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…
ATM ModernizationFeedback Airborne Silent Movies In your "Outlook" coverage in the January 2001 issue (page 30), you say in-flight movies go back more than 35 years. In fact, they go back much more than…
Business & GAOne-on-One with Smiths Aerospace's John Ferrie Smiths Aerospace is a company on the move. Last year, it forged ahead aggressively, acquiring three companies and announcing the merger with TI Group Plc, further consolidating Europe’s top tier of aerospace…
ATM ModernizationProduct Focus: Air Traffic Control Switches Most people think of a switch as something small and simple–something that can be manipulated by a finger. Not so in an air traffic control (ATC) center. The ground-based megaswitches for ATC…
Business & GAATN and the Reluctance to Accept the Inevitable The Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (ATN) will shoulder no small amount of responsibility. Quite simply, it is being developed to interconnect all operational components of civil aviation, both air and ground, through a…
ATM ModernizationEditor's Note: How Far Will ATC Privatization Go? It appears the United Kingdom will carry through with the partial privatization of its National Air Traffic Services (NATS) organization. Will the United States do the same with the Federal Aviation Administration’s…
ATM ModernizationFeedback Definitely Not First An article titled "Resourceful Rafale" appeared in the September 2000 issue of Avionics Magazine (page 16) and included the following statement on page 21: "The Thomson-CSF SB25A is said…