Time magazine in their 2 November issue published a very interesting essay. The author, Steven Faris, argues that using GDP (Gross Domestic Product) to judge how well a country was doing is wrong and misleading. The idea behind GDP was only to show how much money is changing hands, nothing more, nothing less. Should we… Continue reading GDP and the Key Performance Indicators of air traffic management
Tag: SESAR
Trajectory Based Operations (TBO) – what is this?
We have all grown up with the idea that airspace was the most important single thing aircraft needed. While it is true that aircraft need both air (in which the wings can generate lift) and space (the room to move around in) but airspace? This word has grown over the years and held us hostage… Continue reading Trajectory Based Operations (TBO) – what is this?
Passengers are not the only ones who need good communications – pilots do too!
Few parts of aircraft have evolved as little as the communications capability. OK, we no longer use tubes in the radios but other than that, the VHF AM system is as legacy as they come. To add insult to injury, when the shortage of frequencies in the aviation band finally forced the industry to do… Continue reading Passengers are not the only ones who need good communications – pilots do too!
Military accepts the idea underlying the business trajectory
One of the most important paradigm shifts in the SESAR air traffic management operational concept of the future is the move from an airspace based approach to a trajectory based one. It would be a bit lengthy to explain the difference here (there will be a blog article on the subject soon) so let it… Continue reading Military accepts the idea underlying the business trajectory
Enterprise Architecture and service orientation – what is this?
Few abbreviations connected with the future air traffic management system have given rise to so many questions and misunderstandings as EA (Enterprise Architecture) and SOA (Service Oriented Architecture). In the United States both concepts are part and parcel of air traffic management system development since the marching orders were given by the Federal Government. In… Continue reading Enterprise Architecture and service orientation – what is this?
Anniversary – SATCO ATC system handed over in Amsterdam
50 year anniversary of SATCO handover 15 July 2010 If you look it up in an aviation dictionary, you will likely find that SATCO stands for Senior Air Traffic Controller. But the original meaning is much more exotic! SATCO was the abbreviation of Signaal Automatic Air Traffic Control, an automated ATC system FIFTY years… Continue reading Anniversary – SATCO ATC system handed over in Amsterdam
A short (unofficial) history of air/ground digital link – 3
Pioneers to the rescue In spite of the positive business case, airspace users were not exactly rushing to equip with air/ground digital link. Because of the slow down of traffic growth in the wake of 9/11, the expected ACARS problems did not materialize and the ATC frequency congestion was also pushed far into the future.… Continue reading A short (unofficial) history of air/ground digital link – 3
Put your 0.5 % where your mouth is
The next big event on the environmental Agenda is the UN’s climate change Summit in Copenhagen in December. Since tackling aviation is high on the Summit’s priorities, the aviation world has been working frantically to get ICAO to agree on a set of high level emission goals to be put forward at the conference. For… Continue reading Put your 0.5 % where your mouth is
System Wide Information Management (SWIM) – Here and now
That in ATM we are only now taking the first tentative steps to set the scene for the implementation of System Wide Information Management (SWIM) is not due in any way to SWIM being so complicated, it needing rocket science or yet to be invented technologies. Many an “expert” would make you believe this to… Continue reading System Wide Information Management (SWIM) – Here and now
What is nanotechnology’s equivalent in air traffic management?
It has been all over the trade press recently. 10 billion extra euros to go into French aeronautics research, the money coming from a planned public bond issue. Some of the fruits of this dough will come in the form of ground and flight demonstrations in the 2011-2014 time-frame and the primary aim of the… Continue reading What is nanotechnology’s equivalent in air traffic management?