ATM ModernizationPeople Federal Aviation Administration: Peacock, ATS Director The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has Bill G. Peacock succeeding Ronald E. Morgan as director of the Air Traffic Service (ATS). Morgan retired after 32…
CommercialSafety in Avionics: Watching Your (Aircraft) Weight In an industry where safety is based on the twin pillars of precise procedures and accurate measurements, it seems strange that "informed guesstimates" are used to determine an aircraft’s weight and balance.…
ATM ModernizationIndustry Scan Caravan Fitted for IFR J.A. Air Center, West Chicago, Ill., recently completed a new Cessna 208B Caravan with a state-of-the-art avionics suite approved for instrument flight rules. The aircraft is fitted with…
CommercialProduct Focus: Aircraft Wiring Trapped in an aluminum tube at 33,000 feet with wires leading to the high-load circuit breakers cracked, arced, shorted or fused–an unpleasant scenario. Capt. Paul McCarthy, executive air safety chairman for the…
CommercialAvionics System Design: Learning from the Florida Recount Last year, the world was treated to an amazing demonstration of unintended design consequences, packaged as the 2000 U.S. presidential election. I know, I know, you’ve heard enough about the election and…
Business & GACabin Management at the Press of a Button Ask a question about cabin management systems and the reply is often another question: What do you mean by cabin management? The term has become part of the aviation world’s lexicon since…
MilitaryThe U.S. Army's Virtual Cockpit Virtual reality (VR) is not a new concept; it has been used to design and develop new aircraft for some time. What is new, however, is the "virtual cockpit," and it is…
ATM ModernizationEditor's Note: Bats and Air Traffic Control Ever wonder how bats–thousands of bats–are able to fly within the confines of a pitch-black cave without bumping into each other? No? Well, maybe you should–especially as a two-word phrase becomes more…