CPDLC… Controller Pilot Digital Link Communications. It all started when experts predicted that with the increasing demand, congestion on the air traffic control frequencies will make communications impossible and hence a cap will have to be put on the number of aircraft being served simultaneously, severely restricting ATC capacity. CPDLC is in fact non-verbal communications… Continue reading The Mortal Sin of not Taking CPDLC Seriously
Category: Viewpoint
Editorial view on topical subjects
2013 – Another year of failures?
It is customary to look back at the end of the year to take stock and then to make all kinds of promises to ourselves for the new year… Promises that we seldom keep. European air traffic management had a tumultuous year culminating in grumbling by the airspace users on a previously unheard scale and… Continue reading 2013 – Another year of failures?
Electronics creeping up on me…
One way of dividing the world population might be to form two groups: readers of Time and readers of Newsweek. I have been an avid reader of Time magazine ever since my English reached a level good enough to peruse the publication in the mid-sixties. Arrival of the magazine has been the highlight of the… Continue reading Electronics creeping up on me…
Shame on you Airbus
I have never particularly liked Airbus. For decades, a political football parading as a real company, they were always just a tad too aggressive and self-important for my liking. Some of our airline colleagues related just how different it was to accept new aircraft in Seattle and in Toulouse. The Airbus personnel always acted like… Continue reading Shame on you Airbus
Storm rising?
If you read the official communiqués from SESAR and EUROCONTROL, it is easy to be lulled into the perception that all is well on the European air traffic management front and we are more than ready to face any sudden jump in traffic demand. If, on the other hand, you listen to the jungle telegraph… Continue reading Storm rising?
European ATM Blasted Again
One of the many yardsticks you can use to measure the passage of time is the frequency you encounter air traffic management experts who stare at you as if you were from the moon when you mention EATCHIP or ATM2000+. Yes, there is a whole new generation of experts working at the air navigation service… Continue reading European ATM Blasted Again
In Memoriam – Budapest Ferihegy Airport Terminal 1
The current Hungarian government can claim credit for a series of mistakes but allowing the national airline to go bust without a successor, when in fact the previous government had left a detailed blueprint for setting up a new airline, is certainly among the most painful. An absolute first is also the fact that Terminal… Continue reading In Memoriam – Budapest Ferihegy Airport Terminal 1
Is There Life After the National Airline?
There used to be a time when each country had an airline and it was called the flag carrier. Some countries had more than one airline, but generally only one of them was recognized as the “flag carrier”. Those were the times when States regulated flights between their cities and more often than not, connections… Continue reading Is There Life After the National Airline?
States should be Made to Pay
When I read about the Paris-Toulouse flight conducted by Air France to show how much CO2 emission they can save by optimized air traffic management including continuous descent approaches, my immediate reaction was not happiness about saving the planet. No sir, my reaction was: here is the best source of funds to pay ATM developments… Continue reading States should be Made to Pay
The pessimism of an optimist
Some readers of Roger-Wilco asked me why we tend to report on problems so often. The answer is simple. Because almost nobody else seems to be doing it. If you read the official communiqués from various projects, they do tend to project a much brighter picture and if you read only those, you will sleep… Continue reading The pessimism of an optimist