Europe’s first precision landing supported hub

Europe’s First Hub to Make Precision Landing Approaches Possible Using the Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS) – Further Initiatives Implemented by the Alliance for Noise Abatement.

Frankfurt Airport (FRA) is the first international hub in Europe to commence regular operations of a satellite-supported precision approach system for aircraft called Ground Based Augmentation System (GBAS). A cooperative initiative of the airport, air traffic control, and the largest home-base carrier, GBAS was officially inaugurated on September 3 by Dr. Stefan Schulte, Fraport AG’s executive board chairman; Robert Schickling, DFS Deutsche Flugsicherung GmbH’s managing director of operations; and Kay Kratky, Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s member of the board Passage.

“After only about 16 months of signing our cooperation agreement, we are pleased, together with our partners DFS and Lufthansa, officially to inaugurate GBAS at Frankfurt Airport,” said Fraport AG executive board chairman Dr. Stefan Schulte at the launch ceremony. “GBAS underscores once again our international leadership in new technologies and also shows how we are consistently implementing elements of the catalog of measures being developed within the Alliance for Noise Abatement at Frankfurt,” stressed Schulte.

“GBAS heralds a new age in flight navigation,” declared DFS managing director of operations, Robert Schickling. “Together with Fraport and Lufthansa, we are proud to be operating this new satellite-supported landing system at the European continent’s second largest airport. I am convinced that GBAS, in the long term, will eventually play a very important role at Frankfurt Airport and far beyond.”

“After retrofitting of our Airbus A320 fleet with vortex generators as an active noise abatement measure, we are now commencing GBAS operations in cooperation with Fraport and DFS. Today, we are pleased that our Boeing 747-800 is the first plane officially to use this system for landing at our largest hub. Soon, more than thirty Lufthansa Airbus A380 and Boeing B747-8 jets will be using GBAS to land,” said Kay Kratky, Deutsche Lufthansa AG’s member of the board Passage for the Frankfurt hub and operations.

The inauguration of GBAS by the three partners once again underlines how Frankfurt Airport is serving as an international role model in the area of active noise abatement initiatives and technologies. Fraport, DFS and Deutsche Lufthansa expect GBAS to play an important part for increasing efficiency and achieving noise-reducing approach procedures. The primary advantage of GBAS is that a wide range of approach procedures can be offered with a single system. Up to 49 approach flights to different runways can be now be supported by a single GBAS station. Because of the diversity of flight approach options, there is the opportunity to develop new approach route solutions, thereby relieving noise blight for area residents. Furthermore, GBAS requires far less testing than an ILS system that has to be checked and calibrated regularly with the aid of specially-equipped aircraft.

In the long term, the new landing approach system will also be able to facilitate segmented landing approaches – with the goal of further reducing the impact of aircraft noise in the region. In the medium term, GBAS also will make it possible to introduce steeper approaches on all of FRA’s landing runways, increasing from currently 3 degrees to 3.2 degrees – up until now only possible for Runway Northwest. Along with the GBAS installation on the ground, it is necessary for aircraft to be equipped with the corresponding receivers. To first utilization potential of the system is possible with GBAS-capable aircraft types such as the Airbus A380, Boeing 747-8, 787, and 737-NG. The cost for installing and operating the GBAS ground station runs at about €5 million, while equipping the aircraft for GBAS also requires investment in the millions of euros.

For precision approach flights, GBAS provides digital guidance and works using the so-called Diferential Global Positioning System (DGPS) procedure. The new technology delivers considerable advantages compared to the existing approach procedure used at FRA. For example, satellite navigation based on the American Global Positioning System (GPS) offers accuracy within 10 meters. Furthermore, this accuracy can be increased with the aid of GBAS a ground station. Signals transmitted by the GPS satellites are received by the GBAS system on the ground, compared with its own position, and then transmitted to the landing aircraft as a corrected signal with approach coordinates. In this manner, the approaching aircraft can determine its own position with much more accuracy.

When all aircraft in the future are equipped with the corresponding GBAS onboard receivers, then GBAS will be able to fully replace the instrument landing system (ILS) technology.

Source and image: Lufthansa

Facebook ready to spend billions to bring whole world online: Zuckerberg

Your are here  » Home   » Sci & Tech Facebook ready to spend billions to bring whole world online: Zuckerberg BY REUTERS Updated Saturday, September 6th 2014 at 09:35 GMT +3 Share this story: Facebook Inc (FB.O) is prepared to spend billions of dollars to reach its goal of bringing the Internet to everyone on the planet, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday. "What we really care about is connecting everyone in the world," Zuckerberg said at an event in Mexico City hosted by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. "Even if it means that Facebook has to spend billions of dollars over the next decade making this happen, I believe that over the long term it’s going to be a good thing for us and for the world." Around 3 billion people will have access to the Internet by the end of 2014, according to International Telecommunications Union (ITU) statistics. Almost half that, 1.3 billion people, use Facebook.


Your are here  » Home   » Sci & Tech Facebook ready to spend billions to bring whole world online: Zuckerberg BY REUTERS Updated Saturday, September 6th 2014 at 09:35 GMT +3 Share this story: Facebook Inc (FB.O) is prepared to spend billions of dollars to reach its goal of bringing the Internet to everyone on the planet, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday. "What we really care about is connecting everyone in the world," Zuckerberg said at an event in Mexico City hosted by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim. "Even if it means that Facebook has to spend billions of dollars over the next decade making this happen, I believe that over the long term it’s going to be a good thing for us and for the world." Around 3 billion people will have access to the Internet by the end of 2014, according to International Telecommunications Union (ITU) statistics. Almost half that, 1.3 billion people, use Facebook. Facebook, the world's largest social networking company, launched its Internet.org project last year to connect billions of people without Internet access in places such as Africa and Asia by working with phone operators. "I believe that ... when everyone is on the Internet all of our businesses and economies will be better," Zuckerberg said.


Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/business/article/2000133983/facebook-ready-to-spend-billions-to-bring-whole-world-online

HELI-EXPO 2014, Orlando

When the world's largest helicopter trade show and exposition comes to Orlando next March it should be a smooth ride, according to Karen Gebhart, VP business development for the Alexandria, VA.-based Helicopter Association International. Twenty thousand exhibitors and attendees- with 50 or so exhibiting helicopters flying in, will land at the Orange County Convention Center March 2-5 for their largest event of the year.

For the hundreds of exhibitors--helicopter manufacturers, distributors of products and services , among others--this show is a must, says Gebhart, because sales at this show can make up about 50% of the exhibitor's annual revenue. It's just as important for HAI: This show accounts for over 70% of the association's annual revenue.

The mission of the show is to engage qualified buyers looking for the latest product developments; meet existing customers through face-to-face interactions, develop strategic partnerships with prospective buyers looking for new products that will meet their needs, provide hands-on demonstrations of new product offerings, broaden brand awareness within the international helicopter community, achieve lasting results from exposure within the industry before, during and after the show and close sales.

Attendees come to network with industry professionals through HAI HELI-EXPO special events and find the latest product innovations that will meet the needs of their companies, stay current with changes within the industry through meetings and forums and further their careers through professional education courses.

Source and image: Visit Orlando / Heli-Expo

Air Canada, 10.8 per cent traffic increase in August,2014

For the month of August, Air Canada reported a record system load factor of 89.8 per cent, versus 89.5 per cent in August 2013, an all-time record for any month in the Corporation's history, representing an increase of 0.3 percentage points on a system-wide capacity increase of 10.4 per cent. On this additional capacity, system wide traffic for August increased 10.8 per cent. Air Canada reports traffic results on a system-wide basis, including Air Canada rougeTM, which began operations on July 1, 2013, and regional airlines from which Air Canada purchases capacity.

"I am extremely pleased to report a record load factor of 89.8 per cent for the month of August during which we served more than four million customers, more than in any month in Air Canada's 77-year history," said Calin Rovinescu, President and Chief Executive Officer. "Air Canada generated greater traffic for the month of August in all markets served with system wide growth of 10.8 per cent on a capacity increase of 10.4 per cent year over year, led by significant increases in traffic in Atlantic and U.S. transborder markets. This is the fifth consecutive month Air Canada has set new records for system-wide passenger load factor. These strong traffic results demonstrate that we continue to effectively execute both our international growth plan and Air Canada rouge leisure strategy. I would like to thank our customers and travel trade partners for choosing Air Canada in such strong numbers, and our employees for their continued focus on taking good care of our customers and transporting them safely to their destination during this peak travel season."

Source and image: Air Canada

Boeing, United Airlines receive first 787-9 Dreamliner

Boeing and United Airlines are celebrating the delivery of the airline's first 787-9 Dreamliner. United will become the first airline in North America to operate both the 787-8 and 787-9 variants of the Dreamliner family when the airline launches 787-9 service later this month.

"We're proud that United has become the North America launch customer for both the 787-8 and 787-9, marking another important milestone in the successful history of Boeing and United working together," said Brad McMullen, vice president of North America Sales, Boeing Commercial Airplanes.

Earlier this year, United announced it will fly the airplane on what will become the longest 787 route -- nonstop service between Los Angeles and Melbourne, Australia.

The 787-9 complements and extends the 787 family. With the fuselage stretched by 20 feet (6 meters) over the 787-8, the 787-9 will fly up to 40 more passengers an additional 450 nautical miles (830 kilometers) with the same exceptional environmental performance – 20 percent less fuel use and 20 percent fewer emissions than similarly sized airplanes. The airplane leverages the visionary design of the 787-8, offering passenger-pleasing features such as large windows, large stow bins, modern LED lighting, higher humidity, a lower cabin altitude, cleaner air and a smoother ride.

Source and image: Boeing

Embraer’s Legacy 500 Executive Jet awarded Brazilian certification

The Brazilian Civil Aviation Agency (Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil – ANAC) today granted type certification for the Legacy 500 executive jet during a ceremony at the Latin American Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (LABACE), in São Paulo, Brazil. Embraer expects to receive certification from the FAA (Federal Aviation Administration) in the upcoming weeks and certification by EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency) thereafter.

“We are thrilled with the achievement of the Legacy 500 certification, a revolutionary jet that delivers true innovation to our customers,” said Frederico Fleury Curado, Embraer President and CEO. “I want to congratulate our teams for their passion and their dedication to bring to market this extraordinary aircraft.”

The flight test program comprised four prototype aircraft, which have carried out extensive function and reliability testing. The Legacy 500 test fleet completed over 1,800 flight hours. Over 20,000 hours of tests were conducted in laboratories with rigs for aircraft avionics, electrical, hydraulic, and environmental systems.

Production of the Legacy 500 has already begun and the first delivery is scheduled for September. Up to six aircraft will be produced in 2014, and production of the Legacy 500 will increase throughout 2015.

“We are very pleased to confirm that all Legacy 500 design goals have been achieved or exceeded” said Marco Túlio Pellegrini, President and CEO, Embraer Executive Jets. “This aircraft is a game changer! With greater range and better field performance than originally planned, the Legacy 500 sets a new standard for the midsize class.”

Source and image: Embraer

NATS handles record traffic in August

Air traffic controllers at Gatwick Airport handled a total of 906 movements on 29 August, breaking their own world record for air traffic movements in a day from a single runway.

The record was broken at the end of the busy summer season and the last weekend of the school holidays, with 906 movements equating to a take off or landing every 63 seconds.

NATS is the only air traffic services operator in the world to have ever achieved more than 900 aircraft movements in a single day from one runway – a feat it achieved four times in August. It set the previous record of 895 in 2008 and has consistently set the benchmark for the number of movements from a single runway.

Over the past two years, NATS has worked to increase Gatwick’s declared capacity to deliver seven hours of 55 scheduled movements per day, although even more are not uncommon at peak times.

Steve Anderson, NATS General Manager at Gatwick, said: “To achieve over 900 runway movements means everything has to be working in perfect sync – from optimising the order of arriving and departing flights through to fine tuning the arrival spacing. It’s something we have worked incredibly hard at over many years and the team can be rightfully proud of the service we provide.”

The NATS team in the tower are supported by their controller colleagues based at Swanwick Control Centre. Steve added: “They play an absolutely integral role, and achieving 900 movements wouldn’t be possible without a NATS wide team effort.”

Source and image: NATS