Station calling – Visiting To70

Driving a US sized mini-van is not easy on the narrow streets of Den Hague and avoiding the ever-present cyclists is a task unto itself but visiting aviation consulting firm To70 was a challenge mainly because of the house numbers. Don’t ask me why No. 60 is tucked away between two much higher house numbers of three… Continue reading Station calling – Visiting To70

Metron Aviation Wins NASA Contract for NextGen Airspace Management

Metron Aviation announced  that it has been awarded a contract from NASA to perform advanced research and development to further NextGen airspace management concepts. This is an interesting twist in the NextGen story… Metron Aviation has been recently acquired by Airbus. Metron Aviation will support NASA’s NextGen Concepts and Technology Development Project (CTD), as it… Continue reading Metron Aviation Wins NASA Contract for NextGen Airspace Management

Meet EDA – The Efficient Descent Advisor

You will have heard of Tailored Arrivals… they are nice and work well but they often also need to be broken off prematurely when conflicts between aircraft arise. Now here is a tool that pre-empts the conflicts and releases the full power of tailored arrivals. Meet EDA, the Efficient Descent Advisor being developed by NASA.… Continue reading Meet EDA – The Efficient Descent Advisor

28 January 1986 – Space Shuttle Challenger explodes

The space shuttle system was an innovative solution for sending humans into space. The whole program, from inception to this day, has a varied history, one that can serve up several lessons in what happens when government bureaucracy and brilliant engineering come together to create something that had never been tried before. Challenger, at the… Continue reading 28 January 1986 – Space Shuttle Challenger explodes

Fluid Flow

The wind and the general flow of air and ocean currents around our planet is of great importance to aviators and sailors alike. It is often hard to visualise exactly what is going on. Satellite pictures can show us a lot, not only for illustrating the weather forecasts we all see on TV, but sometimes… Continue reading Fluid Flow

Take Part in Three Days of NextGen Keynotes and Panel Discussions

Participate in 11 Technical Sessions Focusing on Key NextGen Topics — from Near to Far Term. This Opportunity Only Occurs Once a Year. Spend time exploring NextGen Exhibits such as the FAA Data Communications exhibit, which invites ICNS conference attendees to participate in a hands-on pilot/controller simulation, highlighting the many benefits of digital data exchange… Continue reading Take Part in Three Days of NextGen Keynotes and Panel Discussions

Volcanic Ash, an awesome danger

Despite the great beauty of many things found in nature, some also present a great danger to mankinds’ activities. The unprecedented closure of so much of Europe’s airspace highlights the problems caused by volcanic ash. This is not just an issue for airlines and the travelling public, but also affects the whole economy and all… Continue reading Volcanic Ash, an awesome danger

Registration Now Open for the 10th ICNS Conference

Conference registration here. Hotel reservation here. Discounted registration is good through May 1, 2010 for this May 11-13 event at the Westin Washington Dulles Hotel. Additional discounts are available for AIAA and IEEE members. The Technical Program is overfull, with almost 100 technical papers slated to be presented. Each day starts with a Plenary session.… Continue reading Registration Now Open for the 10th ICNS Conference

Oceanic airspace, the proving ground for future separation techniques

It was more than a decade before SESAR that I first heard the term “free flight”, a new paradigm for separating aircraft that would replace concentrated decision making with a distributed one by giving the flight crew the responsibility for ensuring separation between their aircraft. This is the normal state of affairs for VFR flights… Continue reading Oceanic airspace, the proving ground for future separation techniques

2010 ICNS Conference – Call for participation

The 2010 Integrated Communications Navigation and Surveillance (ICNS) conference will take place on May 11-13 2010 at the Westin Washington Dulles Airport Hotel in Herndon, VA. The conference this year is by-lined as “The challenged of NextGen, new issues for aviation’s future”. The Conference, jointly sponsored by government, civil and military, and industry, addresses long… Continue reading 2010 ICNS Conference – Call for participation