Wired - An Avionics & Integration Weblog

FAA NextGen Wants Your Comments on Retirement of Legacy Navigation

2012-01-11T12:59:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

In the December 15, 2011 Federal Register, the FAA requested your comments on its proposed plan to replace legacy navaids, like VORs, with NextGen’s GPS/WAAS RNAV everywhere and required navigation performance (RNP) where beneficial. The comment period ends on March 7, 2012, and you can read the proposal and comment on it here.

Briefly, the plan takes the next step toward NextGen’s “flexible point-to-point navigation enabled by geospatial positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) infrastructure and aircraft advanced navigation systems.” We emphasized that last part. While not stated as such, it is another heads-up call to those whose fleets have not stepped up to NextGen nav systems.

Sure, in its proposal the FAA plans to retain an optimized network of DME stations and a “minimum operational network (MON)” of VORs to ensure safety and continuous operations for high and low airways in the lower 48 states and terminal operations at the “Core 30 airports,” the major metropolitan hubs.

The plan also would maintain the existing ILS network to support safety during GPS outages, but it will not build new ones. All new Category I requirements will be satisfied with WAAS localizer performance with vertical guidance (LPV) instrument procedures. It sure sounds like the FAA will keep these legacy systems behind glass labeled “Break In Case of Emergency!”

There are, the proposal says, 967 VORs. More than 80 percent of them have surpassed their service life, and repair parts are getting increasingly harder to find. So the FAA plans to gradually retire them until it achieves MON coverage, which would “enable aircraft anywhere in the CONUS to proceed safely to a destination with a GPS-independent approach within 100 nm” if they are flying above 5,000 feet above ground level.

The FAA is also working on alternate positioning, navigation, and timing (ANPT) solution that would enable “further reduction of VORs below the MON.” The FAA would maintain the VORs that support international Atlantic, Pacific, and Caribbean arrivals, and it seems that ANPT might also allow their retirement.

Naturally, how closely the FAA can stick to its schedule depends on Congress. Several months ago it seemed as through the FAA’s long-term funding reauthorization would pass when 2012 was a few days old. But a recent Wall Street Journal article, Stalemate Over FAA Leaves Bill Unsettled, makes it clear that politicians continue to hold the the future of aviation hostage.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Jetstar Offers iPad-based IFE System

2011-12-28T16:27:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

In November 2011, Jetstar, a low-fare airline that serves Australia, New Zealand, and the western rim of the Pacific, introduced an inflight entertainment (IFE) system that displays the latest Hollywood movies, TV shows, music, games, and electronic books and magazines on Apple iPads that passengers rent for $10 to $15 per flight.

The system was developed in partnership with Bluebox Avionics, a British company that developed the wireless hardware and operation software, and Stellar Inflight, a leading provider of inflight content and technical services. Headquartered in Sydney, Australia, Stellar has offices in Los Angeles, Kula Lumpur, and Dubai. Jetstar started with 3,000 iPads, available on the Airbus fleet that serves the airline’s Asia network.

“Doing things first and doing them differently are key to Jetstar’s success,” said Jetstar CEO Bruce Buchanan. “We’ve listened to our customers and know in-flight entertainment is an important part of their overall travel experience, so we’ve made sure the new iPads offer the very best viewing experience.”

An alternate, and even more cost effective, approach to Wi-Fi IFE deployment is available from ASIG. Recognizing that more than 80% of the flying public, whether business or leisure traveler, already carry their own web enabled device such as a laptop, smartphone, etc. in their on-board luggage. Their approach is to defer the expenses associated with acquiring, accounting for, and maintaining a fleet of rental iPads or other tablet devices and deploy a stand-alone content distribution technology which support all industry standards including HTML/HTML5, MP3 and H.264 video streaming to name just a few. The OnBoard Server delivers a Wi-Fi buffet of AVOD (Audio/Video On-Demand) content to them and was certified in 2010 for a customer’s Boeing 737 NG. Users access the aircraft IFE system from their personal devices in a way that they are most accustomed to, intact with their personally customized content settings.

Powered by Avionica equipment and integrated with the satLINK satcom system, the OnBoard terminal measures 10.5-by-7.2-by-1.65-inches. Easily removable, it is securely mounted in a lockable dock; combined, the server and mount weigh 9 pounds. Keeping pace with new technology is simply a matter of remotely and wirelessly pushing content updates or plugging a freshly updated server into the dock. OnBoard can also reduce the time and money it takes to keep an aircraft mission ready by storing all the necessary manuals, databases, LRU operating software, and other data.

Combining an OnBoard system with ASIG’s EmPower In-Seat Power Supply system (LRU’s by Astronics AES) will keep the passengers’ personal electronic devices operating at full capacity throughout the flight. The system delivers filtered power that eliminates the hazards of improper charging, eliminating hazards to the aircraft, passengers and crew. It is a unified system that will make your passengers’ travel experience rewarding and your company memorable.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: OnBoard,EmPower,Inflight Entertainment,Apple iPad

Waiting for NextGen: Possible Progress

2011-11-16T08:38:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

When it comes to developing and implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System, there is no chicken or egg quandary when listing the impediments it must overcome. Technical challenges and industry acceptance and integration follow the political process that allocates the funds that make the project possible.

Congress has punted the long-term FAA reauthorization bill nearly two dozen times, stalling NextGen progress. But that could change by Christmas, reported the Daytona Beach News-Journal. John Mica, chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure predicted that a long-term FAA funding bill would be under the tree, ready for the president’s signature.

Mica and his committee met at the Daytona Beach of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in mid-November to open the renovated NextGen Test Bed. One of three such facilities (the others are the FAA Tech Center in New Jersey and a NASA facility near DFW), it develops and tests NextGen technology. Equipped with ADS-B in 2003, ERAU’s training fleet of 64 aircraft log roughly 65,000 hours a year, enabling real-world end-to-end evaluations of NextGen systems.

Doubling the facility’s space to 10,000 square feet, the renovation prepares the site for its third phase, working toward, among other things, a 300-percent increase in traffic through the use of continuous ascent and descent procedures. Phase II was dedicated to integrating airport surface monitoring and arrivals and departures into SWIM, the system-wide information management system. Phase I, begun in 2008, focused on 4D weather and trajectory display systems for air traffic controllers.

Despite the impediment of unpredictable funding, the NextGen team has been making progress with its available resources. Its website presents a map that lists the progress made at airports nationwide. And earlier this year, the FAA and European Union signed an agreement for joint research that ensures NextGen with the Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR) compatibility and interoperability of avionics, communication protocols and procedures, and operational methods. In other words, seamless air traffic service to aircraft flying between the US and Europe.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Next Generation Air Transportation System,Single European Sky ATM Research,Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,Florida NextGen Test Bed,FAA Funding

ASIG Establishes Military Advisory Board

2011-10-13T09:53:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

In life and in business, especially in the 21st century, two essential realities are that no one has all the answers and success depends on efficiently and economically meeting a clearly defined real need. To further these principles in products developed for the Department of Defense projects, ASIG has formed a Military Advisory Board

Composed of five to seven officers retired from all branches of the military, each will commit to a three-year term to provide continuity. The MAB’s mission is to mentor and provide focused, confidential feedback to ASIG’s management team in a two-step process:

First, ASIG will brief the MAB members on a proposed product development program. Comprehensive and appropriate to the product, it will include everything from notational designs and functional, operational, and software specifications to sales and marketing materials delivered in print and digital mediums, and in-person at trade events.

The MAB will give its feedback through a confidential survey. Based on the members’ vast and varied military experience, each of member will assess how well the product will serve, support, and benefit the intended user and mission. This includes applicable logistics, strategic/tactical employment of technology, ergonomics, durability, ease of maintenance, process improvement, and other appropriate factors. It will also provide similar feedback on the sales and marketing materials.

Retired Air Force Major General James L. Hobson (above) has accepted the chairmanship of ASIG’s Military Advisory Board. A command pilot with more than 6,500 hours in numerous fixed and rotary-wing aircraft, he led the Air Force Special Operations Command until his retirement in 1997. He holds post-graduate degrees in systems management and international studies from USC and the Naval War College, and Harvard University’s senior executive program in national and international security.

Joining him are Colonel Richard Shurtleff and Colonel Len Friedlander, both retired U.S. Air Force, Colonel Kennon Hines, who retired from the U.S. Marine Corps, and Navy Reserve Captain Steven Schellberg.

Col. Shurtleff is an Air Force Academy grad, a command pilot with experience in materials, logistics, and information technology. Col. Friedlander has dedicated his military and subsequent private sector career to information technology and its management. A former Blue Angel, Col. Hines has extensive experience in aeronautical engineering, R&D, and media relationships. A graduate of and senior flight instructor at the US Navy Test Pilot School, Capt. Schellberg specializes in all aspects of rotary-wing engineering and fight.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Power Conditioning Keeps EFBs Cool

2011-09-27T17:41:00.001-05:00

Lithium batteries power the portable electronic devices that make life more enjoyable and work more efficient. Just ask any pilot with an iPad Electronic Flight Bag (EFB). But these rechargeable power sources have a dark side. When they lose their cool, a thermal runaway threatens everything around them.

Given the battery’s size, how bad could the risk of fire, explosion, and toxic fumes be? Consider the following, and remember that regardless the source—external or internal—heat is heat.

FAA Fights Lithium Battery Fire

After analyzing the 92 battery incidents of all types that occurred during transport operations between 1991 and 2007, the DOT determined four likely causes. Only one, the second on the list, is a risk for EFB: in-use with improper charging and discharging.

Think of rush-hour commuters heading in opposite directions on the same path at the same time. Outbound power flows from the negative to positive terminal. With a voltage higher than the battery produces, the charge muscle’s its way in, positive to negative. How much power the EFB needs for the selected task complicates this conflict.

There are two ways to mitigate this risk when bringing iPad EFBs into the cockpit: Go with the battery as the primary power and deal with the FAA limitations on use and power levels. Or connect ASIG’s fixed Power Conditioning Module (PCM) or portable Power Conditioning Unit (PCU) to the airplane’s 28-volt DC bus.

Part of ASIG’s flyTab suite of EFB products, both units employ the same technology. In simple terms, they protect the airplane and EFB by constantly monitoring the in-use charge/discharge power requirements and providing clean, filtered power to an Apple 30-pin connector used with the iPad, iPhone, or iPod.

Beyond intelligent thermal management, the PCM/U weighs less than .5 pounds and employs passive (no fan) cooling. They include GFI circuit protection, over-current and over-voltage protection, and connection load sensing. Soft, backlighted LEDs (to protect night vision) indicate “power available” and “system status.”

Designed to military specs, the modules exceed the FAA’s Part 25 design and operating requirements for power supply systems for personal electronic devices. And they satisfy the FAA Order 8900.1 requirements in Paragraphs 4-1644(E)(3) for secondary EFB power sources and 4-1648(A)(1) for EFB power source airworthiness requirements.

Both are designed and tested to meet RTCA/D0-160 specs for 28 VDC electrical transients operating at full load between –40C and 55C. They also proved themselves as neither victim nor source of EMI or RMI, rapid decompression left them unfazed.

Installing the PCM on N-registered aircraft requires an STC and a separate aircraft-specific installation kit, both of which ASIG can provide. The PCU does not require an STC for use with a Class I EFB. For complete details on the flyTab suite of EFB solutions, contact ASIG and learn how you can reap the iPad EFB rewards and mitigate the risks of its lithium power.

Technorati Tags: Electronic Flight Bag,EFB,iPad EFB,Lithium Battery Risks,EFB Power Supplies

United Issues iPad EFBs to its Pilots

2011-08-29T07:54:00.001-05:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

WMAQ-TV Report on United Airlines Use if iPad EFBs

Welcome to Wired!

It seems like every time we turn on TV there’s another story about an airline that has issued the iPad electronic flight bag to it’s pilots. United is the latest, issuing the 1.5-pound tablet to its 11,000 pilots in place of a 40-pound satchel filled with paper. The captain interviewed above says the weight savings will cut 326,000 gallons from United’s annual fuel bill.

If you want to know what it will take to introduce the iPad EFB to your cockpits, ASIG can provide more than answers. Starting with iPads that have proven their EMI and rapid decompression durability, ASIG can provide power supplies, data connections, and Class II mounts that unleash the iPad’s full capabilities. (For more details, see ASIG Certifies iPad EFB on N-Jet Charter Fleet.)

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: iPad EFB,Electronic Flight Bag,Fleet Upgrades,American Airlines

Airline Innovations a Growing Presence at EAA AirVenture

2011-08-03T12:01:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

General aviation predominates at EAA AirVenture, but the makers of transport category aircraft and their systems are a growing presence at the Oshkosh, Wisconsin, event held July 25 to August 1. Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner occupied center stage midweek, followed by a Southwest Airlines NextGen 737, complete with its distinctive satellite antenna hump that feeds the airplane’s cabin WiFi system. People formed long lines to tour both jets.

Rockwell Collins debuted its exhibit chalet that promoted its avionics systems for business and transport category aircraft, including the 787. In return for completing a marketing survey that gauged the participant’s knowledge of the company the respondent received a branded straw hat. In opposite corners of the chalet visitors availed themselves of hands-on demonstrations of the avionics capabilities.

Absent this year was the FAA’s Washington, D.C., contingent that normally presents updates on programs such as the Next Generation Air Transportation System. Laminated notices stood by empty chairs where FAAers normally sat while answering questions one on one. Randy Babbitt did make it for his annual “Meet the FAA Administrator” session on Thursday. He apologized for the FAA’s absence and said that right now, after aviation safety, getting its 21st temporary funding measure through Congress was the FAA’s first priority, so those furloughed could resume work on everything from airport construction projects to system development. Getting long-term funding was second. Third was the continued implementation of NextGen.

Jeppesen Debuts Mobile FliteDeck & Digital Data

In the hands of participants and exhibitors Apple iPads and tablet computers like them were a dominant presence, as were the mounts that secured them to a pilot’s leg or aircraft. Jeppesen announced its new Mobile FliteDeck app that delivers interactive en route charts, terminal charts, and text, all derived from truly digital data, not memory hungry digital scans. Express JeppView’s space saving vector images vastly expand the coverage area, load quickly, and provide seamless coverage. Updates from Jepp’s global library are available worldwide.

FliteDeck includes own-ship position and route overlay and the ability to view the complete library of charts, diagrams, and Airway Manual Text. The digital data enables pilots to declutter charts, selecting the information they need to see, when they need to see it. A “scrubber” does the same for terminal charts. The “favorites” function provides quick, one-touch access to airport and en route charts.

At the media announcement, the Jepp rep made it clear that the app builds on the success of the Jeppesen Mobile TC for the iPad, and that FliteDeck is available for the general, business, commercial, and military aviation markets. He added that many operators will need FAA approval for in-flight use, a process that includes rapid decompression testing, which ASIG has successfully demonstrated.

Aspen’s Connected Panel Integrates Mobile Devices

Aspen Avionics demonstrated its new patent-pending line of Connected Panel hardware, software, and apps that employ two-way WiFi communication to seamlessly integrate aviation data from personal electronic devices with certificated avionics installed in the aircraft. This technology is enabled by Aspen’s Evolution Flight Displays, and it will be available at the end of 2011 through Aspen dealers.

The initial apps are in development for Apple iOS and Android platforms. They are based on an open hardware architecture and application programming interface. Connected Panel developers will have access to an open API with no licensing or royalty fees.

The Connected Panel hardware is a small, blind-mounted box, the CG100. It contains wireless, Bluetooth, and USB connections and flash memory storage. Employing commercially available technology, it features standard protocol ports and communication slots that will allow developers to add peripheral hardware to the CG100 as needed for their own applications.

Connected Pilot is the initial Connected Panel product. It includes the ability to tune radios and cross-fill flight plans from the iPad to the Bendix-King KSN 770, a GPS nav-com currently being developed by Honeywell and Aspen Avionics. ForeFlight will release a new version of ForeFlight Mobile with Connected Pilot capability that will enable pilots to plan flights on the iPad and load it into the KSN 770.

Aspen has been actively cultivating partnerships with those who will employ Connected Panel technology in new products of their own. They include AvConnect, Jeppesen, JP Instruments, Parrot, Pinnacle Aerospace, PS Engineering, Seattle Avionics, and Sporty’s Pilot Shop.

Avidyne Launches Plug & Play Touch-Screen Avionics

Avidyne Corporation, long known for its glass panels, has launched a full-line of general aviation avionics. Available in 2012, they are plug & play replacements for other brands. Standing out is the IFD540 touch-screen FMS/GPS nav-com. The FMS meets TSO-C146c for full SBAS/LPV approach guidance and features one-touch airway and jet route navigation. Looking forward to the 2020 deadline imposed by NextGen, Avidyne’s new AXP340 Mode S plug & play transponder with extended squitter meets the NextGen ADS-B Out requirements. The transponder combines with the ADS-B In capable TAS600A Series Traffic Advisory System to complete NextGen capabilities.

HondaJet Natural Laminar Flow Wing

In the Honda chalet was a huge metal panel obviously the product of a CNC mill. Covering its jeweled slightly concave surface was a grid of integral stiffeners. Milled from a single 2,500-pound billet of aluminum alloy, it was the top skin of the HondaJet’s natural laminar flow wing (NLF). With the ribs as part of the skin, the upper and lower panels essentially bolt to the spar, seriously reducing the parts count. With the rigid, smooth surface, Honda said the NLF delivers a high maximum lift coefficient, low profile drag, and reduced performance penalties due to leading edge bug contamination, a problem with conventional laminar flow airfoils.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: EAA AirVenture Oshkosh,Boeing 787,Southwest Airlines,Rockwell Collins,Jeppesen,EFB,Aspen Avionics,Avidyne Avionics,HondaJet

Paris Airshow Review: Buy New & Wait

2011-07-18T09:26:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

All told, operators worldwide bought more than $100 billon worth of new airplanes from Airbus, Boeing, Embraer, and Bombardier at the 49th International Paris Air Show, held June 20-26 at Le Bourget. The 660 orders for the single-aisle Airbus A320NEO (new engine option) fueled speculation on whether Boeing would build new or re-engine its venerable 737.

These sales reports surely result in sleepless nights for those who operate late model and legacy transport category aircraft. So that you’ll sleep better, note that the news never fully addressed one aspect of buying new: delivery positions, and how many years operators had to wait for their new airplanes. Nor did reports mention inevitable delays and cost overruns.

When you get right down to it, operators buying new airplanes are really after just two things, efficient powerplants and modern avionics. Avionics is a supporting player at Paris, but L-3 Aviation Communication & Surveillance Systems announced a contract for its commercial NextGen/SESAR products in the new US Air Force’s Boeing 767 tanker.

In the flurry order-count reports, International Lease Finance CEO Henri Courpron was the voice of pragmatic reason: “Does a child want a new toy? Of course. Everybody wants a new airplane, but there comes a time to ask the parental, adult questions [such as], ‘How much will it cost?’ and ‘Do we need it?’”

Given all this, ask yourself, “Why buy new and wait—and pay extra for the airframe you really don’t need—when ASIG can deliver what you want now?” Avionics, IFE or other sensors and controls, it can meet your needs on your schedule at a cost far below that of new. By upgrading what you need now, you’ll reap the savings while others are awaiting for their number to come down the production line.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Paris Air Show,New Airplane Orders,Efficient Jet Engines,NextGen National Airspace System,SESAR,Avionics

Adopting Technology: Three Takes on COTS Electronic Flight Bags

2011-07-05T08:00:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

The benefits of using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) tablets like the Apple iPad as electronic flight bags (EFBs) are easy to grasp. A typical pilot’s flight bag, filled with all the necessary manuals, charts, and other required documents weighs between 35 and 50 pounds, depending on each airline’s requirements.

An iPad or similar device holds all of it, and it weighs roughly 1.5 pounds. That translates to millions saved in fuel, paper, printing, distribution, revision time, and healthcare costs related to the contortions required to maneuver heavy flight bags in tight cockpits.

The challenge is how to adopt this new technology and integrate its use in an airline’s operations. It is not a one-size-fits all, as the paths taken by Alaska, American, and Southwest will show. As discussed in a previous issue of Wired, N-Jets, a Part-135 carrier, chose another route, in which ASIG guided it to the industry’s inaugural A061 iPad EFB approval in 2010.

American is a cautious early adopter. According to the company, it was the first Part-121 carrier the FAA authorized to use iPad EFBs. By meeting the requirements collected in FAA InFO 11011, dated May 13, 2011, American can use the Class I EFB, which runs Jeppesen software and data and provides operational and navigation and approach information in all phases of flight.

With this approval, American started a test program with select crews. Boeing 777 pilots based at LAX are conducting the final testing of iPad as Class I EFBs. Upon satisfactory completion of these tests that prove the unit’s full operational and navigation capabilities, American will make the final decision on its integration, whether it will assign iPad EFBs to each pilot or each aircraft in its fleet.

Alaska Airline EFB Video from USA Today

Rather than phase in a fully capable EFB, Alaska Airlines has issued iPads with limited capabilities to all of its pilots. “The initial iPad deployment provides 20 company manuals, two checklists, and other pilot information files,” said Sarah Dalton, Alaska director of airspace and technology. Good Reader displays the documents. Pilots also have access to company websites and e-mail outside the aircraft.

Pilots now have access to information on and off the aircraft, she continued. They update this data through a secure company portal accessible from any WiFi Internet connection, and “a time-date stamp will appear next to the file when the synchronization process is complete.” This cost-effective technology saves the time and money associated with about 2.4 million pieces of paper.

A Class I device is not approved for all phases of flight, Alaska crews must power down below 10,000 feet. To provide operational and navigation information during these phases of flight “We will be putting paper aeronautical charts on the aircraft directly rather than issuing them to each pilot,” said Dalton.

With the paper flight bag as the primary information source, the initial iPad deployment required no changes in the airline’s operating specifications, she said. “Ultimately we want to stop carrying paper and will need an operation specification to do that. To get to that point, all the pilots will need to be proficient on the iPad and the company updating process must function reliably . We anticipate that the operation specification will be in place in the late summer/early fall time frame.”

Once the iPad proves itself in this arena, Alaska will take the next step, either installing a Class II mount for the iPad and certifying it for full operational and navigational use in all phases of flight or integrating it with a traditional EFB.

Southwest Airlines operates with “paper flight bags that are aircraft-centric, not pilot-centric,” said Chief Operating Officer Mike Van de Ven. Because pilots vastly outnumber airplanes, this efficiently reduces the pages it must create, distribute, and revise. Southwest has been studying and evaluating iPad technology as it matures, but it does not now have an active EFB program.

The pluses are clear, he said, but so are the minuses. “I’m not sure that the process is reliable, and you’ve got the investment in technology that needs to be on the airplane, and whether it would be with the pilot or the airplane.” Pilots often need several documents at the same time, which means they would have to flip to them because the iPad cannot display more than one readable document at a time.

Given these nuances, the iPad “is an interesting and advancing piece of technology,” said Van de Ven, but “I’m not sure that at this stage of development that it produces a substantial improvement over the way we operate today.” But he clearly recognizes that “the technology is moving so fast in that area that what I say today may or may not be true a year and half from today, or even next month.”

In other words, the imperative is that airlines need to keep current with the latest developments in all aspects of aviation technology to fully evaluate how they may benefit their operations. That includes putting the technology to work. As ASIG learned with N-jets certification effort, stepping up required the development and integration of FAA-compliant, thermal mitigating, iPad-compliant external power supplies, Class II mounting solutions, and custom software apps that meet the operator’s needs.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Electronic Flight Bag,iPad EFB,Alaska Airlines,American Airlines,Southwest Airlines,COTS EFB

3 Miles & 5 Years = SWA’s RNP ROI

2011-06-20T07:54:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

When it comes to their preparations for the Next Generation Air Transportation System, the headline of a recent MarketWatch story summarizes the situation, Airlines Uneasy Over Costly Bid to Replace Radar, and the subhead explains why: Slow US moves to satellite plan have carriers questioning their investment. And then there’s Southwest, the nation’s most consistently successful airline.

As we reported earlier this year, Southwest Airlines stepped up to one component of the NextGen challenge and invested four years and, according to the MarketWatch story, $175 million to equip its 345 Boeing 737-700s for required navigation performance (RNP) and train the crews who fly them. The news focused on results, increased safety and fuel economy, an estimated $16 million a year based on RNP approaches at 11 of its destinations, and $60 million saved when RNP approaches feed all of them.

Curious about motive, we contacted Southwest, which led to a genial, half-hour conversation with Mike Van de Ven, executive vice president and chief operating officer. A member of the Southwest family since 1993, he’s worked his way up in the areas now his responsibility including operations, planning, analysis, and finance. “We’ve seen a nice return on our fuel burn estimates by flying as many RNP approaches as possible,” he said.

Southwest based its RNP return on a “3-mile track savings on our arrivals and departures,” he continued. With NextGen in its infancy, “we thought [the 3-mile metric] would be fairly conservative.” Depending on fuel prices, “we’ll probably need about five years to get the return out of that, assuming you can get the RNP procedures at all these airports.”

Bringing RNP approach capabilities to its 737-700 fleet was part of a larger cockpit enhancement program that included primary flight display/navigational display, GPS, dual flight management computers, auto throttles, and other components that brought the “cockpit automation up to par,” said Van de Ven. Bringing the rest of its fleet, roughly 200 older 737s, up to par is now in the planning and design stage, but before pulling the trigger, “we’re watching the air traffic control and RNP benefits play out.”

Given the scope of the Southwest cockpit upgrade, said Van de Ven, in regards to RNP and NextGen, “we weren’t starting from the same spot as a lot of other carriers. [It was] probably the biggest upgrades we’ve done, in terms of how we fly the airplanes, in the last 10 or 15 years…and it would be hard to parse RNP out of that.” Adding RNP to the airline’s operating specifications and training its pilots was part of the upgrade. “We tried to sync up the equipage on the airplanes with the phase of training with the ops spec approval so that once we were approved to fly the ops spec, that we were able to do that with the [NextGen] fleet,” said Van de Ven. “We started that January 11, 2011.”

Calling RNP “a foundational pillar of the next generation air traffic control system,” it is a logical first step because it provides an immediate return. NextGen, said Van de Ven, “is a complex project. It has equipage ramifications, training ramifications, design ramifications, and political ramifications. No question, it’s a difficult project for the FAA to manage. We’re trying to be the best partner with them as we can and work with them in any way we can to help make sure that these procedures are rolled out, that they are effective, and that we’re getting benefit from them.”

Teams as Southwest are looking at other NextGen components, such as ADS-B and data communication, but “we’d like to see the benefits of RNP play out more fully across the air traffic control system before we make further commitments and investments in additional NextGen technology.” Once RNP approaches lead to the majority of its destinations, “and air traffic controllers say yes as many times as they can when an RNP route is available…we can see the industry to begin to gain momentum on that, I think you’ll have people rushing to do all the other things needed to roll out the next generation air traffic control system.”

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: next generation Air Transportation System,Southwest Airlines,required naviation Performance,ADS-B,Data Communication

The Competition: Where Do You Stand?

2011-06-06T17:36:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Reading government documents isn’t very much fun sometimes, but it often reveals informative tidbits that pose provocative questions such as the headline of this post. Below is the inspiration for that headline, found on page 43 of the FAA’s NextGen Implementation Plan of March 2011.

The Air Transport estimates are based on coordination with operators, meaning the FAA compared the various systems it has approved and did the math with the total number of operating certificates it’s issued. The GA numbers were derived from the annual FAA general aviation and air taxi survey.

The good news is that air transport is way ahead of GA in preparing for NextGen. The bad news is that air transport operators rarely compete head-to-head with GA. They fight it out with other operators like them. So, looking at the list, where do you stand? Are you well on your way or still thinking about a course of action?

Don’t fool yourself into thinking that, with the ADS-B Out requirement in 2020, that you have a lot of time. Nearly all of the NextGen components,—PBN/RNP, ADS-B, and Data Link Communication—are up and running in various parts of the nation. Like rocks of technology strategically dropped into the airspace pool, their rings of operational readiness are growing ever larger. Most air transport airports will be data-com capable by 2015, and by 2018 the FAA estimates their cumulative operational savings at $23 billion.

Those savings are and will be reaped by operators whose numbers derive the table’s percentages. This truth will grow even more sharper in the near future as the FAA acts on is promise to serve first those best equipped for NextGen. Everyone else will have to take a number, which is just one line item on the total price of procrastination, which increases rapidly with the mandatory equipage requirements.

Integrating NextGen avionics into a fleet doesn’t happen over night. Southwest Airlines invested four years in getting the majority of its 737 fleet equipped for RNP operations and Jet Blue invested two years in getting its fleet equipped with ADS-B. And they were working with newer aircraft, which make the integration of new capabilities easier, quicker, and less expensive.

NextGen is all about technology that makes air transport quick, efficient, and economical without sacrificing customer convenience. Still, only one airplane at a time can occupy an airport’s operational runways. As an integrator of NextGen avionics in transport category aircraft, ASIG faces similar constraints, so remember, in nearly all endeavors, the spoils of life usually go to prompt planners who act.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Next Generation Air Transportation System,Southwest Airlines,JetBlue,ADS-B,Data Communication,Required Naviation Performance,Performance-Based Navigation

Class 2 EFB Changes ROI Equation

2011-05-16T07:07:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Aviation’s transition to a digital environment has been, for some time, a question of “When?” not “If?” There’s no denying that deciding when to upgrade a fleet for the Next Generation Air Transportation System involves a complex decision-making equation. An important variable is when NextGen services will come online and start paying a return on the investment.

When a system starts earning its keep is not a variable in stepping up to an electronic flight bag (EFB). As one of ASIG’s clients has proven (see ASIG Certifies iPad EFB on N-Jet Charter Fleet), the return on investment begins almost immediately. Jeppesen is one provider of EFB information. Touting its services in a whitepaper, Airside Services: Simplifying the Transition to Electronic Flight Bags, it estimated that more than 95 percent of globally operating commercial aircraft still rely on paper.

Why? Is it because operators are looking at the EFB extremes?

At the low end are Class 1 units, commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) computers like the Apple iPad that operate independently of aircraft power or data. As a personal electronic device, historically this unit must be turned off during takeoff and landing. This is when pilots have the greatest need for EFB information, so there’s little or no return on that investment.

Class 3 EFBs are the high end of the spectrum. Hard wired into the airplane’s panel, they are heavy, expensive, and subject to the same requirements as all other installed avionics. Consequently, integrating them in a fleet of aircraft is expensive and time consuming, and time and money are important variables in any ROI evaluation.

So it seems that the Class 2 EFB is just right for any operator looking to balance benefits with time, money, and weight. Like Class 1, its digital heart in a COTS PED like the iPad. Unlike the Class 1, however, its connection to aircraft power and data resolves any issues of possible system interference , which means it provides uninterrupted information from block to block. And its mounting bracket keeps it in constant view of the pilot.

Most are aware of the manifest benefits of an electronic flight bag. All the navigation charts, operation manuals, company procedures, minimum equipment lists, and all the other information pilots must have at their fingertips fill each pilot’s “brain bag” with reams of paper that tip the scales at 50 pounds or more. In electronic form they weight no more than the system that stores and displays the data.

But there are other, equally important benefits, not often recognized. With paper, each pilot is responsible for keeping his flight bag current. Being who they are, pilots devise their own process for executing these critical revisions. And the chances for human error increase with the number of revisions they must make—and the time they have to perform them.

Employing wireless technology and unique radio-frequency identification of each EFB, an operator (with its data provider) can upload a standardized flight bag revision that has been created and verified by a team dedicated to this effort. This not only saves the time and money it takes to print and distribute revisions, it ensures accurate, on-time revisions that enhance the operator’s goals of safety, efficiency, and economy. All pilots have to do is call up the information they need—when they need it—without worrying about its accuracy or currency.

When it comes to Class 2 EFB integrations, ASIG has found that the most pressing question is whether to assign a pair of iPads to each aircraft in an airline’s fleet, or issue one to each pilot. Applying the rule of thumb that there are eight pilots for every aircraft provides a quick count, but the answer depends on the capabilities the operator wishes to employ beyond those needed in flight. With a removable Class 2 EFB’s wireless connection, pilots could use them for related tasks, such as bidding schedules. This is one of the many variables in the EFB investment equation that ASIG can help operators compute—and execute.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Next Generation Air Transportation System,Electronic Flight Bag,iPad EFB

NextGen SWIMs in a Pool of Linked Data

2011-05-03T15:13:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Data communication—a digital link between pilots, ATC, and an airline’s operations center (AOC)–is (after PBN and ADS-B) the next building block in the Next Generation Air Transportation System. Playing an essential role in every phase of flight, data comm is coming soon to airspace near you.

In 2012, the FAA should pick a vendor to deploy and maintain the VHF data link (VDL) network that will serve aircraft equipped with a Future Air Navigation System(FANS). Towers should offer data comm departures by 2015, with en route centers right behind them, according to the FAA’s 2011 NextGen Implementation Plan.

SWIM, the System Wide Information Management system, unites the data pool. Sharing information from all sources, it gives everyone connected a common situational awareness, real-time information on airspace and terminal constraints, from congestion to weather, and ATC’s mitigation strategy.

Last year, the Corridor Integrated Weather System was the first ATC component connected to SWIM, followed by the Integrated Terminal Weather System in January 2011. Airport surface information is set for 2012, and all seven ATC systems should be in the SWIM by 2015.

Data comm is not new. In 1978, ARINC introduced the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS). An ICAO air traffic management (ATM) improvement committee, formed in 1983, took the next step. Seeing the capabilities of satellite-based digital communication, navigation, and surveillance (CNS), it conceived the data-linked FANS.

Boeing unveiled FANS-1 in the early 1990s. Airbus followed with its FANS-A. Most airliners built since then are equipped with FANS-1/A, the ATM system for oceanic airspace. Adding a VDL module provides the FANS-1/A+ capabilities necessary for congested U.S. airspace. (ITA approaches are another benefit.)

The FAA demonstrated part of the system at Memphis in 2009. Working with FedEx, the Collaborative Departure Queue Management (CDQM) system shares real-time aircraft position data with controllers, pilots, airline operation centers, airport operators, and the ATC System Command Center. Instead of making a fuel sucking stop-and-go taxiway creep, flights hold at the gate until its their turn to make the nonstop trip for takeoff.

Last year, a version of this system kept things moving during the four-month improvement of JFK’s longest runway and its adjoining taxiways. And at Boston Logan, a one-month test of N-Control, the NextGen component that determines the maximum number of aircraft to push-back into the active movement area without slowing the constant flow departing aircraft, saved operators 18 hours of taxi-out time and 5,100 gallons of fuel.

VDL/FANS-1A+ enables departure clearances and airborne reroutes. As push-back time nears, data comm delivers the clearance. If necessary the pilots can negotiate changes with ATC before accepting the clearance, which feeds it to the plane’s flight management system. Reroutes work in a similar manner. ATC will assign reroutes as offsets. Tailored to each flight, the FAA says these offsets turn a single published route “into a multilane highway in the sky.”

The Aeronautical Telecommunications Network (ATN) is a newer data comm system. Developed through ICAO, Europe is implementing Baseline 1, which can be integrated without modifying the navigation system on most aircraft. The FAA plans to implement ATN Baseline 2, which provides many more operational capabilities. ATN Baseline 3, which is now in development and undergoing international harmonization, will enable full implementation of NextGen’s long-term capabilities.

Data comm now provides routine and strategic information and will shortly automate a number of prosaic pilot and controller tasks. It will identify flight path conflicts, such as traffic or bad weather, and recommend a change in trajectory or speed to eliminate it. Using real-time flight data it will calculate and communicate safe, efficient, arrival details right down to gate assignment.

If necessary, pilots and ATC negotiate changes in FMS-ready data messages, which precisely and accurately convey more details in less time than it takes to talk about it. This reduces not only voice frequency congestion but miscommunications and fat-finger data entry errors. And it preserves voice channels for the most critical exchange of information.

Perhaps the most important aspect of data comm given in its 2011 NextGen Implementation is this: “The FAA is evaluating potential scenarios for best-equipped, best-served in which aircraft with this capability may receive more rapid or efficient reroutes during inclement weather.” Clearly, it is a case of sink or swim in a pool of data, and ASIG can get your fleet ready to dive in and move out.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: NextGen National Airspace System,Data Communication,Aeronautical Telecommunications Network,Performance-Based Navigation,ADS-B

NextGen Now & Just Ahead

2011-04-07T08:05:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

In March 2011 the FAA updated its NextGen Implementation Plan. Filling 100 pages, it gives the status of the agency’s transition to the 21st century international airspace system, noting what it has accomplished and what’s next on the agenda.

Deployment of ADS-B ground infrastructure is on time and budget. Already in operation at numerous locations, it has been integrated in all four ATC automation platforms, setting the stage for its integration and staff training at ATC facilities nationwide. As required by the 2010 final rule, by 2020 aircraft must have ADS-B out to operate in most controlled airspace.

This fall the ADS-B In Aviation Rulemaking Committee should submit its final recommendations on the technology that displays information in the cockpit. These recommendations will ensure compatibility with ADS-B Out avionics.

Taking traffic and fuel prices into consideration, the FAA estimates that by 2018 NextGen will reduce ground and flight delays by roughly 35 percent. The FAA estimates that this will save operators, travelers, and the FAA $23 billion, and 1.4 billion gallons of fuel during this period.

Demonstrations and trials of NextGen capabilities have proven successful and their test sites, usually hub airports. At the international gateways of San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Miami OPDs (optimized profile descents), which reduce step-downs, and ITAs (initial tailored arrivals), an OPD variation usually employed by international flights, are transitioning from demonstrations to operational use.

An ITA is a pre-negotiated arrival path through the airspace of multiple ATC facilities that limits vectoring and altitude step-downs. Pilots request an ITA while in cruise and, if available, the controller transmits clearance data, which includes a descent profile with speed and altitude parameters, to the aircraft. This requires the aircraft to be equipped with FANS (future air navigation system) avionics, which includes the necessary data link. Once received, the pilots load the ITA into the FMS before descent.

In 2010 the FAA exceeded its PBN (performance based navigation) goal, publishing 51 high-altitude and 90 arrival-and-departure routes. In 2011, the FAA is focusing on streamlining arrivals and departures at clustered metroplex airports in North Texas. By 2016 this effort will “deconflict” arrivals and departures at 21 such areas. Next up are Atlanta, Houston, Southern California, Northern California, and Charlotte. This should be a heads-up to operators who fly there. Equipping aircraft now will pay an early return on the investment.

The FAA also published 59 RNP-AR (required navigation performance-authorization required) approach procedures. More are in the works at airports where they will provide the greatest benefit. It also published another 500 WAAS LPV approaches, bringing the nationwide total to more than 2,300.

After ADS-B and PBN, data communications is the next essential component. Replacing many ATC voice communications, data comm plays a central role in every phase of flight from block to block. Data comm is coming online and initial tower capabilities are expected by 2015. Efforts are underway to integrate other NAS systems into the SWIM (system wide information management) network.

NextGen’s primary challenge is akin to rebuilding an aircraft in flight. Each component must be implemented in such a way that it does not adversely affect safety or the operation of legacy equipment. NextGen and operators must make progress together, and the FAA is studying financial and operational incentives to encourage operator participation.

One of them, the NextGen Equipage Fund, came to life with the 2011 FAA reauthorization act. With federal seed money, ITT Corp. and Nexa Capital Partners, an investment banking firm, has created a $1.5 billion loan-guarantee fund to help airlines equip their fleets for NextGen operations. Since 2007 ITT has deployed more than 300 of the 800 NextGen ground stations it is building and managing for the FAA.

The NextGen Equipage Fund says its competitive financing rates and loan guarantees will enable “the retrofit of up to 75 percent of the U.S. commercial air transport fleet.” In addition, payments would be deferred until the specific NextGen services come online, enabling airlines to upgrade without a large cash outlay or additional debt.

It seems clear that the implementation and operational use of NextGen is accelerating. For operators who like to take things one step at a time, now might be the time to add data comm to your fleet upgrade list, right after ADS-B and performance based navigation system. If you have questions, give ASIG a call.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: NextGen National Airspace System,ADS-B,Performance-Based Navigation,Data Communication

ATC Global Updates SESAR Progress

2011-03-22T08:15:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Following up on “NextGen + SESAR = Air Traffic Harmony,” ASIG wanted to share some of the information presented at ATC Global 2011, held March 8-10, in Amsterdam. Even if you don’t operate in Europe, what is going on there matters to everyone, even those who never wing their way out of US airspace.

Before ATC Global began, the FAA and European Union signed a formal Memorandum of Cooperation. Befitting aviation’s worldwide reach, they signed the document in Budapest, Hungry. A research agreement that encourages industry participation, the memo focuses on the interoperability of avionics, communication protocols, procedures, and operational methods between America’s Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) and the EU’s Single European Sky ATM Research (SESAR).

It seems that in some areas, SESAR has a slight lead on NextGen. In ATC Global’s opening presentations, Florian Guillermet, chief program officer of SESAR Joint Undertaking, reported that 75 percent of the SESAR “factory” is in place. That “factory” covers more than 300 projects, many directly involving those who use the airspace. Those projects are now starting to deliver.

Much of what was presented at ATC Global is now online. Rather than an in-depth report on it, a synopsis, with links to the source material, seemed more efficient.

SESAR Forum: SESAR is making the jump from development to deployment in 2011. This forum provided background and details, including key milestones for 2011 and 2012. There are 16 operational focus areas and 29 validation exercises set for 2011. This includes flight trials of air and ground data link services that support the initial 4D (i4D) traffic synchronization of computed and predicted controlled time arrival of aircraft.

Other 2011 SESAR deliverables include Point Merge procedures in complex terminal control areas (see Now is the Time to Invest in NextGen RNP.) These procedures better exploit flight management system capabilities, including continuous descent arrival procedures. SESAR will be validated all over Europe in 2012.

SESAR Interoperability Symposium Part I & II: Global harmonization depends on universal technical standards defined by ICAO Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) and coordinated industry standards. There are significant differences in how various parts of the world organize Air Traffic Management, so one solution doesn’t meet the needs of all nations and regions. Global interoperability, therefore, depends on common technology (systems) and operational procedures that can be equally applied and scaled to meet an area’s needs.

The keynote forum and symposium were followed by a number of Technical Workshops.

Data Mobile Communications Systems: Data link supports all airspace users from airlines and the military to general aviation and unmanned aerial vehicles. “Data will be the primary mode of future operations” with voice communications for emergency situations. It uses a multi-link approach of C-band for airport surface, L-band for general terrestrial, and satellite for oceanic and continental routes.

Green ATM: SESAR meets growing mobility needs while protecting the environment. Of particular interest to operators are efficiencies that predict 10-percent fuel savings per flight. This includes AIRE, Atlantic Interoperability Initiative to Reduce Emissions. Objectives for 2012 includes operational validation of i4D trajectory supported by satellite-based technology.

Avionics: This workshop covered avionics progress within the SESAR program, from 4D trajectory and airport navigation functions to ASAS (airborne separation assistance system) tools for pilots (including ADS-B and TCAS), and combined vision systems that include the detection of wake vortex. Four key development areas—4D Trajectory Management, Information Management, Collaborative Network Planning, and Enhanced Automation Support—are integrated across Airborne, En-Route & Terminal, Airports, Airline Operations, Military Operations, and CNS Infrastructure (including space).

SWIM: System Wide Information Management is ATM’s air-to-ground and ground-to-ground intranet. Automation handles most of the routine tasks, allowing controllers to concentrate on high value-added tasks. It includes a Registry, a complete and consolidated source of reference and service information.

It is clear that the systems and procedures required to operate in 21st century airspace are quickly coming on line with building-block functionality. Now is the time to for operators to make the transition from planning for these realities to acting on them. ASIG stands ready to help operators implement them in a phased effort that will keep you on pace with the future.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: FAA,EASA,Next Generation Air Transportation System,NextGen National Airspace System,Single European Sky ATM Research,SESAR,ATC Global

MROs: ASIG is Your EWIS Specialist

2011-03-07T08:45:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

March 10, 2011 is a date organizations dedicated to the maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) of transport category aircraft should be aware of it because thereafter they will likely see a growing number of tasks that may now be beyond their core competencies. It is the deadline for operators of these aircraft to incorporate in their maintenance programs OEM-dictated inspections and procedures for electrical wiring interconnection systems (EWIS).

For operators and MROs alike, EWIS is a paradigm shift in thinking. Before its creation 39 months ago, thinking of wiring as a system within a system was an alien concept because it includes everything from cables and harnesses to connectors and clips, ties, mounts, and trays that physically integrate it with the airplane. (For more information, see EWIS Maintenance Program Deadline and EWIS, EZAP & ICA: What’s It all Mean?)

Where MROs may encounter EWIS maintenance program requirements depends on the job, but they stand out in scheduled heavy inspections, especially Cs and Ds. Depending on the operator’s program, it could be a combination of general and detailed visual inspections that seek out moisture or abrasive accumulations of dirt by specific zones, followed by prescribed cleaning procedures and/or repair methods for wiring, connections, and physical integration.

This situation is not unlike the specialization of medicine. Like the family doc, MROs can expertly treat their patients’ everyday structural and circulatory needs. But EWIS is akin to neurology, with a unique set of tools, tooling, and processes. Like family docs, MROs can either invest the time and money needed to add this specialty to their list of capabilities, or they can call in a specialist, which would be ASIG’s FAA Repair Station.

ASIG developed its EWIS maintenance, repair, and overhaul expertise by working with it every day to connect the systems and equipment the company integrates in a variety of aircraft. This capability, supported by a robust and reliable supply chain, makes ASIG responsive, flexible, efficient, and economical. Adding a new task to the repair station’s list of capabilities begins with an internal audits of ASIG’s facilities, tooling, tech data, and personnel.

Rare would be the task beyond its capabilities. It’s dealt everything from fuel quantity systems that require specific impedance to cleaning and repairing the tape-style ribbon harness for the DC-9’s air stair. Usually, the EWIS comes to ASIG, but its technicians will and do travel. And the repair station opens its doors wide to EWIS still affixed in a component, like the wing of a CRJ. Removed for a skin graft, the MRO asked ASIG to make field repairs on several harnesses permanent. A complex undertaking, it required breaking through and restoring the harnesses’ outer braided shielding, which ASIG easily accomplished before returning the wing for re-skinning.

EWIS overhauls can range from new wiring, wire marking, and new connector terminations in all or just a few strands. It all depends on the EWIS requirements, which may only allow a single repair for multiple defects in the wiring instead of three or four fixes. Another example might be environmentally sealed repairs, which might be good once every 10 feet—until it’s overhaul time, when you must replace all affected wires, conduits, shielding, and anti-abrasion devices as specified.

Like any specialist, ASIG maintains, repairs, and overhauls complex wiring systems, major harnesses that run well into five figures. A landing gear harness, for example, can cost $7,000, not counting the time and money to remove and re-install it with the interceding logistics shuffle. A quick engine change harness is another example, and any lead time increases the cost that much more. MROs can contain these costs and reduce them by keeping select EWIS on the shelf as replacements and sending the harness needing treatment to ASIG, which returns it shelf-ready.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems,EWIS,MRO

NextGen + SESAR = Air Traffic Harmony

2011-02-23T14:55:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

In deciding when and how to equip a fleet of transport category aircraft to operate efficiently in 21st century airspace, it’s tempting to put on blinders that extend no further than your airline’s operational area. But airspace transcends borders, so any transition plan should include international factors.

In March, Amsterdam will host two important convocations, ATC Global 2011, March 8-10,2011, and the second annual Global ATM Operations Conference, held March 10-11 by CANSO, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation. Perusing the rosters of worldwide participants, exhibitors, and workshop topics, it is clear that we fly the same airplanes, use the same equipment, and face the same operational changes that are transforming air traffic management.

Rapidly reaching the end of its service life, the 2oth century technology of ground-based navigation and radar surveillance does not have the resolution needed to safely accommodate the world’s growing demand for capacity. Two programs are leading the transition to the 21st century’s collaborative satellite-based system. Ultimately, aircraft will report their 4D trajectory (3D + time) to the ATM network, increasing safety, efficiency, and capacity while mitigating economic and environmental factors.

In the United States, the FAA is implementing the Next Generation Air Transportation System, NextGen, and across the Atlantic Eurocontrol is doing the same with the Single European Sky ATM (Air Traffic Management) Research, SESAR. In addition, SESAR is melding the air traffic services (ATS) of its 39 European Union members into a unified operation that will deliver seamless service.

“Future operations, based on the SESAR three core principles of time, trajectory and performance, will transition aviation into a new frontier where efficiency, cost-effectiveness, safety and capacity are all enhanced,” wrote Eurocontrol Director General David McMillan in the Winter 2010 Skyway. “However, this vision can only be achieved through improved and interoperable CNS systems arrived at through common standards and specifications applied throughout Europe and eventually worldwide. This is a huge task involving all players within the aviation community and beyond.”

Under any name, 21st century ATM must provide seamless operation worldwide. To ensure technical, equipment, and operational harmony, the FAA and Eurocontrol are working together and under applicable umbrellas of the ICAO, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and CANSO, the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation.

Sister initiatives, NextGen and SESAR are multi-phase efforts built on required navigational performance (RNP) and ADS-B, what separates them most is terminology (Europe’s “WAAS” is called EGNOS, European Geostationary Navigation Overlay Service) and timelines.

SESAR has three phases: Definition, which developed the master plan, ran from 2005 to 2008. Development, 2008 to 2016, produces the new technology defined by the master plan. And Deployment, 2014 to 2020, is the large scale production and implementation of the new ATM infrastructure.

The European ATM Master Plan has three Implementation Packages. IP1 covers systems ready for deployment now with ATM initial operational capability set for 2012. IP2 covers mid-term deployment of ATM services between 2013 to 2019. And IP3 addresses long-term programs that start deploying in 2020.

SESAR requires ATC datalink communications for all new aircraft delivered after January 1, 2011, and all aircraft operating in Europe will need the system by 2015. A Eurocontrol NPRM will require all aircraft to be equipped with ADS-B Out by 2015, with an exemption for those that weigh less than 12,500 pounds and cruise at slower than 250 knots. Described as a stepping stone to ADS-B In, the NPRM does not require WAAS/EGNOS and specifies less stringent GPS performance.

NextGen is phasing in ADS-B now, with full ground-station coverage planned for 2013. The FAA is encouraging airlines to take advantage of the system now (See NextGen Update: Time & Money) , it does not mandate the equipment until 2020.

SESAR and NextGen are also taking different routes to RNAV. Europe has been flying to RNAV-5 and RNAV-3 (mile separation) standards since 1998. The US is just now starting to phase it in (See Now is the Time to Invest in NextGen RNP), the FAA is way ahead of Europe in establishing precision GPS/LPV approaches at airports nationwide.

Regardless the route taken, operators and air traffic services will ultimately fly in harmonious 21st century airspace. Just as NextGen/SESAR gives operators options on the best trajectory to their destinations, ASIG can provide the guidance and services that will give international operators these capabilities.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: NextGen,National Airspace System,Single European Sky ATM Research,SESAR,FAA. Eurocontrol

NextGen Update: Time & Money

2011-02-06T13:11:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

The Next Generation Air Transportation System is no longer a science project. Commercial aircraft must be equipped for NextGen by 2020, and that deadline is fast approaching. Proactive airlines, such as Southwest and JetBlue, have started upgrading their fleets. Others, it seems, are trapped in paralyzing decision-making debates of conflicting points.

Among them is the DOT Inspector General’s report of inadequate detail and timelines for the implementation of some components and software problems in the computer that processes incoming GPS-based aircraft positions and distributes them throughout the system.

Like any change in the status quo, NextGen is suffering growing pains. The technology involved is relative to the time. The transition from airway bonfires and beacons to radio ranges and radar suffered similar problems. The ground-based radar system NextGen is replacing was not born perfect, it matured with time. NextGen will do the same.

Another point is the ATC labor force. The FAA needs to train controllers for NextGen, and t0 offset retirements, it must hire and train roughly 11,000 new controllers by 2019. With this timeframe, there’s no need for alarm. This challenge doesn’t come close to the pinnacle of ATC workforce anxiety, the need to hire and train—right now—the replacements for the 11,345 controllers Ronald Reagan fired on August 5, 1981.

Decision-making debaters will rightly note that these problems might cause delays, thus giving airlines more time to discuss their NextGen strategy. But these delaying tactics do not change the unavoidable result: airlines must equip their fleets for operation in NextGen airspace.

As most managers know, when solving problems, there is a symbiotic relationship between time and money. The FAA will pay bills necessary to keep NextGen on time, a point sure to be made in the Administration’s FY2012 proposed budget, said Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.

LaHood told Airline Transport World that “airlines have to make a ‘hard call’ on whether to make a significant upfront investment in equipping aircraft with NextGen-capable technology.” In reality, it is not a question of “whether” to equip. NextGen isn’t going away, so the question is really “when” to bring a fleet up to NextGen standards.

Which brings us back to money. In the Washington Post, the FAA estimated the full NextGen upgrade cost between $162,000 and $670,000, depending on the airplane’s age. What that might be in a few years, when deadline demand surpasses the supply of equipment and man hours needed to install it is anyone’s guess.

For those deciding to upgrade now, ATW reported that the House Aviation Subcommittee hoped to include “loan guarantees” and other assistance in the FY 2012 budget. But don’t count on it. Congress is still trying to pass the FY 2011 budget. The Wall Street Journal reported that the aviation appropriation before the Senate does not include any NextGen assistance for airlines, despite administration requests for it. Facing an even tighter fiscal situation in 2012—and reports of airlines with billions in cash reserves—assistance may be a dream politically unfulfilled.

One airline did get some help. JetBlue just scored $4.2 million from the FAA for ADS-B equipment in 35 of its Airbus A320s. Part of a multi-year, multi-phase trial, they will provide real data on the fuel and time-saving benefits of this NextGen component. The airline will cover all training and maintenance costs, and the trial’s key results are due in 2012.

In giving airline decision makers real numbers to crunch, the FAA hopes more of them will step up to NextGen now. Phase 2 will equip JetBlue with ADS-B (in), which displays traffic and other info in the cockpit, allowing tighter en route and terminal separation, thereby increasing capacity.

JetBlue engineers started work on ADS-B two years ago, and “independent of the FAA investment,” said CEO Dave Barger, “this is just good business.” In the Washington Post he said, “I’ll be delighted to make the rest of the investment” to equip the rest of its fleet of 116 A320s and 44 Embraer E-190s.

With this investment, JetBlue will join Southwest Airlines as the vanguards of NextGen technology. And to them go the competitive (and economic) advantages of getting onboard early. And that, too, must become part of the debate that determines when to step up to NextGen. If you want to be among the vanguard, ASIG can help make it happen.

Until next time, say 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: NextGen National Airspace System,ADS-B,Southwest Airlines,JetBlue,Fleet Upgrades

Now is Time to Invest in NextGen RNP

2011-01-23T18:43:00.003-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

All operators of transport category aircraft face the same broad challenges, each with a number of solutions. Southwest Airlines is one of the nation’s consistently successful and perpetually profitable airlines, so reverse-engineering how it responds to these challenges is prudent good business.

On January 11, Southwest said that it was flying efficient RNP (Required Navigation Performance) procedures at 11 airports it serves, including Boise, Chicago Midway, LA, and Raleigh-Durham. That efficiency will help Southwest maintain its low fares.

In concert with RNAV, RNP is the cornerstone of the satellite-based Next Generation National Airspace System. Teammates, RNAV and RNP facilitate the design of efficient airspace and procedures that improve safety, access, capacity, predictability, and operational efficiency. Precisely defined terminal procedures improve access and flexibility, enhance reliability, and reduce delays, thereby reducing fuel requirements and emissions.

By flying RNP procedures at 11 airports, Southwest projects its initial savings at $16 million a year. That will grow to an estimated $60 million when RNP covers all of its 70-plus destinations. An ongoing effort, so far the FAA has authorized more than 200 RNP procedures at 63 airports in 33 states and territories, and more than 340 RNAV procedures at 118 airports in 30 states and territories.
Southwest invested four years and $175 million to equip 345 Boeing 737-700s for RNP operations and trained its pilots and technicians to use and maintain the system. Beyond the immediate return, integrating the system now provides flexibility in “any new aircraft platform we might use in the future.”

Entering international service in 1996, RNP is not bleeding edge technology. Collaborating with technical and operational experts from several nations, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) published its globally harmonized Performance Based Navigation (PBN) manual in March 2007.

Unlike Southwest, many airlines seem reluctant to invest in RNP upgrades. Perhaps they are waiting to see if their calls for federal aid will materialize. Given the current political discussion to cut the budget by $100 billion, this seems unlikely, especially when the really big-ticket items—Defense, Social Security, and Medicare—are exempt.

Over the past several years, many airlines have been building their cash reserves to soften the impact of another economic downturn. As NextGen marches inexorably toward toward full implementation, failure to invest a portion of that reserve could result in a self-inflicted financial wound.

Most people know it always costs more to meet the requirements of an unavoidable deadline at the last minute, whether buying an airline ticket or integrating—and learning to use and maintain—new technology in a fleet of airliners.

Without a doubt, some NextGen steps are suffering growing pains, as all new technology must, but RNP is not one of them. As ASIG reverse-engineers the logic of Southwest’s new RNP capabilities, the airline is marching toward NextGen compliance in a measured, step-by-step process of its own making and timing.

Proven and providing an immediate—and growing—return, RNP is the heart of an airplane’s NextGen system. To it Southwest will efficiently and economically connect NextGen’s remaining steps as they mature and deliver reliable dividends. Call it a self-funded NextGen compliance plan with benefits, and ASIG can show how it will work for your operation.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: NextGen National Airspace System,Required Naviation Performance,Performance-Based Navigation,Southwest Airlines

EWIS Maintenance Program Deadline for Parts 121 & 129 is March 10, 2011

2011-01-10T09:41:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

When it comes to meeting deadlines, having too much time can be just as bad as not having enough. The FAA published the final rule about Enhanced Airworthiness Program for Airplane Systems/Fuel Tank Safety on November 8, 2007. It became effective on December 10, 2007. Everyone involved, from OEMs to operators of Part 121 and 129 transport category aircraft had 39 months to comply with the new requirements.

That 39 months is up on March 10, 2011.

If you remember our post last July, EWIS, EZAP & ICA: What’s It All Mean and last September’s Aging Aircraft Safety Rule Deadline, Fatigue-Critical Structures & ASIG, the Enhanced Airworthiness Program final rule gave life to the Electrical Wiring Interconnection System (EWIS), the requirements of which are elucidated in in Subpart H of Part 25.

The not-so-new rules behind the fast approaching deadline apply to turbine-powered transport-category aircraft with a type certificate issued after January 1, 1958 that carry 30 or more passengers or have a maximum payload of 7,500 pounds or more. In other words, just about everything flying today. There are 13 exceptions.

Because ASIG is involved with EWIS requirements on several levels, we felt a heads up about the approaching deadline was in order. The salient regulatory paragraph, which is identical in 14 CFR 121.1111 and 129.111, Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems (EWIS) maintenance program, is:

(b) After March 10, 2011, no certificate holder may operate an airplane identified in paragraph (a) of this section unless the maintenance program for that airplane includes inspections and procedures for electrical wiring interconnection systems [emphasis added].

As spelled out in 14 CFR 26.11, an operator’s maintenance program must be built on instructions for continued airworthiness (ICA) developed by holders of, and applicants for type certificates and supplemental type certificates (STCs). These entities had two years to create ICA that met the requirements of Part 25 Appendix H and passed muster with the FAA Oversight Office.

The ICA deadline was December 10, 2009, or with the approval of certificate applications after that date. And that brings us to another important paragraph in 14 CFR 121.1111 and 129.111:

(d) After March 10, 2011, before returning an airplane to service after any alterations for which EWIS ICA are developed, the certificate holder must include in the airplane’s maintenance program inspections and procedures for EWIS based on those ICA [emphasis added].

EWIS is an ASIG specialty because the company has long understood that like a hybrid circulatory/nervous system, it delivers power to and/or controls virtually every system in today’s transport category aircraft. As a result, there are few alterations or system improvements that will not include EWIS maintenance inspections and procedures.

At ASIG, developing the applicable EWIS ICA and operator maintenance program requirements are an integral part of our process, not an afterthought that meets the minimum regulatory requirements. That is why we offer not only this reminder of the approaching deadline, but our fullest support and stand ready to help you comply with it.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems,Insructions for Continued Airworthiness,FAA Deadline,Transport Category Aircraft,Part-121 Operators,Part-129 Operators

Reverse Engineering: Building New Pieces for the Airworthiness Puzzle

2010-12-27T09:42:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

In many ways, maintaining the airworthiness of a transport category aircraft is akin to constantly reworking a jigsaw puzzle. Whether it is a pneumatic or hydraulic valve, tooling used for sheet metal repairs, or a bushing or bearing, each piece is important. For whatever reason, if it no longer measures up to its type certification data, the puzzle is incomplete, says ASIG Managing Director Luke Ribich, which means the airplane is not airworthy, unable to earn its keep.

If a piece cannot be economically replaced or repaired, or it does not deliver the desired reliability, creating a new piece by reverse engineering the original may well be the most efficient and cost-effective solution, especially when its costs can be shared by a fleet over time because “high-volume programs can buy down the unit cost,” says Ribich.

For example: An airline with a DC-8 fleet needed engine thermocouple harnesses, an expensive item from the OEM with a long lead time. ASIG reverse engineered the harness, and manufactured certified PMA parts for a fraction of the cost of buying them from the OEM.

Better reliability is another benefit of reverse engineering, especially with pieces of older puzzles. “In their day, the 707 and DC-8 were good to have 70 percent dispatch reliability. Today, operators want 92 percent or better dispatch performance,” Ribich says, “and you might not get that out of some of those older materials and process designs.” In addition, “A lot of those old parts suffer from self-inflicted wounds, otherwise known as maintenance malpractice, caused by improper handling by technicians.”

To create a piece of the puzzle ASIG’s engineers dissect an existing product or component. Drawing on an arsenal of tools, from micrometers and laser scanning devices to testing equipment that analyzes metallurgy, hardness, surface texture, and electrical properties, there isn’t anything they don’t know about it. At the same time, they assess the original’s design for reliability, performance and material durability.

In crafting the new piece, which fits the airworthiness puzzle just as the original did, ASIG’s engineers employ all the advances made in design, materials, and manufacturing since the OEM created the original part. ASIG not only produces reverse-engineering technical data packages equal to those of its STC efforts, says Ribich, it can manufacture parts “that stand up to government verification, validation, and qualification” examinations.

Reverse engineering can also be a great learning tool. The lesson, he says, is to create compatible parts that deliver lower cost and better documentation and require less time to manufacture. MROs, (maintenance, repair, and overhaul companies) are turning to ASIG, seeking replacements for expensive parts with long lead times, like the bushings, bearings, and other fittings used in flight control system components.

“The OEM charges $60,000 for this hand-sized chunk of metal because of its captive market, which drives up the costs of these things,” Ribich says. Given the cost and lead time, when one reaches two-thirds of its service value, many airlines “will buy another one, just to have it in stock.” Replacing these items with reversed-engineered PMA parts enable MROs to give their customers more responsive, economical, and flexible service.

In the past, there was some question about using PMA parts on transport category aircraft. This issue came to a head with replacement blades for turbine engines, which are not inexpensive. But the FAA settled that issue several years ago, Ribich says, paving the way for greater use of PMA pieces in the airworthiness puzzle .

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: PMA Parts,Maintenance Repair & Overhal,MRO,Reverse Engineering

Building Blocks Simplify RFQ Process

2010-12-16T08:25:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

Preparing a request for a quote to integrate new equipment, and the capabilities it provides, can often grow into a process more complicated than it needs to be. An RFQ is like any other business document; its efficacy depends on clear, concise, comprehensive communication. To avoid the stress and delay that comes with making it more difficult than it needs to be, work backwards one block of information at a time.

Everything builds on the cornerstone, on a concise statement of work, says ASIG Managing Director Luke Ribich. “The number one issue with RFQs is the absence of clearly defined operational goals: We want to do this. We want these system qualifications. We want this improved dispatch reliability. We want to satisfy these regulatory requirements by this date and time.”

Rather than being afraid to admit that they don’t know what they don’t know, operators should “be open to the education that comes from it,” Ribich says. “More often than not we’ll get a call from an operator saying ‘I have this problem. I have this need.’ So we start with consultations, research the available solutions, help them create their statement of work, and then, based on the operational requirements, show them what the project is going to entail.”

Not fully understanding the complexity and allowable regulatory parameters that shape the certification process can lead to confusion. To some, “the certification package consists of installation drawings, wiring diagrams, instructions for continued airworthiness, approved flight manual supplements, and the document data list.” But that’s only the half of it. These things follow the engineering and test data, annotated with the appropriate FAA guidance, that proves to the aircraft certification office’s satisfaction that the new system integrates with the existing systems without suffering or causing problems.

To overcome this confusion, using the cornerstone statement of work, ASIG explains its SEMPER process and leads an operator through the realities of the certification process. (For an idea of what’s involved, see the three-part STC Symphony.) With the statement of work, “we typically ask for the baseline tech data,” Ribich says, the maintenance manuals, wiring diagrams, repair manuals, and related aircraft documentation pertinent to system being integrated.

If they have already done internal research, in their RFQ operators can identify the equipment, by manufacturer and part number, they would like to use. “That way we can start to gather the necessary intel, if you will, on the device, the spec sheets, the installation data, the OEM manual, what the sensor inputs and outputs are, and all the physical and environmental requirements for mounting and placement.”

But this research is not mandatory. “If they haven’t identified equipment up front, we’ll do a cost configuration assessment,” says Ribich, and present options, as the statement of work allows, that offer the best efficiency, economy, and scalability.

How much time a project takes depends on its complexity, and the number of separate steps. Design and certification is one step, or line of business, and the manufacture of PMA parts and/or installation kits is another line of business because “the kitting costs won’t be finalized until the design data is finished.”

Customers can influence the timetable greatly. Instead of getting to work after it received the contract, ASIG spent four months educating a recalcitrant Part-121 customer that did not fully grasp the FAA certification requirements that prevented it from installing a system approved for the business-jet version of the airplane it used to transport paying passengers.

This project was nowhere near the complexity of another project, demilitarizing and converting a French Air Force DC-8-72 and its five-man cockpit into an US-registered aircraft with with a three-man cockpit filled with 21st century systems. But it took less time, 4.5 months from contract award, “and we did the installation in a line flight environment, nosed into an FBO’s hangar.” Like the project, the RFQ that launched it was just as straightforward.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Request for Quote,SEMPER Process,Fleet Upgrades,Statemet of Work,Part-121 Operators,PMA Parts

ASIG Certifies iPad EFB on N-Jet Charter Fleet

2010-12-15T09:25:00.001-06:00

Little Rock, AR: December 13, 2010—Avionics & Systems Integration Group (ASIG) accepted—and quickly met—the challenge issued by N-Jet/Northern Illinois Flight Center: Make the Apple iPad a COTS electronic flight bag approved for FAA Operations Specification A061 “paperless” operations in its diverse Part-135 fleet of seven different aircraft models.

“The iPad EFB is about 1/10^th the cost of a traditional Class 2 EFB. In addition, the iPad’s ability to use electronic aeronautical data in lieu of paper enroute charts and approach plates can cut the annual cost of paper data in half. These two factors give the iPad EFB a compelling financial justification.” says ASIG’s Managing Director Luke Ribich, “By integrating the iPad EFB into its diverse fleet,” wrote N-Jet CEO Howard Seedorf, ASIG “has allowed us to reduce our aircraft weight, lessen the burden and expenses associated with managing revision transmittals while improving crew resource management.”

Equally important, the FAA’s acceptance of the iPad EFB system and its documentation provides “future fit options by giving us great flexibility as commercial technologies bring forth new and advanced devices or, as we add additional aircraft types to our existing fleet” of the Citation Excel and Encore+, Astra/G100, and Falcon 10, 50, 900B, and 900EX EASy.

ASIG’s iPad EFB integration expertise includes iPad environmental testing for rapid decompression (RD) and electromagnetic interference (EMI), a “smart” power supply to mitigate FAA concerns about charging lithium batteries on aircraft and the ability to design and certify a variety of aircraft system interfaces for the iPad EFB.

Addressing its “technical and regulatory expertise,” N-Jet wrote that ASIG “went the extra mile to supply expert consultations and often supported short-notice teleconference meetings with our Primary Operations and Avionics Inspectors from our CHDO, [giving] our ASI’s a high degree of confidence in ASIG and the entire project, making the application process trouble-free.”

For additional information regarding ASIG's operating activities, product and services offerings join the company’s technical journal, Wired – an Avionics & Integration Weblog, ASIG’s bi-weekly newsletter or contact Mr. Mike Neder, Director of Business Development, toll-free at (866) 890-ASIG [2744] or ASIG sales group via email at sales@asigllc.com.

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FAA Requires Smart Power Sources for Portable Electronic Devices

2010-12-01T10:10:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

From smart phones to laptop computers to the iPad, portable, personal, and productive electronic devices (PEDs) have not only changed our daily lives, they have redefined the AC outlets found on Part 25 transport category aircraft. Even though PED plugs fit in old-school “dumb” outlets, FAA Policy Memo ANM-01-111-165, Policy Statement of Power Supply Systems for Portable Electronic Devices on Part 25 Airplanes, makes it clear that these outlets are are NOT approved for this use.

Most aircraft 110-volt AC outlets today deliver 500 volt-ampere power to whatever is plugged into them, like the cleaning crew’s vacuum cleaner. An iPad is not a vacuum cleaner. Like most PEDs, it has a lithium-polymer battery. Feeding too much juice to lithium batteries can lead to bad things. In thermal runaway a battery can deliver shocks, burns, and smoke. And overloading the PSS circuit can shut down the electrical bus it is connected to, and maybe even the generator that powers it.

To avoid these problems—and their consequences—the FAA requires “smart” PSSs that deliver “Goldilocks” power, not too much, not too little, just right for the PED’s operating needs. In a 1997 policy memo, the FAA said 100-watts adequately powered the laptops of that era, so it was the PSS’s max output. With the maturation and proliferation of the extended PED family, in 2005 the current memo doubled the power limit to 200 watts, still less than half that in dumb outlets.

In an AC circuit, the 200-watt PSS maximum is better specified in volt-ampere (VA), which is like a watt but not identical. Electrical engineers prefer the volt-ampere because it is the unit of measurement used in the selection of conductors and devices that protect a circuit. Regardless the measurement, the consequences of too much power are the same.

PEDs today have no “novel or unusual design features” that require specific mention of them in federal aviation regulations or requirements, says the policy memo. The current regs and requirements provide an adequate level of safety and the memo lists all that apply to the certification of a PED PSS. Dated March 18, 2005, the memo supersedes 1997 policy for the installation of in-seat power supply systems. The current policy covers all PED power supply systems regardless of the outlet’s location: the cockpit, seats, cabin baseboards, or a cabinet on the aft bulkhead.

Related regulatory guidance can be found in two other policy memos: ANM-100-2000-00105 (September 18,2000), Certification of In-Flight Entertainment Systems, addresses wire installation and cabin components, including “smart” outlets. ANM-111-2002-01-04 (January 28, 2003), provides guidance on wiring design and instructions for continued airworthiness.

Limiting the PED PSS to 200 VA prevents its use for unintended functions, like driving a curling iron or hair dryer. It is for PEDs only, and further guidance can be found in Volume 4 of FAA Order 89001, which covers electronic flight bags (EFBs). A tablet computer like an iPad, worn as a kneeboard, is a Class I EFB. Mount it in a bracket and it is a Class II EFB. Regardless, it is still a portable electronic device that needs power.

Of particular interest is section 4-1644E, Power Sources: When the iPad’s battery is the primary power source, aircraft power can be secondary, recharging the battery in flight. Continuing this thought, Section 4-1648A, EFB Power Source, points back to the PED PSS installation requirements. A note reiterates the safety hazards posed by over-charging or discharging lithium-ion batteries. “Operators should have lithium ion battery charging procedures which are in total accordance with the battery manufacturer’s charging instructions and prevent aggravation of lithium ion battery thermal hazards.”

With a “dumb” outlet that delivers a fixed flow of energy, this is easier said than done because every manufacturer has slightly different charging instructions. Some prevent overcharging by automatically reducing the AC input when the battery is topped off. Others tell the user to pull the plug when the LED stops flashing.

Therein lies the beauty of a smart power supply system like ASIG’s Astronics AES EmPower® system: it reacts to the load of the connected device and ensures against over-current, over/under-voltage, and frequency differential conditions. Once satisfied that the connected device does not demand more than these thresholds, it provides only the amount of volt-amperes deemed suitable for PEDs as established by the Federal Aviation Administration.

Naturally, there is much more involved in installing a power supply system specifically for PEDs whether they are video games, smart phones, or iPads. For more specifics, contact ASIG.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Personal Electronic Devices,Portable Electronic Devices,Power Supply Systems,In-Flight Entertainment,iPad,Electronic Flight Bag,EFB

Compliance & Implementation: STC Symphony Part III

2010-11-14T12:14:00.001-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

Part I: Certification Management is ASIG’s STC Symphony

Part II: Plan the Certification, Certify the Plan

With the certification plan accepted, the project manager and ASIG-FAA team assigned, Phase III of the STC symphony, Compliance Planning, begins, says Luke Ribich, ASIG’s managing director. It completes the certification plan by itemizing how tests and inspections will verify its realization.

How involved the FAA is in this effort depends on the project’s complexity, the available resources, and the experience of the applicant and its designated engineering and airworthiness representatives. Triggers for increased FAA involvement include rulemaking for special conditions, determining ELOS—equivalent levels of safety—developing issue papers, and tasks it never delegates.

Typically, the FAA delegates all but its direct responsibilities, so DERs and DARs, conduct the conformity inspections that demonstrate engineering and manufacturing quality and show compliance. Using common compliance means, such as those outlined in advisory circulars, streamlines the process. Parts built to a TSO have already earned FAA approval, and a Parts Manufacturer Approval, also handled by ASIG, does the same for equipment built specifically for the STC.

Ultimately, the ACO identifies critical test items that generate data for 100 percent compliance, providing special test instructions as necessary. Compliance planning completes the Certification Plan, and if everything it contains is successfully executed, the results will show compliance.

In Phase IV, Implementation, ASIG starts submitting the actual data to the project manager, according to the timetable. Type design data includes drawings, specs, dimensions, materials, processes, airworthiness limitations, and more. Other data comes from design evaluations and conformity inspections of parts, assemblies, installations, test articles and setups, and functions. The FAA evaluates it all to ensure that it matches everything specified in the certification plan.

The FAA can conduct any conformity inspection it wants, and the project must pass them before ground and/or flight testing can begin. When ASIG manufactures an installation kit, it must pass a conformity inspection, usually conducted by a staff DAR, before it can be installed, Ribich says. A second conformity inspection verifies, down to the smallest fastener, that the kit was appropriately installed.

During conformity inspections the test team is finalizing its comprehensive plan, which covers everything from the test items, process, and setup to when and where and witnesses. As with every other aspect of the certification plan, “everyone is on the same page about the level of testing,” and conformity inspections verify that the tests followed the approved plan. Meanwhile, the FAA’s aircraft evaluation group (AEG) is reviewing other aspects, like the electrical wiring interconnection system plan, ICA, and flight manual supplement.

When it is clear the aircraft will meet the certification basis, the FAA issues a Type Inspection Authorization, an internal document clearing the aircraft is ready for its final certification inspections and tests. If these tests deliver as all previous data has predicted, and the AEG has signed off on its reviews, the FAA issues the STC.

Issuance of the STC begins Phase IV, Post-Certification Activities. With the airline in charge of operational safety and airworthiness accountability with ASIG, as appropriate they evaluate, report, and remedy any applicable problems and disseminate this information to all involved, because the rewards of an STC symphony also come with continuing responsibility.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: STC,Certification Management,FAA ACO,Compliance Inspections Testing,Designated Engineering Representative,Designated Airworthiness Representative,Airline Fleet Upgrades,EWIS,ICA,EmPower,OnBoard,In-flight Entertainment

Plan the Certification, Certify the Plan: STC Symphony Part II

2010-10-12T11:01:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Part I: Certification Management is ASIG’s STC Symphony

In an STC symphony the certification plan is the score, the major-domo document that tells who is to play what note when. It is a living manuscript, says Luke Ribich, ASIG’s managing director. It changes as it matures because “stuff always pops up along the way.”

Its genesis begins in Phase I, Conceptual Design, with the kickoff meeting where ASIG familiarizes the FAA Aircraft Certification Office (ACO) with the project and what FAA resources will be needed to complete it, “if we don’t already have access to them, which we usually do,” says Ribich.

Occasionally this briefing can take place virtually, says Ribich, but ASIG prefers meeting face to face, just as it does with its customers, because it simplifies mutually beneficial show-and-tell, the gathering’s essential purpose. Given the depth of detail derived from the definition of work with the operator, ASIG briefing includes who will supply major equipment and any related vendor relationships.

For example, in addition to “certification management and technology insertion,” ASIG may distribute the equipment it’s installing, such as EmPower and the OnBoard IFE system. Such arrangements rarely cause problems because everyone knows about them up front, just like any technical issues related to the STC, or unique or novel features it introduces.

In the simplest terms, in Phase I ASIG and the ACO discuss every aspect of the certification plan before ASIG writes it. The FAA reviews the submitted plan in Phase II, Requirements Definition, which leads to the project’s first milestone, FAA acceptance of the plan.

Briefly, the certification plan includes General Information, a complete, concise description of the modification. It specifies compliance methods and verification data, including ground, air, and component testing. This must be congruent with the certification basis, says Ribich. In certain cases, a project may use a historic level of certification rather than current regulations.

The Schedule of Project Completion predicts all major milestones, submission of data and test plans, and when and where design, manufacturing, parts, installation, and conformity inspections will take place. Meeting deadlines is the key to avoiding delays, so ASIG coordinates all schedule changes with the ACO.

To expedite certification and reduce the demand on ACO resources, at the kickoff meeting ASIG requests that its staff DERs and DARs perform all appropriate engineering and airworthiness work on the FAA’s behalf. The certification plan lists this mutually agreed upon cadre of experts and their contribution to the project.

The Continued Airworthiness Plan tells how the design change will affect the instructions for continued airworthiness and the forthcoming updates. Likewise, there is a conformity plan. If the project involves hardware and/or software not already approved by TSO or conforming to RTCA standards, this, too, must be addressed in the plan.

When the plan passes muster, the FAA accepts it and the ACO assigns a project manager, and it is ready for Phase III, Compliance Planning.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Certification Management: ASIG’s STC Symphony

2010-10-01T09:47:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

At first utterance, certification management sounds like a mundane process. Far from it, says Luke Ribich, managing director of ASIG. It is a synonym for earning an supplemental type certificate (STC), a complex, overlapping five-phase effort illustrated by a flowchart that fills two pages in AC 21-40A, Guide to Obtaining a Supplemental Type Certificate. At almost every step, he says, there can be “a lot of gotchas for the unaware.”

Managing an STC effort is not unlike writing and arranging a symphony. Composing the score is just the first step. Then comes hiring the musicians, renting the hall, rehearsing, promoting the performance, and then conducting it for an audience of critics. To get a good review—the desired STC—everyone must play their parts without error, with each section reaching its crescendo on cue.

Anyone who covets such a composition can attempt the process on their own, but as his noble patrons immediately realized, commissioning Beethoven provided less costly gratification more quickly, saving them the time and gotchas of learning to do it themselves. Once commissioned, ASIG employs its SEMPER process to learn about and define an operator’s specific requirements.

Upon completing this conceptual research, the operator’s “job is to sit back and make decisions as presented, and provide any baseline data that we request,” Ribich says. ASIG handles almost everything with the FAA, delivering regular reports so everyone knows where the project is on its detailed timeline.

As in music, understanding the process enriches appreciation of the product. In this, the first of three parts, Wired will reveal the structure of ASIG’s STC symphony. Who participates in the conceptual sessions with ASIG depends on what equipment and/or capabilities the operator wishes to add to its fleet, says Ribich. ASIG recommends that the ensemble include all interested stakeholders from within engineering, tech service, and maintenance to operations. ASIG also recommends that the airline’s principal operations, avionics, or maintenance inspectors attend.

Involving the appropriate FAA inspectors early can be important on STC projects that involve operational approvals. ASIG handles every aspect of the certification, says Ribich, but the airline’s certificate management team must deal directly with the FAA on all operational approvals. Installing an iPad based electronic flight bag is a good example, Ribich says. ASIG develops the installation right down to the mounting bracket’s effect on human factors. But to use the approved installation the airline must get the approval of its POI. Involving the inspector early reduces the chances of a last-minute surprise.

During this process, ASIG writes and refines a detailed definition of the operator’s requirements. It ranges from regulations and policy on which the STC is based to cost configurations, ground and flight testing, and sourcing parts. When certain that no note is sour, ASIG schedules a kickoff meeting with the FAA Aircraft Certification Office, which starts Phase I of the STC symphony, Conceptual Design.

Until Next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Aging Aircraft Safety Rule Deadline, Fatigue-Critical Structures & ASIG

2010-09-08T16:18:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

In medicine, the guiding principle is “First, Do No Harm.” In other words, treating the malady is not supposed to adversely affect the patient’s immediate health or long-term quality of life.

A similar rule will soon affect Part 121 and 129 operators. At the heart of the Aging Aircraft Safety Rule (AASR) is the requirement that the repair, alteration, or modification of fatigue-critical structures does not affect airframe integrity and safety. To ensure this outcome, by December 20, 2010, operators must have in place a maintenance program based on the airframe’s damage tolerance.

“Aging,” however, is a misnomer. AASR affects every US-registered airplane in 121/129 service that was delivered before the December 20, 2010 deadline. Whether you’re flying a venerable DC-8 or a 777 that was delivered yesterday, AASR applies to you. At best guess, it affects roughly 4,000 airplanes and 240 operators. (That number could more than double if Transport Canada and EASA decide to adopt its requirements.)

In the FAA dictionary, a fatigue-critical structure “is susceptible to fatigue cracking that could contribute to a catastrophic failure.” This includes structures that become susceptible to catastrophic fatigue cracking due to alteration or repair.

ASIG has built considerable knowledge of and experience with AASR requirements and processes through years of STC work. Since January 11, 2008, the rule has required that STCs include damage tolerance inspections of fatigue-critical structures. It has made the same requirements for new or revised repair and master-change service bulletins. The point is that regardless of how the information is delivered, STC or service bulletin, the essential process for acquiring the necessary data is the same.

Advisory Circular 120-93, Damage Tolerance Inspections for Repairs and Alterations, provides the necessary guidance. To comply, by December 20 operators must reassess their structural maintenance programs and how they handle repair approvals. They must survey all active airplanes and document what existing repairs, alterations, and modifications require damage tolerance inspections. Compliance might sound easy, but it requires complex process and procedural changes and revisions to existing maintenance programs.

In the FAA dictionary, an “existing” repair, alteration, or modification will have been performed before December 20, 2010 on a fatigue-critical structure not already covered by a damage tolerance evaluation and resulting inspections.

The survey and evaluation process starts with an “as-delivered” aircraft, with OEM supplied documents setting the baseline. These documents define and list fatigue-critical structures and include updated damage-tolerance maintenance data in repair manuals and in fleet and master-change service bulletins. STC holders, such as ASIG, provide baseline data for applicable modifications.

The Operator Implementation Plan (OIP) is built on the foundation of baseline data. It includes a timeline for such milestones as completing the fleet survey, determination of damage tolerance inspections, and accomplishment of those first inspections. The OIP is due by December 20, 2010, and the operator’s FAA principal maintenance inspector must review and approve it. ASIG’s leadership team has its foundation in air carrier engineering management. Their efforts have led to the derivation of a variety of FAA accepted procedural compliance programs supporting airframe “thumb-printing,” specifically those tracking, detailing and analyzing damage tolerance. Damage tolerance programming and DTA show-compliance determinations are at the very core of ASIG’s Structural DER cadre.

Once the OIP and the individual airframe applications are approved, the work continues after the deadline as operators follow their OIP to compile their damage tolerance data and revise their maintenance programs that sustain fatigue-critical structures and airframe integrity.

ASIG extends its sincere thanks to thanks to Mr. Mike Gray of Sun Country Airlines for suggesting we address this industry critical topic.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Aging Aircraft Safety Rule,Fatigue-critical Structure,Damage Tolerance,Maintenance Plans,Operator Implementation Plan

ITAR & Exporting Aviation Technology

2010-08-16T08:28:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Aviation is an industry with global reach and international relationships, but national borders still matter, especially when it comes to US aviation technology. For use beyond America’s shores it must be properly licensed under the International Trafficking in Arms Regulations (ITAR), established in 1976 to improve national security.

If you’re wondering what this has to do with aviation, peruse the United States Munitions List. On page 39, under Item 9—Category II, you’ll find “instrumentation, navigation, and direction finding equipment,” which includes “integrated flight instrument systems.”

Item 10—Category II covers “Flight Control Systems” and its technology, including the “integration of the flight control, guidance, and propulsion data into a flight management system.”

And Item 11—Category II covers “Avionics,” with special interest in radar and laser radar systems (including altimeters), GPS, and systems capable of terrain mapping.

All of these systems can be easily modified to fly an unmanned aerial weapon to its target, says Luke Ribich, ASIG’s managing director, so the government likes to keep track of them.

It starts with the State Departments’ Directorate of Defense Trade Controls, keeper of the Munitions List. Another important player is the US Commerce Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security, which publishes the Commerce Control List. Intimately connected to multinational agreements and international relations, the CCL changes frequently.

The point, Ribich says, is that export requirements for aviation technology is a complex regulatory labyrinth, and the penalties for taking a wrong turn can be expensive, often measured in seven figures, with jail time. Things have gotten even more serious since 9/11.

Earning and maintaining an export license is a substantial investment, Ribich says. Given its complexity and consequences, it demands the full attention of dedicated resources. That’s fine for companies like ITT, Lockheed Martin, and Northrop Grumman, and ASIG, but an operator who periodically needs this expertise, not so much.

Serving operators worldwide, ASIG maintains its export license as part of its comprehensive menu of engineering and certification services. By drawing on this international expertise for out of the ordinary projects, operators can focus on the demands of their daily operations, Ribich says. “Export can be easily done,” he continues, “if you’re set up with a State Department-approved ITAR-licensed export program.”

With many transport category aircraft owned by international leasing companies, export regs are important considerations. Giving an example, Ribich says several years ago a US operator sold its N-registered aircraft to an overseas company who, in turn, leased them to an European operator who registered them in its homeland.

“The leasing company is now leasing them back to the original owner,” and ASIG is reconfiguring them to the new (original) operator’s standards, taking care of all the government approvals so they will be FAA-approved when they return to America.

“We didn’t have any ITAR items in that project,” Ribich says, but ASIG knows that because it checked every system against the applicable regs. When it comes to national security, the government isn’t known for a lenient sense of humor, and ignorance is no excuse for not complying with the requirements.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Export Aviation Technology,ITAR,International Trafficking in Arms Regulations,Directorate of Defense Trade Controls,Bureau of Industry and Security

The Best of AirVenture Oshkosh 2010

2010-08-04T15:27:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is America’s annual cornucopia of aviation. Drawing all segments of the industry, it is the premier stage on which to debut new products and report the progress of innovations under development. Many things captured our attention, and the following made our Best of AirVenture list.

GE Aviation & Electric Aircraft

GE Aviation sponsored the inaugural Electric Aircraft Symposium, on July 30, and the Aviation Learning Center, home to related exhibits. When it comes to transport category aircraft, electric propulsion is not yet practical, but it’s perfect for aircraft systems because it replaces “big and hot with small and cool,” GE Aviation President Chet Fuller told the roughly 300 participants.

With its generators producing 1.4 megawatts, the Boeing 787 is aviation’s first electric airplane, right down to anti-icing, he said. It replaces pneumatic and hydraulic systems, which leak, and eliminates bleed air systems, explaining that heat and composites do not go well together. Looking to the future Fuller said smart grids would deliver electricity without waste, variable frequency power would eliminate AC and DC systems, and that fuel cells would eventually replace wasteful APUs.

Sikorsky Innovations Preparing Electric Firefly

The technology development arm of its parent company, Sikorsky Innovations debuted Project Firefly, an electric powered helicopter. A a high-efficiency U.S. Hybrid electric motor and digital controller drives the S-300c’s stock rotor and transmission. Side-mounted Gaia lithium ion energy pods provide the power. Approaching its first flight, the Firefly’s initial endurance goal is 15 minutes, said Sikorsky Innovations Director Chris Van Buiten. Upcoming flight tests will prove the system’s reduced complexity, noise, maintenance, and vibration. With no carbon footprint, it will deliver full power at altitude. This research will likely spawn new systems, he said, like an electric anti-torque tail rotor, which promises numerous power, noise, and vibration benefits.

Aspen Avionics Geo-referenced Charts

Aspen Avionics, working with Seattle Avionics Software, a software developer and data provider, has introduced geo-referencing on its Evolution EFD1000 and EFD500 multifunction displays (recently approved for Class III aircraft, which weigh 6,000-12,500 pounds). Besides displaying the aircraft’s relative position on AeroNav (formerly NACO) instrument approach charts and airport diagrams, this new capability comes at no cost, other than a database subscription. When users load the the July 28 Seattle Avionics chart update it automatically upgrades their systems with the new capability.

Avionics & Autopilots Act When Pilots Distracted

When multitasking in complex instrument airspace, single pilots can easily get distracted from their primary job of flying the airplane. Two avionics OEMs are addressing this problem from different angles.

Avidyne's DFC90 autopilot now offers speed-based Flight Envelope Protection. Currently, it’s STC’d for Cirrus SR20 and SR22 piston singles with Avidyne’s Entegra avionics system and S-Tec55X autopilot. With the autopilot engaged, it provides aural and visual warning when nearing high and low-speed parameters. If the pilot does not act, the DFC90 adjusts the pitch to maintain a safe speed while continuing to issue its warnings.

Garmin's Electronic Stability and Protection (ESP) System maintains safe and stable flight when the autopilot IS NOT engaged. Driven by G1000 and G3000 avionics, ESP monitors attitude and airspeed—and tells the autopilot servos to make corrective pitch and roll inputs when the aircraft approaches unsafe attitudes and airspeeds. Recoveries are programmed to not exceed airframe g-limits.

AeroLEDs Frugally Bright Landing & Nav Lights

Amateur aircraft builders have been using LED aircraft lighting for some time. In 2007, AeroLEDs produced the first all LED nav/strobe system that meets the requirements of TSO C30C and C96a-C2, giving operators of certificated aircraft access to the reliable lights that use up to 80 percent less power than their incandescent counterparts. Just joining the landing light line is the SunSpot 64, a 35-ounce unit that produces 17,000 lumen on 224 watts and 8 amps at 28 volts.

New iPad EFB Applications

Jeppesen has introduced its Mobile TC application that searches and views terminal charts. Subscribers to JeppView get iPad access at no extra charge. Seattle Avionics Software is providing its ChartData to four new iPad apps: Flight Guide’s iEFB; Hilton Software’s WingX; Radenna’s SkyRadar; and Zivosity ‘s Beacon North America.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: EAA AirVenture,GE Aviation,Sikorsky Innovations,Aspen Avionics,Garmin,geo-reference,AeroLEDs,Electric Aircraft,iPad,Flight Guide,EFB,WingX,SkyRadar,Beacon North America

ASIG Tells the Rest of IFE Story

2010-07-29T08:14:00.001-05:00

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A recurring news story is the investment major airlines are making to upgrade the cabin amenities in their fleets. This CBS News report shows the benefits of power supplies for passenger electronic devices and seat-back in-flight entertainment screens. But like most such news stories, it ignores regional carriers and operators of smaller aircraft who are providing similar amenities to their passengers with ASIG’s EmPower supplies and OnBoard IFE system.

The reporter notes that the seatback IFE system allows parents to control what their children see during the flight. With the OnBoard system, passengers need not invest the time to learn and input the parental settings in the seatback system because they enjoy the IFE options on their personal electronic device, which is already configured to their particular needs.

For the rest of the story, see OnBoard Server is IFE Buffet, Major Amenities for Regional Cabins, and contact ASIG.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: In-Flight Entertainment,Major Airline,Regional Airline,Passenger Power Supplies,Airline Amenities

Log-In to VESSA™ for Cost-Efficient Engineering

2010-07-22T16:49:00.001-05:00

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Optimizing productivity and controlling cost is important in any economy. Machines—and the people who operate, maintain, and keep them current—must be engaged in productive effort most of the time. Make work need not apply.

In aviation, some efforts are periodic or unpredictable, and staffing for them is contrary to efficiency’s goals. To satisfy an operator’s needs when they arise, enterprising companies have developed cost- efficient solutions that go by many names, power-by-the-hour, NetJets—and VESSA™, aka ASIG’s Virtual Engineering Services Subscription Agreement.

With almost every aspect of certification and airworthiness hinging on approved data, engineers are essential members of the aviation team, says Luke Ribich, ASIG’s Managing Director. When an unexpected workload or large project stretches the limits of the subscriber’s staff, VESSA™ provides immediate relief by allowing the subscriber to tap into ASIG’s full service engineering and certification expertise for as long as is necessary to eliminate the engineering overload and return to business as normal.

Launched in 2007, VESSA™ has served nearly 30 subscribers to date, each with a dedicated portal available from any computer with Internet access. ASIG maintains the servers—and security—which meets the requirements of an especially picky subscriber, the Department of Defense.

A typical subscription runs three years, and companies can adjust their engineering requirements up or down annually. ASIG also offers “an AT&T provision,” Ribich says, referring to the TV commercial where the mother admonishes her son for discarding his rollover minutes. “In other words, the engineering effort unused in any given month carries forward…so if you have a month that runs over, you’re not losing anything.”

Cash flow forecasting is another VESSA™ strong suit. If subscribers have an upcoming “program, like the CNS/ATM requirements coming down from NextGen, they can amortize the cost over the year,” Ribich says. “Likewise, if their fleet changes or they need to reduce costs for some reason, they can make those adjustments at the end of each 12 months.”

Engineering is document intensive, so VESSA™ is an online library that enables subscribers to quickly find and use them, printing hardcopies as needed. Subscriber-provided documents, from tech orders and diagrams to illustrated catalogs and ICA, are determined when setting up the subscription or project, and ASIG can digitize anything not already in electronic form.

Subscribers initiate projects by uploading the scope of work, and the system captures all online collaboration with ASIG’s engineers. Other pages present the project’s Gantt charts, milestones, any required photos and video, contact information for everyone on the project, links to viewers needed to examine data files and drawings, invoicing, a weekly status report, the engineering help desk, and many more features.

VESSA™ also works well with first-article and proof-of-concept manufacturing, Ribich says. And it’s all on-call, 24/7/365. Being online, its on-demand operation enhances efficiency. If a last-minute schedule change prevents a subscriber from reviewing a document for approval or changes, the task—not a roomful of people—waits for him without complaint—or loss of productivity.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: ASIG VESSA,Fleet Upgrades,Aeronautical Engineering,DER,DAR,NextGen National Airspace System

EWIS, EZAP & ICA: What’s It All Mean?

2010-07-06T13:49:00.001-05:00

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Two new acronyms have recently joined the aviation lexicon, EWIS (electrical wiring interconnection system) and EZAP (enhanced zonal analysis program). Both are intimately related to ICA (instructions for continued airworthiness).

EWIS was conceived on July 17, 1996, when TWA Flight 800 fell into the Atlantic 12 minutes after its New York departure. During its four-year investigation the NTSB never found what ignited the 747’s center wing tank, but it did find a number of potentially unsafe conditions nearby, including cracked insulation, open-ended splices vulnerable to moisture, and other repairs that didn’t comply with Boeing’s Standard Wiring Practices Manual.

This discovery led to the FAA’s Aging Transport Systems Rulemaking Advisory Committee (ATSRAC). Composed of airlines, OEMs, and regulators, it inspected 81 aircraft, finding 3,372 discrepancies. They ranged from deteriorated wiring, corrosion, improper installation and repairs to contamination by metal shavings, dust, and flammable fluids.

The arcing IFE cables that likely brought down Swissair Flight 111 on September 9, 1998 reinforced the ATSRAC mission. After the Lear 35 carrying golfer Payne Stewart crashed in 1999, the NTSB urged the ATSRAC to look at all transport category aircraft. While the NTSB found no specific cause for the loss of pressurization, the system is controlled electrically.

Until this time, wiring rarely received any special maintenance or inspections, even though its failure causes delays, unscheduled landings, IFE system problems, and both nonfatal and deadly accidents. The ATSRAC recommended internationally harmonized certification requirements, standard wiring practices, and maintenance procedures to correct and prevent these consequences.

These recommendations led to NPRM 05-08, Enhanced Airworthiness Program for Airplane Systems/Fuel Tank Safety. Published on October 6, 2005, it christened EWIS and, for the first time, officially defined the electrical system and gave it a home, Subpart H of Part 25. The point is that safety depends on the reliable transfer of electrical energy, and that EWIS is equal to the critical systems it connects and controls.

Officially, EWIS is “any wire, wiring device, or combination of these, including termination devices, installed in any area of the airplane for the purpose of transmitting electrical energy, including data and signals, between two or more intended termination points…. This includes electrical cables, coaxial cables, ribbon cables, power feeders, and databuses.” Don’t think wires, think wiring diagram. EWIS covers everything a mechanic can maintain, repair, or modify.

The final rule (dated December 2007, with compliance starting 39 months later) bred dozens of advisory circulars. AC 25,17001-1, Certification of Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems on Transport Category Airplanes, guides the creation of the original system and its modification by companies like ASIG. A third of its guidance pages is dedicated to the qualitative and quantitative safety assessment and analysis required for original and supplemental type certification.

AC 25.27-A, Development of Transport Category Airplane Electrical Wiring Interconnection Systems Instructions for Continued Airworthiness Using an Enhanced Zonal Analysis Procedure, is the everyday bible. OEMs add EWIS (including electrical load data) to the ICA for an as-delivered configuration. Subsequent modifications, like ASIG’s OnBoard IFE server, must seamlessly integrate their ICA with the OEM’s.

Operators incorporate the new instructions with an EZAP, which determines the appropriate inspection and cleaning procedures. Simply put, mechanics evaluate EWIS’s condition and the affect of nearby items, such as plumbing or control cables, to its safety. An EZAP is a logical addition to aircraft covered by a zonal inspection program. On non-ZIP aircraft the EZAP will identify EWIS-related tasks that must be consolidated in the inspection and maintenance programs. (Those who hold the design approval for these aircraft may find it worthwhile to create a ZIP in conjunction with an EZAP).

Ultimately, OEMs, STC holders, aircraft operators, repair stations, and anyone who provides maintenance need to evaluate their overall philosophy and specific maintenance tasks so that EWIS receives the same care and attention as any other system critical to aircraft operation.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Aircraft maintenance,Aircraft Inspection,Electrical Wiring interconnection system,Enhanced Zonal Analysis Program,Aging Aircraft,Aircraft Wiring,TWA Flight 800,Swissair Flight 111

Airlines Upgrading Cabin Amenities

2010-07-01T15:51:00.001-05:00

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A recent Wall Street Journal article and video reported that a number of major US carriers are upgrading their coach cabin amenities with “better entertainment systems, Wi-Fi access, [and] more electrical outlets.”

American Airlines, as the article and video show, is upgrading its Boeing 737 fleet, replacing the old IFE system with flat-panel LCDs, power plugs, and Wi-Fi. Continental is adding power plugs to some of its aircraft, Delta is putting video on its international fleet, and United is adding video and power plugs to many of its Boeing 777s.

ASIG can help you keep pace with its OnBoard IFE server (See OnBoard Server is IFE Buffet for Passenger PEDs) and EmPower passenger PED power supplies (See Major Amenities for Regional Cabins).

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: In-Flight Entertainment Upgrades,Airline IFE,OnBoard IFE Server,EmPower Passenger PED Power Supply

OnBoard Server is IFE Buffet for Passenger Personal Electronic Devices

2010-06-23T09:17:00.002-05:00

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Actually talking to someone is rarely at the top of the list of things people do with their smartphones, at least that’s the impression given by Pew Research Center studies. Adding tablets like the iPad, netbooks, and old school laptop computers to the mix of personal electronic devices (PEDs) people use to connect with the wired world, ASIG realized that most airline passengers today fly with the display half of an in-flight entertainment (IFE) system. It only seemed right to meet passengers halfway and install its OnBoard IFE server and access terminal in the launch customer’s Boeing 737 NG.

Traditional IFE systems, with screens wired into the back of every seat, are heavy, expensive, and impractical on many smaller single-aisle jets. And keeping pace with technology is an expensive decision because the server that feeds the seatback displays is permanently installed.

Powered by Avionica equipment, the OnBoard server/access terminal is based on tablet computer technology and size (10.5-by-7.2-by-1.65-inches). Easily removable, it is securely mounted in a lockable dock. Combined, the server and mount weigh just 9 pounds, and keeping pace with new technology is simply a matter of remotely and wirelessly pushing content updates or plugging a freshly updated server into the dock.

Part of ASIG’s Wired Aircraft architecture, OnBoard distributes its IFE content through a secure Wi-Fi router. To connect with the outside world, ASIG can configure it with the appropriate Iridium gateway and/or satellite communication system. OnBoard’s solid-state drive holds up to 800 hours of content, from streaming video to web hosting of online catalogs. With the Iridium gateway it will handle point of sale applications with real-time credit card clearing and text messaging. With satcom, OnBoard gives passengers text e-mail and SMS service.

OnBoard can also reduce the time and money it takes to keep an aircraft mission ready by storing all the necessary manuals, databases, LRU operating software, and code images, making them immediately available to technicians. In conjunction with the backend server based avSYNC software, OnBoard uses its wireless routers to keep its IFE and maintenance content current.

Maintenance technicians can remove the server from its locked mount and take it to where they are working. In addition to a variety of digital documents and databases, OnBoard can deliver a number of support applications, including ARINC 615, ARINC 615A dataloading, ARINC 429 databus analysis, TCAS diagnostics, DFDR download, flight data analysis, and many more.

OnBoard’s new menu software enables operators to build custom prompts and workflows, from one-touch operation to detailed data entry. Combined with the system’s scalability, you can design the system best suited to your passenger’s needs and your bottom line.

OnBoard is the third and final phase of ASIG’s Regional Aircraft Cabin Improvement Program. An April 2010 STC marked the completion of Phase II, which provides external power for passenger personal electronic devices (See Major Amenities for Regional Cabins). Phase I, STC’d in January 2010, brought eight-meal TIA convection ovens to the EMB-145.

Combining an OnBoard IFE server and access terminal with ASIG’s external power supply system to the passengers’ personal electronic devices operating at full capacity will go more than halfway in making their flight productive and entertaining.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: In-Flight Entertainment Systems,Personal electronic Devices,Smartphones,Netbooks,tablet computers,regional Airlines

Building Unique, Flexible STC Solutions

2010-06-21T08:46:00.001-05:00

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When bidding upgrades, most operators of transport-category aircraft look at deliverables and want to know the cost of four things: nonrecurring engineering, equipment, the kits that unite equipment and airframe, and time and money it takes to consummate that union.

The answers to these questions define a start-to-finish journey in four giant leaps, the categorical summation of the step-by-step route ASIG takes from the operator’s statement of work to installing the inaugural upgrade kit and shepherding it through certification. Optimized for efficiency and flexibility, each route is unique to the upgrade destination.

Each STC project has a unique list of documents that gives the FAA the data it needs for certification, says Managing Director Luke Ribich. ASIG builds a proprietary datalist with an application that compiles the necessary certification, manufacturing, and installation documents. Related applications compute the time and labor involved for each step, enabling ASIG to quickly answer the four main questions.

A full communication and navigation upgrade is a good example, says Ribich, because it has an involved document list, including the analysis of electrical load and system safety to weight and balance supplements. If the STC covers different aircraft, as an all-model list (AML) would, an aircraft similarity report itemizes the applicable equipment. “More modern aircraft have a common nav pack or data bus,” but classics like the Boeing 727-300 often have different electro-mechanical suites, depending on the initial operator. “That means more wire, different switches, and different boxes.”

A Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), ASIG assigns a highly experienced and proficient team of five to eight key employees to the prerequisite work that answers an operator’s four questions. They are the same people who make the plan happen once the deal is signed. An addendum to that agreement covers the kits, Ribich says, “because we can’t price them until the engineering is done and the bill of materials is fully developed and bid out.”

ASIG always does the inaugural kit installation because it and any applicable ground and flight tests are part of FAA certification, which “goes extremely smooth when it’s a front to back, closed-loop program” handled by the same team. Once the STC is approved, ASIG drop ships kits to the operator.

ASIG will do phased installations, running cables and wiring on the first pass, and “ripping out the old hardware and dropping in the new on the second evolution,” Ribich says. ASIG will also work where the operator wants.

One of ASIG’s early projects proves this point and illustrates its capabilities. With engineering liaisons and mechanics, a 22-person team turned a French Air Force DC-8-72 with a five-man cockpit into an US-registered aircraft with with a three-man cockpit filled with 21st century systems.

The to-do list was long: demilitarize the NATO equipment, install and certify a Universal EFIS with dual FMS, TAWS, and triple redundant RVSM digital air data system, as well as a cockpit voice and digital flight data recorders. “What made the project unique was the 10 pallet positions aft of the cockpit, followed by a 32-passenger combi section,” Ribich says. “A specialized flight director gave us some problems initially, but we designed and built a converter box that solved them.”

In a hangar the operator rented for the work, just big enough for the DC-8’s nose, the ASIG team brought everything it needed to install the new systems. Starting from scratch with a contract signed October 2005. all engineering was done the same day installations started, December 18. “We worked through Christmas Eve, were off through New Year’s Day, and completed all the work on March 28. The FAA issued the STC on March 12.”

Everyone at ASIG comes from the Part-121 world, Ribich says, “so we know it is a fast-paced environment that requires efficiency and flexible solutions.”

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Part-121 STC,All-Model Lists,FAA Required Data,Kit Manufacturing,STC Installation

And the RAA Winners Are…

2010-06-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

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ASIG exhibited at its inaugural Regional Airline Association (RAA) Annual Convention in Milwaukee. All registered attendees (roughly 1,500) were automatically entered in our drawing, as were those who stopped by the booth, and it was good talking with all of you. Without further adieu, the winners are…

Grand Prize - Tom Tom Go 730 GPS

Tom Haarmann

Customer Service Manager—GoJet Airlines

Dry-weave Moisture Wicking Sport Shirt

Gwendolyn Bentley

Purchasing Manager—Republic Airlines

John Cross

Director of Materials –Colgan Air

Joe Grogan

Director of IEP—Pinnacle Airlines

Rich Rupslauskas

Technical Services—Air Wisconsin

Ron Charles

Senior Director, DIA—Frontier Airlines

Terry Basham

Vice President, Customer Service—Trans States Holdings

Port Authority Moisture Wicking Golf Visor

Todd Hargrove

HazMat Senior Specialist--Southwest Airlines Company

Jimmy Owenby

Station Manager—SkyWest Airlines

Joe Williamson

Diversified Communications Group

Mike Lohmann

Training & Standards Director—Jazz Airlines

Randy E. Tweed

Chief Inspector—Commutair

June Donovan

Security Manager—JetBlue Airlines

Cindy Grzyb

General Manager—Continental Airlines

Thomas Reynolds

GM, Maintenance Operations—Atlantic Southeast Airlines

Lo Lyons

In-Flight Training Manager—ExpressJet Airlines

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

PMA Parts Make Improvements Possible

2010-06-01T16:29:00.001-05:00

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Any aircraft is the sum of its parts, and if any one of them is not designed, tested, and approved for use on a specific make and model, the airplane cannot legally earn its keep. Airframe and powerplant OEMs are the primary source of approved parts, but usually they do not accommodate capabilities beyond those that existed when the aircraft earned its type certificate.

Incorporating new technology after an aircraft earned its TC requires a supplemental type certificate (STC). And the parts that bring everything from glass cockpits and NextGen avionics to cabin in-flight entertainment systems earn their right to fly through the Parts Manufacturing Approval (PMA) process.

As the PMA flowchart suggests, it’s an involved process. Often it starts with an approval from an Aircraft Certification Office (ACO). Most STCs involve major changes to an airplane’s capabilities, and the FAA requires proof that they do not adversely affect the airplane. As part of its STC efforts, ASIG works with the necessary FAA offices.

Developing PMA parts not only makes STC’d improvements possible, it creates the parts that maintain the new capabilities. ASIG engineers design needed parts as they develop an STC, but their work goes well beyond laying out an instrument panel or wiring harness that connects it to the airplane. In transport-category aircraft each new part must meet the requirements of Part 25. In other words, the new part must be equal to—or better than—the part it replaces.

A new part proves itself through drawings, specifications, and documents that include all required computations and the results of an exhaustive testing plan. To be eligible for installation the part must be made of the appropriate materials. It must perform its intended function and be compatible with the parts or components to which it is connected. Tests must prove that the part performs reliably under all mission profiles, cyclic loads, the stress of pressure and temperature, and all other applicable operating conditions.

From this design and testing work ASIG creates the required plan for continued operational safety (COS). Central to this effort is determining how critical a part is by assessing the consequences of its failure. Starting with the part’s fatigue life, engineers apply the appropriate margin of safety by establishing its airworthiness lifespan. Further, they identify failure modes, provide corrective actions, and generate instructions for continued airworthiness. And they include a recordkeeping plan that starts when the part is manufactured and legibly numbered with permanent markings.

An FAA Manufacturing Inspection District Office (MIDO) examines every scintilla of a PMA application. This can be time consuming, but ASIG’s designated engineering representatives approve much of the work before it goes to the FAA, significantly reducing the time to the MIDO’s final approval—and the time it takes to introduce new capabilities to your fleet.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: FAA Parts Manufacturing Approval,Manufacturing Inspection District Office,Aircraft Certification Office,Aircraft Approved Parts,STC upgrades

NextGen Now an Important Part of Aircraft Buying & Selling Decisions

2010-05-14T16:42:00.001-05:00

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Deciding to buy or sell an in-service transport-category aircraft is a process that employs a calculus of variations to assess myriad values. There are hundreds of them, from cycles and hours remaining on life-limited components and systems to fleet compatibility, maintenance training, spare parts, and required documentation on things like Standardized Wiring Practices, which includes EWIS, electrical wiring interconnection systems (another area of ASIG expertise, by the way).

Add a new variable: the NextGen National Air Transportation System. Really. After years of talking and testing, the time has come to get serious about upgrading to performance-based navigation systems that deliver the required navigational performance because “tomorrow” is here. And travelers know it’s coming, thanks to articles like “Overhaul Lies Ahead for Air Traffic Control,” which recently ran in Cincinnati.

The satellite-based Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) system now tracks aircraft over the Gulf of Mexico and Louisville, and it is coming online in Juneau and Philadelphia. But that’s just the start. “By 2013, satellite-based surveillance will be available to equipped operators nationwide [emphasis added],” writes FAA Administrator Randy Babbit.

Naturally, work on NextGen will continue beyond 2013 as the government redesigns the airspace to match the new satellite-based systems. But the administrator’s words are also an unspoken warning: aircraft not equipped for NextGen airspace will go to the end of line for ATC services, a position that will match their standing with their competition—and consumers.

Why buy or sell an aircraft in this time of transition? Because upgrading some aircraft is easier and more economical than others. And as airlines like Southwest have proven, a homogenous fleet, which cuts the cost of upgrades, spare parts, and maintenance, makes an important contribution to overall success. (See Fleet Upgrades Share Rewards--and Costs.)

Whether you are buying, selling, or both, ASIG's Fleet Planning & Support staff are masters of complex calculus, working all of the financial, regulatory, and operational variables in custom computations founded on clearly defined operational requirements. The results are decisions that deliver the best return on an investment in NextGen capabilities.

Beyond a comprehensive analysis of cost versus configuration, ASIG can handle the entire process for buyers and sellers, reliably completing every task quickly and correctly. Tasks range from finding appropriate aircraft and thoroughly evaluating it before the purchase to performing or managing all of the maintenance, upgrades, conversions, and standardization work that makes it a member of your fleet after the deal is done.

To start calculating how you will efficiently and economically build a fleet that will take full advantage of Next Generation National Air Transportation system, contact ASIG. You can start face-to-face at the Regional Airline Association (RAA) 2010 Convention, May 24-27, at the Frontier (formerly Midwest)Airlines Convention Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Look for us in Booth 631.

Until next time, stay 5x5, mission ready, and Wired!

Technorati Tags: Buy Sell Transport-Category Aircraft,NextGen National Airspace System,ASIG SEMPER Process,ADS-B,Fleet Upgrades,standardized wiring practices,electrical wiring interconnection system

Major Amenities for Regional Cabins

2010-05-03T15:49:00.001-05:00

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To the traveling public the hours spent strapped in a jetliner’s seat are the same whether they are in a big Boeing or Airbus or a regional jet like the Embraer EMB-145. In this confined world, what makes or breaks a flight are the amenities—or their absence.

Cabin services are what separate regional from major carriers—until now. ASIG earned a supplemental type certificate (STC) in April that adds a power supply for passenger personal electronic devices (PEDs) to the EMB-145. It completes Phase II of ASIG’s three-part program that upgrades regional cabins with major amenities.

Rare is the passenger who doesn’t carry at least one PED. Ranging from smart phones and netbooks to tablet computers (like the new iPad) and full-size laptops, business travelers often carry more than one—and they all need power. With the ASIG PED power supply STC, the launch customer can now deliver it.

ASIG built its system using Astronics AES Empower units, which includes FAA-approved sockets on the lower sidewalls that accept plugs from 145 nations. Passengers simply plug in their PED’s AC converter. Serving up to 50 passengers, the system can be divided into as many as 12 zones. The custom ASIG control panel (with fault indication) manages the zones individually, allowing operators to monetize the service.

Regional carriers that energize and recharge their customers will have the edge because market research shows that they are flying longer routes for their major airline partners,” says Luke Ribich, ASIG’s managing director. Using himself as an example, regionals deliver him to the hubs surrounding ASIG’s home in Little Rock, Arkansas, and “it’s an hour to Dallas, two hours to Houston, and almost three hours to Atlanta.”

Before giving passengers uninterrupted power, ASIG’s regional cabin improvement program brought them hot meals. In January 2010 it earned the STC that installed TIA convection ovens in the launch customer’s EMB-145s. It is now selecting equipment, completing the certification plan, and reviewing the final details with the launch customer for Phase III, a cabin IFE server that will Wi-Fi music, movies, and other entertainment to PED web browsers.

“Installing a full blown in-flight entertainment system in a regional jet is not cost effective,” Ribich says. But the opposite is true if the passengers bring their own screens. “Smart phones will lose their 3G signal at 10,000 feet, but like any Wi-Fi device, from portable games to laptops, when you open the web browser it’ll look for—and find—the cabin Wi-Fi enabled server.”

Satellite-based Internet access is a Phase III option, as is the credit card screen that appears when passengers log into the cabin entertainment server. The server will download the billing information to the airline’s accounting system after landing, Ribich says.

Phase III should be completed by the end of 2010, and ASIG is in the process of adding the 37-seat EMB-135 and 44-seat EMB-140 to its Phase I and II STCs. Individually or combined, each regional cabin amenity will set that flight apart from the rest in minds of passengers.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

Technorati Tags: Regional Airlines,In-flight Entertainment,Airline Cabin WiFi,Embraer EMB-145 STC,Personal Electronic Devices,Astronics AES Empower,TIA Convection Oven

Video Gives Life to ADS-B Benefits

2010-04-28T10:12:00.001-05:00

If a picture is worth a thousand words, a video that clearly animates the benefits of the ADS-B system is surely worth the thousands of tiny-type pages that describes the system’s operational benefits.

This video, produced by EurocontrolTV, brings ADS-B’s time-and-money-saving benefits in non-radar areas to life. The system is now providing these benefits over the Gulf of Mexico and Philadelphia. And it will soon be coming to airspace near you.

Until next time, stay 5x5 and Wired!

Fleet Upgrades: Share the Rewards—and the Cost

2010-04-19T10:51:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Preparing a legacy fleet for the NextGen National Airspace System is, perhaps, the most pressing challenge facing fleet operators today, especially if they fly transport category aircraft of different makes and models. It is tempting to consider type individually. During aviation’s analog era this often made sense, given its electro-mechanical constraints, but it can be an extraordinarily expensive thought process in the second century of powered flight.

In the era of digital decision making, the goal—the desired capabilities—matters more than the legacy systems to be replaced, says ASIG Managing Partner Luke Ribich. The same hardware, connected with aircraft specific wiring harnesses, can serve any number of different aircraft. The displays ASIG uses in its STC for a four-screen DC-8 EFIS also fly in Barons and King Airs under STCs created by others. Software that defines an airplane’s “personality,” from number of powerplants to operational and performance data, is what makes it possible to share the rewards—and costs—of a whole fleet upgrade.

Upgrading a fleet across multiple types is “absolutely less expensive than the total cost of doing each type individually,” Ribich says. ASIG’s Fleet Planning and Support covers every step of the process, starting with a SEMPER (Systems Evolution, Modernization, Execution, and Realization) evaluation. “The likelihood of providing a common solution goes up exponentially if the fleet has a good CAS or reliability program,” Ribich says.

Cost is a big part of any upgrade equation. As the fleet shares in the rewards of its new capabilities, it also divides the cost of engineering and certifying them under a single STC approved model list. Certainly, Ribich says, operators must pay for “non-recurring engineering,” work specific to each model type. But that cost, too, is divided by the number of airframes involved.

Modernization costs can also be divided by time. ASIG’s SEMPER process builds a long-term integrated technical and business plan that incorporates lifecycle costs and open-system commercial off-the-shelf components. This allows a building-block plan that adds a particular NextGen capability to the fleet just before the FAA puts the service online.

Quantity discounts also apply, says William Helliwell, ASIG’s manager of engineering and programs, and they count more than airframes. Using the same boxes, the same screens, in every airframe reduces the overall cost of upgrade kitting as common fixtures and basic elements such as connectors and wire types remain static across the various kit packages. Equally important, operators “don’t need as many spares on the shelf to support the fleet.” The digital decision making process applies to all manner of fleet upgrades, including in-flight entertainment systems, he says, adding, “there isn’t very much we can’t do with an airplane.”

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

NextGen at Busiest Airports by 2014: Will You Be Ready?

2010-04-07T08:42:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

The fundamental challenge of aviation has remained constant as it transitions from its first to second century: develop a safe, reliable, efficient, and economic system that moves people through the air from Point A to B. Only the specifics have changed. Developing a satellite-based digital infrastructure that makes safe and efficient use of the finite natural resource known as airspace has taken the place of airframes, powerplants, and paved runways.

Making this challenge more interesting for operators of Part-25 turbine aircraft are the economic constraints that assign more responsibilities to fewer people, all of whom are climbing the learning curve of digital aviation technology. Having climbed this curve, the experts at ASIG have amassed more than a century of avionics and systems experience. To help you make informed decisions, every two weeks they will share information and insights in the new ASIG Wired.

Take, for example, the headline of this post. As reported in the Washington Post, the US Senate approved a $34.5 billon FAA funding bill on March 23, 2010, that would have the navigation and surveillance elements of NextGen up and running at the nation’s 35 busiest airports by 2014. As a whole, NextGen is supposed to be online by 2020.

This news is not that big of a deal—unless you regularly fly to and from America’s busiest aviation hubs. In that case, 2014 doesn’t leave a lot of time to upgrade your fleet with the systems that deliver the required navigational performance NextGen demands. At the same time, rushing to upgrade a fleet can have dire, long-term operational—and financial—consequences, says Luke Ribich, ASIG’s managing partner.

ASIG avoids the penalties of haste, and takes future requirements and upgrades into account, by creating comprehensive integration plans that look 10 to 15 years into the future. It creates them with SEMPER, a process for Systems Evolution, Modernization, Execution, and Realization that builds an integrated technical and business plan gives solutions based on a formal migration strategy, lifecycle costs as independent variables, and open system, commercial off-the-shelf components. (To learn more, request the SEMPER White Paper.)

Naturally, how much time and money it will take to connect your fleet to the second century of powered flight depends on variables unique to each operator.

There has been some talk of federal assistance to help operators equip their aircraft for NextGen. To be honest, we wouldn’t count on it. Airlines would be the primary recipients, and they are only slightly more popular than Wall Streeters right now. In an editorial about “The Future of Flight,” the Washington Post wrote that “some airlines are balking at having to pay for their end of the upgrade. But they will benefit from the implementation of NextGen and should ante up.”

For whatever reason, waiting is always an option: 2020 is still a ways away, and ATC will still have to handle analog aircraft for awhile after that, right? Yes, but remember when RVSM came online, and how those without it rarely climbed above fuel guzzling altitudes? If your fleet isn’t equipped for NextGen, take a number and be prepared to wait. ATC will work you into the flow as soon as it can, because as we all know, in aviation, timing is everything.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

Technorati Tags: NextGen National Airspace System,Avionics Upgrades,ATC,Busy Airports

Engineering Outsourcing Trends Rise in Aerospace and Defense

2009-08-13T14:29:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

What role does professional outsourced Engineering, Design & Certification services play in today’s industry which grapples daily to rise from the great recession of 2008/2009? Surprisingly, the outsource of systems design and engineering is on the rise. In this month’s edition of Wired, we’ll look at the contributing factors of this trend and establish the value of such services.

In reality there are two basic aspects to consider when considering virtual engineering services:

Experience & Proficiency of Talent
Capacity Management

First, the industry is grappling with budget cuts & job loses; however, there remains a capacity issue when it comes to retaining middle and junior lever engineers to do the bulk of the “trench” work. Senior design engineers are available and continue to be needed because of their domain knowledge and experience, but they are headed either to retirement or down a path that will require them to learn new technology and demands that come with it (design tools & applications, PLM platforms etc) with no guarantee of return on their continuing professional education investments. Those experienced designers that do update their skills are finding that their efforts are not enough as they, in the capacity of team leaders, do not have enough staff to pass on their acquired experience to. It is here that outsourcing plays a crucial role. Outsourcing helps to create a knowledge repository, as torch bearers if you will, as a part of transition process to offload bulk work. This realignment of capacity also helps create a capacity pool that will propel the new program initiatives when industry sees better days.

Just as compelling is the aspect that most aerospace & defense companies have started to move away from the long design and development cycles to shorter, more frequent new design introductions - not unlike the consumer electronics industry has done over the last two decades. Today’s technology enables these talented professional to carry much of the overall concept burden including: theory proof, system/component design, qualification of prototypes and final verification/validation/certification. That said, there is a lot of documentation and compliance that can be taken care of only with capacity (especially as relates to FAA/DoD certifications). Outsourcing these talents and requirements helps to bridge the gap by making available options to support these different functions.

ASIG’s Virtual Engineering Services Subscription Agreements (VESSA) yield a leveraged and scalable solution to the industry by allowing our clients to buy down the cost of their estimated capacity requirements. Whether your short and intermediate goals are geared toward platform sustainment, reliability improvement or rapid development of non-critical systems in support of operational requirements. Alternately, the VESSA frees up our clients homogenous resources to support daily logistics while our team of seasoned design and certification engineers create longer range solutions to regulatory compliance, operational convenience and new capabilities. ASIG’s VESSA subscribers experience a continuity of operation with experienced, customer-centered dedication to our client’s success. This commitment is levied with by-name talent and resources to support your scheduled, unscheduled and AOG operations 24/7/365 while achieving the greatest return on your engineering dollar investment. Best of all, VESSA agreements can be achieved with full multi-discipline and FAA DER/DAR capabilities with considerable savings for as little as your would normally pay for a single disciplined full-time professional employee annually.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

To learn more about ASIG’s approach to aircraft modernization programs, virtual engineering services subscriptions or other products and services available from the Avionics & Systems Integration Group, please visit us online at www.asigllc.com, via email at info@asigllc.com, or contact us toll-free at 866.890.ASIG [2744].

ASIG Joins the Astroincs AES EmPower® Dealer Network

2009-03-26T16:02:00.001-05:00

PRESS RELEASE

North Little Rock, AR: March 20, 2009 - Avionics & Systems Integration Group, LLC (ASIG), a leading provider of integrated solutions and certification services for the aviation, aerospace and defense market, today announced, effective immediately, a dealer agreement has been completed with Astronics AES (Advanced Electronics Systems) to represent the EmPower® 28vdc to 115vac In-Seat Power Supply (ISPS) and provide integration, installation, kit fabrication and front-line sales support. Recognized as a premiere third party independent systems integrator, ASIG provides high quality, sustainable, supportable and efficient products and services across the globe in sustainment and retrofit of aircraft and flight operations. The company now serves as a non-exclusive representative for the Astronics AES EmPower® system.

"Our new partnership with ASIG will be mutually beneficial," said Astronics AES Manager of Sales & Marketing, Mr. Jeff Kroeller. "Their extensive industry experience along with our industry leading EmPower® system offering will facilitate our steady growth in the in-seat power distribution market."

"The Astronics AES EmPower® system is an important addition to our product portfolio," said ASIG Managing Director, Luke Ribich "Our sales team is excited to distribute a product that delivers highly reliable, secure, and cost-effective in-seat power supply system solutions for use with passenger personal electronic device applications."

EmPower® In-Seat Power Supply systems are installed on over 114 airline and OEM customers and more than 240,000 seats. Astronics AES is the market leader in bringing power to passengers and airlines personnel - power to run laptops, entertainment equipment and other portable electronic devices as well as aircraft in-seat functions. With the expansive certification leadership and airline experience of ASIG’s management team; and, their comprehensive SEMPER planning and implementation process, the ASIG and Astronics AES pairing is well positioned to expand current installations of EmPower® system well beyond 1 Million in-seat emplacements.

About Astronics AES

Astronics Corporation is a trusted leader in innovative, high performance lighting and power management systems for the global aerospace industry; automated diagnostic test systems, training and simulation devices for the defense industry; and safety and survival equipment for airlines. Astronics’ strategy is to develop and maintain positions of technical leadership in its chosen aerospace and defense markets, and leverage those positions to grow at a rate greater than the industries it serves. Astronics Corporation, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries, Astronics Advanced Electronic Systems Corp., DME Corporation, and Luminescent Systems Inc., have a reputation for high quality designs, exceptional responsiveness, strong brand recognition and best-in-class manufacturing practices. The Company routinely posts news and other important information on its website at www.Astronics.com.

About ASIG

ASIG, independently owned and operated, performs integration engineering, certification & program management, PMA manufacturing of modifications installation kitting, structural components, switching matrices, wire and cable harness assemblies; and, performs installations in support of CNS/ATM and IFE/C-C equipment for aircraft & other air vehicles. Additionally, ASIG performs research and development of emerging technologies in support of aircraft operations, maintenance, modification and repair for civil, commercial, government and foreign flight departments. To learn more, please visit http://www.asigllc.com/.

For additional information regarding ASIG's operating activities, product & services offerings contact Mr. Luke Ribich, Managing Director of ASIG, toll-free at (866) 890-ASIG or via email at info@asigllc.com. ### END OF RELEASE

Class 1 and 2 EFBs not Certifiable for use with Aircraft PSS or Lithium Batteries

2009-02-17T09:39:00.002-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

Last month the FAA issued a policy memorandum providing additional guidance on the certification of Class 1 and 2 portable Electronic Flight Bags (EFBs). The memorandum cites a potential safety hazard in the use of EFBs with rechargeable lithium batteries, and requires that such systems meet minimum performance standards or that warning placards be added to prevent their connection to aircraft electrical power.

"An aircraft electrical power source may provide power to Class 1 and 2 EFB systems with lithium batteries. Lithium batteries and charging circuitry may be flammable under certain conditions and could cause an unsafe condition during flight operations," states the memorandum.

"In particular, lithium battery systems have the potential to pose a safety hazard when recharging. The aircraft electrical power source is not certified to mitigate unsafe conditions that occur when connected to portable equipment which contains lithium batteries and charging circuitry."

The memorandum requires that EFBs containing lithium batteries are tested to RTCA DO-311, "Minimum Operational Performance Standards for Rechargeable Lithium Battery Systems," which was intended to test permanently installed equipment.

EFBs that do not meet the standards are not eligible for connection to aircraft electrical power sources. FAA says a warning placard should be added as part of the supplemental type certification, defining what type of equipment can be connected to aircraft power. "The placard, must be legible, easy to see and as close as practical to the docking location(s)," the memorandum states.

So what does all this mean? Simply put, when considering power supply systems (PSS) for use with personal electronic devices (PEDs) it is necessary to ensure that your installation considers the operational ramifications and forward looking system scalability needs of your operations early in the design process to ensure that you customers, air/cabin crew and ground maintenance crew needs are being met. This will aid your organization in garnering the greatest return on the capital improvement dollars you invest in your aircraft modifications program. ASIG is experienced in the design and certification of PSS for use with PEDs, as well as other CNS/ATM & IFE upgrades and enhancements.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

To learn more about ASIG's approach to aircraft modernization programs, virtual engineering services subscriptions or other products and services available from the Avionics & Systems Integration Group, please visit us online at www.asigllc.com, via email at info@asigllc.com, or contact us toll-free at 866.890.ASIG [2744].

NextGen Governing Principles for Avionics Equipage

2009-02-02T14:41:00.002-06:00

Welcome to Wired!

As the United States, and other world governments, face a deepening economic situation it is becoming more clear that both politicians and constituents must do all they can to improve their national and international air traffic infrastructures in order to maximize on each elements operational efficiencies. To that end, the aviation community has long been at work seeking to maximize the safety, efficiency and cleanliness of aircraft operation from flight origin to termination. As we have discussed previously in Wired, the United States' initiative is called NextGen, whereas the European initiative is designated SESAR. As usual we at ASIG will start this year's discussion by reviewing these global harmonization efforts. Going forward this year we will explore the methods and philosophies that contribute to ensuring the greatest path of acceptance across all sectors of constituents and what efficiencies exist that can help operators achieve the greatest return on their capital investment dollars.

NextGen will require investment by both the government and the private sector to be successful in delivering the desired National Air Space (NAS) performance improvements; and, towards contributing to both a technological and economic strengthening of the global economy. These investments will be largely in the areas of avionics technology, operational procedures and flight planning processes. And while lesser equipped aircraft will still be accommodated in the NAS, the FAA and private partners such as ASIG will be working to ensuring that a significant portion of the aircraft fleet is appropriately equipped to take advantage of NextGen infrastructure improvements, which is perhaps the most critical issue in achieving success. Change is necessary for a variety of reasons, and change seldom evolves without its detractors. The paramount of which is the cost to both aircraft operators and the FAA, in order to realize the NextGen benefits. But, with the enhancements offered by the installation of the equipment and technologies described in the FAA's NextGen roadmap, prices will fall as the industry base broadens. Therefore, private partners in this transformation process, such as ASIG, recognize that through partnership and proactive planning through processes like ASIG's SEMPER model. Those companies specializing in technology insertion and operational certifications, such as ASIG, have a responsibility to help its customer's internal program managers to build the strong business cases that is necessary for operators to equip their aircraft. By sharing the "map through the mine-field," we as an industry ensure that the challenges and proposed solutions are matured with the benefit of fulfilling the needs of each unique constituent in the cycle. Therefore, as we start 2009, we've decided pause to take a look back at the governing principles and technology that will improve the safety and experience we encounter when we fly, so that we can establish a good foundational underpinning for future discussions, where we will address the "How" questions.

Developmental Principles

The following high-level governing principles establish a foundation for an integrated avionics equipage strategy aimed at accelerating NextGen and SESAR operational capabilities in the 2012-2018 mid-term timeframe. These principles span possible operational, financial and regulatory actions, and will serve as the basis for future FAA, and international, decision-making, specific policy development activities, and engagement with industry stakeholders:

Target equipage and associated capabilities to maximize operational benefits for the specific locations or airspace that require a higher performance level in order to elevate system performance and to satisfy demand.
- Leverage and maximize the benefit of existing equipage.
- Take advantage of normal maintenance cycles to minimize disruptions to operators when installing new equipment.
- Leverage operational evaluations and other cooperative arrangements with industry to accelerate NextGen equipage.
Consistent with safe and efficient operations, provide "best-equipped, best-served" priority in the NAS to early adopters.
Minimize the business risk associated with early deployment of NextGen equipage, such as those resulting from application of initial certification standards; FAA may assume portions of that risk or otherwise incentivize operators.
Target government provided financial incentives for new equipment toward aircraft that will meet evolving environmental requirements.
Harmonize operations, performance requirements and avionics solutions globally to ensure maximum benefits to operators who fly internationally.

Supporting Technologies

Because of the volume of available detail concerning these emerging technologies, and to some degree the absence of operational maturity in them, we have limited the following expanse of them to those areas that are currently available, or, at a minimum, currently planned for implementation by 2018. To garner more specific information on these capabilities, we encourage our readers to review past issues of Wired, which are available online.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B): Is a capability where aircraft are equipped to determine their own position automatically and to broadcast this information to interested listeners at regular time intervals. Recipients of the broadcast position information are other nearby aircraft and ground ATC systems.
System Wide Information Management (SWIM): Is a NAS-wide information system that supports NextGen information and data delivery goals. SWIM will enable increased common situational awareness and improved NAS agility to deliver the right information to pilots and controllers at the right time – before issues occur.
Enhanced Vision Systems (EVS): Is a technology designed to allow greater situational awareness through visual medium using advanced imaging technologies such as forward looking infrared, sonagraphic imaging and thermal visioning to name a few. EVS will allow aircraft to commit to flight operations and flight procedures beyond today's minimums and in inclement weather by giving pilots real-time visual data when their natural view is obstructed by weather, darkness or other traditional/nontraditional impediments.
NextGen Network Enabled Weather (NNEW): Will serve as the infrastructure core of the NextGen aviation weather support services, providing access to a NAS-wide common weather picture. NNEW will identify, adapt and use standards for system-wide weather data formatting and access. A virtual 4-D Weather Data Cube with aviation weather information from multi-agency sources is being developed. The virtual 4-D Weather Data Cube provides improved aviation weather data which can be directly and commonly accessed by and integrated into user decision support tools. The virtual database will consolidate a vast array of ground-, airborne-, and space-based weather observations and forecasts. This will provide a single, national—eventually global—picture of the atmosphere, updated as needed in real-time.
Airport Surface Detection Equipment – Mode X (ASDE-X): is a surveillance system using radar and satellite technology that allows air traffic controllers to track surface movement of aircraft and vehicles. ASDE-X enables air traffic controllers to detect potential runway, and taxiway, conflicts by providing detailed coverage of movement on runways and taxiways. By collecting data from a variety of sources, ASDE-X is able to track vehicles and aircraft on the airport movement area and obtain identification information from aircraft transponders.

In all, these and other TBD technologies and procedures will pave the way for a safer, more efficient, greener and a more user friendly air travel experience in the years and decades to come. Now, in 2009, is the time to start fleet planning exercises to ensure the timeliest NextGen/SESAR compliance readiness for aircraft and fleets. If your organization is interested in learning about ASIG's Systems Evolution/Modernization Planning, Execution & Realization (SEMPER) process; or, to learn ways to fiscally justify the up-front expense of these technologies, we encourage you to contact our modification project managers. In our next edition we will start evaluating how these capital improvement projects can be accomplished most efficiently, using available and scalable products and methodologies that will help your team to expedite the developmental and certification processes supporting these alterations.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

To learn more about ASIG's approach to aircraft modernization programs, virtual engineering services subscriptions or other products and services available from the Avionics & Systems Integration Group, please visit us online at http://www.asigllc.com/, via email at info@asigllc.com, or contact us toll-free at 866.890.ASIG [2744].

Modern Avionics + RNP Navigation = “Triple-Double” for Investment Returns

2008-12-23T09:52:00.002-06:00

Welcome to WIRED!

This year the ASIG team has spent lots of time advising our readers and clients about the actual technologies and integrated systems that make up an RNP capable flight deck. However, it was recently asked of our program management team, "What do all these capital improvements really achieve other than preferred placement by ATC?" What a great question. The fact is the improvement in flight operations safety alone are reason enough to invest in the lives of your crew and passengers, just ask your Risk Managers. However, if your Financial Managers haven't yet been convinced of the overall value of the capital improvements, the following list might help those of you trying to make the case, or at least start a compelling dialogue.

Safety Benefits

Safer Flight for Everyone
Safety is the first concern of every aircraft operator, air traffic manager and regulator not to mention passengers, and

RNP fits the bill. With carefully engineered landing and takeoff procedures precisely repeated every time, RNP is greatly increasing the safety of transporting people and goods by air.

CFIT Reductions: Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) is the leading cause of aircraft accidents today. The vertical and lateral path guidance of RNP procedures—accurately repeated with every flight—avoids all obstacles, virtually eliminating the possibility of CFIT.

Stabilized Approaches: With RNP, aircraft arrive at the runway aligned with the centerline, in the same configuration and at the same speed every time. Variations in altitude and speed are virtually eliminated, touchdowns with adequate runway to slow the plane are ensured.
Safer Missed Approaches: All RNP approach procedures are designed with an automatic missed approach at any point along the path, even beyond the Decision Altitude.
Safer Non-Normal Procedures: When an engine is lost, Tailored RNP takes over, allowing crews to focus on flying rather than complex emergency navigation procedures—particularly helpful in complex terrain and/or poor weather or low visibility. In some cases the Tailored RNP guidance will route an aircraft over a less obstacle-challenged path to account for degraded performance.
Less Stress on Flight Crews: Pre-loaded RNP approaches and departures are much easier and more straightforward than traditional procedures.
More Consistency: Operators using RNP throughout their network enhance safety by employing approach and departure procedures that are consistent from airport to airport—a key component of safe operations.
No ILS Signal Distortion: Instrument Landing System (ILS) glide paths can be severely distorted by temporary obstructions such as taxiing aircraft or even snow piles near the ILS transmitter. Satellite-based RNP does not suffer from these ground-based interferences.

Access Benefits

Go Where and When You Want - Go where passengers want to go and cargo needs to go! Reliable service rain or shine. Don't let construction or ground-based navigation outages disrupt your schedule.
1. New Market Access: Because it can allow consistent takeoff and landing in difficult terrain and weather, RNP gives access to markets previously lacking regularly scheduled service which can be a source of high yields and passenger volumes.
2. Lower Minima: RNP "fits" into obstacle-restricted areas, lowering landing minima (the height at which crews must be able to see the runway to carry out the landing). Lower landing minima reduce flight diversions and cancellations due to weather.
3. Increased Reliability: RNP does not rely on ground-based navigation aids, whether radar control or radio-beacon-based. Even when those services are not present, RNP still functions normally.

Efficiency Benefits

RNP Makes Cents for the Bottom Line: The efficiency benefits of RNP are truly compelling. Fuel, insurance, engine maintenance and disruption costs go down. Asset utilization goes up. In a tough aviation market, RNP provides a competitive edge.
1. Lower Fuel Consumption: Because RNP shortens flight tracks and allows for Continuous Descent Approaches (CDAs) it saves fuel. Traditional procedures often involve unnecessarily long flight paths and utilize "dive and drive" descents which require higher thrust settings. RNP can be designed to take the most efficient course to the runway—day in and day out.
2. Tax Credits: With heightened awareness of environmental concerns, some governments are offering financial incentives to go green. RNP fuel efficiency means lower emissions—which can mean environmental tax credits.
3. Lower Insurance Premiums: Airline hull and liability insurance underwriters understand that RNP lowers risk which results in lower premiums for users.
4. Lower Thrust, Lower Rates: By avoiding paths with onerous climb requirements RNP allows for lower thrust settings on take-off. These de-rates can be used to reduce engine power-by-the-hour maintenance rates.
5. Reduced Variance: Traditional navigation procedures add uncertainty requiring longer block times to compensate for the outliers. RNP mitigates this, resulting in higher gate and aircraft utilization as well as increased on-time performance.
6. Higher Crew, Gate and Aircraft Utilization: Crews, gates and aircraft are utilized at higher rates because of shorter more predictable block times.

Capacity Benefits

Fill Aircraft & Maximize Airspace: By carefully engineering flight paths to avoid obstacles aircraft can utilize their full payload potential. Thousands of flights and years of data show that RNP operations produce extremely consistent flight tracks. This precision combined with RNP crew alerting features gives confidence to reduce aircraft separation standards, thereby increasing the capacity of busy terminal environments around the world.
1. Increased Payload Limits: RNP operations can raise payload limits—meaning more fuel, freight or passengers—by avoiding paths with onerous climb requirements.
2. Assured Separation Equals Airspace Efficiency: Traditional navigation procedures and radar vectoring require large distances between aircraft in terminal environments. By utilizing RNP technology, which offers precision measured in meters, the airspace in busy metropolitan areas can be much more efficiently utilized.

Environmental Benefits

RNP is Easy on the Earth: Saving fuel means saving money, but it also means lower emissions and reduced fuel consumption — both crucial in a world with increased awareness of global warming and other environmental concerns.
1. Lower Emissions: The combination of continuous descent approaches and shorter tracks built into RNP procedures can reduce emissions by thousands of tons per year per aircraft.
2. Less Noise: Continuous Descent Approaches (CDAs) use lower, quieter thrust levels. Because of their precision and ability to curve, RNP paths can also be designed to avoid noise-sensitive areas.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

To learn more about ASIG's approach to aircraft modernization programs, virtual engineering services subscriptions or other products and services available from the Avionics & Systems Integration Group, please visit us online at http://www.asigllc.com/, via email at info@asigllc.com, or contact us toll-free at 866.890.ASIG [2744].

International Considerations in STC Kit Export

2008-09-11T11:43:00.002-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

One of the interesting things the management and staff of ASIG has noted over the last several months is that much of our kit manufacturing work is being requested from abroad. Specifically non-US clients are either required to (by airframe leases), or have made an intentional company decision, to seek-out and deploy United States FAA STC and FAA-PMA kitting in their aircraft. One of the export related questions our project managers and sales team are asked regularly is, "Are ASIG's U.S. STC's and FAA-PMA approved parts authorized for installation and operation in EASA registered and operated aircraft?"

The answer, as you would imagine, in not nearly as straight forward as one might hope. According to EASA Executive Director Decision 2007/003/C, dated July 16, 2007, on the acceptance of certification findings made by the Federal Aviation Administration of the United States under the Parts Manufacturing Approval of the FAA, in regards to the approval of the design of certain PMA parts:

"An approval is hereby issued by the agency to an organization under the regulatory oversight of the FAA for a part designed under its PMA system, provided:

The PMA part is not a "critical component." Typically, such components include parts for which a replacement time, inspection interval or related procedure is specified in the airworthiness limitations section of the manufacturer's maintenance manual or instructions for continued airworthiness. The statement, "This PMA part is not a critical component," should be written in Block 13 of FAA Form 8130-3; or, A critical component is a part identified as critical by the design approval holder during the validation process, or otherwise by the exporting authority;
OR
"The PMA part conforms to design data obtained under a licensing agreement from the holder of the FAA design approval, according to 4 CFR § 21.303(c)(4) of the Federal Aviation Regulations The statement "Produced under licensing agreement from the FAA design approval holder" should be written in Block 13 of FAA Form 8130-3;
OR
The PMA holder can show that the part has received an explicit approval by means of a design change or STC from the Agency or, when this approval was granted prior to 28 September 2003, from any of the National Aviation Authorities of the Members States of the European Union. The reference to this authorization should be written in Block 13 of the FAA Form 8130-3."

What does this mean to maintainers and operators of EASA registered aircraft? It means, that PMA parts will be subject to reciprocal acceptance between the United States FAA and those countries subject to EASA jurisdiction, provided that the FAA-PMA part is: not flight critical; may be flight critical but conforms to OEM standard and has been manufactured under license from the OEM; or, is approved for installation, operation and continued airworthiness via the issuance of a United States of America FAA Supplemental Type Certificate. In short, item "c" of EASA Executive Director Decision 2007/003/C provides European operators the confidence in knowing that FAA-PMA components and kitted materials may be installed in accordance within the requirements of EASA as long as the prevailing bilateral agreement governing these reciprocal agreements remains in effect.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

To learn more about ASIG's approach to aircraft modernization programs, virtual engineering services subscriptions or other products and services available from the Avionics & Systems Integration Group, please visit us online at http://www.asigllc.com/, via email at info@asigllc.com, or contact us toll-free at 866.890.ASIG [2744].

NextGen 301: Automatic Dependent Surveillance

2008-06-06T09:56:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Having discussed Performance-based Navigation and Satellite Based Augmentation Systems we've explored the technology and regulatory enhancements that air traffic control agencies are developing in order to moderate aircraft transitioning national and international airspace. It has quickly been proven that these changes to the regulatory environment when coupled with advanced navigation aid aloft that operators and controllers can achieve maximized utilization of what is already densely populated airspace. But what technology and methodologies exist to allow the greatest efficiency to the operators and controllers as they consume more and more airspace resources? Automatic Dependent Surveillance

Automatic Dependent Surveillance is a crucial component of the nation's Next-Generation Air Transportation System, and its implementation over the next 20 years will turn the NextGen vision into a reality. There are three classifications of Automatic Dependent Surveillance technology: Address (ADS-A); Broadcast (ADS-B); Contract (ADS-C). ADS-B is the prevailing component of this technology and has taken the early lead in forging the lead of this new technology.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Addressed (ADS-A) is a capability where aircraft are equipped to determine their own position automatically and to broadcast this information to specific addressees of listeners whether on the ground or aloft. The technology is good; however, its overall effectiveness is limited to those addresses specifically called-to by the ADS-A operator.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) is a capability where aircraft are equipped to determine their own position automatically and to broadcast this information to interested listeners at regular time intervals. Recipients of the broadcast position information are other nearby aircraft and ground ATC systems.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance – Contract (ADS-C) is an operational precept that enforces the ground system to set up a contract(s) with individual aircraft such that the aircraft will automatically provide information obtained from its own on-board sensors, and pass this information to the ground system under specific circumstances dictated by the ground system (except in emergencies). Contracts are only initiated by the ground and cannot be modified by the pilot. These contracts are an electronic 'dynamic agreement' between the ground system and the aircraft. It is not (as one could think) a piece of paper that has some legal value.

Rulemaking Sidebar: RTCA DO-212 [Minimum Operational Performance Standard (MOPS) for Airborne ADS equipment] Compliance with this standard is recommended as one means of ensuring that the equipment will perform its intended functions satisfactorily under all conditions normally encountered in routine aeronautical operations.

As previously stated, the aircraft equipage taking the lead in this marketplace is ADS-B due to its broad based reporting of situational awareness data. With ADS-B, pilots, like their controllers counterparts, will see radar-like displays, on existing electronic flight instruments, with highly accurate traffic data from satellites. This data updates and displays traffic situational information in real time and don't degrade with distance or terrain. The system will also give pilots access to weather services, terrain maps and flight information services. The improved situational awareness means that pilots will be able to fly at safe distances from one another with less assistance from air traffic controllers.

The gains in safety, capacity, and efficiency as a result of moving to a satellite-based system will enable the FAA to meet the tremendous growth in air traffic predicted in coming decades. Because ADS-B is a flexible and expandable platform, it can change and grow with the evolving aviation system.

ADS-B Benefits

Provides air-to-air surveillance capability.
Provides surveillance to remote or inhospitable areas that do not currently have coverage with radar.
Provides real-time traffic and aeronautical information in the cockpit.
Allows for reduced separation and greater predictability in departure and arrival times.
Supports common separation standards, both horizontal and vertical, for all classes of airspace.
Improves ability of airlines to manage traffic and aircraft fleets.
Improves ability of air traffic controllers to plan arrivals and departures far in advance.
Reduces the cost of the infrastructure needed to operate the National Airspace System.

The United States FAA has issued an NPRM concerning the Avionics Equipage and is already deploying ADS-B field installations. The final rule and initial operating capabilities are planned for completion in Q2FY10. This leaves approximately 18 months from the date of this posting for aircraft owners and operators to evaluate potential solutions suitable for their aircraft and fleets.ASIG is currently supporting numerous ADS-B projects for a variety of aircraft and operators.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

To learn more about ASIG's approach to aircraft modernization programs or the products and services available from the Avionics & Systems Integration Group, please visit us online at http://www.asigllc.com/, via email at info@asigllc.com, or contact us direct at 866.890.ASIG [2744].

NextGen 201: Performance-based Navigation

2008-05-06T13:07:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

As we discussed in the NextGen 101, the future of National Air Space, specifically Air Traffic Control, is drastically changing. We discussed the benefit of Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) in terms of performance and shared an insight into the technology, standards and governing agencies. In this edition of Wired we will take a look at how SBAS and other technologies are a component of Performance-based Navigation and how these technologies yield operational improvements that directly affect operational safety and fiscal exposure to the operator.

Required Navigation Performance (RNP) and Area Navigation (RNAV) are keen aspects of any airspace modernization program. There are currently 209 RNAV SIDS and STARS and 22 RNP approaches published in the United States alone. The RNAV and RNP procedures create more airways into and out-of otherwise congested airports. Performance-based navigation is proved to save fuel, relieve congestion and reduce delays at many airports both domestic and international. RNP approaches take advantage of onboard flight management computers and/or systems computational capabilities to affect precise navigation, including guidance for precise curved flight paths such as Constant Radius Arc (RF) legs, to direct the aircraft through difficult and specified flight corridors during both the arduous transitional phases before and after arrival/departure, and during less demanding enroute phase of flight. ASIG is a technology leader in the development of integrated flight decks capable of sustained RNAV and RNP flight operations. Our STCs feature both integration architecture and equipage capable of precise navigation to RNP 0.3 standards without the benefit of extra-sensory IRU and DME/DME input.

Looking forward, WAAS-enabled systems will provide additional enhanced RNP capabilities. Improved crew alerting, Course Deviation Indication (CDI) scaling, and display output provide the operational approval path for the Federal Aviation Administration to develop RNP approaches into numerous airports such as Palm Springs, Long Beach, Orange County, Sun Valley and Washington, DC.

PRNAV in the European performance-based navigation standard. ASIG is keeping abreast of these developments and ensuring that our integrated flight decks continue to provide the precise guidance and alerting necessary to support future performance-based navigation flight paths and truly global dispatch ability. At ASIG, we are committed to the advancement of navigation systems that allow our clients to bridge international boundaries thereby benefiting the aviation community worldwide, the flying public and operator bottom-lines which will benefit the consumer through competition in the marketplace.

In our next edition of Wired we will expand on the modern age of navigational aids by looking at Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B) by looking at the operational benefits and FAA program objectives of ADS-B. We'll also start to generalize about the implementation schedule for these exciting NextGen technologies.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!
To learn more about ASIG's approach to aircraft modernization programs or the products and services available from the Avionics & Systems Integration Group, please visit us online at http://www.asigllc.com/, via email at info@asigllc.com, or contact us direct at 866.890.ASIG [2744].

NextGen 101: Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS)

2008-04-24T12:04:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

As our industry enters the new dawn of airspace management and integrated avionic capabilities we at ASIG felt it was appropriate to share the benefit of our experience and know-how with those laymen of our industry who are most directly charged with keeping and maintaining safe skies, the Technical and Flight Operations Managers. We'll start this year's look at the future of Air Traffic Control (ATC) with an intro to SBAS. Satellite Navigation and positioning systems represent the most important technological breakthrough in aviation navigation history. Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) refers to geostationary satellites over various regions of the world supported by a network of precisely located ground reference stations. These ground stations monitor, collect and process satellite signals and send this information to ground-based master stations. The Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS) master stations develop a WAAS correction message that is relayed to airborne, WAAS enabled aircraft via geostationary satellites.

This highly precise SBAS navigation system improves accuracy, availability, and integrity of GPS-derived position thereby increasing the navigation capacity for all classes of aircraft in all phases of flight. When operating in North America, WAAS equipped aircraft achieve a dramatic improvement in signal availability over traditional GPS sensors. This is due to the use of WAAS geostationary satellites as distance ranging sources. The large gain in availability eliminates the need to perform GPS integrity predictions (aka: RAIM) prior to departure. This allows for easier flight planning and fewer delays or canceled departures.

All Satellite Based Augmentation Systems (SBAS) are regional systems. There is currently an international effort to establish cooperation among SBAS providers so their implementation becomes part of a seamless worldwide navigation system. ASIG's integrated flight decks allow even classic and contemporary generation aircraft to be compatible with all international satellite-based systems. Whether operating within Europe's (EGNOS), Japan's (MSAS) or India's (GAGAN) system you can be assured of global dispatch ability. Working with our clients and the end-user operator(s) our integrations are designed and developed with forward-fit future compliance with the standards established in RTCA DO-229D. ASIG's designs largely feature off-the-shelf (COTS) equipment for efficiency of integration and ease the procurement effort of Line Replaceable Units (LRUs). Our retrofits and architecture provide all the necessary capabilities that will extend into Canadian airspace as well. NAV CANADA has participated in the development of a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) by proposing a Canadian WASS (CWASS) that supplements the United States installation of WAAS by adding additional reference stations within Canada in order to increase coverage across North America. Flying in one of ASIG's fully integrated cockpits provides virtually seamless international satellite-based navigation for a fraction of the implementation cost of manufacturer Service Bulletin modifications.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!
To learn more about our approach to aircraft modernization or the products and services available from Avionics & Systems Integration Group (ASIG), please visit us online at http://www.asigllc.com/, via email at info@asigllc.com, or contact us direct at 866.890.ASIG [2744].

ASIG Receives FAA §145 Air Agency Certificate

2008-01-30T09:21:00.001-06:00

Little Rock, AR: January 30, 2008 - Avionics & Systems Integration Group, LLC (ASIG) yesterday received 14 CFR §145 Repair Station Certification. This important certification proves that the ASIG service center has met the FAA’s stringent aircraft component repair and maintenance regulations. ASIG can now lead the repair and maintenance of any article contained in their PMA’d aircraft modifications kits and other components as contained in their FAA accepted capability list.

The comprehensive five-phase certification effort consisted of preapplication, formal application, document compliance, demonstration / inspection, and certification. ASIG’s repair station manual was reviewed and found acceptable by the FAA for conformity to applicable regulations and safe operating practices. In addition, the FAA approved ASIG’s repair station training manual. Also throughout the certification process, the company’s facilities and equipment were found to meet the regulatory requirements.

“We are building an enduring aviation legacy, and this latest FAA nod of approval represents another important step in our journey,” said Luke Ribich, Managing Director of ASIG. “Previously, we have designed and certified superior aircraft articles and now are well on our way to delivering and maintaining a large array of aircraft and components ranging from use on GA through large transport aircraft. This certification reflects the seriousness with which we are approaching our entire customer experience – from sale, through design, certification and delivery, to the service and maintenance of each of our products over its lifetime.”

In 2006, ASIG introduced a revolutionary customer care program that will continue to drive down cost of aircraft ownership and operation. The VESSA (Virtual Engineering Services Subscription Agreement) Program, is ASIG’s one-stop solution for for operational support, engineering & design service, DER/DAR approvals and component maintenance, it provides the engineering, solutions development and FAA certifications customers need to operate and manage their aircraft or fleet at a fixed, guaranteed price. The VESSA Program leverages the experience and proficiencies of its cadre of highly skilled multi-disciplined aerospace engineers, designers, technicians and fleet/program planners to aid its clients implement safety enhancements, airframe mid-life extensions, maintaining regulatory compliance, reliability improvement programs and reducing the challenge of acquiring and maintaining internal engineering, manufacturing and MRO capabilities. As is done for customers of modern automotive companies like Lexus, the VESSA program significantly improves the customer ownership experience by providing a 24/7/365 single point of contact that greatly simplifies day-to-day and AOG aircraft management.

For additional information regarding ASIG's operating activities, product & services offerings contact Mr. Luke Ribich, Managing Director of ASIG, toll-free at (866) 890-ASIG x100 or via email at lribich@asigllc.com. – END OF RELEASE

ASIG Receives New FAA-PMA for CFM56-2F Interconnect Devices

2007-12-20T14:53:00.002-06:00

Little Rock, AR: December 20, 2007- Avionics & Systems Integration Group, LLC (ASIG) announced this week that they have received FAA-PMA supplement for the manufacture of CFM56-2F EGT thermocouple airframe interconnect harness assemblies for DC-8-7X airframes. ASIG part number 1011-9000-00 has been designed and FAA certified as a direct replacement for Boeing part numbers D51A56107-3 & -5 utilizing modern materials and manufacturing processes in order to enhance in-service reliability. Units are available at less than half the cost and lead time, and can be shop overhauled and/or repaired in contrast to OEM counterparts.

“These units have been designed and manufactured to exceed the reliability of legacy OEM units in order to aid operators of the DC-8-70 series aircraft in increasing dispatch performance in this ever less supported, never more utilized freight workhorse. Each unit is serialized and tested to withstand the grueling conditions of its operating environment.” – Bill Helliwell; Manager, Engineering & Programs

New parts are available through IASA Group, Inc., an authorized ASIG distributor, at (214) 350-5996, via the ILS Parts Locator Service or, from ASIG directly at (866) 890-2744 or http://www.asigllc.com/.

For additional information regarding ASIG's operating activities, product & services offerings contact Mr. Luke Ribich, Managing Director of ASIG, toll-free at (866) 890-ASIG x100 or via email at lribich@asigllc.com. – END OF RELEASE

ASIG Partners to Educate and Train the Future Aerospace Workforce

2007-09-18T10:59:00.000-05:00

Little Rock, AR: September 18, 2007- Avionics & Systems Integration Group, LLC (ASIG) announced today that they have joined the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the Workforce Investment Board and other aviation and related industry organizations in partnership with Pulaski Technical College to meet the needs of aviation and associated industries in the Little Rock region through the U.S. Department of Labor Community-Based Job Training Program. “Our company feels strongly that these strategic partners are committed to the success of this demonstration project and are the right partners to ensure its success in growing the pool of qualified, skilled future aviation employees.” – Luke Ribich, Managing Director

ASIG has been a key industry participant in the strategic partnership that identified the capacity and challenges addressed in the grant funded program. As an employer partner with Pulaski Technical College for its U.S. Department of Labor Community-Based Job Training Program we have been, and will continue to be , involved in the strategic leadership and goal setting of the overall program, including:

Defining the program strategy and goals.
Identifying the needs and skills competencies.
Designing training approaches and curricula.
Implementing the program.
Contributing financial support and in-kind support.
Hiring qualified training graduates.

ASIG is committed to the project for the 36-month term and expects to sustain the partnership well beyond the project period. The Company expects to continue to contribute significantly to the partnership and its success.

ASIG performs integration engineering, certification & program management, PMA manufacturing including structural components, switching matrices, wire and cable harness assemblies and the installation of Communications, Navigation, Situational Awareness, Air Traffic Management and In Flight Entertainment equipment for aircraft & other air vehicles. Additionally, the Company performs research and development of emerging technologies in support of aircraft operations, maintenance, modification and repair for civil, commercial, government and foreign flight departments.

For additional information regarding ASIG's operating activities, product & services offerings contact Mr. Luke Ribich, Managing Director of ASIG, toll-free at (866) 890-ASIG x100 or via email at lribich@asigllc.com. – END OF RELEASE

ASIG Set to Sponsor the 2007 Avionics Outlook Management Forum in Partnership with Aviation Week

2007-09-12T09:30:00.000-05:00

Little Rock, AR: September 12, 2007- Avionics & Systems Integration Group, LLC (ASIG) announced that the Company has completed an agreement with Aviation Week, a McGraw-Hill Company, to provide Gold Level Sponsorship of the 2007 Avionics Outlook Management Forum, to be held October 29, 2007 at the Hyatt Regency in Phoenix, AZ. The Avionics Outlook Management Forum is a must-attend event for anyone seeking insight into new avionics systems and integration technology, current regulatory conditions shaping the future capabilities of avionic systems; and, how recent changes in certification requirements are affecting avionics manufacturers, airframe manufacturers, systems integrators and aircraft operators.
“We are pleased to team with McGraw-Hill’s Aviation Week team to present this important meeting of our industries most forward thinking professionals. The continued success of the aviation industry, as well as the overall safety, security and comfort of the flying public are predicated on integrating the latest systems innovations of the CNS/ATM & IFE marketplace within the cost-conscious constraints of the global aviation economy.” – Luke Ribich, Managing Director
To learn more about the Aviation Week Avionics Outlook Management Forum visit www.aviationweek.com/forums online or contact Rachelle Young, Assistant Producer & Editorial Director via email at Rachelle_Young@aviationweek.com, or via telephone at (212) 904-2997.
ASIG performs integration engineering, FAA certification program management and PMA manufacturing of structural components, switching matrices, wire and cable harness assemblies in addition to aircraft installations of Communications, Navigation, Situational Awareness, Air Traffic Management and In-Flight Entertainment equipment for aircraft & other air vehicles. Additionally, the Company performs research and development of emerging technologies in support of aircraft operations, maintenance, modification and repair for civil, commercial, government and foreign flight departments.
For additional information regarding ASIG's operating activities, product & services offerings contact Mr. Luke Ribich, Managing Director of ASIG, toll-free at (866) 890-ASIG x100 or via email at lribich@asigllc.com. – END OF RELEASE

Best of Show, New Products 2007

2007-07-03T11:33:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Well June was certainly a busy month for the entire Industry from DoD procurements to the final emergence of all US 121 Operators from the depression of bankruptcy concluding with the biggest dance of the year, the Paris Air Show. On behalf of ASIG I'm pleased to report that we had a great month in both production and engineering operations and our client list is continuing to grow (as is our staff, welcome to Shawn & Paul).

In this edition of Wired we've decided to back off of the business of business and our evaluation of case studies and focus on some of the new avionics & IFE products that have really caught our attention over the last year. Among the OEMs represented at this year's Avionics Maintenance Conference (AMC), Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) conference and the 50th Aircraft Electronics Association (AEA) Convention & Tradeshow a few products seem to stand out to both ASIG and our industry peers. These products add capability, functionality, increase reliability and reduce pilot workload while increasing situational awareness for the crew. Although there were many accolades to be had this is a list of ASIG's Top Five, also known as our Best in Show.

Item 1: DAC International GEN-X Electronic Flight Bag
DAC introduced the new GEN-X EFB and touch-screen display at this year's AEA. The system is comprised of a remote processor unit (RPU) that has been specifically engineered and ruggedized for aviation applications, including the integration of pressurized sealed hard drives. These drives are tested beyond current Part 25 G-force requirements which ensure that inclement weather and hard landings by those cargo haulers won’t affect system performance. The unit also includes an auto-off feature in case the crew leaves the power on after the flight.
The display is a thing of beauty. It is a touch-screen hardened tot he elements and designed for today’s rugged cockpit environment, including crew meals, coffee and water when the pilot leaves the window cracked to perform his ground checks. It is a bright, very bright, high-contrast sunlight-readable unit which is the primary control and system I/O.
When integrated with the aircraft FMS (as intended by the developer) airport and route plates are automatically loaded into the EFB.
The unit meets AC 120-76A, Class 2B/3B (installation dependent); DO-160 and uses a WinXP OS with a DO-178 monitoring shell.

Item 2: L-3 Com Avionics Systems IRIS
The IRIS is an Infrared Imaging System used to provide pilots with a real-time, B/W 320 x 240 pixel images in the cockpit by detecting subtle variations in temperature. These variations are converted to video imagery and can be displayed on cockpit displays capable of video resolutions.
The IRIS camera is mounted in a small fiberglass faring in the nose of the aircraft, allowing pilots an optimal field-of-view when on approach for both long range and close targets and obstructions.

Item 3: UASC WAAS Enables Super FMS Family
Universal Avionics made public their release of the UNS-1Xw line of WAAS capable FMS units. These units are ready for FAA published WAAS/LPV approaches to minimums as low as 200 feet and ½ mile, along with non-precision and LNAV/VNAV approaches, oceanic, enroute, departure and arrival procedures. They also include an integrated SBAS receiver compatible with EGNOS (in Europe) and MSAS (in Japan) and other potential NAV standards developed in accordance with RTCA DC-229.
By far the Universal product line remains on ASIG’s Best in Show list as an integrator preferred manufacturer for both integration development and post-installation operational reliability.

Item 4: EMS Satcom CNX-300 MAR
The CNX 300 is the latest addition to the EMS line of CMX Cabin Gateways and the first to feature a full function Cisco router to the aviation community. This allows integrators and maintenance technicians to better meet the IT needs of customer who want a seamless access to internet based resources.
The CNX-300 MAR includes all the standard fare including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, hub and terminal adapter with the Cisco 3200 TCP/IP router and Cisco IOS software, which helps the make the configuration much easier and faster for the installer.
The system works with Inmarsat Swift 64 and future SwiftBroad networks and can provide users with secure voice, data and video communications; even when dynamic routing, VPN tunneling and AES encryption are required.

Item 5: Rosen Aviation 24” High-Def Widescreen Cabin Display
I already know what you’re thinking, “what self-respecting avionics integrator dabbles with IFE.” To be honest cabin displays are quickly becoming system I/O devices that interact with onboard CNS/ATM systems, albeit peripherally and statically. However, our interest stems from countless hours of watching Blade Runner.
At any rate the large 24” display yields the absolute best picture we’ve ever seen in a cabin IFE with a 1920 x 1080 resolution. And integration design limitations are mitigated by the unit’s shy 15 pound weight. This makes fitting the unit easy and less bulky compared to even smaller non-HD displays. All the standard connections are available including DVI/HDMI, composite, component and RGB and can accomodate both HD-DVD & BlueRay formats. Our question, can it handle our XBOX360?

These products are exciting, functional and well priced per unit and when integrating new. They allow for increased performance and superior reliability when contrast against legacy products currently in use. Their expanded functionality elevate both safety in terms of available sensory inputs to the flightdeck and the travel experience by giving clients connectivity and exceptional video quality. We at ASIG look forward to our planned and pending projects featuring these units. Should any of our readership have additional feedback, please don't hesitate to post your thoughts.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!
To learn more about our approach to aircraft modernization or the products and services available from Avionics & Systems Integration Group (ASIG), please visit us online at http://www.asigllc.com/, via email at info@asigllc.com, or contact us direct at 866.890.ASIG [2744].

ATC Reality 2007 - 2025

2007-05-23T11:38:00.001-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Today’s ATC environment is rapidly changing. The Next Generation Air Transportation System (NextGen) is the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) plan to modernize the National Airspace System through 2025. Through NextGen, the FAA is developing a roadmap of new technologies and procedures to support greater capacity and less congestion. Performance-based navigation (PBN) is helping the FAA chart a course toward achieving NextGen goals.

The demands on our nation’s airspace and the complexity of aircraft are increasing and may result in increased flight delays, choke points, and passenger inconvenience, particularly during unpredictable weather. For example:

The FAA predicts that passenger demand for air transportation will increase an average of 3.4 percent each year through 2017, totaling one billion passengers in that time period.
General Aviation will grow, with the piston aircraft fleet increasing at an average annual rate of 1.4 percent, and business jets growing at an average rate of 4 percent per year.
Growth in scheduled and general aviation aircraft will increase point-to-point and direct routing, increasing the need for greater system flexibility to handle peaks in traffic demand, convective weather, military operations, and security needs.
By 2017, traffic will peak at the nation’s busiest airports, at a level 30 to 40 percent higher than today.
The introduction of very light jets and the operation of unmanned aircraft will create new complexities.
High fuel costs are pushing air carriers to find new ways to combat inefficiencies.

What is performance-based navigation?
PBN establishes precise approach, arrival and departure procedures at airports. It increases efficiency by providing smoother traffic flow, saves fuel, and benefits the environment by reducing the effect of aircraft noise and emissions. Allowing aircraft to fly the same path consistently lets the FAA design procedures that avoid noise-sensitive areas. The FAA and the aviation community are working together to make performance-based navigation a reality.

The aviation community is using the FAA’s Roadmap for Performance-Based Navigation to leverage advances in flight deck navigation capability to meet the demands of future air travel. A government and industry effort, the Roadmap focuses on the acceleration of two key elements of performance-based navigation at U.S. airports: Area Navigation (RNAV) and Required Navigation Performance (RNP). RNP is RNAV with the addition of an on board performance monitoring and alerting system.

What is RNP?
RNP is RNAV with the addition of an on board performance monitoring and alerting system. It takes advantage of an airplane’s onboard navigation capability to fly a more precise flight path into an airport. RNP increases airport access during marginal weather, thereby reducing diversions to alternate airports. Flying straight down the middle of a flight path means that people on the ground perceive less jet noise and experience fewer engine emissions.

The FAA has authorized a total of 37 RNP procedures at 17 airports. In 2006, the FAA published 28 RNP Special Aircraft and Aircrew Authorization Required (SAAAR) procedures at 14 airports. The FAA plans to publish at least 25 more RNP approach procedures in FY 2007.

What is RNAV?
Area Navigation (RNAV) enables aircraft to fly on any desired flight path within the coverage of NAVAIDS, within the limits of the capability of self-contained systems, or a combination of both capabilities. RNAV aircraft have better access and flexibility for point-to-point-operations.

To date, the FAA has authorized 155 RNAV procedures at 38 airports and plans to publish an additional 42 procedures by the end of FY 2007.
What’s in the Roadmap?

The Roadmap for Performance-Based Navigation addresses five key areas:

Expediting the development of performance-based navigation criteria and standards.
Introducing airspace and procedure improvements in the near-term.
Providing benefits to operators who have invested in existing and upcoming capabilities.
Establishing target dates for introducing navigation mandates for selected procedure and airspace, taking benefits and costs into consideration.
Defining new concepts and applications of performance-based navigation for the mid-and far-term, building synergy and integration among other capabilities toward the NextGen goal.

The Roadmap details the FAA’s transition plans in three time periods:

Near Term: Today-2010

Realize the value of investments by operators in current aircraft and new aircraft acquisitions, FAA investments in satellite-based navigation and conventional navigation infrastructure. The focus is on wide-scale RNAV implementation and the introduction of RNP for en route, terminal, and approach procedures. The near-term strategy compliments the agency’s efforts to alleviate choke points at the 35 airports in the FAA’s Operational Evolution Plan (OEP).

Mid-term: 2011-2015

Shift to predominantly RNP operations for improving flight efficiency and airport access. The mid-term strategy will employ RNAV extensively to improve flight operations.

Far-term: 2016-2025

Concentrate on performance-based operation through integrated RNP, Required Communications Performance (RCP, and Required Surveillance Performance (RSP); optimizing airspace, automation enhancements; and modernization of communications, navigation, and surveillance (CNS) infrastructures.

ASIG Helps Operators Accelerate Their PBN Operational Plans

In order to help accelerate PBN, the FAA is allowing consultants such as ASIG - to help airlines through the approval process and develop actual flight procedures. In addition to helping operators develop and implement their approval packages for RNP SAAAR, ASIG designs, certifies and manufactures STC’s and Installation Kitting for avionics suites across numerous classic and contemporary aircraft type/model/series capable of RNP SAAAR flight procedures for operators using FAA criteria, allowing our customers to extend the safe and cost efficient in-service life spans of otherwise antiquated airframes, avoiding the enormous fiscal burden of widespread fleet replacement programs. ASIG provides products and services to a variety of customers, including Dassault Aviation, Air Transport International and AStar Air Cargo to name a few. As the FAA continues to develop and implement RNP procedures in accordance with the agency’s Flight Plan goals, ASIG will continue to be engaged as an industry partner and co-collaborator in the development and maturing of future technologies.

In our next edition of Wired, we’ll expand on the future of COTS & Open Source technologies and how today’s integrated avionics capabilities are rapidly meeting and exceeding tomorrow’s operational requirements. We’ll also update you with the FAA’s most recent list of airports with authorized RNAV procedures and those planned for approvals by the close of FY07.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

To learn more about our approach to aircraft modernization or the products and services available from Avionics & Systems Integration Group (ASIG), please visit us online at http://www.asigllc.com/, via email at info@asigllc.com, or contact us direct at 866.890.ASIG [2744].

ASIG Welcomes Mr. Bill Helliwell to LIT HQ

2007-05-15T15:33:00.000-05:00

Little Rock, AR: May 14, 2007- The Avionics & Systems Integration Group, LLC (ASIG) today announced the addition of Mr. William L. Helliwell. Mr. Helliwell, he will serve the company as the Manager of Engineering & Programs. Mr. Helliwell is an FAA Airframe & Powerplant license holder. Bill received his initial aviation education and training from the United States Air Force; however, he has held ever increasing roles of responsibility throughout his 25 year aerospace career including line maintenance technician, systems engineer, program manager, maintenance manager, quality assurance manager and engineering manager. Mr. Helliwell’s experience includes senior positions with Air Transport International, LLC (formerly a Brinks Company), E-systems and the United States Air Force.

"Bill’s pervious experience, work ethics and understanding of industry regulatory rulemaking lend to our confidence in his proficiency and professionalism; and, better equip ASIG to fulfill the ever increasing demands for precision and quality solutions being sought from ASIG by the greater aviation community.” – Luke Ribich, Managing Director

ASIG performs integration engineering, FAA certification & program management, PMA Manufacturing / installation kit assembly and the installation of Communications, Navigation, Situational Awareness and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) equipment for aircraft & other air vehicles. Additionally, the Company performs research and development of emerging technologies in support of aircraft operations, maintenance, modification and repair for civil, commercial, government and foreign flight departments.

For additional information regarding ASIG's operating activities, product & services offerings contact ASIG, toll-free at (866) 890-ASIG [2744], online at www.asigllc.com or via email at info@asigllc.com. – END OF RELEASE

ASIG Wins Air Force C-17 Globemaster III Contract

2007-05-10T17:39:00.000-05:00

Little Rock, AR: May 7, 2007Avionics & Systems Integration Group, LLC (ASIG) today announced that the company has received an Air Force Materials Command multi-year IDIQ contract to supply various avionics kitting for VHF Communications, Engine Indication & Pedestal Module sub-systems. “The award of this contract speaks volumes about the government’s confidence in ASIG’s ability to provide needed support and materials to the war fighter. As a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), and as individual veterans, the management and staff of ASIG are honored to continue our service of this great nation. - Luke Ribich, former U.S. Marine & ASIG Managing Director.

ASIG performs integration engineering, FAA certification & program management, PMA kit manufacturing and the on-airframe installations of Communications, Navigation, Situational Awareness and Air Traffic Management (CNS/ATM) equipment for aircraft & other air vehicles. The Company also performs research and development of emerging technologies in support of aircraft operations, maintenance, modification and repair for civil, commercial, government and foreign flight departments. Additionally, ASIG has expanded their capabilities to include the repair, overhaul and manufacture of wire and cable harnesses and components.

For additional information regarding ASIG's operating activities, product & services offerings contact Mr. Luke Ribich, Managing Director of ASIG, toll-free at (866) 890-ASIG x100 or via email at lribich@asigllc.com.

SEMPER - Part IV

2007-05-09T10:24:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

The SEMPER process as described in this series has evolved over a multi-year time period while working the referenced programs and other similar avionics studies. Only ASIG and its teaming customers have applied all of the SEMPER principles throughout the planning and execution of avionics modernization programs. ASIG does not claim that SEMPER represents all new concepts. However, it is an approach to avionics planning and execution that emphasizes use of a migration strategy, life cycle or CAIV cost estimation and the application of Open Systems & COTS concepts.

In evaluating business considerations, the on-going acquisition reform process could be viewed as presenting a paradox with a proposition that advocates detailed analysis of the architectural alternatives, cost analysis and Opens Systems & COTS concepts. If aircraft owners/operators will only specify performance requirements and industry will propose the design solution then what is the purpose of the up-front and rather detailed study? ASIG does not share this view. While there is a level of frustration in stepping through the design process a second time, prior planning and market research sets the framework for understanding the range of possible solutions. Cost estimates prove invaluable to the customer/owner/operator in deciding the program approval and in the establishment of a budget for the program standup. The Open Systems/COTS approach can provide the "building codes" that let us upgrade avionics rationally, affordably, flexibly and within the timeframes needed by today’s mainstream and supplemental air carriers who seek to capture their own market share. While acquisition reform such as Sarbanes-Oxley has changed many paradigms and concepts, SEMPER does not appear to be at odds with this new way of doing business.

The planning and execution of avionics upgrades for legacy aircraft can be a challenging process for system and program managers as they work to incorporate operator needs into the aircraft systems in a timely and affordable manner. Over the past ten years the engineers and managers of ASIG have been involved in a number of avionics planning and execution programs and have defined the SEMPER model process from that experience. The SEMPER suggests that an overall migration strategy for the avionics upgrades, greater use of Life Cycle Cost estimation and the application of Open Systems concepts are the three principal legs of the process.

In our next edition of Wired we will address the benefits of WAAS-EGNOS & Space Based Augmentation Systems in relation to today’s CAN/ATM air traffic control environment. We will also look forward to 2026 and how the FAA and other international rulemaking bodies are retooling the future ATC environment.

Until next time stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

The preceding are excerpts from the whitepaper, “SEMPER: A Model for the Planning & Implementation of Avionics & Systems Upgrades.” To learn more about the author, ASIG’s modernization planning and implementation philosophy; or, to receive a complimentary copy of the expanded document, contact Luke Ribich; Managing Director of Avionics & Systems Integration Group, LLC at, lribich@asigllc.com or toll free at (866) 890-ASIG.

SEMPER - Part III

2007-05-04T18:38:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

Let us begin to delve further into the various elements of the SEMPER model. In this edition I’ll begin to share with our readers the various components necessary to ensure that your avionics system platform modifications yield the greatest return on investment and are scaleable enough to last the projected life cycle of your aircraft or fleet. The SEMPER process elements are the Migration Strategy, Life Cycle Cost Estimation and the application of COTS/Open Source architecture; however, system architecture, alternatives analysis, program approval, the solicitation of providers and suppliers, sourcing and implementation all play obvious and important roles when condisering the goals of the overall business unit charged with undertaking the campaign.

While the “standard” systems engineering process is an essential ingredient, there are three unique elements of SEMPER. These are the development of a migration strategy for the aircraft that is time phased to the budgeting process. This shows the strategy for the system projected over the longer term, usually 10 to 15 years. A second unique element is the use of life cycle cost estimates throughout the process to support the system engineering IPT and the customer's program decision and budgeting process. Open Systems application is the third element and the mechanism to effect the modifications and retain the ability to do later upgrades at reasonable cost. SEMPER can be considered to be the incorporation of new techniques for internally or collaboratively with the assistance of integrators such as ASIG, to develop a technical migration and evolution strategy, performing CAIV estimation as a recurring process throughout the pre-RFQ activities and applying Open Systems or COTS technologies. Thus in aggregate, SEMPER is comprised of no startling new techniques. Many of these SEMPER precepts evolved from our experience with the retrofit of classic and contemporary transport category airframes; and, by capturing lessons learned and subsequently consolidating and applying these methodologies as a formal process for the accomplishment of analogue-to-digital conversions of legacy aircraft. The SEMPER model is adding capability, reliability and expediting return on investments and is a proven technique towards modernizing aircraft cockpits. Some of our success in getting various DC-8, B737 & MD-80 programs through customer approval and budget approvals can be attributed to the migration strategies that identified the viable alternatives. Not to be understated, life cycle cost estimates were also a key factor that has allowed our customers to determine their specific level of affordability for an upgrade program.

Next time we will review the application of SEMPER as discussed in relation to the traditional steps in a major avionics upgrade.

Until then, stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

SEMPER - Part II

2007-05-01T10:02:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

As previously discussed, aircraft owners and operators are currently being pressed to accept the reality that as global air traffic control systems are modernized in order to handle the expected tripling of capacity while maintaining acceptable margins of safety, they will be forced to accept inefficient airspace routing and receive non-preferential ATC handling; undertake large scale fleet modernization programs. Recently reported by Aviation Week & Space Technology [Ed. April 9, 2007, pg. 44] NextGen, the an enterprise architecture plan for short, mid and long-term changes to the Air Transportation System, will cost aircraft operators of all types between $14-20 billion in terms of unit procurement, certification and modification manpower dollars. The question then is how best to plan, execute and realize these regulatory changes by the most efficient and scaleable means possible?

The Avionics & Systems Integration Group has evolved the concept of SEMPER during a series of upgrade planning activities for commercial, civil and government operated legacy aircraft. The SEMPER model embraces the systems engineering and business planning processes and is focused on structuring the information for the customer to use during the modification decision process. The need for an SEMPER-like process becomes more apparent with the requirement to install new capabilities on all aircraft operating in the National Airspace. For example, the congressional “mandate” to install Global Positioning System capability on all aircraft by the year 2000 resulted in a number of engineering and modifications managers with a need to incorporate these upgrades into other requirements for their respective aircraft programs. ASIG has either developed or assisted several program managers in the development of their specific and unique requirements, "throughout our experience it became clearer that the approach to avionics upgrade planning was often piecemeal, particularly among the legacy tier operators and freight haulers, with each modification evolved and funded without consideration towards the relationship of a particular modification in the context of the overall aircraft capability or intent," said Darryl Bishop, Director of Quality for ASIG. Mr. Bishop continues, "The end users (pilots & mechanics) of the aircraft were absent an overall view of how the aircraft capability would evolve due to the uncertainty of the funding approvals from executive decision makers, since airframe systems budgeting had been changed from the supporting departments such as engineering and quality to the using elements such as operations and technical services." The SEMPER model then is intended to be a process method that can yield a successful modernization program that meets the user needs and it applies current Sarbanes-Oxley and other acquisition reform policies as this has become an increasing concern for publicly held entities, government agencies as well as private organizations. The concept provides the information for an end user approval process by incorporating cost evaluation as an independent variable (CAIV) and by the utilization of COTS/Open Systems application to ease later upgrades and costs. By evaluating CAIV and current technologies in contrast to theoretical and developmental technologies owners/operators of aircraft can ensure that their current or planned retrofit programs are scaleable enough to meet future ATC requirements.

My grandfather reiterated time and again to me, "Prior Planning Prevents Poor Performance," aka: The Principle of the "5" P's. By following the SEMPER model when planning the implementation of avionics systems upgrades operators can avoid program pitfalls and developmental shortsightedness through study and fresh reflection of emerging technologies so programs can be evolved in such a fashion to minimize recurrent fiscal and out-of-service exposure.

In our next post to Wired, we will explore process elements of the SEMPER model and provide program examples of how the application of the SEMPER model has yielded broad-based acceptance of improvement programs for one legacy tier operator.

Until the next edition stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

SEMPER - Part I

2007-04-26T08:34:00.000-05:00

Welcome to Wired!

As airframes and airframe systems age and fewer new platforms are under development, the needs of the operator for more efficient aircraft and systems dictate that these needs be met by modifications to legacy aircraft currently in flying service. For aircraft avionics, the needs for technological currency are also compounded by the mandates to operate within the safety boundaries of the national and international air transportation system requirements. The result is a "full plate" for many flight operations, integration engineers and maintenance managers in establishing a rational plan to acquire and install updated systems in the aircraft they are managing. ASIG has defined an approach to this avionics planning process that is described as the SEMPER model (System Evolution/Modernization Planning, Execution & Realization). The model process shows how to incorporate avionics requirements and modification planning into an effective and integrated plan that considers technical and business case issues. Concepts such as the development of an overall avionics migration strategy, the application of open systems and the use of life cycle cost in the decision process are shown to be key elements of the SEMPER process.

Throughout the next several weeks I will endeavor to explain the SEMPER model so that our readers are best equipped to understand the standards and variables associated with the planning, integration design and execution of avionics platform upgrades regardless of aircraft type/model/series or fleet size. Because of our collaborative approach to integration and program management we encourage our readership, colleagues, customers or industry experts to let us know your thoughts and positions as we delve further into the business of "Born-Again" aircraft.

Until the next edition stay 5x5, Mission Ready & Wired!

Welcome to Wired!

2007-04-22T22:37:00.000-05:00

Welcome to "Wired!" Wired is the online journal of Avionics & Systems Integration Group, LLC – the name in post OEM integration, manufacturing, repair and support for the Aerospace & Defense community. We’re glad you’ve joined us as we prepare to embark on our first edition and the first article in a multi-week series titled, “SEMPER: A Model for the Planning & Implementation of Avionics & Systems Upgrades.”

As with the first of anything whether it is a new recipe, a new STC or a new blog, we may experience a few technical difficulties as we get started, or along the way, with this new medium. However, as with all things, a little patience, perseverance, superior knowledge and a bit of luck and we’ll be through the rough spots in no time. Nonetheless, if ever you question the opinions or comments you see in any of our posts; please let us know by emailing us at info@asigllc.com. If we choose to use your comments in our blog feed, or if we are forced to post the dreaded retraction due to your wise input, we’ll send you a complimentary Ashcroft Golf Shirt, a blazed with our company logo in return for your contribution and patronage.

We look forward to creating an environment of informing, sharing and debating the news and technology of the avionics trade-space and interacting with you our customers, peers, suppliers and others interested in the technology, methodology, regulations, cost and benefit of the avionics, aerospace & defense industry.

To learn more about our approach to aircraft modernization or the products and services available from Avionics & Systems Integration Group (ASIG), please visit our website at www.asigllc.com or contact us direct at 866.890.ASIG [2744].