2012 Will be the Year of the iPad EFB

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Looking back at aviation technology, nothing in memory stands out for its promise of affordable, multipurpose capabilities more than the Apple iPad, which turned 2 years old on January 27, 2012. Despite its promise of saving money as an electronic flight bag (EFB) or as part of an in-flight entertainment system (IFE), many have done little more than dream. They know that bleeding-edge technology is not without risk: solving unpredictable and unforeseen problems can require a lot of time and money.

It is time to put those fears to rest. 2012 promises to be the year of the iPad EFB. To help your budgeting process, ASIG has a downloadable guide—flyTab: The iPad2 EFB Solution. This comprehensive 33-page proposal concisely addresses every pertinent facet of integration, installation, and support. Its appendices include regulatory guidance and the instructions used in ASIG’s rapid decompression and EMI testing of iPad EFBs.

A few short weeks ago the FAA approved American Airlines’ use of the iPad EFBs during all phases of flight. The fleet-wide implementation will begin with the Boeing 777, reports ZDNet. American isn’t the only one turning to the iPad EFB. United, Alaska, UPS, and others are evaluating it.

ASIG cut its teeth on iPad EFBs well before the tablet turned one, certifying it for use during all phases of flight on the N-Jet charter fleet in December 2010. While others are just now taking this first step, ASIG developed its flyTab solutions that take the next steps that cover everything from power conditioning and data connectivity solutions to cases, mounts, and kneeboards for commercial, military, and general aviation operators.

From fuel burn to shuffling paper to strained backs, the savings the iPad EFB make possible are well known. ASIG is committed to making flyTab the most effective and affordable EFB solution available today. We invite further discussions to explore all of the ways that we can combine our team and your team into an efficient, effective and cohesive iPad EFB team!

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

Technorati Tags: iPad EFB,Electronic Flight Bag,flyTab,Power Supply Systems

Long-Term FAA Funding Accelerates NextGen Work, Allows Airline Planning

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For the last eight years, commercial aviation has been doing its best to get ready for the Next Generation Air Transportation system. It’s not been easy for anyone. NextGen is a complex system complicated by the uncertainty of long-term FAA funding.

Bickering over ancillary ideology, Congress has hamstrung NextGen since 2007, when the last long-term FAA authorization expired. While politicians argued, the industry did its best with 23 temporary funding bills and one partial shutdown of the FAA.

Those days are over until 2015. Congress passed a $63 billion funding bill that will support the FAA until then, and President Obama signed it on Valentine’s Day. The bill creates the FAA Chief NextGen Officer, who will work to an accelerated schedule, providing annual reports on progress. With deadlines anchored to February 14:

The FAA has six months to consult with industry reps and issue a report on RNP/RNAV airport ops and 18 months to schedule the implementation of RNP/RNAV procedures at 30% of the 35 operational evaluation partnership (OEP) airports. It must cover 60% in 36 months and 100% by June 30, 2015. It has 18 months for 25% of non-OEP airports, 36 months for 50%, with all airports covered by June 30, 2016.

The FAA has a year to submit its plan and timetable bringing the nationwide Data Communication System on line.  It also has prescribed deadlines for NextGen’s surface systems, such as Airport Surface Detection Equipment-Model X program.

Despite eight years of uncertain funding, the FAA has been making progress. Take ADS-B. The new AC 90-114 gives an overview of the system and guidance on how to comply with the ADS-B Out requirements. In this bill, Congress extended its previous the deadline five years, to January 1, 2020.

In late January, the FAA announced that free ADS-B In-cockpit traffic and weather information services are now available at 51 terminal areas, and that free en route ADS-B In traffic and weather services are now available in service areas centered on Houston, Texas, and a good portion of Alaska.

Aircraft equipped with the 978MHz Universal Access Transceiver (UAT) can receive both traffic and flight (weather) information. Those equipped with 1090 MHz Extended Squitter (1090 ES), required for flight above Flight Level 180, receive only traffic info.

The future of ADS-B In is not yet carved in regulatory stone. Flightglobal reports that the long-term funding bill directs the FAA to initiate rulemaking in the next year that mandates ADS-B In for aircraft flying in “capacity constrained airspace” or at “capacity constrained airports.” 

This requirement contradicts the recommendations from an FAA aviation rulemaking committee evaluating this technology. In November 2011, it said that “In’s” applications had not yet matured.

But Congress did nod at the ARC’s recommendation. The new NextGen officer must verify that the ADS-B ground network is “installed and functioning” before issuing any interim or final equipment rules.

ADS-B In seems to be the only major NextGen component with an uncertain future. With FAA funding and deadlines in place through 2015, operators of transport category aircraft can start finalizing their plans to equip their fleets for NextGen.

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

Technorati Tags: Next Generation Air Transportation System,FAA Funding,Airline Fleet Upgrades,NextGen Planning

flyTab Connects iPad to Larger World

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By itself, the flyTab Class II iPad EFB is economical technology that makes airline operations more cost efficient and economical. ASIG and its partner, Shadin Avionics, are taking it to the next level with the flyTab Avionics Interface Module (AIM).

Simply put, the AIM translates data communicated via ARINC 429 , MIL-STD 1553, RS232, A410 discrete inputs as well as other data buses and video into the digital language spoken by the iPad operating system. A passive (read-only) interface, the AIM completed its initial functional milestones and stability testing in early January 2012. Up next are red label units for laboratory evaluations and demonstrations.

flyTab is developing a library of application programming interfaces (API) that it will license to those developing iPad apps that would benefit from specific data from the avionics network. The initial interfaces provide 3D position and airspeed. Weather and traffic interfaces are in development and are now undergoing latency testing to ensure the display is keeping up with the data. flyTab will develop additional interfaces as customers demand.

Looking forward, as the iPad EFB proves its usefulness—and reliability—it will surely become cornerstone technology for the Next Generation Air Transportation System. One day in the future it may well allow pilots and/or dispatchers to plan every aspect of a trip. And when the pilot docks the EFB in its Class II mount, it could even burst program the applicable avionics systems and verify every setting. 

This day is still in the future, but the capabilities of flyTab’s passive Avionics Interface Module are an important step toward that future, a step that offers substantial benefits today. With it the instrument procedure charts displayed on a pilot’s EFB could include 3D position and speed, traffic, and weather.

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

Technorati Tags: flyTab,iPad EFB,Avionics Integration,NextGen National Airspace System

FAA NextGen Wants Your Comments on Retirement of Legacy Navigation

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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

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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

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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

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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!