Latest from Andrew Wood
Rep Raps LightSquared, FAA To Begin Interference Tests
The confrontation between LightSquared and the U.S.
Regulations and Government
Squabble Grows over LightSquared’s Potential GPS Threat
The controversy over LightSquared’s plan to operate 40,000 hi
ATC
Experts debate NAS-wide GPS jamming threat
by Andrew Wood
At press time, the first of three monthly reports of the technical arguments between experts from LightSquared and the GPS com
ATC
GPS Community Draws Line in Sand Against LightSquared
A panel of experts, selected jointly by the GPS Industry Council and LightSquared Corp., is currently determining whether
Regulations and Government
Panel To Study GPS Interference from LightSquared
Over the next three months, a panel of 14 experts will test and analyze whether LightSquared's proposal to transmit Internet data from a nationwide network
ATC
Satellite Internet plan could threaten GPS
Small, inexpensive GPS jammers carried by truckers have caused the occasional shutdown of the Laas test installation at Newark Airport.
ATC
Be Your Own Dispatcher
Garmin has introduced its GTU-10, a personal GPS-based tracking system that allows owners to instantly check via the Internet the location of children, pet
ATC
DOT IG Notes Technical Problems in FAA NextGen Programs
Last week, Department of Transportation Inspector General (IG) Calvin Scovel III, along with an MIT representative and an FAA vice president, gave separate
Garmin: LightSquared Could Seriously Affect GPS
Garmin reports that LightSquared’s proposed nationwide broadband Internet service could seriously interfere with GPS signals.
ATC
UAVs pose little threat to civilian pilot jobs
Do UAVs threaten civil pilot careers? That’s the question that AIN posed to several attendees at a recent conference in Montreal, sponsored by industry tra
FBOs
Newark Airport GBAS Vulnerable to Truckers’ GPS Jammers
GPS designers understood from the beginning that the system’s weak signals would be vulnerable to inadvertent or deliberate interference, with the threat f
ATC
Eram Fixes Could Add $500M to FAA’s NextGen Tab
Software problems with the FAA's new, $2.1 billion en route automation modernization (Eram) computer system, originally scheduled to be operational at all
Regulations and Government
Equipage regs could delay ADS-B implementation
The road to ADS-B may well be paved with good intentions, but for operators of smaller aircraft there could be some serious financial potholes ahead.
ATC
GAO Warns NextGen Costs Could Quadruple
A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) report to the House Transportation and Infrastructure
ATC
Costly STC Requirements Threaten ADS-B Installations
Under a new FAA rule, ADS-B installation costs will at least double for corporate aircraft and could increase by up to 700 percent for general aviation air
ATC
ADS-B Gets Green Light, GPS Backup Less Clear
Following successful ADS-B deployment at key sites in Alaska, the
Training and Workforce
Simulator tech just keeps evolving
Just when we might have thought that flight simulators are about as “leading edge” as they can get, it turns out that the engineers have been busy developi
Safety
FAA Issues Advisory Circular for Bird Tracking Radar
Bird strikes are as old as aviation itself, with the Wright brothers reporting the first such hit during an early test flight.
ATC
GAO, DOT IG Concerned about FAA's NextGen
Each key FAA NextGen project has an individual "metric" to measure how its development is progressing.
ATC
NextGen architects ponder security
Establishing stronger cyber security must become a top national imperative, according to industry and government cyber security specialists at a recent FAA
Regulations and Government
ADS-B Costs Versus Benefits Remain Industry’s Concern
The FAA’s final rule on ADS-B equipage, published last week, appears to offer little change from the agency’s October 2007 notice of proposed rulemaking (N
FAA’s NextGen Under Heavy Crossfire
Separate testimonies late last month before the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure by the Government Accountability Office (GAO) and the
ATC
Two Satnav Satellites Lost Within 10 Days
The first geostationary satellite for India’s Gagan GPS space-based augmentation system (SBAS)–essentially similar to Waas–was lost on April 15 when its la
ATC
Administrative ‘hiccup’ blamed for ADS-B delay
Just as ADS-B was turning into the home stretch, with the FAA announcement of the final rule for mandatory equipage expected on April 10–a date agency offi
Avionics
Senate Bill Speeds, Expands ADS-B Aircraft Equipage
Monday’s passage of the FAA reauthorization bill in the Senate brought some surprises to future ADS-B users.
ATC
ADS-B Final Rule Hits Stumbling Blocks
The FAA’s long-promised April 10 release of its ADS-B final rule appears to have hit two bureaucratic stumbling blocks.
ATC
FAA Embraces NextGen Task Force Recommendations
The FAA has responded positively to a report from the RTCA NextGen Mid-Term Implementation Task Force, which the agency had requested to recommend key step
