Are ATM operational concepts the cause of failure?
On 03/09/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
I have known Jean-Marc Garot, the former director of EUROCONTROL’s Experimental Centre in Paris for a long time. A forward thinker and in many ways a visionary, he retired from EUROCONTROL in 2005. He has now published an interesting article in The Controller magazine with the title “What is an ATM concept?”
I think everyone in Europe and in the US who has ever been involved in the development of operational concepts for air traffic management should read this article. Not because it is so good or so full of revelations from which we can learn but to see just how poorly we have communicated our efforts and how completely things have been misunderstood on various levels of the ATM world and at different ATM organizations.
The article starts off with a nice and even funny summing up of how, it is claimed, experts for concept work are/have been selected. There is indeed some truth in the description and it is also true that there have always been people on the concept groups coming from airlines, ANSPs, industry and what have you who could only think in terms of their own particular activities with little regard for anybody else’s. But those were always a minority. Troublesome yes, but hardly determinant for the final product.
The overwhelming majority of experts in concept work knew what they were about and it was quite common to have airline reps with an ATC background as well as the other way round with ATC folks who were flying on the side.
The article correctly points out that some of the documents produced were indeed overly voluminous… It is a pity that in the very next paragraph 4D Trajectory Management, System Wide Information Management (SWIM) and even air/ground digital link are listed as mere hypotheses, ambiguous descriptions that everyone can agree to and which therefore assume the status of certainties, no longer questioned and on which benefit expectations can be built… without much justification.
Click here to read the full article
New members in the SESAR family
On 20/07/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
A family normally gets new members through marriage, birth, adoption… In SESAR this happens via the less glamorous sounding “association” process. As it has just been announced, SESAR now boasts 13 associate partners who were taken on board on the basis of the recommendations of organizations already part of SESAR. The list of new partners (see the list below) includes some naturals like Boeing and AVTECH (why were they missing in the first place???), three that are in fact distant relatives of existing members (THALES and NATS) and one, the Moroccan Airports Authority that is a truly new face which can potentially open a window on new horizons towards Africa.
Partnership with all relevant aviation players in the modernization of the European air traffic management is the key principle of SESAR (Single European Sky ATM Research). As a consequence, the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) endorsed 13 associate partners to contribute to the SESAR work programme. Among others, the Boeing Company, Thales Australia, the Polish Air Navigation Services Agency and the Moroccan Airports Authority (ONDA) will from now on participate in the work programme. Associate partners were proposed by SJU members which will remain their primary point of contact.
SESAR’s aim is to bring about an evolution in air traffic management systems, eliminating the fragmented approach of European air traffic management (ATM), bringing both public and private stakeholders together. Since its set-up, the SJU secured the additional involvement of airspace users, staff associations, air forces and the scientific world. With this latest enrichment, the SJU not only broadens the number of stakeholders but includes more organizations from third countries in Europe’s ambitious ATM modernization programme.
“Our new associate partners will bring in their specific experience and know-how. We now have 21 air navigation service providers participating in the EU ATM modernization programme. We are particularly delighted to also welcome non-EU members on board of the SESAR ship; this demonstrates our commitment to developing interoperable solutions”, says Patrick Ky, Executive Director of the SESAR Joint Undertaking.
New SESAR family member - ONDA the Moroccan Airports Authority - Marrakech old...
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Three short questions on the SESAR Concept of Operations answered
On 19/07/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
Over the past year we have published several posts dealing with SESAR in general and the SESAR concept of operations in particular. Some of those posts voiced concerns and uncertainties. In an exclusive interview with Michael Standar, SJU Chief Air Traffic Management, published here in May 2010, we attempted to answer the concerns… to some extent anyway. In SESAR Magazine Issue 3, published in July 2010, Michael now answers three short questions on the Concept of Operations. We bring you the full text as it appeared in SESAR Magazine in the hope of making the ConOps picture a bit clearer.
Michael, where are we today with the SESAR Concept of
Operations (ConOps)?
The first thing to remember is that the SESAR ConOps was set out in the SESAR Definition Phase. In the SJU ConOps storyboard it was structured into three steps to realize the paradigm shift necessary to modernize the European ATM system. In step 1, we move from the current day to time-based operations, focused on better use of existing technology and optimizing communication between ground and airborne equipment. Step 2 introduces trajectory based operations through the 4D trajectory. As new technology is involved, international standardization bodies and ICAO will be engaged. The third and final step will be a fully integrated performance based ATM System supported by System Wide Information Management, SWIM – the intranet of the air. These three steps are not sequential but start in parallel, aiming at gaining early benefits for the air transport sector.
Click here to read the full article
SESAR unites aviation world for quick green results
On 15/07/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) selected 18 projects involving 40 airline, airport, ANSP and industry partners to expand the Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions (AIRE). Under the initiative, the SJU supports integrated flight trials and demonstrations validating solutions for the reduction of CO2 emissions for surface, terminal and oceanic flight operations. Seven of the 18 proposals include green gate-to-gate projects, among others between France and the French West Indies. One highlight of the programme will be a series of green transatlantic flights with the Airbus A380, the world’s largest airliner.
AIRE was launched in 2007, designed to improve energy efficiency and aircraft noise in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The SJU is responsible for its management from a European perspective. In 2009, the SJU supported 1,152 green flight trials under the AIRE umbrella. 18 partners in five locations participated in the trials.
As a result of a complementary call for tender, more partners will be involved in AIRE in additional pioneer locations such as Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Canada, Morocco, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. “AIRE 2 means more partners in more locations with more trials for more results. We will demonstrate that green flight operations can be applied everywhere immediately, when partners agree to work together with a common goal. This is not the future, this is SESAR’s reality”, says Patrick Ky, Executive Director of the SJU.
Click here to read the full article
European ATM – Is there anything really new under the Sun?
On 24/06/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
Back in March, Daniel Calleja, Director of the European Commission’s Air Transport Directorate, informed his audience at the ATC Global conference in Amsterdam, that “…despite six years’ effort, Europe has yet to achieve its objective of creating a Single European Sky (SES).” Six years indeed… make that thirteen Mr. Calleja.
Thankfully I do not attend that many meetings these days but those I do tend to be teeming with fresh new faces, enthusiastic young experts who sometimes stay long hours to discuss things that we too had discussed at length when we qualified as a fresh new face. I have no doubt about their sincerity or expertise. My concern is about the perception that what they are dealing with is new…
So what is this new ATM system they are trying to create? “A concept predicated on layered planning, based around a strategically derived daily plan and collaborative decision making between the parties involved, evolving towards managing resources rather than demand. Airspace is regarded as a continuum for airspace planning purposes to optimize the available resources… Airspace divisions are based on ATM needs rather then on national boundaries… Free flight airspace is part of the concept… major change of the roles on the ground and in the air… greater use of computer support…” Why am I quoting from the SESAR concept you will ask???
Well, the sad truth is the above quotation is NOT from SESAR or the Single European Sky (SES) but from Edition 1.0 of the European ATM Operational Concept Document, dated 1 March 1997! The foreword of the document lists those involved in its preparation and the list shows an uncanny similarity to the current membership of the SESAR Joint Undertaking. The EC’s DG7 was also there and as I remember, they were pushing really hard for innovative solutions.
Click here to read the full article
SESAR Concept of Operations in limbo?
On 28/05/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by cleo
One of the more unfortunate developments during the SESAR definition phase concerned the Concept of Operations. At first what passed as the concept was basically inadequate and it was only after the insistence of the airspace users that work started on what in the end became the SESAR Concept of Operations or CONOPS. Peculiarly, it was never really recognized as an official deliverable although, again on the insistence of the airspace users, a reference was inserted in one of the official deliverables that pointed to the CONOPS as the basis of everything else.
Few definition phase documents generated so much debate and even enmity as the CONOPS. Its novel nature and truly forward looking ideas were hailed by some, hated by others. In the end the released version, which was in many ways a compromise between the parties concerned, still contained enough guidance to ensure that a system built to realize it would do justice to the needs of future air traffic management.
And now we jump to the present where rumors abound about the SESAR concept work once again being in trouble. Last I heard, people seem to be saying that the concept is currently a blank box in the SESAR work and there will be no ops concept on the table until 2011. What about the original CONOPS? The answer is an enigmatic: they do not like it any more.
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Low fare airlines and SESAR team up
On 18/05/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
Following an open call for tenders, the SESAR Joint Undertaking today signed a framework contract with the European Low Fares Airlines Association (ELFAA) to include its expertise in the execution of the SESAR work program. For this contract, the association has secured the confirmed participation of three ELFAA airline members: Ryanair, Jet 2.com and Flybe. This marks the latest addition of external partners to SESAR, the European ATM modernization program.
The mission of the SESAR Program is to enhance the capacity, safety and efficiency of the European ATM network while reducing the environmental impact per flight by 10%. To do so, the SESAR Joint Undertaking built an effective partnership between airlines, airports, manufacturing industry and Air Navigation Service Providers. Apart from its 15 members and Eurocontrol, the SESAR Joint Undertaking has so far concluded contracts with staff associations, major airlines, business and general aviation, as well as air transport associations. The academic world is integrated through a dedicated work package and the SESAR Scientific Committee.
“Having ELFAA on board SESAR is essential. We need the involvement of all air transport actors to ensure applicability and acceptance of the SESAR technologies and procedures. The diversity of our members and partners is the key to success of our program and ELFAA helps us to close one more gap”, said Patrick Ky, Executive Director of the SESAR Joint Undertaking.
Click here to read the full article
SESAR’s progress – real achievements, real issues
On 17/05/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
Exclusive interview with Michael Standar, Chief Operational Concepts and Validation, SESAR Joint Undertaking.
Michael Standar
Since the inception of the current phase of the SESAR program, we have come to expect regular updates published by the SESAR Joint Undertaking telling the ATM community how things were going. SESAR has introduced a refreshingly innovative way of communicating with the world, making use of all the modern communications means from electronic newsletters to the social media.
Communications issued so far have focused on the achievements but like all major projects, SESAR is also not without problems and issues that they need to address. This is normal and problems are there to be solved. The main thing for managers is to figure out how to solve the problems and not necessarily to avoid them at any cost.
In this exclusive interview with Michael Standar, Chief Operational Concepts and Validation, we talk about the inevitable problems and how the SJU is going about solving them.
It is said that the reduction in traffic has reduced ANSP revenue and as a result, ANSPs had to cut back their resources. As a consequence, they were forced to allocate to the SESAR work experts who are less familiar with the discussions in the Definition Phase, less familiar with the exact meaning of the Concept of Operations. Does this have an impact on the work and if yes, how will it be countered?
SESAR is a major programme including all aviation stakeholders. Through its construction of the three phases, there will always be new faces joining in the work. But we place a great emphasis on sharing the exact meaning of the ConOps through innovative internal communication features.
This being said, we are prepared to share and communicate to each and every individual working in or with SESAR the concept implications in terms of change in procedures and systems. This will be a continuous learning process for many years to come.
Click here to read the full article
Will public funds be available to help SESAR along?
On 12/05/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
If nothing else, the recent wholesale grounding of aviation in Europe will have been an eye opener even to the most recalcitrant and aircraft hating citizens and politicians of the old continent. Some people still tend to regard aviation as a toy of the rich and transport for holidaymakers which damages the environment and should be taxed heavily. Well, with nothing flying for a few days everyone had to realize that aviation is an essential and integral element of our daily life and this is true also for those who never set foot on an aircraft. Car parts, produce and millions of other items normally carried by air were left undelivered with no alternative means of carriage.
This was a timely reminder not least because the SESAR Joint Undertaking is seriously looking into how public funds may be made available to support the deployment of the new SESAR technologies.
The total cost of SESAR is put at around 35 billion Euros of which 20 billion is to be spent by the airspace users to equip with the new capabilities. And herein lies the catch!
Click here to read the full article
EUROCONTROL reorganizing – is this good for you?
On 02/05/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
Visiting EUROCONTROL these days is a bit like entering a five star hotel during off-season in a bad year. Empty offices at every turn and talk in the corridors that tends to focus more on individual futures than on trajectory based operations and other exotic ideas.
Yes, EUROCONTROL is reorganizing (again…) but they are also cutting loose most contract personnel, and even the permanent staff is being reduced. One might say this is a sign of the times – cost cutting being the name of the game everywhere. Like in all organizations, there was a lot of deadwood at EUROCONTROL, but it was and is a unique European institution concentrating ATM skills like no other place on the continent. When an icon like that decides to change itself in fundamental ways, there must be something serious in the air.
Of course EUROCONTROL has to adapt to the new environment as dictated by the Single European Sky and SESAR. One can only hope that this adaptation will result in something better and more efficient. But I have my doubts.
I remember some years ago people used to joke that if EUROCONTROL does not get its act together, the superb headquarters building in Haren will be turned into a great conference hotel which hotel room starved Brussels would no doubt have welcomed with open arms. But jokes apart, most of the real or perceived “failures” of EUROCONTROL back then were not due to incompetence on the part of their experts. Far from it! These experts came with truly forward looking ideas and proposals and some of those are now part of the more advanced features of SESAR to-day! So why were those ideas not implemented back then, years and decades ago? Mainly because European States blocked most of them cold. Why? Because those advanced ideas would have required the kind of continent wide cooperation SES and SESAR are now proposing and that was anathema to most ANSPs keen on protecting their own turf. That things have not changed much until quite recently is shown clearly in the extreme difficulties the European Commission has had in pushing the Single European Sky towards acceptance.
Click here to read the full article
SESAR video – too much focus on problems, too little on solutions, misses CPDLC work already done
On 13/03/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
The SESAR Joint Undertaking has produced a short video meant to explain the essence of the project. It is obviously destined for a lay audience and this has put limits on the amount of technical detail that can be described without the danger of losing people’s attention.
The story is framed by an SAS flight from Stockholm to Brussels as it happens to-day with hints here and there how it will be once SESAR has done its job. And this is where the video is a bit of a let-down. With most of the characters describing the current problems, the focus shifts from the future to the current fragmented environment that SESAR is meant to remedy. As such, the video becomes a bit like the scores of others in the past which were made for previous efforts to repair European air traffic management (remember EATCHIP?), little more than a list of existing grievances with rather vague hints as to how things will be better in the future.
It is not easy to make movies on complicated subjects for a lay audience but they should have been given a bit more credit for their intelligence and a bit more detail on how things will in fact be repaired.
It is obvious that a lot of the aircraft sequences were provided by Airbus which is fine except that seeing all those aircraft flying in Airbus house colors is not necessarily the right message in terms of Airbus’ wide customer base.
I am sure a lot of experts at EUROCONTROL, ARINC, the FAA and other organizations will shake their heads and may even grab a pen and write to the SJU when they hear the narrator say that Maastricht is testing Controller Pilot Data Link Communications (CPDLC), “the first component of the data link communications that SESAR will develop” giving the impression that this is something new brought by SESAR. This is a particular let-down and I guess is nothing more than an unfortunate use of words in the script… but still. Not crediting the huge amount of international work already carried out is most regrettable.
All in all, I think this video does not do justice to what SASAR is and where it is going. Even if we consider that it is for a lay audience, it is not as good as it could and should be. Certainly the strange text about CPDLC could earn it a Worst Movie of the Season Award but let’s be kind. The video has good material in it and by refocusing things on the future and giving CPDLC credit where it is due, take two of this movie could even be enjoyable.
Check out the video here.
Is there a lesson for SESAR in the A400M?
On 24/02/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by pbn
In case you do not know, the A400M is the military transport Europe has been trying to put together for a few years now and which has recently managed to get airborne. In body anyway because the future of its spirit is far from assured. Why the military needed a new propeller driven heavy transport when they had Boeing’s C-17 already up and running is something of a puzzle… I guess someone somewhere must have thought a big collaborative project like this would be good for European industry.
The Airbus Military A400M
Well, they were absolutely right. The A400M project, beset by delays, incredible cost overruns and government meddling on an unprecedented scale, has shown all the weaknesses current European co-operation can master when States set their minds to it. True, this time the scenery was provided by the military but many of the parties involved have a civilian “face” also, so the outcome is of general interest.
Click here to read the full article
SESAR and multimedia
On 22/01/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
The personal level visual communications facilities brought to us by modern technology have changed how we as individuals express ourselves and to an even higher degree how big companies talk to us. Traditional ads now sometimes resemble animated feature films and the on-screen safety briefing on some aircraft make us wonder whether we were watching a Pixar release and candidate for the aviation golden globe…
It is not surprising then that SESAR, the big European air traffic management research program, also makes full use of what multimedia has to offer…
Go to their multimedia gallery and you are greeted with video interviews (the latest just added is with Florian Guillermet, the Chief Program Officer), cute screensavers and even a number of wallpapers! These latter have also been added to recently so check them out if you fancy having the SESAR logo (and that of the EC and EUROCONTROL) lurk in the corner of your screen. To their credit, the logos are small and discreet.
I have heard people question the reasoning behind this multimedia drive. Personally I find it a new, refreshing way of keeping everyone aware of this important project, an approach to communications that is right where it should be these days.
SESAR will have plenty to communicate and they might as well do it in an enjoyable way.
Who is in charge here?
On 13/01/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by pbn
Those of us who have served the airline industry know full well that what may appear as a monolithic industry (all airlines fly aircraft after all, do they not?), is in fact a multitude of differing business models, interests, attitudes, readiness to invest in new things, inertia, vision and what have you. Even within the group of legacy carriers or the group of low cost folks, the diversity is immense.
In the past, the airline industry booked its most significant successes in influencing the political scene as well as air traffic management when it was able to speak with one voice. That voice on the world-wide stage used to be IATA. The most spectacular flops were booked when dissent in the family silenced the common voice. Just think of the Mode S Enhanced Surveillance debacle if you want to have proof.
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Who said being serious has to be boring?
On 08/01/2010, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
In a refreshing new way, the SESAR JU seems to have cut the ties with the old fashioned way of communicating only in a somber and boring fashion. After updating their web site, they are now bringing us two SESAR theme screensavers and a number of wallpapers.
Who said being serious has to be boring?
I am not sure all the wallpapers are really suitable for the purpose, especially for those of us who keep a lot of stuff on the desktop. Some of the photos themselves are a bit too “busy” and finding things against that busy background becomes a tad difficult. But this is a personal thing and I find the initiative a very good one.
Screensaver 1 tells you the why...
But the two screensavers are really cute. One of them brings home some salient facts of the SESAR project and having all that data repeat on the screen while you drink your coffee is a good reminder why we are doing this in the first place.
Click here to read the full article
Staff associations officially involved in SESAR – essential but…
On 17/12/2009, in SESAR's Palace, by cleo
As made known by SESAR News 2, five major staff associations representing a wide range of professional operational and technical skills across the ATM domains (e.g. pilots, air traffic controllers and assistants, handling staff, flight and air traffic safety electronics engineers etc.) are currently signing framework contracts with the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) through EUROCONTROL for their participation in the SESAR work program.
The associations concerned are the Air Traffic Controllers European Union Coordination (ATCEUC), European Cockpit Association (ECA), European Transport Workers’ Association (ETF), International Federation of Air Traffic Safety Electronics Associations (IFATSEA), and the International Federation of Air Traffic Controllers’ Associations (IFATCA).
Their professional expertise is sought for the SJU work program regarding issues such as safety, security, and human factor aspects when developing and validating new procedures, methodologies, and technical elements. At the kick-off meeting on 4 December, representatives of the associations discussed with the SJU the key aspects of their future participation in order to finalize the more precise details during January/February 2010.
This is an important development since without the endorsement and support of controllers and pilots represented by these associations SESAR cannot be a success. However, a word of caution is in order here.
Click here to read the full article
The new SESAR web site
On 26/11/2009, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
I guess it is a sign of the times that one of the measures of an organization’s maturity is the version number of its web site. Low numbers (say from 1 to 3) tend to be a real pain and it is usually only after version 5 that one is faced with a style, clarity and ease of finding things that rate a compliment.
The first version of the SESAR web presence was visibly an affair that had to be put together in a hurry and it was a real, classical version 1. But the designers of the new SESAR web presence have dispensed with the go-slow tradition and created something really nice for version 2.
Click here to read the full article
Military accepts the idea underlying the business trajectory
On 05/11/2009, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
One of the most important paradigm shifts in the SESAR air traffic management operational concept of the future is the move from an airspace based approach to a trajectory based one. It would be a bit lengthy to explain the difference here (there will be a blog article on the subject soon) so let it suffice to say: trajectory based operations are the key to the required predictability and efficiency of the new system.
During the creation of the SESAR Concept of Operations (CONOPS) our military colleagues at first had some difficulty in accepting this new approach. After all, most military operations tend to require a huge piece of real estate that equates to airspace rather than trajectories.
Click here to read the full article
Still banging on an open door??
On 24/09/2009, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
May be you will remember an earlier post in which we were querying why the Sesar JU wants to spend a bunch of money on test flights and other fun to find a way of tracking aircraft over the ocean. And this as a result of the tragic Air France accident earlier this year.
At the time we said that asking any good flight tracking company, like AirNav Systems would give them all the information they need instead of an expensive study, probably free… Afterwards the cost would only be the equipment that would need to go on some aircraft plus the fees to the company selected. But spending more than 30K up front is totally unnecessary.
Have a look at this picture. Traffic over the North Atlantic on a Thursday afternoon, updated every 45 seconds… The data field at the top show that it is an Alitalia flight, on the right hand side speed, heading, times… No, this is not what you get for 30K+… This is what you can have on your PC right now for a few bucks a month.
Zoom in and you get flight data displayed alongside the position symbols. Just like labels on radar. Even the simplest version of the software is able to track selected flights…
Still not convinced?
Standing all together… separately?
On 16/09/2009, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
Reading the upbeat communication from the SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) announcing the arrival of the airspace users on board the project, it may be worthwhile to take a look at the composition of the new arrivals and start worrying… just a tad mind you but still. There are individual airlines, both big and small and associations ranging from giant IATA to IAOPA (much smaller but with significant influence) and a consortium coordinated by EBAA. Diversity is nice but who exactly will be the conductor of this orchestra?
In the past one of the strengths of the airspace users was in their ability to speak with a common voice. This common voice in Europe came from IATA (mainly on technical matters) and from AEA (on the political level). Achieving the common voice was not easy and sometimes downright impossible but at least while there was disagreement, no cacophony of diverse tunes was allowed to fill the auditorium.
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Major airlines, business & general aviation, associations on board of SESAR
On 15/09/2009, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
The SESAR Joint Undertaking, a unique public-private partnership in air traffic management research and development, has signed contracts with Air France & Régional, KLM, Iberia, Lufthansa Group including SWISS and LCAG, SAS Scandinavian Airlines, TAP Portugal, Novair, a consortium coordinated by EBAA including NETJET and Dassault Aviation, as well as IATA, and IAOPA to engage their technical experts in the SESAR programme. The SESAR Joint Undertaking is now poised to tackle its vital mission: to develop a user-driven, modernised and affordable Air Traffic Management system for Europe, which will prevent crippling congestion of the European sky and reduce the environmental impact of air transport.
Giovanni Bisignani, Director General and CEO of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), which represents some 230 international airlines, commented: “SESAR needs to deliver results on the industry’s top priorities—safety, environmental responsibility and financial sustainability. It must also be completed on time and in-line with customer needs. Today’s agreement is important because it accelerates validation of future technologies with flight trials in real conditions.”
Click here to read the full article
Banging on an open door?
On 22/08/2009, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
The SESAR Joint Undertaking (SJU) has just announced that they are launching a specific initiative on flight tracking in oceanic and remote areas. The call for tender (OPTIMI) is meant to select contractor(s) for the performance of a study and flight demonstrations – co-funded for a maximum amount of € 360.000 -aimed at demonstrating the feasibility to implement oceanic tracking services in the Atlantic at a reasonable cost and within a limited timeframe (2010).
The SESR JU was tasked to analyse the issue and provide recommendations on the way forward in response to the apparent lack of appropriate tracking over remote areas that came to light following the recent tragic accident over the South-Atlantic.
As I read this news in my office, one of the several computer screens was focused on the Pacific Ocean, showing the Western Coast of the US and the Hawaii Islands. All traffic was clearly visible and by pointing on any of the blips, I could immediately bring up corresponding, real-time flight data, including heading, level, speed, departure and destination aerodrome and the filed track was also presented.
Scrolling the map to the North Atlantic, as I briefly looked at traffic in and out of Paris, two questions came to mind.
Click here to read the full article
Scientific elite joins SESAR
On 18/08/2009, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
Twelve renowned scientists have been signed up to create the new Scientific Committee of the SESAR Joint Undertaking. The Committee will deal with all scientific aspects of the work programme and will focus on:
• the scientific analysis of SESAR from different angles: economics, human factors, statistics, mathematics, computer science, physics, technology;
• the liaison between SESAR and the academic and scientific communities across Europe including education of the future “SESAR interested engineers & scientists”; and
• the scientific value of the SESAR results.
The list of personalities is impressive and covers institutions situated all over Europe.
Click here to read the full article
SESAR’s Palace
On 02/08/2009, in SESAR's Palace, by steve
No, there is no spelling mistake in the title… we are not talking about that famous (or infamous) institution in Las Vegas. The title of this section of the blog and the first article in it comes from the name affectionately given to the rather somber office building in Blagnac outside Toulouse which used to house the SESAR crew during the definition phase.
Do you know SESAR?
SESAR is now under the management of a dedicated joint undertaking with the direct and indirect involvement of some 70 companies. But what exactly is SESAR all about? When this question is asked, people involved in ATM will usually respond by quoting the official line which describes the essence of the thing: a program that will have a huge impact on ATM related R&D in Europe and on ATM itself as new services and operational procedures are implemented in the 2012 to 2020 time-frame.
Details? This is where all too often the question is met with hesitation or a blank stare…
Click here to read the full article
