ITT Teams with Oman RAF

ITT has been awarded a contract to supply a turnkey Air Traffic Control (ATC) solution for the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) at their new operational airbase. ITT will supply a turnkey ATC solution, including: a Terminal Air Surveillance Radar (TASR) providing enhanced primary and secondary surveillance capabilities; a suite of Navigational Aids, Communications, Training, Logistics Support and the establishment of a third line depot facility in Oman to support the RAFO objective for long-term self-sufficiency and growth. ITT's solution provides commonality with its existing ATC systems in Oman, maximizing the RAFO's operational efficiency and performance while minimizing total cost of ownership. The ATC solution for the Airfield will be delivered in late 2011. ITT's TASR is next-generation air traffic control radar used to identify, sequence, and separate participating aircraft; provide final approach guidance, guidance through air defense corridors and zones; and coordinate aircraft identification. These services are provided in all types of weather. The TASR - available in fixed, transportable or fully mobile configurations - provides Airport Surveillance Radar (ASR) capability which includes Primary Surveillance Radar (PSR) and Monopulse Secondary Surveillance Radar (MSSR).

FAA Ensures Air Safety with King Air Turboprops

The Beechcraft King Air will soon be used to further support the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in its responsibility for the safety of civil aviation. The FAA has operated King Air aircraft for decades and recently awarded Hawker Beechcraft Corporation a contract to upgrade its fleet with four new King Air C90GTi turboprops to support its Flight Standards Flight Program. The contract includes the option for two additional aircraft. Deliveries will take place over the next two years. The performance and technology capabilities of the C90GTi will provide the Flight Standards Program Office with an improved fleet of aircraft. The Flight Standards Flight Program provides direct support to more than 600 Aviation Safety Operations Inspectors (ASIs) throughout the country in their responsibility to ensure flights within National Air Space (NAS) operate at the highest level of safety and within regulatory requirements.

EMS Operator Completes NVG Training

EMS air ambulance operator Mercy Flights of Medford, OR, recently completed night vision goggle (NVG) training with Night Flight Concepts (NFC) of Port St. Lucie, FL. The comprehensive NVG training package took place on-site at Mercy Flights facility in Oregon. Ground and flight training was provided for the pilots and medical flight personnel, increasing the overall safety and operational capability of the area's only dedicated FAA Part 135 EMS operator. Additionally, NFC provided the only FAA TSO-C164 approved aviation night vision goggles (NVAG-6) and an extended night vision goggle (NVG) inspection service agreement to maintain the NVG's continued air-worthiness. NFC company president, Adam Aldous commented, "We're extremely proud to have provided additional safety for the flight crews and improved service to the residents of Southern Oregon and Northern California and we appreciate the confidence that Mercy Flights has placed in Night Flight Concepts."

Critters on a Plane

A foot-long baby crocodile got loose on an EgyptAir flight after it wriggled out of a passenger's bag, The Associated Press reports. AP says the crocodile caused panic on the flight until a crew member on the EgyptAir flight from Abu Dhabi rounded up the wayward reptile and calmed passengers. Transporting exotic animals across Egyptian borders is illegal. None of the passengers on the flight claimed ownership of the baby croc. The animal was seized by airport security in Cairo and given to the Cairo Zoo. That story comes just a little more than a week after AP reported that an Arizona man traveling on a Southwest B-737 was stung by a scorpion. A total of six were found on the aircraft. The passenger was not seriously harmed, and the air carrier is trying to figure out how the scorpions made it on the flight. Later that day, another man was reportedly stung at Phoenix Sky Harbor International where the Southwest flight originated.

OSHA Targets ATC Towers

The safety of airport traffic control tower personnel is the focus of an OSHA inspection program, which will monitors how workers clear a control tower in case of fire and other emergencies. The program requires FAA to bring towers into compliance with the alternate standard for egress and fire safety. OSHA inspectors will inspect randomly selected towers to determine if FAA is meeting this requirement.

SRA Bids NAS Integration Support Contract

SRA Aviation,, a wholly-owned subsidiary of SRA International, is pursuing the Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) National Airspace System (NAS) Integration Support Contract (NISC III). Joining the SRA Aviation-led team, in addition to previously announced CSC, are Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC); AMTI; Honeywell; URS Corporation; Advancia Aeronautics; CSSI; INFINA; ISG; and Veracity Engineering. The NISC III program will help the FAA implement and integrate next-generation air traffic control systems and equipment, and will supply the FAA with engineering, planning, automation, environmental and other support services. The 10-year contract calls for roughly 900 highly qualified employees with various technical capabilities to support the FAA at its headquarters in Washington, D.C., and at offices around the nation.