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
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.
“Say Again?” – A phraseology guide from EUROCONTROL
On 02/08/2010, in SKYbrary News, by steve
News from EUROCONTROL’s aviation safety knowledge base SKYbrary.
“Say Again?”, the Phraseology Guide developed by EUROCONTROL is now available online. This guide contains standard words and phrases as described in ICAO Annex 10, Volume 2 and ICAO Doc 4444. The objective of this online guide is to improve the use of standard phraseology by controllers and pilots. It explains the correct syntax, the context of use of phrases and words and provides spoken examples.
Check out the guide here.
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
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
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.
9th USA/Europe ATM R&D Seminar – Call for papers
On 08/07/2010, in Events, by steve
The Ninth USA/Europe Seminar on Air Traffic Management Research & Development welcomes papers that produce new concepts, analyses, and methodology. The seminar will take place on 13 June – 16 June, 2011 in Berlin, Germany.
With the past history of successful seminars, we hope to create and reinforce working and personal relationships between leading experts and researchers in the ATM R&D community, share available results and build and maintain consensus on major issues.
Visit the new ATM Seminar website here.
Download the Call for Papers document 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.
Train them well… but watch your step!
On 30/06/2010, in Flashback, by steve
During my ATC years and also after, I did a fair amount of training that ranged from ICAO Annex 14 (Airports), radio telephony procedures and ATC automation to HMI design and airspace user requirements in the future ATM system. The students represented a similarly broad spectrum from ab-initio controller trainees to ATC supervisors, engineers and pilots with a dizzying variety of nationalities and classroom customs. I had to learn early that ignoring their sensitivities was not a good idea.
I was reminded of this when our friends in The Netherlands bought a very nice house in the South of France and although they like to stay there as much as possible, during the school year they still tend to stick to rainy “kikkerland”. I am not sure but I suspect that part of the problem is their primary-school son whom they may be reluctant to entrust to the school system in France. He is a bright little guy and there is nothing wrong with the school system in France. But it is different and a kid used to the more free-wheeling Dutch system would need to adapt.
Several years ago a few times a year I was delivering a presentation entitled “Airspace user requirements for the future ATM system”. The course was meant for ATC supervisors who came to the EUROCONTROL Institute of Air Navigation Services in Luxemburg to attend. I held a very similar presentation once a year at ENAC in Toulouse for ATM engineering students whose study language was English and they had to incorporate the presentation material into their final exam papers.
Click here to read the full article
EUROCONTROL Experimental Center INO Workshop – Call for Papers
On 24/06/2010, in Events, by steve
The 9th Innovative Research Workshop and Exhibition will be held at the EUROCONTROL Experimental Centre at Brétigny-sur-Orge, France on 7 – 9 December 2010. Submission of papers for this event is now open.
With some 200 participants the INO Workshop has become an important event in the ATM calendar, providing researchers an open and stimulating environment to present their latest innovative ideas related to air traffic management. Apart from paper presentations, this year’s workshop will further include a keynote (details to be announced soon), parallel workshops, posters and demonstrations, and a panel discussion. Last year’s panel discussion has identified the limited involvement of industry, especially airlines, as an area for improvement and we plan a workshop with airlines to redress this situation.
All papers will be submitted online. Details of the conference and the Call for Papers can be found here.
The deadline for paper submission is September 10, 2010.
Papers will be evaluated based on the innovative nature of the ideas, as well as the approach and methods applied. The proceedings will be assigned an ISBN number and published on the conference website prior to the event; chosen topics may also be selected for inclusion in a possible book or journal volume. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to:
· 4D and trajectories;
· Communication and surveillance;
· Human factors;
· Airports;
· Modelling and data management;
· Managing complex systems;
· ATM concepts and airspace management;
· Automation;
· Economics and performance and
· Regulatory aspects.
Mark your calendars and start writing your papers!
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
Volcano kicks European ATM cooperation into high gear
On 03/06/2010, in Viewpoint, by cleo
In the past, programs to improve European air traffic management went under the name EATCHIP (1 to many) and the results were meager at best. More recently we got the Single European Sky (SES 1 and now 2) and of course SESAR. Introduction of SES was a major problem even for the European Commission powerhouse and of course SESAR is still too new to be properly judged.
But no matter, we now have Eyjafjallajokull, apparently the best driver yet for European air traffic management co-operation and hopefully an effective one also. When Iceland’s wayward volcano came to life spewing volcanic ash into the atmosphere which was promptly carried by winds towards Europe, the reaction was almost predictable. Under the banner “safety first” air traffic over the continent was grounded, commencing the longest and most widespread ban on flying since WWII. That no one had prepared contingency plans for such an eventuality is perhaps excusable but the disorganized, fragmented and less than scientific response to the disaster once it struck was not. It was a shame…
Click here to read the full article
Shanwick Oceanic 5 minute longitudinal separation trial starts
On 24/05/2010, in SKYbrary News, by steve
News from EUROCONTROL’s aviation safety knowledge base SKYbrary.
On 25 May 2010, a trial of a 5 minute along track longitudinal separation minimum will commence in the Shanwick OCA. To participate in the Trial and subsequent full implementation, operators will be required to have an ADS-C log-on with Shanwick, possess MNPS approval and utilise CPDLC communications. Initially, the trial will only involve eastbound aircraft.
Read the full Aeronautical Circular here.
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
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
Safety Behaviours – Guide for Pilots
On 14/04/2010, in SKYbrary News, by steve
News from EUROCONTROL‘s aviation safety knowledge base SKYbrary
SKYbrary has announced the integration of the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority’s human factors toolkit “Safety Behaviours – Guide for Pilots”. The toolkit comprises videos and supporting training resources and is focused on the needs of small regional air carriers and charter operations, flying training organisations and private operators.
You can access the toolkit here.
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 communications related aspects of runway incursions
On 31/03/2010, in Life around runways, by steve
More than two incursions a day…
Few other incidents return with the grim and persistent regularity of runway incursions. A lot of effort by all concerned has resulted in a reduction of the total number of incidents but there are still, on average, more than two runway incursions in Europe per day. Clearly, there remains a lot of work to be done.
But what exactly is a runway incursion? According to the definition provided by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) a runway incursion is “Any occurrence at an aerodrome involving the incorrect presence of an aircraft, vehicle or person on the protected area of a surface designated for the landing and take-off of aircraft.”
Of course the words “incorrect presence” cover a wide range of possibilities from part of an aircraft sticking into the protected area to a vehicle or aircraft being entirely in the path of an aircraft landing or taking off. The dangers need no explaining… The reasons why highly trained professionals like pilots and controllers and less well trained but still “aerodrome aware” vehicle drivers make mistakes leading to runway incursions provide a telling story with roots in human psychology, engineering, traffic design, information technology and one may dare to say, on occasion Murphy’s law.
Click here to read the full article
Interesting people, unusual flight plans…
On 26/03/2010, in Interesting people, by steve
Christophe Hamel – Always listen to the inner voice!
After many years in aviation, Christophe is also an entrepreneur in the wellness and lighting industries.
What were you dreaming of becoming when you were a kid?
I was thinking of becoming a pilot and at age 15 or so, of being the owner of a night club or a recording studio: I am passionate about sound and music. But my real passion has always been designing things, you know, creating something new, whether, a lamp design, new sound equipment, new way of managing major programs, new strategies in the CNS/ATM area, new technologies, making something new that was never seen before.
What moved you to become part of the aviation family?
My dad was a geologist and he had to travel far and wide, as people of his profession do. On one occasion, the plane he was on had to make an emergency landing in the Sahara and they waited 3 days to be rescued. From then on he was really terrified of flying but his interest in the development of aviation and in particular the creation of l’Aeropostale remained. He read everything he could find about Saint-Exupery, Mermoz, Gullaumet and of course he told us all about those great aviators and this left a deep impression in me. This connection to l’Aeropostale stayed with me also a little… I delivered their first 737-300 cargo aircraft!
When I got my electronic and computer engineering degree I went to work in industry but soon after specialized in aeronautical engineering sealing my fate… I finally got an FAA private pilot license in 2005.
What were the most significant sideways jumps in your professional life?
Click here to read the full article
Oceanic airspace, the proving ground for future separation techniques
On 23/03/2010, in Viewpoint, by steve
It was more than a decade before SESAR that I first heard the term “free flight”, a new paradigm for separating aircraft that would replace concentrated decision making with a distributed one by giving the flight crew the responsibility for ensuring separation between their aircraft. This is the normal state of affairs for VFR flights or flights in uncontrolled airspace, but “free flight” is meant for the big league, IFR flights in what is to-day called controlled airspace. Free flight techniques were being looked into as advanced methods for increasing capacity. The abbreviation ASAS was born at about the same time and stood for Airborne Separation Assurance System, basically a more scientific sounding name for free flight.
Jane's Airport Review, March 2010
The reaction of air traffic controllers and certain ATC experts was immediate, fierce and damning. It did not help that the idea of free flight originated from the airlines, with Lufthansa and American Airlines being its biggest proponents. The message from ATC was clear: over our dead bodies.
Click here to read the full article
SWIM – How much information should we be sharing?
I would like to propose a simple rule: anybody asking how much information we should be sharing in air traffic management should have their Christmas bonus cancelled… Here is why.
System Wide Information Management (SWIM) is the concept and set of rules, procedures and other needed elements that underpin the net-centric approach of the new air traffic management environment being built by SESAR in Europe and NextGen in the USA.
In a nutshell, the SWIM concept stipulates that the traditional and cumbersome point to point connections be replaced by a solution where those with data to share (i.e. data useful to the ATM community) publish the fact that they have this data (as well as any updates to it of course) and those who need that data simply go search for it or subscribe to it to avoid having to search. This arrangement assumes a kind of directory service not unlike that used on the internet and which helps you find your favorite movie title as it were. Don’t be offended by the comparison, in the world of networking, a movie title or a flight plan are not that different, they are both data. The difference is how we protect and handle the data but that is another story.
You will have noticed the fundamental difference between to-day’s approach to data dissemination and the one being proposed by SWIM.
Click here to read the full article
Is an aircraft an aeroplane or the other way round? The importance of proper terminology.
On 12/03/2010, in Buzzwords explained, by steve
The word game
A lot of air traffic management related material passes through our hands, usually to be checked with a view to ensuring quality of content and consistency of the terminology. There is a disturbing trend that is becoming more and more evident with the passage of time. The documents show a deteriorating level of quality in respect of terminology use.
Why is this a problem? Unless they have been sensitized to the issue, the authors of those documents may not feel particularly disturbed by the fact that they use the terms aircraft, aeroplane or airplane interchangeably in their text, they may even feel that the varied use of words reflects better writing style. But in technical documents, the terms used must all have their precise definition and it is not enough to find a given word in a Webster’s Dictionary.
Let’s have a look at these three words, aircraft, aeroplane, and airplane. They are all English words and they all mean something that flies. Very true. But
there are many things that “fly”, from hot air balloons to helicopters and, depending on how you define “fly”, even hovercraft. So how do we know which exactly a given text refers to if it is not clear from the context?
If you see a piece of text that says “a flashing white light shall be displayed on all aircraft” and then another one that says “a flashing white light shall be displayed on all aeroplanes” and you own a helicopter, a glider and a hot air balloon, which one would you need to equip based on the first requirement? And the second?
Although I assume you know the answer without the explanation that follows, it is still interesting to look at these terms in more detail.
First and foremost, we have to say good-by to the term “airplane”, at least in the international context. Only aircraft and aeroplane have been defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
An aircraft is any machine that can derive support in the atmosphere from the reaction of the air other than the reactions of the air against the earth’s surface.
A aeroplane is a power-driven heavier-than-air aircraft, deriving its lift in flight chiefly from aerodynamic reactions on surfaces which remain fixed under given conditions of flight.
Click here to read the full article
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.
Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) – History and current practice
On 09/02/2010, in CDM, by steve
HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE
The concept of Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) was originally defined in the United States by a group of airlines, led by US Air, in response to what the airlines perceived as inadequate co-operation between airports, the FAA and the airlines themselves. They formed the so called CDM Group, members of which visited several airports with traffic flow problems and analysed the reasons.
Significantly, they discovered that in many cases the reasons were in fact quite trivial. In one case, a missing telephone connection between the FAA tower and the Delta ramp controller was found to be at the root of major departure delays; in another case the “secret” nature of cancelled flights was found to be the cause of unused slots at an otherwise seriously congested airport.
The CDM Group in its original reports had actually established three of the most basic rules of CDM which remain valid to this day even if, unfortunately, in some cases they are being ignored. The three rules are:
• Most problems have simple causes with simple solutions
• Better information sharing eliminates a very large proportion of the problems
• CDM can only be successful if trust is established between the partners as the first step
Although the CDM Group did at first address problems at airports (Atlanta and Philadelphia) when the FAA embraced the concept, they focused on applying it in the en-route environment. This was a natural consequence of the US scene where capacity constraints were present en-route while airports were almost all free flow at the time. Nevertheless, US airports got involved in CDM early as a result of the FAA’s ground-delay concept. The value of information sharing was shown right from the start. Just by being better informed, airlines were able to respond to the restrictions in a much more efficient manner. The initiative in the early 1990s called FAA/Airline Data Exchange (FADE), supported among others by Northwest Airlines, can be seen as the direct forerunner of what evolved into the US CDM project of to-day.
Click here to read the full article
FAA Call to action on airline safety and pilot training
On 03/02/2010, in SKYbrary News, by steve
News from EUROCONTROL’s aviation safety knowledge base SKYbrary
On February 12, 2009, a Colgan Air Bombardier Dash-8 Q400, operating as Continental Connection Flight 3407, crashed while on approach to Buffalo, New York.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) conducted a public hearing on this accident from May 12-14, 2009. During that hearing and subsequent congressional hearings on June 10 and June 11, 2009, several issues came to light regarding pilot training and qualifications, flight crew fatigue, and consistency of safety standards between operators.
In response to this information, on June 15, 2009, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood and FAA Administrator J. Randolph Babbitt initiated a Call to Action on Airline Safety and Pilot Training for FAA, air carriers, and labor organizations to jointly identify and implement safety improvements, and an action plan was published on 24 June 2009.
The FAA has just published a progress report entitled FAA “Answering the Call to Action on Airline Safety & Pilot Training”.
You can get the progress report here.
Blogs, aviation and the rest of the social media
On 27/01/2010, in Viewpoint, by steve
When we started Roger-Wilco, a lot of people questioned the format. For some, a blog was not the right format for dealing with the serious questions of air traffic management. I could see the point in as much as a lot of blogs are indeed little more than a place for certain individuals to air their grievances about all kinds of subjects, many of which are of little interest to the world at large. But who can deny that they too have the right to publicize what is on their minds?
We simply had to make a better blog…
It would be easy to claim that I was always open to things like Twitter or FaceBook, but I was not. Especially Twitter
appeared to me the epitome of uselessness right alongside the male breast. FaceBook was something I could almost like but when they introduced the new “features” enabling users, among other things, to become “computer experts” by answering four or five ridiculously simple questions, I felt like running away. Seeing some of my most respected colleagues becoming such experts left me puzzled but no less determined to avoid FaecBook whenever possible.
LinkedIn was a different proposition right from the start. There one’s professional qualifications, work experience and other “real” things rule and people have actually found work when they were discovered by recruiters of major companies. LinkedIn actually reversed the switch in my mind…
But back to our blog…
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.
NOTAM goes digital
On 06/01/2010, in SWIM, by steve
What is a NOTAM?
A NOTAM...
There are a few things in aviation that have survived over the years with so little change as the NOTAM, in spite of its numerous, known shortcomings. NOTAM is a quasi-acronym for Notice to Airmen, a system of providing aeronautical information introduced well over 60 years ago.
NOTAMs… we have all seen them, worked with them and think we know them. But do we really?
...and the cranes it refers to!
A NOTAM is a text message, constructed using a code defined by ICAO and distributed via the Aeronautical Fixed Telecommunications Network (AFTN). It informs the recipients of immediate or temporary changes to the air navigation infrastructure, both airport and en-route. As an example, if a runway or part of a runway is temporarily closed, this will be announced in a NOTAM. There are several types of NOTAM but their essence and purpose is the same: provide vital information to airmen in a timely manner. In fact, the NOTAM is the middle part of the layered legacy system of information provision: the AIP (Aeronautical Information Publication) describes the big picture and the permanent situation; NOTAMs bring information about sudden/immediate changes and temporary changes that will exist for a short time only; and the operational radio, including broadcasts like the ATIS (Automatic Terminal Information Service), that announce sudden changes and continue to do so at least until the information is also available in a NOTAM.
The NOTAM offices of the world’s States are a legendary bunch of very independent minded experts, who know very well how important their job is and who tend to be slow with changes, however useful, lest the carefully thought out system fail in its purpose. Frustrating on occasion, it is hard to blame them for being careful.
Click here to read the full article
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.
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
Interesting people, unusual flight plans…
On 15/12/2009, in Interesting people, by steve
Patrick Ky – From Wissous to the helm of SESAR
Patrick Ky is the Executive Director of the SESAR Joint Undertaking.
What were you dreaming of becoming when you were a kid?
At first I was dreaming of becoming a football star! In time this changed to pilot… I wanted to be a commercial pilot. We were living in a small place called Wissous, not far from Orly airport in France and I remember going out there at least once a week to watch the planes come and go.
Come to think of it, I remember always having wanted to work with aircraft but flying them was more a kid’s initial fancy. For me the knowledge of how they worked, how they were built, what made them fly in the first place was more exciting than the left seat. It was learning about the technical and engineering aspects that really made my heart beat faster…
I did get a VFR pilot’s license but flying was not the thrill I was expecting. As a student pilot I was very impressed by air traffic control, how they gave you instructions, how they helped you back when you strayed… Actually it was a rather stressful experience and I had to admit to myself that the engineering side of things was more for me.
Wissous is really near Orly...
What were the most significant sideways jumps in your professional life?
Although I have worked in aviation all my life, there were curious sideways moves nevertheless.
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Runway incursion prevention – know your hot spots
On 11/12/2009, in SKYbrary News, by steve
News from EUROCONTROL’S aviation safety knowledge base SKYbrary
It is well known to pilots and air traffic controllers alike that some parts of the runway/taxiway complex at aerodromes seem to attract incidents. As if they were jinxed in some way, mistakes are made regularly at these singularities of the airport universe.
On roads internationally standardized traffic signs are used to warn us of falling rocks, of stray cattle or deer chasing their mates. How can we warn of the dangerous spots at airports?
Click here to read the full article
TCAS Awareness
On 03/12/2009, in SKYbrary News, by steve
News from EUROCONTROL’s aviation safety knowledge base SKYbrary
The latest addition to SKYbrary Solutions is “Clear of Conflict”, a series of 10 short videos developed by NATS in association with EUROCONTROL and Flight Safety International, intended as an aid to TCAS training.
Check out the videos here.
My FAB my Castle – is there hope for the European air traffic management enterprise?
On 27/11/2009, in Viewpoint, by pbn
I guess from a purely political point of view, criticizing the Functional Airspace Block (FAB) concept is probably not correct. I will not criticize the FABs. What I will do is share a few thoughts with you and also raise a few questions. Who knows, someone may even have the answers.
So what is a FAB? Contrary to what you may have heard, the FAB concept was/is an effort by the European Union to bring some order into the fragmented European ATM scene. That this was not exactly to everyone’s taste was amply evidenced in the time it took to get the first FAB (and subsequent FABs) off the ground. The process stalled a few times and lots of screaming brides had to be dragged to the altar before it was restarted again.
Click here to read the full article
SITA selected to provide PENS – but SWIM is more than just ANSPs!
On 24/11/2009, in SWIM, by steve
Those of our readers who have looked at the various postings on System Wide Information Management (SWIM) will be familiar with the abbreviation PENS which stands for “Pan European Network Service”. PENS will allow air navigation service providers from 38 countries to exchange operational data communications across a common network for the first time.
Following an intensive competitive tendering exercise, SITA was selected as the provider of this managed IP based regional communications backbone service.
PENS will enable the 38 ANSPs of the EUROCONTROL Member States to exchange operational ATC data communications in a seamless and integrated manner; it will provide an alternative to the ad-hoc bi-lateral communications that are largely in place today between the ANSPs, resulting in improved service levels and reduced overall costs.
Click here to read the full article
Successful “Performance Based Navigation (PBN) Workshop” in Budapest
On 19/11/2009, in Events, by steve
Although the concept of Performance Based Navigation (PBN) is generally known, when it comes to filling in the details, there is a lot of uncertainty, misunderstandings and even diverging views on what exactly should we understand under PBN. Big organizations like ICAO and EUROCONTROL are doing their best to clarify things but clearly, more is needed.
The idea of organizing a workshop on the grassroots level to discuss PBN and shape common understanding of the issues first came up in 2008 when a number of industry experts discussed how their partners could be helped in getting a better grasp on PBN and its implementation. The idea was to bring together air navigation service providers, airlines, international organizations, research institutions and manufacturers for a focused but easygoing discussion of this complicated subject. 2008 was a bad year for any undertaking requiring traveling and it was only this week that the workshop finally took place in Budapest, Hungary.
HungaroControl, the Hungarian air navigation service provider had kindly offered to host the workshop and we were able to enjoy their excellent facilities on 17 an 18 November. The number of participants (30) was a good compromise between the range of partners represented and overall size for a workshop-type meeting.
The agenda was structured to ensure a logical progression through the most important aspects of PBN.
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BluePower CDM Toolbox– The perfect tool for airport Collaborative Decision Making
On 31/10/2009, in CDM, by steve
Originally Collaborative Decision Making (CDM) was a simple concept indeed. Realizing that a lot of problems in air traffic management came from the simple fact that many of the partners simply did not talk to each other, it was easy to reach the conclusion: make them work together, stop decisions being made in isolation, improve decisions by making them the result of a collaborative endeavor.
It was not easy at first and people invented all kinds of reasons for not doing it… most of the reasons given were simply not valid. We will be bringing you a short history of CDM later and you will see why I am saying this. To a large extent thanks to a small group of enthusiasts (the famous original CDM group in the US), more and more airlines and airports realized that working together was far more beneficial than hiding behind ill-defined concepts of commercial sensitivities.
Click here to read the full article
A short (unofficial) history of air/ground digital link – 3
On 24/10/2009, in Buzzwords explained, by steve
Pioneers to the rescue
In spite of the positive business case, airspace users were not exactly rushing to equip with air/ground digital link. Because of the slow down of traffic growth in the wake of 9/11, the expected ACARS problems did not materialize and the ATC frequency congestion was also pushed far into the future. In other industries, such a period of respite might have been used to prepare for the times when business recovery would once again make air//ground digital link essential. But that is not how aviation works. With the immediate threat receding and even some of the big carriers fighting for survival, enthusiasm for investing in things that would generate benefits only many years down the road cooled.
Of course for the planners of the ATM system this was a situation that spelled trouble for later. The frequency congestion problems were not a mirage even if for the time being those problems slipped into the future. The need to put together a comprehensive kit of capacity enablers had not become less important, only the urgency had changed somewhat. For LINK2000+ the big question was: how to jump start equipage? The question was not self serving at all. If Maastricht UAC controllers did not get digital link equipped aircraft to work with, it would be impossible to build and maintain proficiency and to shake down the system in real operational circumstances.
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Interesting people, unusual flight plans…
On 21/10/2009, in Interesting people, by steve
Istvan Bozsa – forever controller
What were you dreaming of becoming when you were a kid?
We lived near the airport and I was dreaming of becoming a pilot from very early on. I remember how we took the bike to ride all the way to the perimeter fence and watch the planes for hours on end. I must admit that we also stopped to watch the trains at the railway crossing but the planes were the main attraction.
Traditionally there is an air-show on 20 August in Budapest and watching it I felt this incredible pull and attraction… I wanted to be part of it all; I wanted to be a pilot.
I think my son has inherited this weakness… he has his PPL already (and an Aeronautic MEng).
How did you then actually become part of the ATC family?
Ice cream… it was the ice cream! At the time one of the best pastry shops in downtown Budapest had a satellite unit at the airport. The mother shop’s name was Honey Bear and the one at the airport was simply the Bear… They had the best parfait this side of the Solar system and we went there regularly to load up on that thing, teeth be damned.
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