let you know..., by steve
Until a few years ago, we had no idea what the word “blog” (the contraction of the term weblog) really meant. Then all of a sudden, it was all over us.
No self respecting prime minister, dictator or college student would consider not having a blog.
But what is this magic tool that seems to have such an irresistible force of attraction for such a wide swath of humanity?
Wikipedia tells us that a blog is a kind of website with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events and other material, such as graphics and video. While some blogs function as a personal online diary, many blogs provide commentary or news on a particular subject.
Roger-Wilco is a blog of this second category. RWB is dedicated to the world of air traffic management, as seen through the eyes of air traffic controllers, pilots, engineers, psychologists… and YOU, our readers who we trust will comment on the articles appearing on the pages of our blog.
Click here to read the full article
