UPS Completes SafeRoute Certification Flights

Cargo carrier UPS completed certification flight tests two weeks ago of the SafeRoute system, making use of Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) at its Louisville, Ky., hub. The company plans to have a certified SafeRoute installation flying by August. Karen Lee, UPS director of flight operations, provided an update on the program during a Paris Air Show press briefing. She was joined by Kris Ganase, president of SafeRoute developer ACSS, the joint venture of Thales and L-3 Communications; L-3 President and CEO Michael Strianese; and Nicholas Sabatini, FAA Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety. Lee said UPS has equipped 107 Boeing 757s and 767s with ADS-B capability. A Boeing-developed Class 3 Electronic Flight Bag produced by Astronautics Corp. of America will provide pilots with a Cockpit Display of Traffic Information for both inflight merging and spacing and Surface Area Movement Management applications. UPS will decide this year whether to retrofit its MD-11 and A300 aircraft with SafeRoute. The company also is looking to expand the use of the system to its other hubs, including Cologne, Germany. Ganese said ACSS will add an alerting function next year for the Surface Area Movement Management function. For related news