CommercialA380: 'More Electric' Aircraft For years engineers have dreamed of an all-electric aircraft. They have envisioned a concept called "power-by-wire," in which electrical power moves aircraft flight surfaces. Gone would be the complex, heavy, maintenance-intensive, and…
CommercialAvionics System Design: Huh? What Did He Say? On a recent flight to the bustling metropolis of Nelson, British Columbia (population 8,120), I witnessed airborne communications in the general aviation world. Too bad I didn’t pack my secret decoder ring…
CommercialEditor's Note: A Tale of Two Airports With deference to Charles Dickens, we present in this issue an aerospace version of his A Tale of Two Cities. Actually, we feature two airports, which serve cities with much in common.…
ATM ModernizationFeedback Fighting Fire with Foam David Evans’ "Safety in Avionics" column in the June 2001 issue (page 78), titled "Time to Stop Fuel Tank Explosions" reminded me of an article I read many…
ATM ModernizationFree Flight: So Far, So Good Several years ago at an air traffic control (ATC) conference, a Boeing representative included in his presentation a slide that showed the transition from the crowded, delay-stricken skies of that time to…
ATM ModernizationCan We Say Arrivederci to Runway Incursions? When the DECISION WAS made to make Malpensa International Airport Milan’s new international hub, safe and efficient surface traffic management was a priority. ENAV SpA, Italy’s air traffic services provider, was mindful…
ATM ModernizationMemphis: The Future of Surface Management In the battle to improve traffic flow and prevent runway incursions, Memphis International Airport has become the front line. The engagement there involves both state-of-the-art ground-management equipment and procedures tailored to use…
CommercialACARS on the Net For decades, major U.S. carriers have used the ARINC Inc. Airborne Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS), a two-way VHF data link, to exchange operational messages with pilots on the tarmac and…