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Aviation History
2002
2002 - 0062.PDF
AIR TRANSPORT AIR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT DAVID LEARMOUNT / LONDON UK faces delays as Swanwick opens One of the world's most sophisticated air traffic control centres goes live at the same time as Europe introduces RVSM Initial delays for some peak hour traffic using UK airspace are expected to be the only noticeable effect of the long-awaited 27 January hand-over of en-route air traffic control to the new air traffic control (ATC) centre at Swanwick, according to National Air Traffic Services (NATS). The fact that Europe's ATC Centres will have activated reduced vertical separa tion minima (RVSM) just three days earlier will not affect the tran sition, according to NATS chief operating officer Colin Chisholm. Controversy has surrounded the New En Route Centre (NERC) - based at Swanwick near A smooth transfer Knowing that RVSM would start in Europe around Swanwick's opera tional launch, National Air Traffic Services (NATS) implemented the new separation system in UK airspace on 19 April 2001 so that the two events would not clash. Because it was not cleared by Eurocontrol to exclude non-RVSM equipped aircraft from the upper flight levels (FL) until 24 January 2002 when RVSM goes live in the other 40 European and two North African countries, NATS allowed compliant aircraft to use any levels in the RVSM band. Non-equipped ones will use the two traditional levels in the band that do not reverse their direction in the new system - FL290 (29.000ft [8,850m]) and FL330. NATS says the transfer was smoother than expected. SEE RVSM FEATURE P33 Southampton - mainly because the sophisticated Lockheed Martin soft ware has taken far longer to meet specifications than promised. Originally slated by NATS to go operational in 1996, each succes sive delay was self-perpetuating as software capabilities increased and improvements were incorporated. NATS accepted the centre as ready for operation on 20 December 2001, and has since been training controllers and putting the systems through their paces. The transition of en-route ATC functions from the present London Area and Terminal Control Centre at West Drayton near London Heathrow airport to the NERC will begin in stages starting at 1400h on 26 January to be completed by 03.00h on 27 January. The first operational voice transmission from Swanwick will occur at around 02.30h, says Chisholm. He says that to ensure con trollers have time to "bed in" with the new system under full opera tional conditions, maximum traffic capacity will be planned at 30% below the levels expected in the high season, and this provision will extend for up to eight weeks if necessary. Traffic levels are so low at this time of the year that no delay is expected for most of each day, he adds. During peak hours, however, there may be "some delay", although this may be avoided by normal tactical controlling mea sures such as re-routeing. Both centres will be manned simultaneously with a full watch of controllers throughout the transfer, and reversion to West Drayton will be possible, says Chisholm. After 36h of operation, Swanwick will be expected to handle whatever goes wrong. BROADBAND COMMUNICATIONS Boeing wins approval for Boeing has received a licence from the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for two- way broadband communications from aircraft, paving the way for the launch of its Connexion entertainment and communica tion services. Boeing received FCC approval for the receive side of the services some time ago, but two-way approval - the first in the broad band satellite services industry, according to Boeing - has taken a year to secure. The licence will allow high-speed in-flight internet, intranet, e-mail and live television services to be offered on airliners and business jets. The approval followed an extensive flight test programme involving Boeing's Connexion One 737 test aircraft. The aircraft gath ered data to demonstrate that Connexion can operate without two-way Connexion interfering with other radio spectrum users. A prototype Connexion service is available in the USA to private and government aircraft. Launch airline Lufthansa is due to start a single-aircraft trial by early next year, to be followed by a decision to equip its long-haul fleet. Lufthansa is Connexion's only airline customer at the moment following the withdrawal of US car riers American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines last November. The three US carriers were due to be equity partners in Connexion with Boeing, but pulled out to focus on their core busi nesses (Flight International, 4-10 December 2001). Around 18 airlines are due to meet as Connexion's "working together" group for the first time on 15 January to start refining the service, says Boeing. FINAL ASSEMBLY Prototype 728JET on schedule Major fuselage subassemblies for the first Fairchild Dornier 728 JET were mated last month on the final assembly line at the manufac turer's Oberpfaffenhofen plant near Munich in Germany. The programme remains on schedule for the prototype to make its first flight in the "early spring", with deliveries due to start in mid-2003. Meanwhile, work is under way at Oberpfaffenhofen for series production of the 70-seat regional jet, with two new hangars under construction - one for final assembly and the other for fitting out the aircraft. 8 8-14 JANUARY 2002 FLIGHT INTERNATIONAL www.flightinternational.com
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