Safety & Technology Trends

Air Safety Week, Nov 10, 2008

Aerial Firefighting Conference Held

Organizers say the Aerial Firefighting Conference 2008, held in Athens, Greece, October 22-23, was attended by delegates from twenty-two nations. The agenda included discussions on fixed/rotary operations, safety, management and new technologies.

Many interagency meetings ensued to discuss how to tackle wildfires from the air and how international aerial fire fighting management organizations can improve and share their knowledge and systems. An exhibition of some of the worlds' leading operators and suppliers was held simultaneously. Panel sessions discussed air pollution from aerial firefighting and a debate was held on whether Europe should finance a cross-border aerial fire fighting squadron. Two upcoming events were announced at the conference. The Aerial Firefighting USA Conference is scheduled to take place in Anaheim, CA on February 19-20, 2009. The second event is a one-day Aerial Firefighting Australasia Conference taking place in conjunction with the New South Wales Rural Fire Services' "International Wildfire Management Conference 2009" in Sydney, Australia -- the largest fire fighting management event of its kind in the Australasia region.

ATA Opposes NY Slot Auctions

The Air Transport Association (ATA) disputes the DOT's claim that auctions will lead to more competition and lower fares at slot-controlled airports. "The DOT today attempted yet another rationale in support of its unwavering desire to force untested, highly controversial slot auctions at New York-area airports. Its never-ending but imaginative claims are beginning to seem like throwing spaghetti at the wall to see what sticks," said ATA. "This latest argument sadly confirms the Department's willingness to spin its wheels to mask its failure to implement proven operational and airspace redesign measures that will enhance capacity and reduce flight delays in the New York area. Auctions do not enhance capacity or give passengers more options and they do not result in lower fares." ATA added. Both the trade association and the Port Authority of NY/NJ have lodged legal challenges to DOT's move.

Aerobahn at Newark Liberty Int'l

The Sensis Aerobahn Service is now operational at Newark Liberty International. The service is being used by Continental Airlines to provide real-time situational awareness of aircraft taxiing to more efficiently manage aircraft pushbacks and reduce taxi times at the carrier's New York hub. Continental also uses Aerobahn at Bush Intercontinental in Houston. The carrier also plans to use the service at its System Operations Coordination Center (SOCC) in Houston to enhance efficiency of the overall airline network. At Newark, Sensis Aerobahn Service integrates flight schedule and operational data with Sensis Multistatic Dependent Surveillance, a multilateration surveillance system, for a real-time, highly accurate picture of aircraft taxiing on the ground. Users access Aerobahn through a secure web browser and select from a set of tools which provide comprehensive insight into Continental's airside operation.

NAV CANADA Selects Multilateration for Montreal Airport

NAV CANADA is deploying Sensis Multistatic Dependent Surveillance (MDS) multilateration for surface surveillance at Montreal Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport. In addition, Sensis VeeLo NextGen vehicle locators will be used for tracking airport vehicles in the maneuvering area. Sensis MDS uses multiple low-maintenance, non-rotating sensors to triangulate aircraft location based on transponder signals and supply air traffic controllers with precise aircraft position and identification information regardless of weather conditions. With a higher update rate and greater positional accuracy than traditional radar, Sensis MDS provides consistent, accurate surveillance performance. MDS' architecture and advanced multi-path elimination algorithms result in precise surveillance using the optimal number of ground stations for reduced cost and complexity. Additionally, each MDS sensor supports Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B). VeeLo NextGen is a Mode S-based vehicle locator that features a WAAS-enabled GPS receiver and broadcasts its position and identity using the Mode S Extended Squitter ADS-B message format. This enables accurate and reliable detection, tracking and identification of airport surface vehicles.

ASDE-X Serving Phoenix Sky Harbor

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is the 14th airport operational with Sensis Airport Surface Detection Equipment, Model X (ASDE-X), a runway incursion detection and alerting system. The FAA will deploy the technology to a total of 35 of the nation's airports. ASDE-X combines ground surveillance data from a number of sources to provide air traffic controllers with real-time, highly accurate position and location information of all aircraft and vehicles on the airport surface. Tony Lo Brutto, vice president and general manager of Sensis Air Traffic Systems, said "ASDE-X is not only the most advanced surface surveillance technology for the prevention of runway incursions, it is also a flexible platform that enables sophisticated solutions such as precision runway monitoring, airport management tools and runway status lights."