Editor's NotePerspectives: RNP: Foundation for ATM Efficiency In July 2002, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced its commitment to implementing required navigation performance (RNP) airspace and procedures throughout the U.S. National Airspace System (NAS). It is an important step…
ATM ModernizationProduct Focus: Countdown to DRVSM Jan. 20, 2005, is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA’s) implementation deadline for the application of domestic reduced vertical separation minimums (DRVSM) in the upper airspace over the 48 contiguous states, Alaska and…
ATM ModernizationSafety: ETOPS Revisited Electrically related in-flight fires may be a greater threat to the safety of long-range flights than engine failures. A new report on extended twin-engine operations (ETOPS) marks a major effort to rationalize…
Editor's NoteIndustry Scan WARP and New Airspace The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently made two announcements pertinent to its airspace modernization plan. At a Washington press briefing, agency officials announced plans to deploy an advanced…
Business & GAWeather Avoidance Advances in receiving and processing radar- and satellite-derived weather data, plus communications breakthroughs, are allowing critical weather information to be presented to pilots in flight – on-line and in near real time.…
ATM ModernizationSafety: Safety vs. Entertainment There is a saying in the nation’s capital that "money is policy." Which is to say, ignore all the declaratory political rhetoric and look to the hard numbers in the government budget.…
ATM ModernizationIndustry Scan New Washington Area TRACON A new terminal radar approach control (TRACON) facility that consolidates five TRACONs in the Washington-Baltimore area began operation in late 2002. The Potomac Consolidated TRACON in Warrenton, Va.,…
Business & GAPrecision and Flexibility, Too Precision, accuracy, stability – these are what a pilot wants in a precision instrument approach. The instrument landing system (ILS) has provided these qualities for years; however, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)…