FlightGlobal.com
Home
Premium
Archive
Video
Images
Forum
Atlas
Blogs
Jobs
Shop
RSS
Email Newsletters
You are in:
Home
Aviation History
1985
1985 - 0130.PDF
If you are a UK-based aviator you will know about Aerad, and you will also know about Jeppesen. If you are based anywhere else in the world you will know about Jeppesen, but unless you are an inter continental flyer you probably have not heard of Aerad. Jeppesen is the Boeing of the aviation information and cartography industry. Is Aerad trying to be the Airbus—the European monopoly- breaker? Actually, no, says Aerad production and sales manager Derek Hodgson; even though in some areas of the world Aerad's service is complete enough to offer customers an alternative to the Jeppesen product. It becomes clearer why Aerad isn't setting up a worldwide Jeppesen-beating marketing effort when you know who owns it, why it came into existence, and what its primary purpose still is. Aerad used to be a part of International Aeradio, which was owned by British Airways until recently sold. BA kept Aerad, though. More than anything else, Aerad is BA's own cartogra pher and flight information service. But if it could satisfy BA's high standards and vast network requirements, obviously other airlines would like the product; and they do. So Aerad also produces charts which go beyond the BA requirement, and it is gently expanding its available world coverage in balance with specific area marketing programmes and customer requirements. Capt Peter Hunt, BA's head of technical and training, flight crew, would keep Aerad simply because "the technical qual ity is higher" than the competitions, "and therefore contributes to flight safety". But also, he says, "the net cost is cheaper than going to Jeppesen". But then other customers do get a precisely-tailored service from Aerad, Derek Hodgson explains. If they operate to only one destination in Europe, they get the charts and updating service for that airport and alternates—they are not required to buy a complete European pack unless that is what they ask for. "We try to identify with specific customers and their requirements," Hodgson says. There are limits to the tailoring, though. The USA is Jeppesen territory, and Aerad does not intend to spend the marketing cash necessary to break into that market in a big way. A while ago Western Air Lines, whose Jeppesen bill is about $30,000 a month, saw Aerad's work and liked it. Western asked for a quotation, but Aerad wouldn't enter that network with one customer only, no matter how big the single customer was. Aerad's data coverage, through its five- volume Flight Guide Supplement, is worldwide and as complete as any single guide available. Therein lies the company's potential major data-base sale. Coverage by Aerad's en-route charts and terminal/departure procedures charts is extensive and expanding, but not worldwide. Naturally UK and European coverage is complete "because it's home territory and because our primary customer goes there". Southern Africa is covered almost completely, and coverage is gradually moving northward towards a well- documented North African coast. BA requirements in the Far East are met, but this is the one area where, right now, a positive marketing effort is being made. Charting stocks for the whole region are being built up. In December Aerad was at (mainland) China's aviation exhibition looking at that vast market. In Australia the Government has always supplied charts free, but Aerad believes it will not do so much longer. Then the company will consider the commercial possibilities of the continent. South America is covered really only for customer, British Caledonian, though BCal's routes there will soon belong again to BA. That continent is described by Hodgson as "a low priority market", and one of the world's most difficult for obtaining update intelligence. The most immediate visual difference between an Aerad terminal approach chart and the competition is the contouring. Instead of the old system of having spot-height dots and digits all over the place (particularly where the airport is in a mountainous area), the chart has safety altitude contours. Areas between contour lines are a given safety altitude, are toned to make them easy to differ entiate even under night lighting, and marked with a two-digit safety altitude figure (contours normally delineate 500ft changes). Toning is clear but gentle, and does not interfere with the procedure plan's clarity. Aerad hasn't always used the safety alti tude contours. The idea was not approved until 1978; and then by 1982, after many of the contoured approach charts had been in use for two years, a freeze was put on continuing improvement in order to stan dardise on style. Standard instrument departure charts are not contoured. The concept is distinctly popular with pilots. BA calls its operations department flight planning computer SWORD (system for worldwide operational route data). Captains are handed a SWORD printout before each flight, and it gives complete route, time, fuel, and weather data for the route they are to fly. The computer's data base does not come from a single source. It has inputs based on Aerad paper data, Jeppesen data and, obviously, aircraft performance data. BA aircraft flight management system computers have a multiple-source data base supplied by Jeppesen, avionics manufacturers Decca, Lear Siegler, and others. This market for data base information is one which Aerad is beginning to think about rather than to act on. What about putting the Flight Guide Supplement systems-compatible data on floppy disks or tape and selling it? It's a thought, along with others Aerad has. There is a market out there. When Aerad is settled again, maybe they'll go and attack it. A lot depends on the priorities which the new, shareholder- owned BA will have when it has been sold this year. S3 Obviously a helicopter pilot approaching an oil rig through the North Sea mists needs a deck plan, but the profile helps considerably for recognition and safety AUK A FIXED PLATFORM I T 58 FLIGHT International, 12 January 198&
Sign up to
Flight Digital Magazine
Flight Print Magazine
Airline Business Magazine
E-newsletters
RSS
Events
