Monthly Archives: April 2009
NYT looks, superficially, at aviation’s fuel-saving efforts
The New York Times has joined this month’s parade of general-interest news outlets looking at how fuel efficiency is bringing changes to the airline business. This article doesn’t mention ADS-B, RNAV, or RNP, but it does mention continuous-descent arrivals. It … Continue reading
Filed under news
EXPLAINER: The state of performance-based navigation
FlightGlobal’s Aimée Turner has an excellent, multi-part overview of what’s happening in the fast-moving world of performance-based navigation (PBN). The centerpiece is this article, which brings home the point that all industry players — airframers, ANSPs, regulators, airlines — must … Continue reading
Missing a catering cart? In-flight meal too cold? New IT automation project wants to fix that.
A technology initiative supported by Airbus and the German government wants to change the way that in-flight meals make their way to your seat. From the press release: The project, sponsored by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology (Germany), … Continue reading
Filed under commerce
Bobby Sturgell becomes top lobbyist for Rockwell Collins
Former FAA Acting Administrator Bobby Sturgell has taken a gig with Rockwell Collins, where he’ll be the company’s top lobbyist in Washington. (Press release is here.)
Filed under news
Economist: LAX, BOS should get congestion pricing
Dr. Itai Ater, an economist from Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Management, wants to see “congestion pricing” introduced at airports in order to save travelers time and airlines money. One direct effect is that airlines spend more money on fuel, … Continue reading
Filed under research initiatives
FAA ATO releases new NextGen explainer video
The FAA’s Air Traffic Organization has put together a 6-minute video illustrating how commercial air traffic is handled today, and how this will change under NextGen. The video is called “NextGen Gate to Gate,” and you can find it here. … Continue reading
Filed under explainer
Former DOT head: “Airlines need to talk in economic terms, not technical ones.”
USA Today has a catch-all profile on the struggle to fund NextGen, with a particular focus on the failure to secure federal stimulus dollars so far. The main critical/analytical voice is James Burnley, who headed DOT in the late eighties. … Continue reading
Filed under news
Naverus gets funding boost
Even in a credit crunch, it appears that venture money is available for firms that have what investors are looking for. PBN provider Naverus just raised $4 million dollars from Silicon Valley-based Foundation Capital and San Francisco-based East Peak Partners.
Filed under commerce
South Florida ADS-B rollout feted
The Miami Herald had a reasonably accurate report about NextGen, hooked to an FAA/ITT-sponsored junket related to the South Florida ADS-B rollout. Would it be poor form to lament the — entirely typical — lack of outside perspectives against which … Continue reading
Filed under news
Fast Company gives Honeywell’s GBAS a big, wet kiss
Somebody in the PR department at Honeywell Aerospace deserves a big bonus this quarter. Fast Company magazine profiled Honeywell’s GBAS (Ground-Based Augmentation System) technology, and basically pronounced it the solution to everything wrong with aviation. The lead itself is telling: … Continue reading
Filed under commerce
Forget NextGen: ICAO looks to promote PBN to rest of the world
It’s easy to get caught up in NextGen and SESAR, and forget that satellite-based navigation is (and will increasingly be) a topic globally. While the U.S. and western Europe surely have the most congested airspace, there’s no doubt that efficiency … Continue reading
Filed under news
Industry Task Force to weigh in on NextGen
AIN’s Andrew Wood has a look at the RTCA’s NextGen Implementation Task Force, which is charged with evaluating the FAA’s ATC modernization plans: The task force membership, representing 24 separate organizations–of which only the FAA, NASA and the DOD are … Continue reading
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