Safety & Technology Trends

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Improved Single-skin Crashworthy Material for Aircraft Fuel Bladders.

As part of an initiative to reduce and remove Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from fuel tank manufacturing processes, engineers and scientists at GKN Aerospace in Portsmouth, UK, have developed the first single-skin flexible fuel bladder material that is able to offer crash resistance and puncture tolerance. This innovative new material is manufactured from a thermoplastic polymer rather than traditional nitrile rubber and incorporates the crash resistant textile within it. The material also contains an integrated fuel barrier to provide the same level of fuel tolerance exhibited by traditional tanks. This means the crash resistant layer is not applied using adhesives and no final lacquer coating is required, significantly reducing VOC solvent use.

Midwest Air Buys Flight Planning System

Lockheed Martin/Flugwerkzeuge Aviation Software will supply Milwaukee-based Midwest Airlines with advanced flight planning technology designed to optimize flight routes, increase efficiency and generate cost savings. Lockheed Martin will serve as the program management lead and systems integrator. Two key technologies developed by Flugwerkzeuge, a flight planning system known as mfs:2 and Operations User System (OPUS⁾ for the management of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs), will be integrated into Midwest Airlines' operations control center. Together, these tools will enable Midwest Airlines to design optimal flight paths by incorporating integrated weather, NOTAMs and navigation data. In order to design cost optimized flight plans, the mfs:2 system utilizes variables such as upper air temperatures, wind speed, aircraft performance, airways and airspace restrictions, connection rules and cost constraints.

EASA OKs navAero EFB

navAero has received Supplemental Type Certification of its Electronic Flight Bag for the Boeing 737-300/400/500/600/700/800/900 Series aircraft. Executed on behalf of navAero by Saab Aerotech, Aircraft Services in cooperation with SAS Scandinavian Airlines, this marks the first EASA Approved STC for the EFB and marks yet another certification achieved by navAero. The STC EASA.A.S.03259 for the B737-NG and Classic Series aircraft was issued on February 22, 2008 by the European Aviation Safety Agency. The installation was executed as a part of the NUP II+ Project VDLM4 and CPDLC Operational trials at Stockholm-Arlanda. The navAero hardware is designed to run any airline-specific software applications or commercially available software solution that will run under the Microsoft(tm) Windows XP Professional operating system. And the EFB system has the built-in capability that affords operators with the ability to choose from a wide range of communications options for the wireless movement of data on-to and off-of the aircraft.

New Emergency Flotation System (EFS) from GKN Aerospace

GKN Aerospace has re-applied existing technology to create a completely new and highly efficient helicopter Emergency Flotation System (EFS). By evolving cool gas generator (CGG) technology, a 'direct inflation' EFS has been created that replaces the usual large gas pressure vessels with small, lightweight and extremely rugged CGG units. Each CGG unit efficiently stores gas as an uncompressed solid material and can swiftly produce large quantities of usable gas at ambient temperatures through a controlled reaction. This modular, float-mounted direct inflation system replaces the traditional system of heavy pressure vessels and piping and offers a 25% weight saving and a 50% saving in volume.

Increased Capacity at Swedish Airport

Sensis Corporation's multilateration surveillance system at Stockholm-Arlanda Airport has passed site acceptance testing by Luftfartsverket Air Navigation Services (LFV) in less than twelve months from when the contract was awarded. The system's advanced surveillance accuracy and automatic labeling of aircraft and vehicles in the gate and movement areas will increase safety and traffic capacity on the airport surface. The firm's Multistatic Dependent Surveillance (MDS) uses multiple low-maintenance, non-rotating sensors to triangulate aircraft positions based on transponder signals. With precision comparable to global positioning systems, a higher update rate than traditional rotating radar, and consistent surveillance performance regardless of weather conditions, Sensis multilateration provides controllers with highly accurate aircraft position and identification information. Additionally, every MDS sensor supports Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) for easy migration to future technologies.

ATC Commo Systems Upgrade for India

Northrop Grumman says its Europe-based subsidiary, Park Air Systems, has been awarded a multi-million dollar contract from Airports Authority of India to provide a range of ground-to-air communication equipment as part of their VHF upgrade program.

Under the contract, Park Air Systems will be providing PAE T6 Multimode Digital Radio (MDR) transmitters and receivers with antennas together with training and spares. The PAE T6 MDR is a versatile range of software programmable radios satisfying the requirement for both analogue and digital communications within the airspace environment. "We will be replacing and upgrading all Park Air Systems VHF equipment currently in use at airports across India, including ground-to-air radios and VDL-2 data link software, ensuring that the latest communication equipment is in place functioning at maximum capability," said Charles Houseago, chairman of Park Air Systems.

ANZ Selects Era for WAAS

Airways New Zealand (ANZ) has selected Era Corp. to provide two multilateration and ADS-B surveillance systems for New Zealand. The first will be a wide area solution for the Queenstown International Airport, which will cover the surrounding terminal airspace, and the second will be a surface solution for the Auckland International Airport.

Queenstown International Airport serves over one million passengers per year and is located in the fast growing tourist resort area of New Zealand's South Island. Due to the extremely mountainous terrain surrounding the airport, in and outbound IFR flights have extremely limited flight paths in all weather conditions. Auckland International Airport is the largest and busiest international airport in New Zealand.

Sensis Launches Next Generation Vehicle Locator Unit

Sensis Corp. has unveiled the next generation of its vehicle locator unit, VeeLo NextGen,for detecting, tracking and positively identifying vehicles on the ground at airports. VeeLo NextGen incorporates an improved WAAS enabled GPS receiver and broadcasts its location and identity using the Mode S Extended Squitter ADS-B message format. VeeLo NextGen features a rugged, weather-resistant enclosure that can be easily mounted on the exterior of a vehicle and moved from vehicle to vehicle. Its low power consumption allows VeeLo NextGen to be connected to a vehicle's accessory power outlet. Further, VeeLo NextGen can be field-configured using a PC serial interface and VeeLo NextGen software.

Automated Oversized Bag Inspection Device

Reveal Imaging Technologies says pilot programs for its CT-80XL automated explosives detection system (EDS) have been successfully completed at airports in Jacksonville, FL and Denver, CO. Reveal Imaging was contracted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to automate and streamline explosives detection of oversized bags, which is still a labor-intensive manual process at airports. The Reveal CT-80XL automates as much of the screening process as possible, eliminating manual handling of oversized bags. The CT-80XL evolves from the firm's TSA-certified CT-80 technology developed to handle higher volumes of long bags, including but not limited to: skis, snowboards, golf clubs and military packs that do not fit in conventional explosives detection systems. By extending the tunnel of the CT-80 platform, TSA-certified EDS detection is now possible for bags over 8 feet in length. The oversized bags progress through a wide 80 cm tunnel. Using advanced computed tomography for material discrimination, detailed imaging provides all the information needed to quickly clear oversized bags. The unit can be installed as a stand-alone machine or integrated into a baggage handling system for greater automation.

NATS Selects OSYRIS Arrival Management Software for London's Airports

NATS, the national air navigation service provider for the UK, has selected Barco's arrival management system for five airports in the London area. The contract includes the integration of Barco's OSYRIS Arrival Manager Software with NATS' existing air traffic control system, enabling the efficient management of arrival air traffic for London Heathrow, Gatwick, Luton, Stansted and London City. OSYRIS increases the airports' capacities and reduces the controllers' workload by optimizing the traffic flow. The Arrival Manager for the London area airports is expected to be fully operational in late 2008.

WindTracer Lidar System at Narita

The Japan Meteorological Agency has purchased a second Lockheed Martin WindTracer lidar system, which will operate at the Narita International Airport in Tokyo. The WindTracer provides advanced warning of wind hazards by continuously scanning the approach and departure corridors, enabling air traffic control personnel to offer precise, timely direction to pilots during their most critical phase of flight. Lockheed Martin collaborated with the Kanematsu Corporation of Japan to introduce the WindTracer to the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA). The first WindTracer was installed at Tokyo's Haneda Airport in 2006.